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Fenix PD32

rated 5.0 of 5 stars
photo: Fenix PD32 flashlight
Version reviewed: PD32 Ultimate Edition

The PD32 UE is not to be confused with the PD32. The two are the same except the UE model operates at higher lumens throughout the all the settings with a maximum of 740 lumens vs 340 lumens.

Pros

  • White light for true color rendition
  • Digitally regulated output for constant brightness
  • Low voltage warning for battery replacement
  • Reverse polarity protection
  • Overheat protection
  • Anti-roll, slip resistant body
  • Side switch for fast operation
  • Hard anodized aircraft grade aluminum body

Cons

  • None yet

This is by far the best flashlight I ever owned. I needed a slim compact and powerful flashlight with excellent battery life for backpacking. This flashlight exceeded my expectations. It is a little under 5 1/2 inches in length and less than an inch in diameter and weighs a little over 5 ounces. To many this may be a little big but you'll never find this kind of performance in anything smaller.

It operates on 2 CR123 batteries. Included with the light are a lanyard, 2 extra rubber O rings, a pocket clip, and a night diffuser which clips on the flashlights end.

There are 7 lighting modes ranging from 9 lumens to 740 lumens and includes an SOS mode and a strobe mode. The Maximum distance this light will shine at full brightness is 509 feet (740 lumens), after that the lighted object will get a little darker as the distance increases. That's well over one and a half football fields! The strobe is at 400 lumens and the SOS is at 140 lumens both of which can be seen for over a mile should you need to signal for help at night.

There is also a turbo mode @ 400 lumens, a high mode @ 140 lumens, a mid mode @ 40 lumens, and a low mode @ 9 lumens. What I really like about this flashlight is that the low mode can light your tent for up to 130 hours! That's over 16 nights of light at 8 hours a night! So if you never have to use the other lighting modes this light will give you months of use at a couple of hours a night. The different lighting modes are accessed by a side switch.

There is also a tailcap switch for momentary light use. Now follow me on this. The flashlight has intelligent memory built in so that when you turn on the light it comes on at the lumens you last used it at. By turning it off at the 740 lumen Burst mode, the flashlight will turn on at that same setting when you press the tailcap switch. This is an excellent defensive tool. A 740 lumen burst of light into the eyes of a would be attacker at night will temporarily blind the aggressor and if you add a shot of pepper spray to his face you'll have plenty of time to rush your butt out of harms way. Non-lethal force and your butt is safe. Plus 740 lumens will help you see things at a great distance at night when you need to be party of a search.

The other modes of course are helpful at night giving you many options for the light needed.

The light bulb itself is an LED digitally regulated for constant brightness throughout the life of the batteries. Many flashlights start growing dimmer from the time it is turned on and the battery starts getting weaker. This flashlight does not do that, you will get constant brightness all the way to the end. It also has a feature built in that warns you when the battery is getting closer to its end. The Cree LED bulb life should give you 50,000 hours of service.

One other thing to mention about the LED bulb is that it emits white light for accurate color rendition at night. It won't dull or change the color of lit objects as many flashlights do.

It is sealed from the weather by 2 O rings (spares come with it), so using it in rainy weather is no big deal. It has been tested by dipping it over 6 feet under water (but I'm not suggesting you do so).

I could rave on and on about this flashlight and all of its features, but that would leave me writing a book. The best I can say is that this is one of the greatest flashlight you will ever own, believe me. It's loaded with great useful features.


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Fenix_PD32_UE_01.jpg

Source: bought it new
Price Paid: $79

Practical durable flashlight. Water resistant and impact resistant. A variety of settings allow you to alternate between maximum brightness (340 lumens) and battery conservation (over 100 hours on the low setting.)

Pros

  • Materials
  • Technology
  • Durability
  • Practicality

The Fenix PD 32 is my go-to light, it's with me everyday in my edc pack. It is durable water resistant and impact resistant. It has 6 settings: low, medium, high, turbo, a varied strobe setting to "disorient attackers" and an SOS morse code setting.

Five of the settings are vary useful for outdoorsman, the strobe may or may not disorient animals (I've never had an opportunity to test this in the real world.) Its main on and off switch is on the tail, the setting toggle switch is on the side. This setup makes sense since it makes hard to accidentally turn on, while being able to switch settings while in use.

The turbo mode lasts for 30 min then switches to high to conserve battery, and the lowest setting (good for reading, finding things in a dark tent, etc.) lasts for 112 hours letting you alternate between power and battery conservation as the situation dictates. The flashlight comes with a so-so sheath and replacement parts.

Fenix lights are made in China but for once this doesn't mean inferior quality. They use all the same tech as Surefire and have proven to be every bit as durable and useful, at 1/3 of the price. The only real difference between the two are the holster quality, and you can upgrade parts in the sure fire, which you can't in the Fenix. This really isn't a con considering that the price of a Surefire upgrade piece is about the same as an updated model of Fenix. Also you'll always have your old Fenix to fall back on in case something happens.

Overall Fenix lights are excellent quality pieces at a reasonable price.

Source: bought it new
Price Paid: $70 US

Small, bright, and sturdy. This is what I found with the Fenix PD32 flashlight.

Pros

  • Small (5")
  • Bright (340 lumens per manufacturer)
  • Cree LED (50,000 hr life)
  • Function selector switch is separate from on/off switch

Cons

  • Batteries are CR123A

The Fenix PD32 is a hand held flashlight that easily fits into the palm of my hand. Its overall length is 5". The light source is a Cree LED (XP-G2) which outputs a maximum of 340 lumens. The life span on the LED is 50,000 hours.  

The function selector switch determines the mode — SOS, strobe, low, medium (bright), high (really bright), and turbo (really, really bright). After the initial playing around with it, I've kept the mode at medium. The on/off switch is rear mounted. It comes with the batteries, lanyard, and belt case.

This has been on one camp out with me so far.  I really liked the function switch being separate from the on/off switch. I've had lights in the past where you had to cycle through the different modes when you turned them on. That gets annoying fast. With the PD32, I've kept it at medium and had no problems seeing.

The only negative to me is the batteries. They are CR123A instead of a standard set of AA's. This is becoming less of an issue now as I'm seeing  the CR123A's in more local stores. 

All in all, 5/5 stars. Highly recommended.

Source: bought it new
Price Paid: $60

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Price Current Retail: $64.95
Historic Range: $42.47-$90.95
Reviewers Paid: $60.00-$79.00
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