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#186179 - 10/22/09 03:51 PM Fenix L2D v TANK007 TK-566 shoot out.
Am_Fear_Liath_Mor Offline
Carpal Tunnel

Registered: 08/03/07
Posts: 3078


The Fenix L2D CE and the TANK007 TK-566

Overall impressions for both lights are very good indeed. The Fenix L2D CE is around 18 months old and the TANK007 TK-566 has just arrived today. This is a comparison of a $60 flashlight versus a $15 flashlight.

Overall impressions to begin with.

Firstly the Fenix L2D CE;

This is a very well made and impressive flashlight which takes 2 AA cells either of the alkaline, NiMH and primary Lithium (energiser) type. It is very well made and precisely built and made from good quality components. This version didn't have the orange peel reflector. The L2D weighs 116 grams with standard Eneloop NiMH

A good review is available here at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w622hSop__c

and here at http://www.light-reviews.com/fenix_l2d_ce_q5/

Overall this flashlight is highly recommended.


This brings us to the TANK007 TK-566 which is available from Dealextreme for $15

http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.18626

How on earth is this $15 flashlight going to compare to the much more expensive Fenix. Well it does and it even exceeds the Fenix is a few areas. The main advantages of this flashlight are that the TK-566 can also be used not only as a double AA but also as a single AA again using all the same battery types. There is even the possibility of the TK-566 being used with a single 14500 rechargable Lithium Cell although some more research may be required before using this cell type. The TK-566 weighs 125 grams so is just slightly heavier than the Fenix

The construction and build is good, although not as good as the Fenix but it is not far off. The flashlight feels good in the hand has a some what better grip than the Fenix, which I have always found to be a little skinny in the middle. The sizes between both flashlight are comparable when the TK-566 is being used with the double AA extension tube.

The feel on the clicky on the TK-566 subjectively easily beats the Fenix L2D clicky being stiffer and more responsive and gives the feeling of being more precise and robust. The TK-566 has a GITD clicky rubber cover so the flashlight can be located in the dark unlike the Fenix.

Beam performance on the TK-566 is very good and is preferable over the Fenix L2D as the L2D suffers from a slight ringing effect.

The only downside is that the TK-566 cannot be used in candle mode unlike the L2D and this can be a really useful function especially if using the diffuser attachment which is available as a Fenix accessory.

The output on the highest setting for both flashlights are very similar and when the TK-566 is used with a single AA Lithium Cell (weighs a very lightweight 66 grams in total) the output is somwhere between the Turbo and maximum output of the L2D using fresh Eneloops.

Another advantage the TK-566 has over the L2D is that it doesn't forget the mode it was in. The TK-566 will cycle through the settings of Medium, Low, High, Strobe, SOS and if turned off will remember the setting unlike the Fenix L2D.

Overall the TK-566 appears to be exceptional value for money and a decent performer even when compared to one of the best.


Edited by Am_Fear_Liath_Mor (10/22/09 03:53 PM)

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#186184 - 10/22/09 04:24 PM Re: Fenix L2D v TANK007 TK-566 shoot out. [Re: Am_Fear_Liath_Mor]
haertig Offline
Pooh-Bah

Registered: 03/13/05
Posts: 2322
Loc: Colorado
Good review! Thanks for putting this up. I ordered two lights from DealExtreme two weeks ago myself. I'm waiting for them to arrive now. I hope I will be as happy with mine as you appear to be with yours. The AA one below is for EDC pocket carry, and the CR123 one is for a weapons light system. I hope they work well (fingers crossed!)

http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.19187
http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.16178

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#186199 - 10/22/09 06:26 PM Re: Fenix L2D v TANK007 TK-566 shoot out. [Re: haertig]
Tom_L Offline
Addict

Registered: 03/19/07
Posts: 690
Interesting review! I haven't heard of the TANK007 before. However, there seem to be an awful lot of cheap clones of hi-tech tactical flashlights around nowadays.

To be fair though, it's going to be hard to make a direct comparison until you've used the TK-566 for 18 months... Sometimes first impressions can be favorable but only long-term use really shows all the strengths and weaknesses.

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#186206 - 10/22/09 07:07 PM Re: Fenix L2D v TANK007 TK-566 shoot out. [Re: Tom_L]
haertig Offline
Pooh-Bah

Registered: 03/13/05
Posts: 2322
Loc: Colorado
Expensive does not always equal better. For example, I have two of the much-revered ARC AAA lights. Both have stopped working. They were about $25 a piece when I bought them. I also have two Gerber Tempo AAA lights that I paid $6.95 each for. The ARC sure feels heavier-duty and better build quality than the Gerber. However, both ARCs are dead, and the Gerbers just keep on going. The Gerbers have more use logged on them than the ARCs had. I hated to see the ARCs go. It was disappointing. I expected the ARCs to last. I didn't expect that of the Gerbers. But it turned out differently. (Note: the ARCs were regulated, the Gerbers not.)

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#186219 - 10/22/09 08:25 PM Re: Fenix L2D v TANK007 TK-566 shoot out. [Re: haertig]
Am_Fear_Liath_Mor Offline
Carpal Tunnel

Registered: 08/03/07
Posts: 3078

I have been able to to a bit more testing with the new TANK007, to have get an estimate of the output the TK-566. The output is on a par with a Fenix P3D Premium RB100 in Turbo mode but with a slightly better colour tint at about 200 Lumen (the Lumiled's Rebel LED has a slight greenish tinge.) This is exceptional performance considering that the Fenix P3D RB100 is being powered by 3.7 Volt RCR123As and the TK-566 is using 1.3V NiMh Eneloops. The higest output of the TK-566 is getting somewhere near the Turbo mode output of a Fenix T1 but with a slightly smaller and less intense hot spot. The Fenix T1 was rated at 225 Lumen.


Here is the current I measured for so for a 2000 mAhr capacity NiMh this would give roughly the following run times

0.18 A on low = approx 10 Hrs
0.55 A on medium =approx 3.5 hrs
1.58 A on High =approx 1hr 15 minutes

Slightly worse run time performance compared to the Fenix L2D CE with the L2D having a extra low output giving 22 hrs of use.

I also recieved one of these today to drop into an Ultrafire WF-502B.

Quote:
The pill from this MC-E fits perfectly into the body from the MX Power 3W flashlight sku.14905. Just remove the reflector and the outer spring from this P60 modules and remove the pill from the MX Power 3W flashlight, then screw in the MC-E pill into the MX Power 3W body and you have a 16340 based MC-E flashlight.


How about 20 minutes of 400+ lumen from a CR123A sized EDC flashlight for less than $37 in total. grin

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#186221 - 10/22/09 08:36 PM Re: Fenix L2D v TANK007 TK-566 shoot out. [Re: Am_Fear_Liath_Mor]
Yuccahead Offline
Member

Registered: 07/24/08
Posts: 199
Loc: W. Texas
"..I also received one of these today to drop into an Ultrafire WF-502B. "

Goodness me! You must tell me if that actually works at 400 lumens without melting your gloves. I too have a WF-502B with a couple of drop-ins and that drop-in sounds like a must have.

Sadly, about 1/4 of the stuff I have ordered from DX has been faulty lately. Eventually, I get a replacement but it takes forever.
_________________________
-- David.

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#186222 - 10/22/09 08:41 PM Re: Fenix L2D v TANK007 TK-566 shoot out. [Re: Am_Fear_Liath_Mor]
James_Van_Artsdalen Offline
Addict

Registered: 09/13/07
Posts: 449
Loc: Texas
Run them under a faucet or yard sprinkler for a bit and see how they'll handle rain.

They DealExtreme page says the max input voltage is 3v, which rules out a 14500 cell. You should not use one anyway due to safety hazards if there is no undervoltage protection.

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#186240 - 10/22/09 11:13 PM Re: Fenix L2D v TANK007 TK-566 shoot out. [Re: Yuccahead]
Am_Fear_Liath_Mor Offline
Carpal Tunnel

Registered: 08/03/07
Posts: 3078
Quote:
Goodness me! You must tell me if that actually works at 400 lumens without melting your gloves.


The MC-E drop in was run in the Ultrafire WF-502B for about 15 minutes on max power. The ambient air temperature was around 20C. An Ultrafire 18650 2400mAhr LC 3.7V Li-ion cell was used, which I measured at 3.9 Volts open circuit. The Ultrafire certainly heated up but was still able to be handled without any gloves. I would reckon the temperature stablised at around 40-45 C. The current was initially measured at around 1.8 Amps so the power being dissipated would have been around 7 Watts in total. The output at 7 Watts according to Cree on the MC-E technical data sheet would be around 400-450 lumen (based on the neutral white colour). So overall I'm quite happy with the little MC-E based P60 drop in. Low power output should be around the 100 Lumen mark. grin

Quote:
Run them under a faucet or yard sprinkler for a bit and see how they'll handle rain.


I have just run the TANK007 under the faucet for about 2-3 minutes and there was no problem with the TK-566. If fact after inspecting the clicky switch arrangement internally and comparing the design against the Fenix L2D, I am actually more confident that the TK-566 is better protected against water ingress than this Fenix model.



Edited by Am_Fear_Liath_Mor (10/23/09 12:05 AM)

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#186267 - 10/23/09 04:54 AM Re: Fenix L2D v TANK007 TK-566 shoot out. [Re: Am_Fear_Liath_Mor]
Tom_L Offline
Addict

Registered: 03/19/07
Posts: 690
Originally Posted By: Am_Fear_Liath_Mor
Here is the current I measured for so for a 2000 mAhr capacity NiMh this would give roughly the following run times

0.18 A on low = approx 10 Hrs
0.55 A on medium =approx 3.5 hrs
1.58 A on High =approx 1hr 15 minutes

Slightly worse run time performance compared to the Fenix L2D CE with the L2D having a extra low output giving 22 hrs of use.


Umm, not really. The Fenix L2D runtime is rated as:
General Mode: 9 lumens (55hrs) -> 40 lumens (10.5hrs) -> 80 lumens (4hrs) -> Turbo Mode: 140 lumens (2.4hrs). 55 hrs vs. 10 hrs makes a big difference IMHO.

One of the main reasons why I bought an LD20 was the flexible output. You have a very bright turbo mode as well as a low output setting where the batteries will last almost forever (plus several options in between).

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#186277 - 10/23/09 12:13 PM Re: Fenix L2D v TANK007 TK-566 shoot out. [Re: Tom_L]
Am_Fear_Liath_Mor Offline
Carpal Tunnel

Registered: 08/03/07
Posts: 3078

Quote:
Umm, not really. The Fenix L2D runtime is rated as:
General Mode: 9 lumens (55hrs) -> 40 lumens (10.5hrs) -> 80 lumens (4hrs) -> Turbo Mode: 140 lumens (2.4hrs). 55 hrs vs. 10 hrs makes a big difference IMHO.

One of the main reasons why I bought an LD20 was the flexible output. You have a very bright turbo mode as well as a low output setting where the batteries will last almost forever (plus several options in between).


I was using the real run times that have been measured for L2D here at

http://www.light-reviews.com/fenix_l2d_ce_q5/

All the testing on this website throughout all the reviews have been standardised on Eneloop AA for all the AA type flashlights.


So for the L2D we get;

Turbo Mode = 2 hrs @ 140 lm compared to approx 1hr 15 min @180-200 lm for the TK-566

High = 4 hr 15 min compared to 3.5hrs for the TK-566 (slight difference in the output will account for the difference)

Medium = 9 3/4 hrs each

Low = 22 hrs (calculated from the measured current draw of my L2D). The TK-566 doesn't have this extra low mode.

These were all measured using Eneloop cells. Primary Lithium will have much longer runtimes.

The published manufacturers data for the run times will always be with the best battery chemistry i.e. Energiser Primary Lithium with some slight exaggeration on their products performance, although Fenix I have found don't tend to be to far over the top for their claims compared to other manufacturers that I can think off.

The L2D does have exceptional run time performance and very flexible output/run time performance especially with the extra low 9 lumen output and claimed 55 hr runtime (a mode the TK-566 doesn't have). The Fenix L2D is a highly recommended flashlight.

The run time estimates for the TK-566 are based on initial current readings for the different modes on fresh Eneloop AAs.

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