The Fenix L2D flashlight is a compact, tactical flashlight using LED technology to deliver a bright 175 lumen beam. I recently received a L2D flashlight to test, and I was very impressed by its performance.
I carried the flashlight on-duty in the nylon holster that comes with the L2D. Additionally, I carried the Fenix flashlight in a cargo pocket of my shorts virtually every day while off-duty. I also passed the flashlight around to other members on my squad, and several of them used the light for their duty shift. All of us were impressed.
The Fenix L2D is rated at 175 lumens at its highest intensity setting, and it does seem to be very bright. When compared to the older Streamlight Stingers that our officers are issued, the L2D was noticeably brighter with a more white colored light, as compared to the yellow light of the Stinger’s incandescent bulb.
Q5 LEDs are used in the Fenix L2D flashlight.
The L2D’s beam is not as focused as some other lights. While very bright, the beam does not extend out to long ranges as well as some other flashlights. For example, when conducting a traffic stop, the Fenix L2D was very good at lighting up the interior of the passenger compartment. However, while conducting an outdoor area search for a suspect who had run from officers, it did not perform nearly as well as my issued Stinger or MagLight. When conducting building clearings in normal residences, the light performed very well. The L2D has several lighting modes that range from low to high power, and also includes a strobe mode. The light is turned on and off with a tail mounted switch. With the light “on”, lightly tapping the switch will then cycle through the available modes. By twisting the bezel of the flashlight you can choose between two different positions. In the first position, the tail switch will default to the high intensity setting with the option of switching to the strobe mode with a light tap. In the second position, the tail switch will default to the low intensity setting, and light taps will cycle through low, medium, and high intensity settings, plus an S-O-S strobe. I used the low power setting when I was installing some parts on my truck, but other than that, I left it in the first position for the high intensity and strobe modes.
The Fenix L2D flashlght is compact enough to fit entirely into your hand.
The Fenix L2D is fairly thin as compared to many flashlights. Having a thickness of slightly more than the AA batteries it uses, the Fenix flashlight fits comfortably in my hand. I found that I could easily use the light in any of the typical flashlight-handgun shooting positions. Fenix makes the body of the L2D from aircraft grade aluminum, and has an anodized matte black finish. After weeks of riding on a duty belt and in cargo pockets, the finish held up remarkably well. There were no chips or other blemishes in the body. On the very edge of the light bezel, several small chips appeared, in the same places that all of the other lights I have carried have developed chips. So the finish is definitely on-par with that of other similar lights.
Battery life was excellent. As previously mentioned, the L2D uses two “AA” batteries instead of more expensive CR 123 batteries commonly found in tactical lights of this size. In my informal testing, I used the L2D on the highest intensity setting on-duty and off for about four weeks before noticing any drop in light intensity. Even then, the light was still very usable for most non-tactical applications.
The L2D features a tail cap switch that toggles the light on and off, plus allows the user to cycle through different lighting modes.
With the L2D flashlight, I also received the orange traffic wand attachment. Made of a tough plastic, the wand slipped over the end of the L2D’s bezel and was held on by friction. The L2D with the wand attachment seemed to be much brighter than the issued MagLight or Stinger with the wand attachments. I used the L2D with the wand multiple times to direct traffic, and was pleased with the results. The wand stayed firmly attached, and after 30 minutes of waving the light around, I was glad it was lighter than the other flashlights I had on hand for the same purpose.
In conclusion, everyone who used this light liked it. It is very bright, reasonably priced, and appears very durable. Combined with the long battery life, and good ergonomics, I recommend you consider this light if you need a solid concealed carry light, or as a back-up to another light you may carry on duty.
Because the L2D’s beam is not tightly focused, and light does fade off quickly beyond about 25 feet, I would not carry this as my only light on duty. However, this is now my primary carry light for concealed carry, and it still rides on my duty belt as a back up light.
Stay safe!
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