Gear Review: Fenix LD30 Flashlight – 1600 Lumens

Shortly after my last review of a Fenix flashlight, I was sent the another Fenix to test and review. This new gear review is on the Fenix LD30 – 1600 lumen rechargeable flashlight. I received this light from the Fenix Store. For two months, or thereabouts, I have been putting this light through different tests to see how it would perform and if I was going to like it. Here’s what I found.

Specifications (from Fenix Store)

• 1600 Lumen Output
• Luminus SST40 LED
• 18650 Battery Compatible
• 5 Output Settings
  • Turbo – 1600 Lumens/1.3 Hours/672 Feet
  • High – 800 Lumens/1.5 Hours/492 Feet
  • Med – 350 Lumens/5.30 Hours/311 Feet
  • Low – 150 Lumens/17.3 Hours/196 Feet
  • Eco – 30 Lumens/70.3 Hours/82 Feet
• IP68 Rated – 6.5 Feet Submersible for 30 minutes
• Two position body clip
• Battery level indicator – NOTE: Only activates when using an 18650 battery
• Tail Switch & Side Switch
• Ultra Thin Optical Lens – Spill beam angle of 193°

The Fenix LD30 1600 lumen rechargeable flashlight is compact, bright, but is not without flaws. The first time I had an issue with the light was when I took it out of the box. I looked at all the components, found the charging cord and decided I wanted to charge the light. Unfortunately, the directions do not tell you in detail how to charge it. I figured I would find the charging port hidden on the light, so I turned it around, searched high and low and could not find it. It took a few frustrating minutes to figure out that you actually have to charge the battery itself. There’s a hidden port on the + end of the battery. Once I found it, charging was easy.

There are five brightness levels and let me tell you, they get bright! If the light is charged, when you turn it on, the brightness adjustment button has a green light (only activates when using an 18650 battery). This disappears rather quickly, so look quick. I tested out the brightness of each level multiple times. You can adjust the brightness levels with the hand holding the light, which is pretty cool. Unfortunately, the higher you go, the brighter and hotter the end gets. When I say hot, I mean burn your hand hot. Be very careful!

The LD30 was in the nylon holster on my belt when I accidentally caught it on my desk. Unbeknownst to me, the light had turned on. I started smelling something funky, but couldn’t place it. In just over a minute this happened. My coworker came in the office and told me my light was on. I reached down to grab it and turn it off. Big mistake! It was so hot, it had melted the nylon case and was now sticking to my fingers (see images below). There was now smoke coming from the case and that’s when I knew things were serious.

To say I was upset went without question, but it brought a couple things to mind. Be careful when testing these things out. Accidents happen, but be careful as I can’t imagine if my daughter had done this and had burned herself. I also wonder if I can use this in a survival situation where I need a fire. I’ll bet the LD30 gets hot enough to make some tinder catch fire.

Back to the other testing. I got the light wet and didn’t have any issues with it working. I dropped it many times on concrete and it worked fine right away.

The LD30 is so bright at 1600 lumens that I could light up our entire living room and we could read a book. Don’t get me wrong, it would have to be a short book to how hot it can get, but it was cool how bright it actually can get. For short bursts, the bright 1600 lumens work well for spotting something rather quickly. Other than that, I’m not a fan. It’s a good backup light, but I prefer something that doesn’t heat up as much, has a better grip and is more functional.

The grip on this light is less than desirable. It is supposed to be a tactical light, but the grip is slippery in a bare hand. There needs to be a cross-cut pattern on the grip with a bit more tack. I did not care for this grip and had to move my pinky finger and ring finger over the end to hold it tightly. Then it got hot, so I was limited in what I could do.

The LD30 retails for $79.99 at the Fenix Store. For this one, I’d save my money. While many like this for an EDC, I did not care for it as it turned on more than once accidentally from the holster or in my pants pocket. I really like bright flashlights, but this one has a danger of burning a hole in my pack, or pants, and for that reason I would not recommend it.

I received the Fenix LD30 flashlight as coordinated by Deep Creek PR an Outdoor Industry Public Relations Company in consideration for review publication. All opinions are strictly my own.