NITECORE vs. FENIX vs. MAG-LITE

Quick little head to head demo of the traditional Mag Lite against two more modern LED flash lights.
First one is the standard 3D cell Maglite, with the LED upgrade. It is a little closer to the modern lights in terms of beam quality with the LED upgrade as compared to the standard incandescent version but still, in my mind, don't hold the proverbial candle to the modern lights.
I still love the Mag Lites. They are build like tanks and have AMAZING build quality. I'll never not recommend them, but there are more powerful lights out there in much smaller packages.
And to be fair, the one thing the Mag Lites trump most of the modern lights in is battery life. So I will give them that.
The next one is the NiteCore EX10 Golden Dragon Plus, or simply the EX10GD+.
Love this one and of these three, it has the smoothest beam. But with that, it sacrifices throw because of a lesser defined hot spot as compared to the third light, the Fenix PD20. The modes of the NiteCore are VERY useful. Having the ability to keep it on "turbo" and with a quick double click being in a VERY low, night vision saving "moonlight" mode is awesome. And having it remember what mode you left it in when you shut it off is another plus. You leave it in one of the user defined brightness levels, set from the ramp and it remembers where you left it. Once you turn it back on, its at the level you left it on. Love that. :) The pocket clip is the icing on the cake. The Fenix is brighter, but the NiteCore is so much more convenient. Clip and go.
The Fenix. I love Fenix lights. They are built very well, along with the other two I compared, but it just feels right. The hourglass profile really holds in the hand well. Its comfortable. The outright power of it just blows the MagLite off the table. The one downer to the PD20 I have is that damned dark area around the hot spot. And it shouldn't because its ONLY noticeable on a white wall and I have to look for it. I never use my lights like that. I use them outside, inside machinery at work, and in my vehicles. But I know its there, and it bugs me. So meh... The modes are great and the strobe really makes your presence known. Its also a good tool to bug people at work. :) I forgot to mention in the video, there is also a fourth setting in the unscrewed mode. Its SOS, and it comes after the third brightness setting. You just tap it once more and you're in SOS mode. After that it reverts back to the lowest setting, starting over.

Category:

Education

Tags:

• NiteCore EX10 GD+
• Fenix PD20
• MagLite LED
• Flashlights
• Flashoholic.

[allusernamestaken12]

They measure their brightnesses differently though, so you don;t know exactly which is brighter unless you have a lumen measure or something

[DasBulk]

I know exactly which is brighter. Just not to what extent.

[quest8899]

i bought a maglite 3d and when i rotate the head it turns black in the middle, is something wrong with it

[DasBulk]

There is nothing wrong with it. Its a variable focus. The other two in this video are fixed beams.

[Delivered0ne]

SINCE THE CAMERA AUTO-BRITE ADJUSTED, IT WOULD HAVE BEEN NICE TO SEE ALL THREE ON SIMULTANEOUSLY AND SIDE-BY-SIDE FOR COMPARISON.

[sirmasterpimp]

Nice lights, can't wait for my nitecore EZ AA to come in. The maglite does pretty well with the led upgrade. I had one years ago (6 D with an incandescent bulb), got rid of it for an 80 lumen 2AA led light. I think the new led ones put out over 100 lumens. Just wish they'd develop an in house led capable of 300 lumens or more. The new maglite xl series shows hope, but for now they only top out at 104 lumens.

[newhuskytwenty]

@quest8899 there is a point in which you can obtain the wider beam without any black hole in te middle, use that point unless you want to light a distant point, in that last case you'll need the more concentrated possible. I have upgraded my maglite 3D using the Terralux led quit and now it is much better, even with a really big runtime (the time it brights with the same batteries)

[ishouldplayzelda]

@infantry031 i rarely use it but it's nice to have around

[infantry031]

@ishouldplayzelda how are you liking it?

[infantry031]

@ishouldplayzelda pretty impressive for a small light, how are you liking it?

[faffaflunkie]

The Maglight may be a crummy flashlight but it is a hell of an "impact" weapon.

[ishouldplayzelda]

i'm getting a mini mag for the candle feature. they also look better in my opinion.

[75SilentWarrior]

@ericssson That depends on what you are doing in the wild, a phoenix will do you know more good in the dense forest because it will just b blocked by the trees. Maybe it would in a desert or the great plains. My point was the price difference and you said it, a Fenix is an expensive light. Three times the price of a maglite LED.

[DasBulk]

@ericssson I know several. Hell, my brother carries a Surefire. The are ISSUED Surefire in his unit in the Air Force. If they have the money for Surefire lights, they damned sure have the money for Fenix.