[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Fenix Lights Vs. Surefire ? (Page 2 of 5)
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here's a link to their weapon light the "Maelstrom" : http://www.4sevens.com/product_info.php?cPath=297_406&products_id=2399  Weapon lights have built in throw levers or thumbscrews to attach to a rail.
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here's a link to their weapon light the "Maelstrom" : http://www.4sevens.com/product_info.php?cPath=297_406&products_id=2399 Weapon lights have built in throw levers or thumbscrews to attach to a rail.So we can't buy a mount and call it a weapon light? 1"...many weapon mounts avail. |
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4Sevens carries Fenix, and they also make Quark Turbos which are outstanding lights. They just released the Malestrom X7 that's got multiple intensity settings including a 480 lumen setting and 480 lumen strobe. It's not much more expensive than the last Surefire I bought with 100 lumens. http://www.4sevens.com/product_info.php?cPath=297_406&products_id=2613 this! I am even looking at it. Smoking bright for a good price. |
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I tried Fenix. The tailcap was reversed of what it should be. instead of press for momentary-click for on, it was click for on then press for momentary. The switch also felt cheap/mushy. My wife dropped it while walking the dog, it landed on the sidewalk and died. The Nuwaii Q-III is a better flashlight than my Fenix was. Surefire makes better lights than both. Price and lumens are not what i rate lights on. Reliability, durability and ease of use are what matters. I dont need a light that has a strobe feature, various outputs, low battery indicator, gps or mp3 player. I need a light that always turns on when i want it to. Stays turned off until i want it on and will survive being uses as an impact weapon, doorbell, dropped, kicked, step on for the 10-15 more years until i retire. You do know that the light he is looking at has a forward clicky, right? I've got many fenix lights and you will find your experience in the minority. |
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I tried Fenix. The tailcap was reversed of what it should be. instead of press for momentary-click for on, it was click for on then press for momentary. The switch also felt cheap/mushy. My wife dropped it while walking the dog, it landed on the sidewalk and died. The Nuwaii Q-III is a better flashlight than my Fenix was. Surefire makes better lights than both. Price and lumens are not what i rate lights on. Reliability, durability and ease of use are what matters. I dont need a light that has a strobe feature, various outputs, low battery indicator, gps or mp3 player. I need a light that always turns on when i want it to. Stays turned off until i want it on and will survive being uses as an impact weapon, doorbell, dropped, kicked, step on for the 10-15 more years until i retire. That doesn't sound good, I need my light to be hard core cause I'm not easy on them at all ! Its not typical. |
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Another AR15.com thread that made me buy something. This thread sparked my interest about getting a flashlight so I started Googling Fenix lights. I found this and ordered it. Fenix TK35 (820 lumens) Link https://www.fenix-store.com/images/TK35-1.jpg I've got one. Its smokin on high. Pretty sweet light. I posted a review in the survival gear area. I bought the 18650 batteries for it as well. |
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Is she weapon mountable?
Another AR15.com thread that made me buy something. This thread sparked my interest about getting a flashlight so I started Googling Fenix lights. I found this and ordered it. Fenix TK35 (820 lumens) Link https://www.fenix-store.com/images/TK35-1.jpg no |
| I've carried a Fenix PD30 for work now for 9 months. It's been dropped repeatedly, gets thrown on a counter every night after work, gets carried with keys loose in my pocket and still works with utter reliability. It's also bright and goes a very long time on two cr123's. I have other Fenix lights and they've been similarly reliable, although only the one has been subjected to heavy handling. |
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I have both, Fenix and Surefire but I will not trust the Fenix as a weapon light.
I spent a good deal of money on my AR to make sure it works every time I need it so why would I use a questionable part that might not work, as using one that will work when the chips are down. ? If you want to have brand x on a hobby gun that's not to be used to defend life and property then by all means do so. Guys on here will spend thousands on Guns, rails, RDS and all the other goodies that go with there guns and don't think twice about it, but when it comes to lights they skimp. Doesn't make sense to me.They will buy cases of ammo at 300 a pop ,no prob but 250 on a light ,WTF let me get the 50 dollar one. 
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I have both, Fenix and Surefire but I will not trust the Fenix as a weapon light. I spent a good deal of money on my AR to make sure it works every time I need it so why would I use a questionable part that might not work, as using one that will work when the chips are down. ? If you want to have brand x on a hobby gun that's not to be used to defend life and property then by all means do so. Guys on here will spend thousands on Guns, rails, RDS and all the other goodies that go with there guns and don't think twice about it, but when it comes to lights they skimp. Doesn't make sense to me.They will buy cases of ammo at 300 a pop ,no prob but 250 on a light ,WTF let me get the 50 dollar one. Ever think that experience tells them the less expensive light works great and is just as reliable? No, they must be cheap skates......I bet you only buy mil spec AR's because some guy on the internet told you how great they are. |
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Quoted: the short version of the responses you'll get is that the fenix is brighter, has better battery life, a better beam, warmer tint, but that the surefire is Tier 1 and that makes it better somehow. That about covers it. The battery in my TK12 isn't supported, so I wouldn't trust it as a rifle light. I'm not sure about the TK15 or the Surefire, though. |
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I have both, Fenix and Surefire but I will not trust the Fenix as a weapon light. I spent a good deal of money on my AR to make sure it works every time I need it so why would I use a questionable part that might not work, as using one that will work when the chips are down. ? If you want to have brand x on a hobby gun that's not to be used to defend life and property then by all means do so. Guys on here will spend thousands on Guns, rails, RDS and all the other goodies that go with there guns and don't think twice about it, but when it comes to lights they skimp. Doesn't make sense to me.They will buy cases of ammo at 300 a pop ,no prob but 250 on a light ,WTF let me get the 50 dollar one. Ever think that experience tells them the less expensive light works great and is just as reliable? No, they must be cheap skates......I bet you only buy mil spec AR's because some guy on the internet told you how great they are. I stick by my personal experiences. Of the 3 Fenix flashlights I purchased only 1 still works - the other two failed within a month and the one that still works has a shitty tail cap switch. Every one of my Surefires are still going strong without a failure! If your Fenix are working well for you then great - I'm just relating my personal experience with imo Chinese flashlights. To each their own..... |
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I have both, Fenix and Surefire but I will not trust the Fenix as a weapon light. I spent a good deal of money on my AR to make sure it works every time I need it so why would I use a questionable part that might not work, as using one that will work when the chips are down. ? If you want to have brand x on a hobby gun that's not to be used to defend life and property then by all means do so. Guys on here will spend thousands on Guns, rails, RDS and all the other goodies that go with there guns and don't think twice about it, but when it comes to lights they skimp. Doesn't make sense to me.They will buy cases of ammo at 300 a pop ,no prob but 250 on a light ,WTF let me get the 50 dollar one. Ever think that experience tells them the less expensive light works great and is just as reliable? No, they must be cheap skates......I bet you only buy mil spec AR's because some guy on the internet told you how great they are. What I do is research the hell out of every purchase I make when it's weapon related from every source I can find, then make a informed decision.And the informed decision I have made led me to Colt ,Aimpoint and Surefire and for some reason I have not been disappointed and I have been a gear whore since my first Colt AR in the early 80's.It's not like anybody on this site is cheap, other wise they would not have guns as a hobby.That's how you took it as me calling people cheapskates and that's on you dude.Your the one that called everyone cheapskates not me. 
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I have both, Fenix and Surefire but I will not trust the Fenix as a weapon light. I spent a good deal of money on my AR to make sure it works every time I need it so why would I use a questionable part that might not work, as using one that will work when the chips are down. ? If you want to have brand x on a hobby gun that's not to be used to defend life and property then by all means do so. Guys on here will spend thousands on Guns, rails, RDS and all the other goodies that go with there guns and don't think twice about it, but when it comes to lights they skimp. Doesn't make sense to me.They will buy cases of ammo at 300 a pop ,no prob but 250 on a light ,WTF let me get the 50 dollar one. Ever think that experience tells them the less expensive light works great and is just as reliable? No, they must be cheap skates......I bet you only buy mil spec AR's because some guy on the internet told you how great they are. What I do is research the hell out of every purchase I make when it's weapon related from every source I can find, then make a informed decision.And the informed decision I have made led me to Colt ,Aimpoint and Surefire and for some reason I have not been disappointed and I have been a gear whore since my first Colt AR in the early 80's.It's not like anybody on this site is cheap, other wise they would not have guns as a hobby.That's how you took it as me calling people cheapskates and that's on you dude.Your the one that called everyone cheapskates not me. Tier one all the way! I get it. 
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I've got a Surefire G2LED and a Fenix PD31 (limited edition). Since I got the Fenix, I haven't even thought about carrying the G2. They cost about the same price and there is no comparison by far. Fenix FTMFW. That Said, if Surefire could offer a similar price point for comparable stats, I would take the Surefire, as I like to support American companies. However, if you think about it, the electronic components aren't even made here anyway, so does it really matter?
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| Surefire or nothing. The chinese shit is usually brighter, runs a bit longer, has more modes, etc, etc, but they have nothing on Surefire's reliability or usability especially when it comes to weapon mounted lights. The chinese shit is bleeding-edge tech rather than gradual improvement. |
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Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: here's a link to their weapon light the "Maelstrom" : http://www.4sevens.com/product_info.php?cPath=297_406&products_id=2399 Weapon lights have built in throw levers or thumbscrews to attach to a rail.So we can't buy a mount and call it a weapon light? 1"...many weapon mounts avail. over nine thousand disco modes is the best reason. |
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Quoted: I tried Fenix. The tailcap was reversed of what it should be. instead of press for momentary-click for on, it was click for on then press for momentary. The switch also felt cheap/mushy. My wife dropped it while walking the dog, it landed on the sidewalk and died. The Nuwaii Q-III is a better flashlight than my Fenix was. Surefire makes better lights than both. Price and lumens are not what i rate lights on. Reliability, durability and ease of use are what matters. I dont need a light that has a strobe feature, various outputs, low battery indicator, gps or mp3 player. I need a light that always turns on when i want it to. Stays turned off until i want it on and will survive being uses as an impact weapon, doorbell, dropped, kicked, step on for the 10-15 more years until i retire. As a counterpoint in favor of Fenix lights: I've carried my PD30 every single day since I bought it 20 months ago. I use it every day and the battery life is astounding, though I've never tracked time on or written down the times I needed to swap batteries. I've taken the light for granted and treated it worse than any tool I own, almost sadistically waiting for it to die. Anecdotally; twice in the same day a co-worker of mine dropped the thing from a 12 foot platform onto the concrete flooring below (or so my other co-workers and a couple of then recent scuffs informed me). No issues other than cosmetic. With the exception of dying batteries, not once have I ever noticed the light waver in its performance. I've never used a surefire, and I am sure they are fine lights. When I decided to purchase the PD30 for ~$53, I'd figured it'd be a small loss if the thing ever went tits up, then I'd have justification to spend the $200 on a surefire equivalent. I've come to realize that a Surefire, or any other light in this particular class, would not do a single thing more than I've asked of my PD30. Maybe I just got the Apex Fenix specimen, but given all the other anecdotes, I do not think that is the case. |
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I need my light to be hard core cause I'm not easy on them at all ! I've carried a Surefire C2 as my primary light for the last 10-years or more. A few years back i converted it to LED and use rechargable batteries in it. Lots of finish wear and a few dents in the bezel, but thats going to happen to anything worn openly on the belt if you routinely get into fights on asphault and concrete. Some complain about the price of surefires but they last a lifetime and if you are LE or MIL you can get them at a huge discount or even free. My C2 was free. So was my X200, X300, M951 and a buch of P60L conversion lamps for my old P60 based lights. Hell everytime i went to shot show ,Surefire sent me home with a new light. If take a class that has a surefire employee in it more often than not everyone in the class goes home with free lights. In one class a surefire rep gave us all a new product and asked us to use it the entire class to evaluate the durability before commercial release. Surefire reps have seen inferior lights my trainees have started patrol training with and given them a free surefire on the spot. I dont see Fenix stepping up and supporting the military, LE or training community that way. When I wanted to get a light for my friend in the Navy. I went Surefire. |
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I tried Fenix. The tailcap was reversed of what it should be. instead of press for momentary-click for on, it was click for on then press for momentary. The switch also felt cheap/mushy. My wife dropped it while walking the dog, it landed on the sidewalk and died. The Nuwaii Q-III is a better flashlight than my Fenix was. Surefire makes better lights than both. Price and lumens are not what i rate lights on. Reliability, durability and ease of use are what matters. I dont need a light that has a strobe feature, various outputs, low battery indicator, gps or mp3 player. I need a light that always turns on when i want it to. Stays turned off until i want it on and will survive being uses as an impact weapon, doorbell, dropped, kicked, step on for the 10-15 more years until i retire. As a counterpoint in favor of Fenix lights: I've carried my PD30 every single day since I bought it 20 months ago. I use it every day and the battery life is astounding, though I've never tracked time on or written down the times I needed to swap batteries. I've taken the light for granted and treated it worse than any tool I own, almost sadistically waiting for it to die. Anecdotally; twice in the same day a co-worker of mine dropped the thing from a 12 foot platform onto the concrete flooring below (or so my other co-workers and a couple of then recent scuffs informed me). No issues other than cosmetic. With the exception of dying batteries, not once have I ever noticed the light waver in its performance. I've never used a surefire, and I am sure they are fine lights. When I decided to purchase the PD30 for ~$53, I'd figured it'd be a small loss if the thing ever went tits up, then I'd have justification to spend the $200 on a surefire equivalent. I've come to realize that a Surefire, or any other light in this particular class, would not do a single thing more than I've asked of my PD30. Maybe I just got the Apex Fenix specimen, but given all the other anecdotes, I do not think that is the case. No you got a run of the mill Fenix light that works, for work and play.I have a Fenix and also a Nitecore light that are great ,but I still would not put it on any of my weapons as I want the known reliability of the Surefire that has been proven many times over. |
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Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: I tried Fenix. The tailcap was reversed of what it should be. instead of press for momentary-click for on, it was click for on then press for momentary. The switch also felt cheap/mushy. My wife dropped it while walking the dog, it landed on the sidewalk and died. The Nuwaii Q-III is a better flashlight than my Fenix was. Surefire makes better lights than both. Price and lumens are not what i rate lights on. Reliability, durability and ease of use are what matters. I dont need a light that has a strobe feature, various outputs, low battery indicator, gps or mp3 player. I need a light that always turns on when i want it to. Stays turned off until i want it on and will survive being uses as an impact weapon, doorbell, dropped, kicked, step on for the 10-15 more years until i retire. As a counterpoint in favor of Fenix lights: I've carried my PD30 every single day since I bought it 20 months ago. I use it every day and the battery life is astounding, though I've never tracked time on or written down the times I needed to swap batteries. I've taken the light for granted and treated it worse than any tool I own, almost sadistically waiting for it to die. Anecdotally; twice in the same day a co-worker of mine dropped the thing from a 12 foot platform onto the concrete flooring below (or so my other co-workers and a couple of then recent scuffs informed me). No issues other than cosmetic. With the exception of dying batteries, not once have I ever noticed the light waver in its performance. I've never used a surefire, and I am sure they are fine lights. When I decided to purchase the PD30 for ~$53, I'd figured it'd be a small loss if the thing ever went tits up, then I'd have justification to spend the $200 on a surefire equivalent. I've come to realize that a Surefire, or any other light in this particular class, would not do a single thing more than I've asked of my PD30. Maybe I just got the Apex Fenix specimen, but given all the other anecdotes, I do not think that is the case. No you got a run of the mill Fenix light that works, for work and play.I have a Fenix and also a Nitecore light that are great ,but I still would not put it on any of my weapons as I want the known reliability of the Surefire that has been proven many times over. True enough. I can't speak to the effect of many thousands of recoil 'shock' events on a Fenix, as I've never used it, or any other light in that capacity. Surefire's reputation of reliability for that use is undisputed. |
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I own both surefire and fenix lights and if this is going to be a primary, everyday light i have to vote surefire. I think they're made a little better. Doesn't get any more solid and their guarantee and customer service can't be beat.
That being said, if you're just going for one to add to the collection then go ahead and get the fenix. They're great lights for the money. I also personally recommend novatac and jetbeam flashlights too. Both work very well for handheld lights. I'm also of a fan of surefire hosts with malkoff led engines. Can't go wrong there. I'm also very curious to get my hands on elzetta and an hds at some point, both of which I've heard really good things. So you really can't go wrong with either. But in the end if this is going to be am light you have on yourself everyday I say surefire. If you're just looking for another light to keep around then try the fenix. Either way, post a pic for us when you take possession. 
Eta- also check out nitecore flashlights. I really liked the one I had and they're incredibly solid. I would rate their fit, finish, and ergonomics closest to surefire over other brands. Good bang for your buck. And, just for one last recommendation check out jetbeam lights. I have four and I think they're a lot of light for the money as well. |
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Fuck Fenix chinese POS flashlights. I bought two L1D lights and both have failed end cap switches. Both were basically new and barely used. They are beyond "warranty" so they won't fix or exchange. What a waste of time and money. My Surefire E2E has been flawless. I would not recommend Fenix to anyone since it will let you down when a flashlight is critical.
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I just got a Klarus. It made my dick bigger. Seriously, this is my new go to brand for lights. |
| I've carried both in Iraq Afghanistan and home and while I love my surefire I keep losing the damn things or getting them stolen. I carry fenix now the ld10 is great and I like the strobe SOS setting option. It also has a stronger clip for thin pockets like on acus |
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Quoted: I just got a Klarus. It made my dick bigger. Seriously, this is my new go to brand for lights. That happened to me when I bought my Maelstrom- 350 lumens for $90. Now I click that link and see 470 lumens for $85. My dick is small again.
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I was absolutely blown away by the quality and features Fenix offers at 1/4 of Surelyoverpriced's cost.
A single AA cell Fenix blows a double CR123 cell Surefire out of the water in every category except maybe recoil handling, and that only of the even more ridiculously priced Surefires. |
| I have a hard time justifying spending $100+ on a flashlight. So Surefire was off my list. I took the plunge on Quark AA2 and I must say I love it and for $60 bucks, I don't think there is a better light out there for the money. I also carry a Fenix E05 on my keychain. Another excellent light with amazing brightness for only one AAA cell. |
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I have a bunch of SF lights but it just seems that some of these other lights have more to offer , more light settings , longer battery life , strobe and a cheaper price ! Well see there ya go. Try some other brands. Variety ain't a bad thing, but u wont give up ur surefires! |
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I tried Fenix. The tailcap was reversed of what it should be. instead of press for momentary-click for on, it was click for on then press for momentary. The switch also felt cheap/mushy. My wife dropped it while walking the dog, it landed on the sidewalk and died. The Nuwaii Q-III is a better flashlight than my Fenix was. Surefire makes better lights than both. Price and lumens are not what i rate lights on. Reliability, durability and ease of use are what matters. I dont need a light that has a strobe feature, various outputs, low battery indicator, gps or mp3 player. I need a light that always turns on when i want it to. Stays turned off until i want it on and will survive being uses as an impact weapon, doorbell, dropped, kicked, step on for the 10-15 more years until i retire. That doesn't sound good, I need my light to be hard core cause I'm not easy on them at all ! Any light can fall and hit that 'right' spot to cripple it...Fenix is good stuff! |
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Surefire is the best, but you may not need the best.
The LX2 is simply amazing. The "low" setting of 15 lumens throws a bright and usable beam for 48 hours. Even though it is only 15 lumens, Surefire has figured out the physics to make it reflect and focus the light perfectly. Do not just read "lumens" when buying a light, you really have to consider quality and design. The high setting is like having a spotlight. The G2X is a very affordable light with a high setting only. Check brightflashlights.com (a board member) for excellent pricing and very inexpensive shipping. Surefire is not perfect. I had a switch give me problems on an early X200B. One e-mail to them and I had a new switch on its way. |
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Fuck Fenix chinese POS flashlights. I bought two L1D lights and both have failed end cap switches. Both were basically new and barely used. They are beyond "warranty" so they won't fix or exchange. What a waste of time and money. My Surefire E2E has been flawless. I would not recommend Fenix to anyone since it will let you down when a flashlight is critical. sell them to be for a low price so I can buy new switches for them and sell them for a profit. http://www.4sevens.com/product_info.php?cPath=25&products_id=219 How much you want for both? I am figuring $5 each since they are junk. |
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I tried Fenix. The tailcap was reversed of what it should be. instead of press for momentary-click for on, it was click for on then press for momentary. The switch also felt cheap/mushy. My wife dropped it while walking the dog, it landed on the sidewalk and died. The Nuwaii Q-III is a better flashlight than my Fenix was. Surefire makes better lights than both. Price and lumens are not what i rate lights on. Reliability, durability and ease of use are what matters. I dont need a light that has a strobe feature, various outputs, low battery indicator, gps or mp3 player. I need a light that always turns on when i want it to. Stays turned off until i want it on and will survive being uses as an impact weapon, doorbell, dropped, kicked, step on for the 10-15 more years until i retire. As a counterpoint in favor of Fenix lights: I've carried my PD30 every single day since I bought it 20 months ago. I use it every day and the battery life is astounding, though I've never tracked time on or written down the times I needed to swap batteries. I've taken the light for granted and treated it worse than any tool I own, almost sadistically waiting for it to die. Anecdotally; twice in the same day a co-worker of mine dropped the thing from a 12 foot platform onto the concrete flooring below (or so my other co-workers and a couple of then recent scuffs informed me). No issues other than cosmetic. With the exception of dying batteries, not once have I ever noticed the light waver in its performance. I've never used a surefire, and I am sure they are fine lights. When I decided to purchase the PD30 for ~$53, I'd figured it'd be a small loss if the thing ever went tits up, then I'd have justification to spend the $200 on a surefire equivalent. I've come to realize that a Surefire, or any other light in this particular class, would not do a single thing more than I've asked of my PD30. Maybe I just got the Apex Fenix specimen, but given all the other anecdotes, I do not think that is the case. No you got a run of the mill Fenix light that works, for work and play.I have a Fenix and also a Nitecore light that are great ,but I still would not put it on any of my weapons as I want the known reliability of the Surefire that has been proven many times over. True enough. I can't speak to the effect of many thousands of recoil 'shock' events on a Fenix, as I've never used it, or any other light in that capacity. Surefire's reputation of reliability for that use is undisputed. I can only attest that it will stand up to hundreds of rounds so far. I have only had it on for 300 to 500 rounds. |
[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Fenix Lights Vs. Surefire ? (Page 2 of 5)
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