Monday, November 18, 2019

PD36R or PD35? - Fenix PD36R Flashlight Review



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Today Luke has two flashlights, the PD36R and the PD35, both are from Fenix.  Which does he recommend?

Find out now.

Agenda Free Link PD36R : https://www.fenixlighting.com/product/fenix-pd36r-rechargeable-flashlight/

Agenda Free Link PD35 : https://www.fenixlighting.com/product/pd35-fenix-flashlight/

Price of PD36R : $100
Price of PD35 : $70

Weight : 5.8oz

Max Lumens : 1600 Lumens

Battery : Large 5000 mAh Battery - High-capacity 21700

Length: 5.4” (136mm) Body: 1.0” (25.4mm)  Head: 1.0” (26.4mm)

LUMINUS SST-40 LED -  1600 Lumen max output -  USB Type-C charging

Battery Level indicator -  Dual Switch Operation - High-strength Aluminum Body

Premium type HAIII Hard anodized anti-abrasive finish -  PD36R Outputs

Turbo - 1600 Lumens/2.9 hours/928 feet
High - 800 Lumens/5.9 hours/646 feet
Med - 350 Lumens/8.5 Hours/419 feet
Low - 150 Lumens/26 Hours/269 feet
Eco - 30 Lumens/115 Hours/114 feet
Strobe - 1600 Lumens

Green Steady: 85-100% power -  Green Flashing: 50-85% power -   Red Steady: 25-50% power

Red Flashing: 1-25% power

The switch also indicates when the cell power is low during use; red flashing only.

Warmer color to the light; slight yellow tint

Over all I am really happy with this because I feel the beam is a bit wider and I think it makes it more useful all around. The clip is rather nice too, although I only started messing with the clip after recording. My hope is that the side button is good and strong because I recall seeing a review of another model which apparently had multiple people complaining that the side button popped out and they had the parts laying on a piece of paper to show what happened. But I have not seen such reports on the PD36R, but it is early days and I have little doubt that issue was a model-isolated incident since out of all my Fenix lights, I never had such a thing happen ever.

USB-C : Finally I have a flashlight which has USB-C; the same cable as my phone.

Dual switches
Battery level indictor

I can’t think of a thing to complain about on this light.  It meets its specifications, and is a reasonably priced complete package light.

Brighter than the advertised rating according to online testers who have equipment to test lumens ratings.

The PD36R is well built.  There’s nothing glaringly bad, and everything works like it should.  I like the e-switch cover in particular, as I’m partial to metal switch covers.

Also for retaining the light is a two-way friction fit pocket clip, which attaches only on the tail end.  It’s quite snug, and can hold the lanyard thorough a hole in the shoulder.

Runtimes for Turbo and High follow.  The drop off Turbo is fairly quick, then the light holds 1400 lumens for a good 20 minutes, then around 950 lumens for around 100 minutes.  The light didn’t shut off, but output became so low, you’ll notice lowered output.

The charge port cover works fairly well, and stays put when it’s pressed down.

PROS :

Meets and exceeds specification

Simple to use

Good complete package light

Utilizes USB-C for charging

Fast charges the 5000mAh 21700 - A full charge takes just 4 hours

Metal e-switch cover

Good charging port cover – doesn’t pop open

Indicating side-switch

It features a smooth reflector and it gives you a really nice beam pattern where you have focused beam along with a really good spill that allows you to see everything in front of you.

With turbo mode, you get almost 3 hours of runtime, with the high mode you get almost 6 hours, and with the medium mode you get 8 and a half hours. These are extremely impressive runtimes for the higher outputs. We normally don’t see such fantastic runtimes which makes me very excited about the PD36R.

Pocket clip is tight

CONS :

No direct access to low

Overall long light

Can’t tail-stand

Can get hot with higher mode use

I was surprised to see that the eco mode was 30 lumens. I would have expected the eco mode to be 5 lumens or less so that was a bit of a surprise.




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