Surefire vs. Fenix

T

Tactical Tanto

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Which one of these two light brands is overall better excluding prices? I'm leaning towards a Surefire ED2 Executive, or a Fenix P3D.
 
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well if price wasnt a factor i would say surefire. price considered fenix. a lot of the fenix lights are 1/3, 1/2 the cost of surefires. i own both. i carry my fenix because it is brighter. the fenix lights are very high quality IMO, if you want a bright high quality light get a feinx. if you want a flashlight that uses "cool" batteries and is a surefire get a surefire.
 
Surefire. You're comparing CRK with Cold Steel in the world of knives.
 
Josh K said:
Surefire. You're comparing CRK with Cold Steel in the world of knives.
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i would have to disagree, it is more of the bradley alias versus the sebenza
if you are super into flashlights then get a SF
if you want brightness and quality and dont want to break the bank get a fenix
 
Those special batteries can be a pain. Check out the nitecore d10, it's a great light. (just to mix it up a bit, there's a few other players in the light game)
 
Surefire all the way! I have a few Fenix and Nitecore lights but they rarely get carried. I've been EDCing an E1L for a while now, great light. In comparing brightness, my E1L holds it's own vs my Fenix PD20.
 
I have a zillion lights and, while Surefire is top notch, prefer the Fenix lineup. Fenix is consistently at the cutting edge of LED technology, and the ability to choose your battery type is a big plus. Why deal with CR123 when you can get readily available AA or AA rechargeables? As a general rule, Fenix also has more output selections, a strobe function if you so desire, and low lows. So, I'm a big fan of Fenix (and now Quark), and its been a long time since I've added a Surefire to the arsenal. JMO.
 
powernoodle said:
I have a zillion lights and, while Surefire is top notch, prefer the Fenix lineup. Fenix is consistently at the cutting edge of LED technology, and the ability to choose your battery type is a big plus. Why deal with CR123 when you can get readily available AA or AA rechargeables? As a general rule, Fenix also has more output selections, a strobe function if you so desire, and low lows. So, I'm a big fan of Fenix (and now Quark), and its been a long time since I've added a Surefire to the arsenal. JMO.
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Case in point: I was rewatching a season of "The Amazing Race" where they were required to hike through Alaska at night and follow some trail markers. Fresh AA batteries and ten minutes later they were dead.

I'm not sure about wherever you winter, but in Michigan I like to keep a flashlight in my glovebox. It gets ridiculously cold and any alkaline batteries die quickly. I haven't had that problem since I started using the CR123 lights.

Keep a box of twelve or so hanging around and you'll never be short a pair when you need them.
 
Fenix is way better no contest. They are way way more powerfull and more flexable in power settings.
 
gundude73 said:
i would have to disagree, it is more of the bradley alias versus the sebenza
if you are super into flashlights then get a SF
if you want brightness and quality and dont want to break the bank get a fenix
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That might be a bit better of a comparison. :thumbup:

Honestly I haven't found a ton of use for the 200+ lumen lights. Sure it's bright as all hell, but a lot of the time I just need a bit of light here and there. I find myself using the 15 lumen mode on my LX2 more then the 200 lumen mode. Unless I'm spotlighting something the 200 lumens easily washes out a lot of whatever you're looking at.
 
Josh K said:
That might be a bit better of a comparison. :thumbup:

Honestly I haven't found a ton of use for the 200+ lumen lights. Sure it's bright as all hell, but a lot of the time I just need a bit of light here and there. I find myself using the 15 lumen mode on my LX2 more then the 200 lumen mode. Unless I'm spotlighting something the 200 lumens easily washes out a lot of whatever you're looking at.
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well my fenix has a 16 lumen setting and a 152 lumen setting,
i use the 16 for more EDC stuff, but i have it set to 152 for "tactical" stuff.
it has the type 3 hard anodized aluminum, tactical clicky switch, and has a cree bulb. and it cant be beat for 50 bucks.
 
powernoodle said:
I have a zillion lights and, while Surefire is top notch, prefer the Fenix lineup. Fenix is consistently at the cutting edge of LED technology, and the ability to choose your battery type is a big plus. Why deal with CR123 when you can get readily available AA or AA rechargeables? As a general rule, Fenix also has more output selections, a strobe function if you so desire, and low lows. So, I'm a big fan of Fenix (and now Quark), and its been a long time since I've added a Surefire to the arsenal. JMO.
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That is one truckload of lights! I'm printing out that list for next time a friend gives me a hard time about having a lot of lights/knives/guns!

Thanks,

DancesWithKnives
 
gundude73 said:
well the surefire is about ~150 dollars. the fenix is 50
the SF has about 80 lumens IIRC, could be more now.
fenix has a lot more lumens
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Well, just the fact that they're made in China makes me shiver. I always thought they were made in USA. Besides, I don't really care about the prices because I'm not buying one I'm only trading something for one. So, I made up my mind I'm going with the Surefire E2D Executive! :D

Thanks, a lot you guys for taking the time to answer my questions. :) :thumbup:
 
gundude73 said:
well my fenix has a 16 lumen setting and a 152 lumen setting,
i use the 16 for more EDC stuff, but i have it set to 152 for "tactical" stuff.
it has the type 3 hard anodized aluminum, tactical clicky switch, and has a cree bulb. and it cant be beat for 50 bucks.
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How fast can you switch modes? On the TK40 it took a good 10-15 seconds to cycle up to the highest mode. I realize I'm being picky over small things but past two modes and I kind get the feeling that it's just another thing on the feature list.

gundude73 said:
well the surefire is about ~150 dollars. the fenix is 50
the SF has about 80 lumens IIRC, could be more now.
fenix has a lot more lumens
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The highest output LED from Surefire is 200 in the LX2 and new E2DL.
 
Tactical Tanto said:
Well, just the fact that they're made in China makes me shiver. I always thought they were made in USA. Besides, I don't really care about the prices because I'm not buying one I'm only trading something for one. So, I made up my mind I'm going with the Surefire E2D Executive! :D

Thanks, a lot you guys for taking the time to answer my questions. :) :thumbup:
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Stop the press!

Probably should have been mentioned, but the incandescent Surefire lights have runtimes in the toilet. They are measured in minutes. The bulbs also only last about 20-30 hours at the most. Incandescent Surefires are bright, but definitely not something you should pickup unless you're in a position where you can go through batteries like stool softeners.
 
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