The Best Everyday Carry Flashlight of 2018? Fenix PD35 Flashlight
The long wait is over. The Fenix PD35 has now officially been upgraded. Now we have the Fenix PD35 V2.0 (This light has been upgraded to the Fenix PD35 V3.0 EDC flashlight). This is quite the upgrade for the previous model, and we have been looking forward to getting our hands on one.
Upgrades to the Best Everyday Carry Flashlight
With this upgrade the new PD35 V2.0 has a total output of 1000 lumens. That may not be that much of a difference with lumens but there is a difference of almost 200 feet in beam distance. We'll talk about the LED that makes that happen here in a second. The upgrade is very tough-natured, but yet still looks like the classic PD35 that we all know and love as a very high performance tactical flashlight.
Starting back in 2013 we had the PD35 as your typical PD model. The 2013 model perfectly represents the core design of the PD series. The simple one-hand operation combined with the tactical tail switch with a side switch. It became one of the star products once it was released, and in 2014 it got an upgrade that went from 850 limit to 960 and a beam distance of over 20 meters in difference.
With the heat dissipation of the 2014 model, the Fenix PD35 to this day still remains one of the top best sellers from Fenix. Now in 2018, we finally got the upgrade that really matches its classic style. It does have a few new features, including the new LED, the Cree XP-L HIV3 LED that delivers a 250 meter beam distance. A little over 40 meters difference of the 2014 to the 2018 version of the PD35.
But even with this upgrade, it still presents a tougher performance. It includes a metal side switch, battery level indication which makes this upgrade stand out above its predecessors.
Features of the Fenix PD35 V2.0 EDC Flashlight
The PD35 V2.0 is a handy and well-made flashlight. This compact tactical flashlight features five output levels plus an instant strobe and as we had mentioned battery level indication. The power sources for this PD35 V 2.0 is either a single 18650 rechargeable lithium ion battery, but it can also be used with the cold-resistant CR123A batteries and will take two of those.
The dual switch design offers rapid and user-friendly operation. All these features make this PD35 V2.0 very suitable for military use, policing, outdoor exploring, emergency lighting and much more. This is basically the best tactical flashlight out there that you can get.
First up we'll talk about the PD35 V2.0 it's size. It is the perfect pocket size flashlight, making it easy to use for everyday carry or as a EDC flashlight. With the short size and then the added body clip, it will fit perfectly in your pocket with easy retrieval as well. With it’s far-reaching beam distance of 250 meters it'll be able to light up the field or trail in front of you with ease.
The metal side switch on the PD35 V2.0 is excellent and it feels great. It has an upgraded metal side switch which is enclosed in a rose gold ring. It features impeccable and even delicate texture making it solid and very durable. With this upgrade you also have a battery level indication, which is new on the PD35 model. Each time the light is turned on, the battery level indicator will automatically display the battery status for three seconds. This display is located on the metal side switch. If it's a green constant on, that means you're pretty good on battery. If the green light is flashing, you have sufficient battery. If it's a red constant on, you have a poor level of battery power. If it's red flashing, that means you're pretty low and you need to replace or charge up the battery. This battery level indication does only work with an 18650 lithium ion battery.
The other new thing that is very popular so far with this Fenix PD35 V2.0 is its insane run time. The maximum run time is 430 hours. That is on the eco mode, so whatever situation the PD35 has to handle, either night reading or up close illumination, it can be accomplished with no problem whatsoever.
Battery Power and Accessories for the Fenix PD35 V2.0 Everyday Carry Flashlight
Like I mentioned before, this PD35 does have multiple power sources. You can use either a single lithium ion 18650 rechargeable battery, or two CR123A non-rechargeable batteries. This is very common with the PD series flashlights, but yet again with this PD35 V 2.0 you have a user-friendly operation. It's a very and fast operation. It's just a simple press of the tail switch will turn the light on and off, and then you could even half press and hold, and there'll be a momentary on, and then just finish the click, and it'll turn the light on or off. Once the light is on, just press the side switch to change the different modes or keep it pressed to turn on the strobe mood.
You also have several different accessories for this PD35. They are sold separately, but we have a diffuser, traffic wand, a bike mount, a pressure switch and then even a belt clip. This Fenix PD35 is also IP68 rated for protection, so it's fearless of harsh environments. It is totally protected against dust and foreign objects, and it's submersible up to two meters.
A few comparisons of the PD35 V 2.0 to the PD35 in 2014. The LED of the old one is Cree XM-L2U2 compared to the new Cree XP-LHIV3 LED. You have a difference of 40 lumens, but a difference of 42 meters, which is very big for this small, compact flashlight. Then you have an increase of 280 hours of run time, so that's just something unheard of compared to the old PD35 with this new PD35 V 2.0. They have the same waterproof rating, and the same output number modes and levels.
Another difference will be the battery level indication that the new one provides, and then also the side switch, the metal with the new one compared to the silicon of the old 2014 version.
To go over the modes of this PD35 V2.0 starting off in turbo mode, we have a 1000 lumens that can run for 2 hours and 50 minutes. It has a beam distance of 250 meters. On high mode we have 350 lumens that run for 5 hours and 10 minutes. In medium mode runs at 150 lumens for 12 hours and 45 minutes. Then your low mode of 50 lumens for 29 and a half hours, and then the eco of three lumens with the staggering 430 hours of run time. Then also the strobe mode, which operates at 1000 lumens.
I'll go ahead and touch on what comes with the Fenix PD35 V 2.0 is the actual flashlight itself. It comes with a holster, a lanyard, two spare O-rings, one spare rubber switch boot, one warranty card and then one user manual.
I want to wrap up this Fenix PD35 review of the V2.0 model. It does have the increase of a thousand lumens and an insane increase of run time. It does have the battery level indicator with the cool looking and good-feeling metal side switch, but yet keeping the same PD series look to the Fenix PD35 for this 2018 version. All in all we're very excited for this Fenix Flashlight.