I personally really like the idea of a focusable flashlight, so I purchased several Fenix FD series flashlights (with their thrower TK47 too). And since the flashlight reviews here are fairly helpful to me, I'm willing to share my measurements and thoughts as well.
Appearance: FD30
FD30 is a focusable tactical 18650 x1 flashlight (CR123A x 2 also works), with both side and tail switch. Size: 140.5mm (length) x 23mm (body) x 25.4mm (head), net weight: 96g. The clip is already installed by the manufacturer.
Accessories: user manual, warranty card, holster, spare o-rings and tail switch cap, lanyard.
FD30 is unable to stand firmly due to its tail switch. Probably due to this reason, there is only one lanyard hole at each side of the tail cap, while two holes at a single side may be better for tail-standing.
A side switch for brightness adjustment, and a rotary ring for focus adjustment. I personally find the 360-degree rotary design annoying, because it's not easy to quickly get the right position for 100% spot or 100% flood.
Dual reflectors are used in FD30 for focus adjustment. The CREE XP-L HI LED looks a bit cool to me (~5500K, I prefer warm or neutral tints).
There are springs at both ends, making FD30 more resilient to shocks. Unscrew the tail cap a bit can physically lock-out the flashlight.
Appearance: FD45
FD45 is a focusable flashlight, powered by four AA batteries (14500 li-ions are unsupported). Size: 121.8mm (length) x 39mm (body) x 40mm (head), net weight: 206g.
Accessories: user manual, warranty card, holster, spare o-rings, lanyard.
FD45 can stand firmly. Two lanyard holes are available at a single side, so you can put on the lanyard without impacting the stability of tail standing.
A side switch for brightness adjustment, and a rotary ring for focus adjustment. The 90-degree rotary design works well for me, making it easier to find the position for 100% spot or 100% flood.
The diameter of FD45 is noticeably larger than FD30, thus it's more suitable to utilize a TIR optical lens for focus adjustment. The LED used is a CREE XP-L HI (~4000K, I like this tint much). The central part of the TIR lens has a frosted surface, making the spot more soft and pleasant.
The inside of the body tube. No additional carrier is needed since the batteries are installed directly. Four springs, copper caps installed for the two anode contacts. Stickers are there to indicate the direction of batteries.
No springs on the tail cap, only copper caps and a position stick. Physical lock-out is unavailable on FD45.
Appearance: FD65
FD65 is a focusable flashlight, powered by fours 18650 batteries. Size: 152.5mm (length) x 50.5mm (body) x 61mm (head), net weight: 431g. There is a tripod socket on its head
.
Accessories: user manual, warranty card, holster, spare o-rings, lanyard. This holster enables you to operate the flashlight within directly, however, that also means less protection for the head and the optical lenses.
FD65 can stand firmly, but there is only one lanyard hole at each side of the tail. Putting on the lanyard may therefore affect the stability of tail standing.
Two rubber side switches for brightness adjustment, and a rotary ring for focus adjustment. I like the 90-degree rotary design.
Three TIR optical lenses, three CREE XHP35 HI (~4800K, very neutral to me).
Four springs, copper caps installed for the two anode contacts. No stickers like FD45 since the polarity instruction is already printed on the PCB (FD45 should have this too, since the stickers may wear).
The copper contacts (there are springs within!) and a position stick. Physical lock-out is unavailable on FD65.
FD65 utilizes a 2S2P configuration for the four 18650 batteries, so it is possible to work with only two batteries. However the maximum brightness level available then shall heavily depend on the batteries.
Appearance: TK47
TK47 is a 18650 x2 thrower, with a small camping lantern on the tail. Size: 266.2mm (length) x 28.6mm (body) x 61.5mm (head), net weight: 376g.
Accessories: user manual, warranty card, holster, spare o-rings, lanyard. This holster can only cover the head of the flashlight, what a pity.
There is only one lanyard hole at each side of the tail.
The side (for main LED) and tail (for lantern LED) switch can be operated independently. Main LED: XHP35 HI (~5000K); tail LED: unknown (~4000K).
TK47 has a dual body tube design, meaning you can physically lock-out the main LED by a simple twist of the tail cap. However, the tail lantern cannot be locked-out similarly. This is probably not a big problem, since the tail lantern consumes much less power and generates much less heat.
Springs are installed at both ends. But due to the longer body tube, regular (65mm) 18650 batteries can rattle. You will need longer 18650s, probably 67mm or even longer.
Interface: FD30
Interface: FD45
Fenix claims that their ARB-L14-1600U battery is good for FD45, however, this may not be true. This battery can only handle up to 1C = 1.6A load in my discharging tests, and this is definitely not enough for the Turbo mode of FD45. My real experiment shows that switching to Turbo will trigger the built-in protection (over-current/over-heat) of that battery.…
Interface: FD65
Interface: TK47
Flood & Spot: FD30
Flood & Spot: FD45
Flood & Spot: FD65
Thrower & Lantern: TK47
Beamshots: FD30
Beamshots: FD45
Beamshots: FD65
Beamshots: TK47
Beamshots Comparisons
Olight R50 Pro, Fenix PD40R, FD30, FD45, FD65
Fenix PD40R, FD30, FD45, FD65, TK47
Fenix TK47, Armytek Barracuda Pro v2 XHP35 HI (Warm), Manker U21 Neutral White, Emisar D1S XP-L HI V2 5D
All claimed to have a throw distance of 700 meters. Their throw distance are indeed pretty much the same to my personal experience.
Beamshots: Panorama Images
Measurements: FD30
Thermal protection is available when using Turbo, but the logic behind is simple: drop to High when the temperature is too high. The Turbo mode doesn't stabilize at a constant brightness, even when enough cooling is applied.
When activating Turbo, the maximum temperature measured near the side switch is 50°C. It then stabilizes at 40°C after dropping to High. After the test (dropping to the lowest brightness level), the battery voltage is ~3.0V.
The lumen numbers measured at the Flood configuration. Fairly close to the advertised numbers, really impressive.
Measurements: FD45
PowerGenix NiZn batteries are also tested for your reference.
A good thermal regulation is implemented for the Turbo mode, enabling FD45 to adjust its brightness in accordance with the temperature. With enough cooling, the Turbo mode can stabilize at the maximum brightness level, very good!
When activating Turbo, the maximum temperature measured near the side switch is 48°C. After the test (dropping to the lowest brightness level), the battery voltage is 0.9V~1.0V (eneloop pro) or 1.35V~1.50V (PowerGenix NiZn, poor battery consistency!).
The lumen numbers measured at the Flood configuration.
Measurements: FD65
The Turbo mode is thermal regulated, but I prefer the mechanism seen on FD45 more.
When activating Turbo, the maximum temperature measured near the side switch is 50°C. For High, the maximum temperature is 40°C. After the test (dropping to the lowest brightness level), the battery voltage is ~3.0V.
The lumen numbers measured at the Flood configuration.
Measurements: TK47
The Turbo mode is thermal regulated, similar to FD45. With enough cooling, the Turbo mode can stabilize at the maximum brightness level. The power consumption of the tail lantern is low, thus the Turbo runtime difference is small when this tail light is also activated.
When activating Turbo, the maximum temperature measured near the side switch is 55°C. After the test (dropping to the lowest brightness level), the battery voltage is ~3.3V (higher than my expectation).
The lumen numbers measured.
That's all, thank you.
Appearance: FD30
FD30 is a focusable tactical 18650 x1 flashlight (CR123A x 2 also works), with both side and tail switch. Size: 140.5mm (length) x 23mm (body) x 25.4mm (head), net weight: 96g. The clip is already installed by the manufacturer.
Accessories: user manual, warranty card, holster, spare o-rings and tail switch cap, lanyard.
FD30 is unable to stand firmly due to its tail switch. Probably due to this reason, there is only one lanyard hole at each side of the tail cap, while two holes at a single side may be better for tail-standing.
A side switch for brightness adjustment, and a rotary ring for focus adjustment. I personally find the 360-degree rotary design annoying, because it's not easy to quickly get the right position for 100% spot or 100% flood.
Dual reflectors are used in FD30 for focus adjustment. The CREE XP-L HI LED looks a bit cool to me (~5500K, I prefer warm or neutral tints).
There are springs at both ends, making FD30 more resilient to shocks. Unscrew the tail cap a bit can physically lock-out the flashlight.
Appearance: FD45
FD45 is a focusable flashlight, powered by four AA batteries (14500 li-ions are unsupported). Size: 121.8mm (length) x 39mm (body) x 40mm (head), net weight: 206g.
Accessories: user manual, warranty card, holster, spare o-rings, lanyard.
FD45 can stand firmly. Two lanyard holes are available at a single side, so you can put on the lanyard without impacting the stability of tail standing.
A side switch for brightness adjustment, and a rotary ring for focus adjustment. The 90-degree rotary design works well for me, making it easier to find the position for 100% spot or 100% flood.
The diameter of FD45 is noticeably larger than FD30, thus it's more suitable to utilize a TIR optical lens for focus adjustment. The LED used is a CREE XP-L HI (~4000K, I like this tint much). The central part of the TIR lens has a frosted surface, making the spot more soft and pleasant.
The inside of the body tube. No additional carrier is needed since the batteries are installed directly. Four springs, copper caps installed for the two anode contacts. Stickers are there to indicate the direction of batteries.
No springs on the tail cap, only copper caps and a position stick. Physical lock-out is unavailable on FD45.
Appearance: FD65
FD65 is a focusable flashlight, powered by fours 18650 batteries. Size: 152.5mm (length) x 50.5mm (body) x 61mm (head), net weight: 431g. There is a tripod socket on its head
Accessories: user manual, warranty card, holster, spare o-rings, lanyard. This holster enables you to operate the flashlight within directly, however, that also means less protection for the head and the optical lenses.
FD65 can stand firmly, but there is only one lanyard hole at each side of the tail. Putting on the lanyard may therefore affect the stability of tail standing.
Two rubber side switches for brightness adjustment, and a rotary ring for focus adjustment. I like the 90-degree rotary design.
Three TIR optical lenses, three CREE XHP35 HI (~4800K, very neutral to me).
Four springs, copper caps installed for the two anode contacts. No stickers like FD45 since the polarity instruction is already printed on the PCB (FD45 should have this too, since the stickers may wear).
The copper contacts (there are springs within!) and a position stick. Physical lock-out is unavailable on FD65.
FD65 utilizes a 2S2P configuration for the four 18650 batteries, so it is possible to work with only two batteries. However the maximum brightness level available then shall heavily depend on the batteries.
Appearance: TK47
TK47 is a 18650 x2 thrower, with a small camping lantern on the tail. Size: 266.2mm (length) x 28.6mm (body) x 61.5mm (head), net weight: 376g.
Accessories: user manual, warranty card, holster, spare o-rings, lanyard. This holster can only cover the head of the flashlight, what a pity.
There is only one lanyard hole at each side of the tail.
The side (for main LED) and tail (for lantern LED) switch can be operated independently. Main LED: XHP35 HI (~5000K); tail LED: unknown (~4000K).
TK47 has a dual body tube design, meaning you can physically lock-out the main LED by a simple twist of the tail cap. However, the tail lantern cannot be locked-out similarly. This is probably not a big problem, since the tail lantern consumes much less power and generates much less heat.
Springs are installed at both ends. But due to the longer body tube, regular (65mm) 18650 batteries can rattle. You will need longer 18650s, probably 67mm or even longer.
Interface: FD30
Interface: FD45
Fenix claims that their ARB-L14-1600U battery is good for FD45, however, this may not be true. This battery can only handle up to 1C = 1.6A load in my discharging tests, and this is definitely not enough for the Turbo mode of FD45. My real experiment shows that switching to Turbo will trigger the built-in protection (over-current/over-heat) of that battery.…
Interface: FD65
Interface: TK47
Flood & Spot: FD30
Flood & Spot: FD45
Flood & Spot: FD65
Thrower & Lantern: TK47
Beamshots: FD30
Beamshots: FD45
Beamshots: FD65
Beamshots: TK47
Beamshots Comparisons
Olight R50 Pro, Fenix PD40R, FD30, FD45, FD65
Fenix PD40R, FD30, FD45, FD65, TK47
Fenix TK47, Armytek Barracuda Pro v2 XHP35 HI (Warm), Manker U21 Neutral White, Emisar D1S XP-L HI V2 5D
All claimed to have a throw distance of 700 meters. Their throw distance are indeed pretty much the same to my personal experience.
Beamshots: Panorama Images
Measurements: FD30
Thermal protection is available when using Turbo, but the logic behind is simple: drop to High when the temperature is too high. The Turbo mode doesn't stabilize at a constant brightness, even when enough cooling is applied.
When activating Turbo, the maximum temperature measured near the side switch is 50°C. It then stabilizes at 40°C after dropping to High. After the test (dropping to the lowest brightness level), the battery voltage is ~3.0V.
The lumen numbers measured at the Flood configuration. Fairly close to the advertised numbers, really impressive.
Measurements: FD45
PowerGenix NiZn batteries are also tested for your reference.
A good thermal regulation is implemented for the Turbo mode, enabling FD45 to adjust its brightness in accordance with the temperature. With enough cooling, the Turbo mode can stabilize at the maximum brightness level, very good!
When activating Turbo, the maximum temperature measured near the side switch is 48°C. After the test (dropping to the lowest brightness level), the battery voltage is 0.9V~1.0V (eneloop pro) or 1.35V~1.50V (PowerGenix NiZn, poor battery consistency!).
The lumen numbers measured at the Flood configuration.
Measurements: FD65
The Turbo mode is thermal regulated, but I prefer the mechanism seen on FD45 more.
When activating Turbo, the maximum temperature measured near the side switch is 50°C. For High, the maximum temperature is 40°C. After the test (dropping to the lowest brightness level), the battery voltage is ~3.0V.
The lumen numbers measured at the Flood configuration.
Measurements: TK47
The Turbo mode is thermal regulated, similar to FD45. With enough cooling, the Turbo mode can stabilize at the maximum brightness level. The power consumption of the tail lantern is low, thus the Turbo runtime difference is small when this tail light is also activated.
When activating Turbo, the maximum temperature measured near the side switch is 55°C. After the test (dropping to the lowest brightness level), the battery voltage is ~3.3V (higher than my expectation).
The lumen numbers measured.
That's all, thank you.
