Quick Review-Fenix PD30 R4

[kzooglock23]

Well like so many of you, I am kind of moving down the line in amassing EDC gear whenever my wallet allows. First it was handguns, then knives and now flashlights (along with guns and knives).

My first decent light was a Surefire G2L which I absolutely love and use all the time. But I wanted a new light and wanted more lumens. Since I am already into CR123's, I decided to stick with the battery format. I started looking comparing brands, lumens and price and decided to give the Fenix brand a shot after reading goods things about their lights (even though they are from China).

I chose the PD30 R4 because it had the most lumens for the price. I have to say for $58.95 and free UPS shipping, I am very impressed. The size is great and the build quality is very nice. The anodizing is durable and this sucker is bright, putting out an impressive 265 lumens. I had read about some Fenix owners who feel the user interface is unecessarily complicated because of the numerous output levels and modes. Honestly I did look at other Fenix lights and opted not to purchase them because, for a flashlight, I did not want the hassle of turning the head and clicking, and turning and clicking and so on. That being said, I feel the PD30's user interface is a nice combination that is not too bad. Overall I am happy with the PD30 and will most definately give it a work-out.

 

[hung-solo]

damn, now i want one.. i have the quark cr123x2 and its 205 lumens give or take. that sucker is pretty bright. but 265? dang..... 115 meters of beam length, is well, awesome..

 

[storl]

damn, now i want one.. i have the quark cr123x2 and its 205 lumens give or take. that sucker is pretty bright. but 265? dang..... 115 meters of beam length, is well, awesome..

Fenix rates their lumens as emitter (coming out of the LED) vs 4Sevens, which are out the front of the light. The current 1232 is actually slightly brighter than the current PD30, but not by much.

I like the styling of the PD30 better, but the moon mode on the 1232 is pretty dang nice. They both sell about the same for us.

 

[MadBaxter]

Dont slag chinese made things off, its all abbout how good the quality controls and the customer service is if all goes bad.

 

[garnto]

I have had my fenix pd30 r4 for around 4 or 5 months now, and I love it!

great light at a great price. to touch on the interface issue, as long as you have half a brain it is no trouble at all. it takes a grand total of a sec to swap through every mode on the light.

 

[lwt210]

I have a Fenix PD30 R2 that I use at my job (LE) and I have abused it for over a year now.

I can honestly say that this flashlight has been tough as nails and impressive at it's price point.

I have dropped it, had it soaked more times than I care to remember, bumped it, left it on for long periods of time......basically used the heck out of it.

Aside from some dings here and there to the finish, it hasn't missed a beat. Very durable......dare I use the term bulletproof.

I have an orange traffic wand and while I usually don't have a need/want for a strobe function, it works well to get driver's attention when bringing them to a stop at dusk and night time.

If it had a moon mode.....like a single lumen or less, it would be perfect in my eyes.

 

[Any Cal.]

I have one of the last P3Ds, which was the precursor to the PD30, and like it a lot. They are a very good light.

 

[hung-solo]

Fenix rates their lumens as emitter (coming out of the LED) vs 4Sevens, which are out the front of the light. The current 1232 is actually slightly brighter than the current PD30, but not by much.

I like the styling of the PD30 better, but the moon mode on the 1232 is pretty dang nice. They both sell about the same for us.

thank you for the correction. i love the moon light mode. i use it quite often esp now that deer season is up and running. as usual keep up the good work over there. I am hoping to win one of those monthly giveaways you have on FB ...