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Fenix TK10 Review by C.B.


April 2008

The Fenix TK10 is Fenix’s second flashlight in their ‘T’ series. It is very similar to the first light in the T series, the Fenix T1, but it makes several key improvements based on feedback from users. The Fenix T1 was generally very well received, but many people felt that some areas of the light such as the pocket clip and the tail of the light could be improved. Fenix have taken this into account and have made changes to the design of the T1 to produce the TK10.

Originally called the T11, the TK10 was apparently renamed to avoid confusion with other similarly named products. The TK in the name refers to the ‘Tank’ designation, and this is reflected in the design and construction of the light. The TK10 is actually lighter than the original T1, but the same strength and build quality have been maintained. The electronics of the light have remained the same as the T1, and the light utilises the same Cree Q5 LED, producing 225 lumens. The TK10 is currently available in black and olive green.

fenix-tk10-flashlight

Specifications

Initial Impressions

The Fenix TK10 is packaged in a cardboard box with a clear window allowing the light to be seen. The packaging shows the light being used by military or police personnel, suggesting that some of the features of the light have been designed with these types of people in mind. Inside the box is a plastic container that holds the flashlight and accompanying accessories and spares. The light is securely held in place, and should not be damaged in shipping as long as the outer box is appropriately protected.

fenix-tk10-box

Along with the TK10 itself, the package contains a holster, pocket clip, allen key, two spare screws for the pocket clip, a lanyard, two spare o-rings, a cover for the tactical grip threads, an orange switch cover, warranty card and some instructions.

fenix-tk10-packaging

The TK10 comes with the tactical grip and black switch cover installed on the light, but users can change them for the thread cover and orange switch cover if they prefer.

The fit and finish of the TK10 is very impressive, perhaps even more so than the T1. The TK10 reviewed is the black version, and there are no visible flaws in the colouring or quality of the hard anodized finishing. The knurled grip on the body and tail of the TK10 has been considerably improved over the T1. It is now far more textured and actually helps with gripping the light. However, the knurling is still not as rough as that found on other lights such a SureFires, which may offer a better grip when using the light with wet hands of gloves.

The slightly reduced weight of the TK10 from the T1 feels apparent, and the light now sits much more comfortably in the hand. A large part of the weight reduction appears to have come from the head of the light, and as such the light now feels more balanced. This is particularly important as Fenix have designed the TK10 be able to use a tactical grip ring. This ring is positioned towards the rear of the light’s body, and allows the user to hold the light using a ‘cigar grip’, also known as the Rogers/SureFire technique. The reduced weight in the head of the light makes holding the flashlight this way much easier and improves overall ergonomics.

The head and tail of the TK10 both unscrew from the body for maintenance, cleaning, and battery insertion and replacement. The tail of the TK10 is similar to the T1, but the head has been redesigned to use internal threads. A small number of people had issues with the two parts of the flashlight’s head becoming unscrewed due to insufficient securing of the two parts. However, this issue now appears to have been resolved by both Fenix and distributor and retailers, and the parts of head on this light seem very solid. The tail of the flashlight has changed slightly, with the metal protrusions surrounding the switch being shortened. This makes the switch noticeably easier to reach than with the T1, but does mean the light can no longer stand on its tail.

exploded-view

At both ends of the flashlight’s body are o-rings designed to make the light waterproof. The o-ring at the head of the light in significant bigger than the tail end, and spares for both are provided. The attention to cleanliness and lubrication on this light has been very good, and there is none of the ‘gritiness’ found on other lights when rotating the head or tail on their threads. The threads and o-rings appear to have been lubricated with a fine oil-like substance. To thoroughly ensure the waterproofing and protection of this light’s threads, the light was cleaned and lubricated with NyoGel 779ZC (o-rings) and NyoGel 759G (threads). After this, the rotation of the head and tail of the light were even smoother. It is important to keep the light’s o-rings and threads well lubricated to protect them from damage and to retain the waterproofing of the light. All contacts within the light should also be kept clean in order to ensure proper performance and functionality.

tk10-reflector

Once cleaned and lubricated, two Duracell CR123A batteries were placed in the light. The included instructions show the batteries being placed in the light from the tail end, with positive connections facing the head of the light. Once this has been done, the tail of the light can be securely screwed back on. The General and Turbo levels of the light are controlled by rotating the head of the light. When fully screwed on, contacts on the circuitry at the rear of the head make contact with the light’s body and the turbo mode is activated. If the head is unscrewed slightly, these contacts to do not touch and the light will activate in general mode. The modes can be changed while the light is on or off by tightening or loosening the head.

The issue with the pocket clip of the T1 rubbing against the body of the light when changing modes has been removed in the TK10 as the pocket clip is now secured to the body of the light itself, not the head. The pocket clip is also completely removable for those who do not wish to use it.

The TK10 is activated by pressed a switch located at the tail of the light. Like the T1, the TK10 uses a switch sometimes known as a ‘forward-clickie’. This allows the light to both be turned on constantly by clicking the switch, or to be turned on momentarily by holding the switch in part-way. The momentary switch is often useful to those who are in a position where a dropped light could cause them to be unintentionally lit up. By using the momentary switch, a dropped light will immediately turn off. The momentary switch can also be useful for signaling or attracting attention.

In Use

Upon turning the TK10 on, the user is greeted by a very bright and even circle of light. At 225 lumens, the TK10 is one of the brighter single-LED general use flashlights available, and this is very apparent when comparing it to the cheaper and lowered powered flashlights most people are familiar with. The TK10 has an ‘orange peel’ textured reflector that evens out the spill of the light and removes are artefacts from the beam. The TK10 has a slightly more textured reflector than the T1, and this creates and even smoother transition from the bright hotspot in the centre of the beam to the spill around the edge. However, this does mean that the hotspot itself is slightly dimmer than that of the T1.

The colour of the light from this TK10 has a slightly purple tint. It is not enough to be a problem, and is only really noticeable when shining the light on a white surface or when comparing it to another light. Most LED flashlights tend to have a slightly ‘cold’ beam that is quite different from incandescent lights. At first this can be off-putting, but the whiter light from an LED makes colour differentiation much easier in the dark. Due to the design and manufacturing of LEDs, there are generally variances in the colour light they produce. Although this TK10 could have a slightly better colour, in use it is not really noticeable.

The TK10 has a very strong ‘throw’ and lights up subjects a good distance away. Due to the slightly heavier texturing of the reflector, the TK10 appears to have slightly less throw than the T1, but in use this is not a real problem. The beam of the TK10 provides strong illumination, and Fenix claim it will throw light up to 200 meters. The beam also provides a very usable amount of spill, making walking with the light at night very easy.

Fenix TK10 Beamshots

tk10vt1-beamshot

tk10-v-t1

tk10-v-p3d-beamshot

Conclusion

The Fenix TK10 is a powerful and well-built flashlight that continues to improve on the original Fenix T1. It provides a strong beam of light that is useful for long-distance work as well as general everyday tasks. The general mode of the light means it is suitable for close-up work, while the turbo mode provides the extra brightness required when working in complete darkness.

The design of the TK10 is good, and the changes to the poor design of the pocket clip and tail protrusions on the T1 make the flashlight much easier to use. The finishing quality of the light is excellent, with no issues at all being immediately apparent. The strength of the light and its use of an LED mean that it should be able to withstand a variety of knocks and drops with no issues.

Overall, this light is a strong performer and should be recommended who anyone who requires a relatively compact but powerful flashlight.

-Chris, UK

Click here to buy the Fenix TK10

 

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