In God We Trust
NES Member
I saw that LenS had already posted a good review of this flashlight, but I was also chosen as a tester and here are my thoughts.
This is a short review of the Fenix PD-32 flashlight. I own several high end flashlights, mostly by Streamlight and also one Surefire. I use flashlights regularly as I work night shift. The flashlight I used as a comparison for this review was my current favorite, the Streamlight Strion LED rechargable. The Strion retails for about $100 online. The Fenix PD-32 prototype I recieved for testing was my first Fenix. I have never used one before.
My first impression of the PD-32 is that it is a quality product. It assembled / disassembled very smoothly and had a lightweight yet solid feel to it. The tailcap power switch has a nice beefy spring inside it and was easy to operate while wearing gloves, but also had a sturdy feel to it. The light takes 2 CR123A lithium batteries to operate.
The body of the light has a checkered grip pattern on it and there is a hex type ring around the top end that prevents it from rolling when you set it down on the table. The prototype I recieved sadly did not include a pocket clip, but when I looked online tonight, the models they are selling show a clip included. This was going to be my only real complaint about the flashlight, but Fenix must have read my mind. There are also crenelations (sp?) at the end for smashing fools in the face. Another nice feature.
I carried the flashlight with me every day for the past 2 weeks and the weight and size were good for every day carry.
The following pictures were taken from my cell phone camera in a very dark area at work. Both the lights were set at the highest output and I measured the distance at 35 feet.
The Streamlight Strion has a tighter beam with less spill at the edges.
The Fenix PD-32 has more spill, and is just a little less bright compared to the Strion rechargable.
The best feature about the Fenix PD-32 in my opinion is the location of the mode toggle button on the side of the flashlights body. This design is far superior to the traditional method most other brands use where you have to toggle the different modes using the tailcap button. The tailcap toggle design sucks because you usually need to start out at the brightest setting and then fumble through the modes in order to reach the dimmer settings. This often results in a total loss of night vision for me.
With the PD-32, it is easy to toggle between modes and the flashlight also stays at whatever brightness setting it was on when you last turned it off. Awesome design, Fenix! I mostly used the flashlight on the lowest 2 settings during the 4 day blackout we had last week. The lowest setting was perfect for reading a book without blinding myself and also worked well for moving around the house during the dark hours of the night with no power.
The next setting up was perfect for walking around my yard and setting up the generator without being too bright. The max output is listed at 315 lumens and I will tell you that this sucker is BRIGHT on the highest setting. Only use this setting outside at night!
There are also 2 strobe modes. One of them is a very disorientating flash that changes between a fast and slower strobe. The second mode is S.O.S. in morse code. (3 quick flashes, 3 long flashes, 3 quick)
In closing, I give this light a big thumbs up as an all purpose flashlight for everyday carry and use. My only suggestion to Fenix would be that they tighten up the beam a bit. It is fine the way it is, but less spill at the edges would be nice. The asking price at most online retailers seems to be around $60 give or take. Below are the technical specifications as listed on the amazon page:
This is a short review of the Fenix PD-32 flashlight. I own several high end flashlights, mostly by Streamlight and also one Surefire. I use flashlights regularly as I work night shift. The flashlight I used as a comparison for this review was my current favorite, the Streamlight Strion LED rechargable. The Strion retails for about $100 online. The Fenix PD-32 prototype I recieved for testing was my first Fenix. I have never used one before.
My first impression of the PD-32 is that it is a quality product. It assembled / disassembled very smoothly and had a lightweight yet solid feel to it. The tailcap power switch has a nice beefy spring inside it and was easy to operate while wearing gloves, but also had a sturdy feel to it. The light takes 2 CR123A lithium batteries to operate.
The body of the light has a checkered grip pattern on it and there is a hex type ring around the top end that prevents it from rolling when you set it down on the table. The prototype I recieved sadly did not include a pocket clip, but when I looked online tonight, the models they are selling show a clip included. This was going to be my only real complaint about the flashlight, but Fenix must have read my mind. There are also crenelations (sp?) at the end for smashing fools in the face. Another nice feature.
I carried the flashlight with me every day for the past 2 weeks and the weight and size were good for every day carry.
The following pictures were taken from my cell phone camera in a very dark area at work. Both the lights were set at the highest output and I measured the distance at 35 feet.
The Streamlight Strion has a tighter beam with less spill at the edges.
The Fenix PD-32 has more spill, and is just a little less bright compared to the Strion rechargable.
The best feature about the Fenix PD-32 in my opinion is the location of the mode toggle button on the side of the flashlights body. This design is far superior to the traditional method most other brands use where you have to toggle the different modes using the tailcap button. The tailcap toggle design sucks because you usually need to start out at the brightest setting and then fumble through the modes in order to reach the dimmer settings. This often results in a total loss of night vision for me.
With the PD-32, it is easy to toggle between modes and the flashlight also stays at whatever brightness setting it was on when you last turned it off. Awesome design, Fenix! I mostly used the flashlight on the lowest 2 settings during the 4 day blackout we had last week. The lowest setting was perfect for reading a book without blinding myself and also worked well for moving around the house during the dark hours of the night with no power.
The next setting up was perfect for walking around my yard and setting up the generator without being too bright. The max output is listed at 315 lumens and I will tell you that this sucker is BRIGHT on the highest setting. Only use this setting outside at night!
There are also 2 strobe modes. One of them is a very disorientating flash that changes between a fast and slower strobe. The second mode is S.O.S. in morse code. (3 quick flashes, 3 long flashes, 3 quick)
In closing, I give this light a big thumbs up as an all purpose flashlight for everyday carry and use. My only suggestion to Fenix would be that they tighten up the beam a bit. It is fine the way it is, but less spill at the edges would be nice. The asking price at most online retailers seems to be around $60 give or take. Below are the technical specifications as listed on the amazon page:
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