[carrot]

The Fenix TK10 Review

As many of you know, Fenix released the T1 not too long ago. They listened to complaints and came back with this, the TK10.

This is Fenix's second venture into the "tactical flashlight" market. The packaging is pretty nice with a silly motto and a few poorly picked pictures (the guy in the ski mask made me crack up) but at least they're trying. The real goods are inside, no matter how dopey the packaging. They may be bad at marketing but they certainly do know their lights. Based on their reputation and my own lights' track record I can say they are very reliable and pretty well made but still have a little ways to go before they can eat from Surefire's plate.

I should probably qualify myself as a reviewer, for those who know me and those who don't. I have had every Fenix from the L1P up til the L2D and P1-CE and I have used and abused every one of them, my favorite still being the two-stage L2T. I own quite a few Surefires, such as the A2, E2L, C2, and M3T, amongst others, and a McLux PD-S mizer by McGizmo. I don't profess to know about being a tactical operator but I have a keen eye for detail and am picky about design. My preferences lie towards the practical and for usability.

I will compare the light against the Surefire C2 equipped with a Surefire P60L LED assembly as I see fit. It seems that the C2 is the light that Fenix is directly competing with, design-wise. If you have a C2 or the similarly sized 6P or others you will find it handy to have the light with you but by no means should those ill-equipped flashaholics feel left out, as I will attempt to be descriptive. My apologies for posting later than everyone else. I'm busy and the light only did arrive today.

Also, in the interest of full disclosure I am friends with 4sevens and did receive the light at a discount and before the general public. My promise to the reader is that I will attempt to be as unbiased as possible in my review.

Build Quality

This light feels tough! For all intents and purposes it is beefier than my Surefire C2 and heavier as well. The Fenix TK10 is definitely designed to take a beating and the design shows it. The machining is very good, up to Fenix's usual standards but it is a significantly more complicated design as well. Fit and finish is good. The new tactial-style/momentary clicky switch feels robust but could use slightly more tension to prevent accidental activation. My biggest complaint with Fenix is that the threads are cut too thin and the TK10 is no exception. The diameter of the light is larger and the threads seem slightly thicker than before so it still should be stronger than the L-series lights. The threads are also cut smoother than older Fenixes, so this is a steop in the right direction. However one look at Surefire's threading on the C-size (6P, C2 Z2, etc) bodies shows what real threading should look like -- beefy. I have seen completely stripped threads on a Fenix L2S so I am a little disappointed the threads aren't really beefy on the TK10 but this does not really detract too much from the light as they seem substantial enough. There is no battery rattle with Surefire-branded batteries, making this light feel as solid as a brick.

Design

Fenix obviously took cues from Surefire, which can be both a blessing and a curse. This means they're more likely to draw potential customers, but it also means they're more likely to be compared directly to Surefire, whose design from an engineering and mechanical standpoint, is top notch. Despite the design refinements over the T1, I still cannot help but feel it has a "made in China" look. It is subtle but it is still there. It is very good-looking, though..

The crenellated bezel is perfectly done. The three-pronged design lets a lot of light show when it is placed bezel down on a table, so you are certain to notice that you've left it on. They are rounded a bit so they do not bite aggressively into fabrics, which is a good thing. Despite being less aggressive it should still make for an impressive impact weapon.

Crenellations on the tailcap, however, are unacceptable. Fenix, what were you thinking!? They seem to be there to protect the switch from hard impacts such as accidental dropping but also are slightly unpleasant when you hold the light cigar-style and press the momentary-on switch. They are not bad enough to make the light unusable or even to detract from the light enough to hurt my overall impressions, but I would like to see Fenix offer a different, smooth tailcap shroud and forget about tailcap crenellations altogether. They seem to be a huge improvement over that of the T1, so I applaud the effort. These crenellations may actually hamper the use of the light with a handgun.

The tactical grip ring is similar in design to the Gladius but the grip flanges are less pronounced, which I like. It is easy enough to hold in the cigar-style tactical grip and it adds a bit more grip retention in saber grip. It is a little bit sharp and could use some rounding off but I hear some of you guys are a bit masochistic and like your tactical lights spiky. Great news for the more practical, Fenix includes a sweet orange anodized smooth ring that you can use to replace the tactical ring, which means the light won't get caught while extracting it from your pocket or holsters, making it instantly better. These rings screw on in front of the tailcap and are well-done. (I would have liked them medium-rare, but I'll live.)

Fenix finally includes a pocket clip which I haven't tried yet, and thoughtfully includes an allen wrench to add or remove it. The clip retaining screws thread directly into the aluminum body, which is a questionable tactic since aluminum is fairly soft and will strip easily if you aren't careful. The clip seems a little half-baked but I will give it a shot first before being too critical. The two retaining screws are not flush with the body which will probably cause non-flashaholics to press them frantically in effort to turn the light on. I've seen it once already.

The knurling is good but not as aggressive as Surefire's. They are very cleanly cut.

Usage

The Fenix TK10 harkens back to better days when things were simple. You press the button on the tailcap lightly for momentary on and press harder until it clicks for constant on. Fenix sneakily hides a second mode in by utilizing the bezel -- unscrew it slightly to drop into "low" mode. The light is very bright and blows the Surefire P60L LED module completely out of the water, but it is to be expected. On "low" mode it is still brighter than the P60L. The TK10 is insanely bright and is no fun to play with because it hurts my eyes.

The beam of the TK10 is smooth but not quite as smooth as the typical Surefire beam, LED or incan. The best beam I have ever seen is on my McLux PD-S with its wide hotspot with very soft edges, and the TK10 isn't quite there. It is very good though and if you are not white wall hunting you will be incredibly satisfied with this light. You might even be incredibly satisfied if you like to wall hunt but I offer no guarantee. There is a slight dark corona around the hotspot which is much like the L2D and it is barely noticeable, although it is there. Spill is quite good. Tint is great, a cool white that puts my bluish P60L to shame. Of course, Luxeon Lottery (but with Cree and Seoul this time around) is still in effect but nowhere near the variation in tint we used to see with LumiLEDs' Luxeons. You newcomers have it good -- you can usually bet on getting a great tinted Cree light, every time.

If runtime is as good as Fenix claims this light is incredible. I will link to some runtime graphs when I get my hands on one.

Abuse

I see no reason to abuse this light as it would be a waste of my money to do so. But I am sure others will, such as this thread here.

Final Thoughts
If you are looking for a bright LED light, with no frills and crazy multimodes, the Fenix TK10 will fit the bill. It is a solid light from a pretty reputable company. At $75 I probably wouldn't have bought it initially since I already have tons of lights but it is very worthwhile especially if you are looking for an alternative to Surefire. It is brighter than their current LED models in this size and cheaper as well. Would I buy one again at full price now that I've had a taste? Probably, if I lost this one. Highly recommended.

You can see pictures in other people's threads. WadeF, for example, is a much better photographer than I.