Fenix
P3D-LED
„Fenix“ comes from the Chinese word “Phoenix”. This can be translated with “perfect thing”. Let’s see if the P3D is such a perfect thing. With the length of 4.48” and a diameter of 0.82” it don’t has the size of a bully. It´s the same with its slime weight of 1.7oz. The Creed-Q5-LED Fenix is my first digital light, so I am somewhat excited. Actually I got me the P3D as a secondary or back-up-light to have something at hand if my primary should let me down. But since this little light is throwing out 215 Lumen max. and has a strobe, I used it as my primary from time to time. Mostly I do that in the cold time of the year or when I don’t have the space for a larger light at all. Oh, and the P3D is driven by 2 CR123A batteries.
Beside the extreme bright 215 Lumen Turbo- and Strobe-Mode you will find 4 more modes on the P3D. There is the lowest mode with 12 Lumen for 65h. That looks like the old Mini- Maglite to me. At the next level the promise 53 Lumen for 13 h, I would compare that almost with the old SF-6P with a bulb-reflector. And as the 3rd mode you get 120 Lumen for 5 hours. Definitely brighter then my SF-6P-LED. The last mode is the S.O.S.-Mode. Set to S.O.S. and activated the Fenix will use 120 Lumen to flash the S.O.S. Morse code sign “3 short, 3 long, 3 short”. I did not expect to find something like this in such a small light. And I have to say, that it was a good feeling having it with me, during my trip through the Rockies.
The price is relatively fair since you get a Holster, a lanyard, a spare O-Ring, a spare tailcap-rubber switch and 2 CR123A´s with the light. The tremendous light output of this little light is really impressing. Even at daylight you have enough dazzle-power in indoor situations. The same stands for the strobe. It’s no fun to be “served” with it. The P3D will be activated by a rubber switch at the tailcap. The switch sits deep inside the body and you need a little force to activate the button. This will prevent an unwanted activation of the LED-Chip. After you have over forced the resistance of the switch it will engage with a “clicking sound”. Sometimes this is not as easy since the outer surface of the Fenix, compared to other flashlights, is quiet slick. You need a firm grip on the light, especially when wearing no gloves or/and having cold hands.
If the Turbo-Mode is activated, the strobe is just a very soft touch to the switch away. That is also a 215 Lumen. Great for giving signals to get your attention, or to disorient a bad guy. The strobe flashes are faster on the P3D than on the few other strobe-lights I could have an eye on. And I tell you, it works great. Too bad, that there is no momentary on the Fenix. So the light needs to be switched off and on all the time. That could be a disadvantage when moving in the dark under tactical condition.
By twisting the lamp-head by 0.5“ you get over to the other modes. By pressing the tailcap-switch you can maneuver trough the other modes. Staring at 15 Lumen, 53 Lumen, 120 Lumen and the S.O.S-Mode. To get back to the Turbo-Mode the lamp-head need to be twisted backward and you have it back. This sounds very easy under “dry” conditions, but in a tactical environment I don´t want to screw around on my light, when the stress kicks in and the fine-motor-skills may be just don´t want what I want.
Light Test: I have separated the light performance test into 4 parts. But keep in mind that I am a Gunner and not a physician. At first I test the blinding power at 10m /30ft. Second is the brightness and area covered at 10m / 30ft. and the third tests the brightness and area covered at 30m / 95ft. After all that I reload the flashlight with new quality batteries and start the final endurance test. The dazzle-test was really disturbing. The 215 Lumen are doing a great job. At 30ft. and 95ft. the P3D is doing an impressive job, and not just for a small light like this. The runtime is stated with 1.8h, whatever that means. After approximately 100 minutes in the Turbo-Mode the P3D started a slow strobe and the light output seamed lower than in the Turbo-Mode. But this will never happen to you in real live, since the Fenix starts to get hot after 30 Minutes. After 50 Minutes it’s so hot that you can´t hold it without gloves. But the lens stays almost cold. After 140 Minutes the body is cooling down and the light loses some more power. 100 minutes later the LED was slowing down some more, till it falls asleep after 14½ h total.
Sand test: To test the small moving parts on a flashlight I do a sand test. I take a bucket full of very fine sand, drop the light in it and shake it for about 30 seconds. I repeat this procedure 5 times. After the sand test I do a full function check on the flashlight. The P3D did well at the sand test. No problems with the function or cleaning.
Heat test: The next thing I do to the light is a heat test. I sit the light into an oven, set the heat regulator to 60C. / 140F., and let it stay there for one hour. After the heat test I do a full function check on the flashlight. The Fenix got heated up quiet much. But I could still hold it. There are no problems with the function after the heat-test.
Water test: After the heat test I start with the water test and drop the light into a bucket of water. To get a better contrast for the pictures I added some peppermint-tea to the water. So the funny color you see on some of the pictures is nothing to worry about. The flashlight stays in there for 2 hours and finally another 10 minutes with switched on light. After the water test the Fenix is doing well.
Cold Test: The light will go right into the freezer when it´s still wet from the water test. I let it stay in a bag of ice cubes at -20C. / -5F. for 2 full days. After being recovered from the ice I do a full function check on the flashlight. Right after activating the Turbo-Mode the P3D started to jitter. So I changed the batteries but this did not help at all. To be sure I repeated the test with a fresh set of batteries. The outcome was the same. After about an hour the Light was working regularly again. Strange.
To see what the light can take I do two types of shock tests. First I drop it 3 times from 180cm / 6ft. height on a concrete floor and after a full function test I drop it once from 15m / 50ft. on soft soil. Followed by an operational test. Because the shock tests went well and I have heard that the P3D can take a little more abuse, I went mean. At a distance of 5 yards I throw the flashlight against a stonewall as hard as I could. I did that 3 times before I started to feel pity for the Fenix. Nothing happened to the P3D. It’s up and running.
Right now the P3D is my EDC-Light. It’s lightweight, small, bright at the Turbo-Mode and loaded with several other gadgets. The Strobe is great for signal or tactical applications and the S.O.S.-Mode is something just nice to have on an EDC. It is a super tough light and it mastered most tasks I offered her. But because of the slick surface, the lack of a momentary-on switch and the problem that could occur with the functions under stress, I would not recommend it a tactical light.
I hope my review on the Fenix P3D was useful for you.
Cheers,
Gunner