Description:
1 Watt LED
1 AA Battery Powered
Boost Circuit
Reverse Clickie Tail Switch
Guarded Tail Switch (able to stand on tail)
HA III Anodized Aluminum
AR Coated Lens
First Impressions:
The Fenix has a very nice fit and finish, and its small size fits great in the palm of your hand.
I was quite impressed by the amount of light this little guy made, especially for a 1AA battery.
It uses a smooth reflector, which gives it a great beam, and a good bit of throw for its small size.
The tailswitch is nicely guarded, and allows the light to stand on its tail.
Size/Weight:
The Fenix is a very small light, due to it using just 1 AA battery.
This makes it a great pocket light, as you can barely tell its in your pocket at all.
It can also be extremely light weight when using a Lithium battery.
Grip/Handling:
The Fenix’s center portion of the body is flat sided, making a hexagon shape.
I like this alot, and think it adds some grip to the light.
Even though there is no real knurling on the Fenix, it is still easy to hold for its size.
The head has a few shallow grooves, and the tail has a small portion of shallow square knurling.
There is a small wrist lanyard included with the light, along with a belt pouch, an extra rubber switch boot, and oring.
I think that is a really nice touch, and the lanyard ensures you dont drop the little light.
Build Quality:
I was pleasantly surprised by the build quality of the Fenix.
Unfortunately, most of the overseas lights are not really known for build quality.
The Fenix on the other hand has smooth machining, and fits together well.
The HA III is black, and very even, with no streaks or blotches.
Features:
The only real features of the light, are that it comes with a lanyard and pouch.
Along with the guarded tail switch, which allows it to stand on its tail,
this also prevents it from accidentally coming on in your pocket.
Output:
For its size, the Fenix is very bright, averaging alittle over 400 lux @ 1 meter,
and has a very nice beam for a small reflector.
The reflector has quite a few rings in it, but they dont seem to effect the beam any.
Which rivals many other lights in its size range, that are much more expensive.
It has a medium size hotspot, that quickly fades to a medium width, very smooth flood.
A really nice combination for this light, it is suitable for just about any indoor activity,
yet has enough throw to be used for close to medium range outside.
Runtime:
One of the few things I would like to see improved on the Fenix, is its regulation.
The output tends to dim over time, especially when used with alkaline batteries.
Using rechargeable nimh cells, or Lithium Primary cells helps to provide a much flatter output
over the coarse of the runtime.
The dimming is not very noticeable to the human eye though, and in general use will not be noticed.
The Fenix provides a good two hours of bright output,
followed by several hours of dimming output.
The runtimes in the below chart, were all stopped at 15 Lux.
You could still easily read a map, or find your way around the house at night.
Heat Issues:
During my runtime tests, the Fenix stayed a good bit cooler than I expected.
Which is a good thing, due to its small size, there is not much aluminum to dissipate the heat.
I do not see a problem leaving the light on, unattended.
Though, as always, holding the light in your hand will greatly help dissipate the heat, and make the light run cooler.
Pros:
Great output for a single AA battery light.
Good beam Pattern
Nice fit and finish
Guarded tail switch
Lanyard, pouch, and spare parts included
Small pocketable size
Cons:
Reverse Clickie Switch (no momentary)
Not fully regulated (understandable for a single AA light)
Conclusion:
The Fenix L1P is the best single AA light I have ever used.
Its output is comparable to other much more expensive lights its size.
For the cost, ($38 to $45) its going to be very hard to beat for sure.
It is one of the best pocket lights i have ever seen, very small and light weight.
Plus, the fact that is uses very common AA cells, makes it a definite winner.
