Oh dang. I was out gift shopping the other day and came across a Fenix shop in the middle of the mall. So I had to stop and look, and play, and look, and play, and... BUY! And as I was playing with the flashlight, 4 more gentlemen see the action and wander up to the booth and start playing with the demo units. So at least I'm not alone in my flashlight toys.

Between flashlights and knives, everytime I see a new one the temptation is there. Do I need another flashlight - NO!!!

This time it was to buy their elite handheld light - the TK35. Powered by 4 CR123s it pumps out an amazing 820 lumens at its highest setting and is half the size of my 2-D cell Maglite. Doh! But at $112 it came in at under 14cents per lumen - efficient eh? Or so that's how I rationed buying it!

How bright is 820 lumens? Well, its roughly 4x as much light or as my other Fenix, the PD-30 at 215 lumens. I turned it on and pointed it at the ceiling and it lights up the room. I pointed it down a walking trail and can see a snowshow hare 1000' away. I do night geocaching and instead of seeing a tiny reflector on a branch in the distance I see the entire tree lit up! Hmm, overkill perhaps?
http://www.fenixtactical.com/fenix-tk35.html

Well, now they tell me there is a 4-D cell version with 3 of the same CREE XM-L LEDs and it puts out 2200 lumens!

the phased plasma rifle in the 40w range nears reality

I love giving flashlights for Christmas. Fenix is good, I mostly give 4Sevens lights.

D cells do make for a great light when teamed with decent LEDs. A 50 lumen LED upgrade to a 2-D maglite makes for a pretty decent light. Just a slight twist to focus the maglight reflector and those 50 lumen have a very good throw. Same with the 140 lumen LED I put in my 3-D maglite, just brighter and even more throw. I cannot imagine 800 lumen.

The Olight S65 "baton" light sure looks like a light saber from Star Wars.

But back to the OP, that's interesting. I've never seen Fenix sold in a physical location before (I'm expecting a couple 4Sevens lights in the mail myself). Did this vendor have other non-mainstream brands, too?

Why justify the purchase? If I saw that beauty in the mall, I'd have to buy because, well, it would be the right thing to do.

The problem is that I've never seen a Fenix store/kiosk around me. Buying over the Internet, I'm a step removed from having the product in my hand. So, I'm less likely to buy impulsively.

820 lumens? You could just about barbecue a steak with that.

I want one. (Mmm, lumens. Mmm, steak.)

The smallest fenix I've seen is the one a little stouter than the maglite solitare and it was $55 compared to $20 for the mag. I haven't been able to justify the cost of a fenix. I'm sure I'll come around.

I may go back and check Izzy, but it looked to be slightly shorter and fatter than the may solitare. $55 made to stop dead in my tracks. The sales guy was raving about it fenix quality but said he doesn't actually use one himself.

The may solitare isn't the greatest but it fits nicely in my leather sheath! Does anyone know if there's an led upgrade for that one?

Thanks Izzy! I think we now have our next holiday project. (I sense the road to flashlight addition approaching....)