The beauty of a modern EDC light is that you can have a ton of light output in a package that’s pocketable and suited for toting around wherever you go. But that often comes at a cost: with lots of brightness you tend to have a lot of modes to select from to get to a suitable amount of light for the task at hand. And one wrong press can end up blinding you at an inopportune moment or leaving yourself vulnerable in an emergency situation. This is far too common on the usual push button and memory mode interfaces on modern lights. With the updated PD40R V2.0, Fenix employs the simple but effective rotary switch that makes the light easy to use and the output easy to identify at a moment’s glance prior to deployment.
With the PD40R V2.0, gone are the side or rear tail switches that you find on other lights. Fenix’s rotary switch system allows you to quickly select a brightness level with a twist, and it’s easy to perform that action even when you’re wearing gloves, allowing you to go from a Low 30 lumens to a Turbo of 3,000 lumens out the front. Rotating past the 4 main modes also gets you a 2,500-lumen Strobe for emergencies. That immense max power is brought to bear thanks to a single Luminus SST70 LED at the head of a hardy IP68 waterproof HAIII hard-anodized aerospace grade A6061-T6 aluminum body.
Included with the package is a Fenix-branded 5000mAh 21700 lithium-ion battery that you can charge via USB-C right on the light itself. An external LED light lets you know the light’s charge level before unplugging, and at max it’s rated to run the light for up to 2 hours and 40 minutes (and at its lowest 30 lumen setting, for over 88 hours on end). That kind of reliability and power makes it great to have in an emergency, and at 5.4″ long and 4.1 oz without the battery, it’s sized right for everyday carry when you consider its versatility.
If you’re tired of having to memorize how many times you have to press on the button of a flashlight to get it to work, the newly-updated Fenix PD40R V2.0 is a solid choice for your everyday light. Its innovative rotary switch is easier to use than most, and it makes for a great no-hassle light that’s especially good to have when the going gets tough. Pick it up from Amazon or direct from Fenix at the links below.
