Fenix PD35 Flashlight Review

There are many flashlights currently available on the market. So it can be a minefield when trying to choose a flashlight to suit your particular needs!

Well, in this article we are going to review just one of the many flashlights out there. The Fenix PD35 Flashlight stands out to us as one of the better options on the market, so we thought we’d check it out in this in-depth review.

Whether you want your flashlight to give as a gift, for personal use or work – you’ll be surprised how often it will come in really handy!

First off, this flashlight is extremely portable in size. We guess it should be expected these days that all flashlight designs have been made much more portable than their predecessors. Do you remember those huge boxy flashlights that mum or dad had in a cupboard somewhere for when there was a power cut out? We’re glad things have moved on!

So you can easily carry this flashlight in your pocket, in a bag, or attach it to your belt, and you’ll hardly notice it until you need it. And you’ll be so happy when that time inevitably comes when you do need it!

One of the reasons it is so light is that it’s made from high-grade aluminum. This thing only weighs around 87g, which is quite amazing! The aluminum makes this flashlight incredibly strong and durable as well.

Fenix has done a great job in the actual machining of this flashlight too. With an impressive Type III hard-anodized and non-abrasive finish, and knurling to follow, it looks to be a very solid design.

Another useful feature is that the PD35 is made to be waterproof up to 2 meters for 30 minutes. This is an impressive and handy feature to have if you need it in wet weather conditions

The tactical version of this light was designed to cater for professionals in security, as well as military personnel and law enforcement officers. That’s why the design looks pretty straight forward and functional. It has no wild colors or crazy looking grooves to it. It looks like a sensible and professional option for a flashlight, that should do its job well!

The lens on this flashlight has been toughened to withstand knocks, bumps, and scrapes that could potentially occur over time. As well, the lens is crystal clear and finished nicely with anti-reflective coating.

Our rating: (4.3 / 5)

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Here’s How It Functions…

The light has an incredibly powerful beam coming from such a small device; it’s honestly quite amazing to see! Using a Cree XM-L 2 (U2) LED, the flashlight produces 960 lumens worth of bright light. So you’ll definitely be able to see what you’re doing when this flashlight is needed.

We should mention the Cree XM-L 2 (U2) LED will last a very astonishing 50,000 hours. So there’s no need to worry about replacing any bulbs here!

It also features a digitally regulated output, meaning that the brightness will be maintained consistently.

With the advances in LED technology, you can have incredibly powerful lights, that now last for longer.

As we previously mentioned, the Fenix PD35 is no exception when it comes to a powerful light, as it produces an amazing 960 lumens worth of it. And this powerful beam comes at no cost to battery life. The Fenix outperforms many with its battery longevity, with all credit due to the amazing efficiency of the Cree LED installed.

The PD35 uses a special system to conserve battery life. The management system to conserve power lowers the power of the beam subtly as the battery power goes down. So you will have a great indicator of when you will need to charge or change your batteries.

And when the light runs down to its dimmest, the LED will flash on and off every five minutes, to notify you that you need to charge or replace your batteries.

There’s reverse polarity protection in place with the flashlight too, just in case you install the batteries the wrong way round and mess everything up! And there’s another protective feature in the form of a heat regulator to prevent the device from overheating.

That brings us to the battery options. Yes, it has battery options. The first option is your standard two 3V CR123A Lithium batteries which come with this package and are not rechargeable. You can alternatively purchase separately a 18650 rechargeable Lithium-ion battery. It’s probably a good idea to buy the 18650 battery and have the others as spares.

The Fenix PD35 allows you to shine a very wide beam, or focus it right down to a powerful narrow stream of light. We can think of multiple applications where you may need either one or the other of these light settings to get your required tasks completed in the dark.

This flashlight, like many others in the Fenix range, includes a self-defense feature. There is a setting that puts out a strobe light, which can be used to startle and disorientate a potential attacker if you shine it towards them. Now we’re not saying this will stop a potential attacker, but it certainly could help buy you some time to get away or call for help.

There are also a number of other different light mode settings that you’ll be able to check out, all of which have their uses in a practical context. LED technology has now made it a lot easier for you to manipulate lights, even in a small device such as the Fenix PD35.

If you rapidly need to spot something and need to draw your flashlight quickly, there’s the convenient tactical tail switch on this design to reduce the time it takes to turn on the light. Of course, there’s also the standard side switch too.

Back to the design of the Fenix, and we just thought to mention that it has an anti-roll and slip-resistant design. With these two design features, you’re less likely to drop the thing! And if you do, it will stay where it lands and not roll on down a hill.

The price of this flashlight is so low that it gives you superb value for money for what you get! All these design considerations and the overall toughness and performance of this thing makes it a bargain!

Are There Any Cons?

Well, maybe the flashlight is a little too big for some people’s liking. Plus, even though there is heat regulation technology built into this design, it still can get a little hot. But with 960 lumens of light coming from a small device, some heat is to be expected.

We think that we’ve covered a lot of what this flashlight is about, and what it could offer you.

So let’s look at a summary of the Pros and Cons that you could expect with this device…

Fenix PD35 Flashlight Review Pros & Cons