Ken Fong Balisong..Blatant Benchmade ripoff (is it worth it?)

I removed the "Benchmade" off the pocket clip and added what it should say

So, back in the 1980's Balisong's or Butterfly knives where all the rage mainly for their movie appearances. I remember seeing my first balisong in the movie Outsiders and like many kids, I had to have one. My first was a Japanese made Fury which I still own. I learned to flip, twirl and spin with the best of them albeit with many a cut knuckle and/or finger. As I grew older the realization of the (lack of) utility became obvious. At this point in my knife collecting adulthood, they're pretty much fidget spinners for the knife world with the added element of danger. On that note, the obligatory disclaimer should read: REAL, sharp balisongs are NOT toys and are not recommended for beginners or anyone under the age of 18 (or anyone not able to make an adult decision). These knives can cut you and cut you badly. You can easily be cut to the bone, loose an eye, lop of things you don't want lopped off and/or seriously injure those around you. If you don't know what you're doing, I HIGHLY recommend getting a trainer first. I have the scars to prove it. 

Arguably some of the best and most collectable bali's are made by benchmade. Afterall, their butterfly knife is what got the craze started in the 80's. There are other balis that are very well made by makers such as microtech, spyderco, protech, Brous and the bali nut's favorite BRS (Blade Runner systems). All of these companies make great balis and unfortunately for almost all of them, the Chinese makers have been hard at work copying them, often with very similar materials. Benchmade of course has been the most copied. I'll start off by saying that most of the clones you can buy off of the various chinese websites are pure 100% unadulterated junk. One maker however I had read had stepped up their game and SUPPOSEDLY been putting out some good knives. The maker Ken Fong, had made quite a name for himself on youtube, some written reviews, etc. 

Opposite side view

Well, a while back a friend brought his Benchmade bali to work to show me and showed me the two tricks he'd learned. Upon handing it to me, I dusted off my ninja skills and impressed him with some old school flips until I flipped it right onto my desk (hey I'm not as ninja as I used to be). While we discussed the fact that they weren't much good for EDC, tactical, etc. we did agree that they were fun to play with. Thus started the inevitable desire on my part for a new bali. I hadn't researched them in years and I was surprised that the benchmade I had bout in 1989 for about $50 was now worth around $600! Even new ones that were similar were costing upwards of $300. I just wasn't ready to spend that kind of money on a knife that I wasn't going to actually carry and use. Enter the Ken Fong idea. While I didn't want a $10 convenience store bali, I did want something nice to flip and leave on my desk for fidgeting purposes. After reading some reviews and seeing the specs on the Ken Fong knock off, I did something I never thought I'd do, bought a clone from a well known Chinese vendor. 

FROM THE BOX

After ordering and waiting about 4 weeks for my new bali to arrive, I was somewhat surprised at the quality that can be had for a mere $83. The weight was great, the smoothness was good and to be honest, it looked good. Then I noticed a missing screw and there were no extra's in the box. Well an email to Ken Fong through the same website and about a 4 week wait, I received a complete set of screws to cover the whole knife. I inserted the new screw and began playing with my new bali. To be honest, in eight weeks of waiting, the bali itch had worn off and I'd wish I'd just bought another Spyderco or REAL benchmade :) That being said, after some flipping and twirling, the itch slowly came back and I was happy....for a moment. After about 10 minutes of flipping, I noticed two more missing screws. They were ALL loosening and falling out. Fortunately I found the miniscule screws and replaced them. I live in the sticks so I had to drive about 70 miles to pick up some loctite blue, remove ALL of the screws on this bali and replace them. After adjusting their tension and letting the glue setup, I was back to flipping. 

All screws required loctite application to prevent them from falling out

MATERIALS

The handles and liners are evidently titanium. I have many Ti knives and I'm relying on my experience with Ti to make this determination. The blade is supposedly D2 steel but I have little experience with it so I'm taking their word. D2 when properly done is a good steel but it can rust. I have no idea what type of heat treat Senor Fong uses so you get what you get. Being basically a fidget spinner for me, it won't make much difference; I won't be doing much cutting. The catch pin I believe is aluminum and the spring that pops it out of battery is pretty good. All of the screws are torx screws and (thus far) seem to be of good quality. The clip I believe is Ti as well and it does not work good for this purpose. Unlike a steel clip, there is little flex. That combined with the length don't allow it to be clipped into the pocket without some serious struggle. The color scheme is a personal thing and I thought this one looked good. 

SIZE

This is a good sized Bali, The overall length is 9.3 inches, the blade is 4.25 inches and the handle is a little over 5 inches. It's a good size for a flipper. See below for some size comparisons to REAL knives; Hinder XM-18 3.5", Spyderco Native, ZT 0620CF and Spyderco Endura 4.

Size comparisons to some commonly carried knives. 

FLIPPING

Flipping this knife after customizing it with Loctite Blue and many adjustments before it sets up is nice. Make no mistake however, if your comes like mine did, you will be Loctiting every screw and adjusting every one to your desired tension. Post adjustments however makes this knife a fine flipper. I can do any of the tricks I used to with my old Benchmade. Top that off with good looks and we have a fine sharpened fidget spinner for the knife nut. 

Centering is good

CONCLUSION

So is the Ken Fong Benchmade Clone/Knock Off worth the price of admission? If all you are wanting is fidget spinner, not for cutting anything and DEFINITELY not for collecting, then this knife may work for you. If you want a cutter, you're going to have to rely on the word of a company that  does not respect  copyright laws that the steel they claim is what they say. Even then, we have no idea what their heat treat is and ANY steel can go from great to crap depending on heat treat. If you're looking for a collectors item, this ain't it. Save your money and buy the real thing. If you just want something to flip and play with and don't care about collectability, resale, or even blade steel quality, this would make a fine flipper. It is definitely better than your average flea market bali, your convenience store bali or even some lower end decently made bali's. It is NOT top of the line Benchmade, Microtech, Brous, Spyderco, et al quality and definitely not anywhere collectable as the others are. In short if you want a toy, this aint bad. If you want quality, save your money and buy the real deal. 

The last question I have is, if Ken Fong (if there is even any by that name) has the materials and skill to bring this fake to market, why not build your own brand. This isn't a bad knife. It just pretends to be something it's not. The are many Chinese companies doing it right such as Kizer and Reate. They build their own (or collaborations)  designs and let them speak for themselves. I really believe Ken Fong could do the same. Until then, it's a toy.

One toy plays with another. 

Kershaw 6034T Emerson Designed CQC-7K Knife - Review

Kershaw 6034T Emerson Designed CQC-7K Knife

While I've owned many Kershaw knives over the years, this is the first actual Kershaw that I have reviewed (if you don't count the ZT reviews). This Kershaw 6034T Emerson Designed CQC-7K caught my eye when a saw the announcement from the shot show and a snatched one up as soon as it came out. At a sub $30 knife I admittedly wasn't expecting much; I was surprised. When I received in from Amazon, and opened it, I was pleasantly surprised by not only the weight but the fit and finish was also surprisingly good. It wasn't up to the fit and finish of their own USA made Zero Tolerance nor that of a good Spyderco but for a $30 knife, it was good. Top this off with the fact that it had an Emerson opener and you have a winner in my book.

BLADE

The 3.25 inch blade on this knife is made of  8Cr14MoV steel. 8Cr14MoV is a common steel coming out of of China and in the same class more or less as AUS-8. It sharpens easily but edge retention is no where near that of VG-10, S30V, CPM-154, etc. While this one came with a Tanto blade which in theory is better for stabbing out of control car doors and angry car hoods, in my opinion, it's not as utilitarian as a regular clip point blade that comes with the Kershaw CQC-6K . The thumb disk and Emerson Wave for opening is familiar from Emerson's own knives and work just like they do. I've never been a fan of the disk for opening and think Spyderco's hole or thumb studs work better but the disk works none-the-less. The wave on this knife works great! It works so good in fact, I'd venture to say it works better and smoother than my real Emerson. Throw in a few Emerson graphics and the blade looks pretty good and functions pretty good as well. It did not however hold and edge as good as some of my other higher priced knives with better steel; but that was expected. Fortunately it sharpened very easy. The blade thickness of 0.11 inches made it sufficiently thick for most EDC tasks.

LOCK

The lock on this knife is a Chris Reeve Style frame lock without the over travel disk. The frame by the way is made of 410 stainless steel. This alleviates the concern that some folks have had about Titanium frame locks locking against a stainless blade. The concern I've heard and read is eventual lock wear.  I own several Titanium Frame locks and have never seen this issue so I don't know that I subscribe to it. Either way, the concern has caused many knife companies to place a stainless steel cover or shim over the lock face on many titanium framed knives. Since this knife frame is made of 410 stainless, there should be no concern with this issue. It locked up tight with no play in up and down and minimal play side to side. Again, pretty good for a $30 Chinese made knife.

The frame lock on the Kershaw 6034T Emerson Designed CQC-7K Knife

FIT AND FINISH

Fit and finish was pretty dang good for a knife of this price. This IS NOT your typical $10 Chinese made junk you find at your local convenience store. This is a real, usable knife with slight blade play but otherwise F&F was very good.

ERGONOMICS

Again, possibly because this knife had to be signed off on by both Kershaw and Emerson, the ergo's on this knife were pretty dang good for a 7.75" (opened) knife. The rounded edges and soft jimping are a pleasure to hold and use. I'm impressed.

EMERSON OPENER

The Emerson opener on this little knife was is in my opinion as good as or (dare I say) better in some respects than my actual Emerson. Combine that with the smoothness of opening and you can open this little knife reliably every time with a proper draw from the pocket.

The Emerson Wave Opener and thumb disk on the Kershaw 6034T Emerson Designed CQC-7K Knife

POCKET CLIP

The pocket clip is well done on this knife. It is long enough to allow for sufficient flex to make insertion into the pocket easy. Combine the clip with the smooth 410 stainless frame and you have an easy knife to draw from the pocket while staying in place when and where you want it to. The only ding is that it is only reversible not the four positions like some knives.

SMOOTHNESS OF OPENING

From the pocket utilizing the Emerson Wave, this knife pops open like a champ and locks solidly into place. Opening with the thumb disk can be done easily but no were near as flickable as a Spyderco's spyderhole or even a thumb stud.

USES

The uses of this knife are pretty much limitless. There are some tasks that a clip point such as the Kershaw 6034 Emerson Designed CQC-6K could accomplish better but this blade will accomplish most of your day to day chores. Unfortunately, the 8Cr14MoV blade steel limits its use as a survival or even a camp knife. It's somewhat soft for those tasks which require sharpening and sharpening in those scenarios isn't always an option. I think you'd want something that holds and edge a bit better.

The Kershaw 6034T compared to the Spyderco Delica with the Emerson Wave

Compared to the Spyderco Matriarch 2 with Emerson opener

CONCLUSION

For what this little knife is, I really liked it. It's found in many places for around thirty dollars, has decent steel, has an Emerson Opener, good frame lock, opens extremely smoothly, FAST from the pocket and the fit and finish is decent. The dings are the steel, slight blade play and made in China. If you can live with the small dings against it, I think it's a pretty good little knife. You won't find a better looking, faster opening or useful knife in the $30 price range. If this is your price range, get one! You won't regret it. It makes very good gift knife which is what I eventually used it for.

You can't find a more useful or better looking knife at the same price..get one!

Spyderco Matriarch 2 with Emerson opener C12BK2W Review

The distinctive lines of the Spyderco Matriarch 

If you're a Spyderco fan, you probably don't need any introduction to the "reverse S" blade shape of the Spyderco Matriarch 2 . It all started with the well known (and more expensive) Spyderco Civilian . The "reverse s" blade was developed as mainly a defensive blade and due to the extremely fine tip it didn't lend itself to much more than that. This being the case, there were calls from users for a similar knife with the same blade shape and a bit more robust tip that didn't break the bank. As usual, Spyderco listened and came out with the Spyderco Matriarch which turned out to be a big hit with knife nuts and law enforcement officers. Fast forward a bit and true to form, Spyderco always listens, reads the forums and considers feedback and improvement/other options usually come. This time, they added the patented Emerson opener that really sold this knife to me. I purchased off of Amazon and with good old prime, got it in two days.

OUT OF THE BOX

When I took it out and examined it, it immediately reminded me of my Spyderco Endura 4 except for the blade shape and Emerson opener of course :) Happily, it flipped with the spyder hole just as good as any of my other Spyderco's. The handles are the very familiar FRN (Fiberglass Reinforced Nylon) supported by stainless liners underneath. The handle felt very solid and well done. The handle according my calipers measured almost exactly 5 inches with a blade length of 3.57 inches. It's a large knife but not too large by any stretch. Just like my Endura 4, I felt it was  a very good length and weight (3.5 oz) for every day carry.

BLADE

As you can see, the most distinctive thing about the Spyderco Matriarch 2 is the blade shape. As previously stated, Spyderco developed the "reverse s" blade shape many years ago for the original Spyderco Civilian . I saw one at a gun show and had to have it. I carried it as a law enforcement officer for a awhile but the very fine tip of the Spyderco Civilian and the blade shape really limited its uses and to be honest, I decided after carrying it for a while that it wasn't for me and sold it. Fast forward a few years and Spyderco came out with a much more wallet friendly Spyderco Matriarch . They had also beefed up the tip a bit. I had planned on purchasing one but put it off for other purchases. Then one day, a friend at work showed me his Spyderco Matriarch and I had to have one. I went home and went into research mode. I quickly discovered that Spyderco was making one with an Emerson opener. If you know anything about Emerson openers, you know how useful they are in a self defense capacity. I also had two Emerson brand knives myself and was a huge fan of their immediate deployment device known as the "wave". So the Spyderco Matriarch 2 with the Emerson wave was a no brainer.

Spyderco chose to use VG-10 in this blade. VG-10 is one of my favorite steels; it holds an edge well, is stainless and sharpens fairly easily. The fully serrated blade lends itself well to the self defense function of this knife. The tip as previously stated is more robust than the tip on the Civilian and thus can be used for more EDC functions. a while back I was building some bird houses and as it turns out, the Matriarch's blade shape works great as a scribe when you can't find yours :)

The Spyderco Matriarch 2 worked great as a scribe in wood working projects.

LOCK

The lock is a standard lock-back style. It's nothing fancy or ground breaking but for this knifes intended purpose, it works well,

FIT AND FINISH

Fit and Finish is standard Spyderco F&F, everything was smooth, tightly put together with no blade play in any directions. Very happy here..

ERGONOMICS

The ergonomics on the Spyderco Matriarch 2 are very good. I'm a big guy (6'1") and have big hands and  this knife fits my big hands very nicely. Despite it's large size, in my opinion this knife is easily one of the best handling one handed knives on the market if not the best in it's length and price range. Despite it's size, it weighs in at a feathery 3.5 ounces. You can honestly forget that is in your pocket when clipped in and there are very little pocket hog issues. The jimping on the FRN leading up to the thumb ramp and the thumb ramp of the blade is well done and provides good traction in use. Best of all, the Emerson "hook" doesn't get in the way when retrieving anything else from your pocket. That being said, for the Emerson hook to work reliably, I keep it in a pocket by itself so keys and such do not catch on it.

EMERSON OPENER

So does the Emerson Opener work like it's supposed to? On this knife, it works great! I've tried the Emerson Opener from multiple positions on this knife and it works very well. Due to the length of the blade however, it takes a little getting used to, to achieve full deployment into the locked position. Once you get used to it however, it's very reliable and opens immediately when drawn from your pocket and does so with authority. This aspect alone leads me to the conclusion/opinion that as a self defense knife, its better option than the more expensive Civilian.

The Emerson Opener that distinguishes this knife from the regular Matriarch

POCKET CLIP

The pocket clip on the Spyderco Matriarch 2 is excellent. It's long enough and has enough flex to get it in and out of the pocket with ease. It had a tendency when I first bought it to wiggle a bit after long periods of use. I finally decided to remove the clip, place a dab of locktite blue on the screws and replace them. Since then, I have had zero issues with the screws loosening. The clip can also be moved to any of four positions, left, right, tip up or tip down. Again, well done Spyderco!

SMOOTHNESS OF OPENING

The Spyderco Matriarch 2 two has the best of both worlds; a Spyder-hole and the Emerson Opener. It can be opened like the traditional Spyderco with the hole or if you want instant deployment from the pocket, you can utilize the Emerson opener. Whichever way you choose, rest assured, it will open smoothly and lock in place as it should. A small ding of sorts here however, if you have it clipped into your pocket, it pretty difficult to extract it from your pocket without at least partially opening the blade due to the Emerson opener. It can be done but care must be taken when removing it to not let the hook catch on anything. This could be considered a ding OR it could be considered a plus or as a compliment due to how well the Emerson opener works. Spyderco REALLY does their Emerson openers well; better than Emerson in my opinion. They're a little uglier than the Emerson's but Spyderco has always been more about functionality than looks and the Spyderco Matriarch 2 functions very well in this respect.

Spyderco Matriarch 2 compared to the Spyderco Dragonfly 2

USES

This is were the real debate starts when discussing the Spyderco Matriarch and the Spyderco Civilian knives. Obviously they were meant as mainly self defense knives but their use even in that arena is somewhat limited. To understand the theory behind the blade shape and how it works,  you must understand the way the human body works; the musculature system and to a lesser extent, the veins and arteries. While historically knives used as weapons (they are also tools) were meant to stab, cut and just basically kill, the "reverse S" blade is different. It was created to sever muscles rendering certain body parts unusable. As a police officer, your intent when you use ANY weapon is not to kill, it is to STOP an aggressor from what he/she is doing. When using a firearm, yes, an officer is taught to shoot center mass not because it is more likely a kill shot but it is more likely to hit something that will cause an attacker to immediately stop their deadly actions. Yes, death is a high probability in these cases but the goal should ALWAYS be to stop them. If a bad guy is shooting at you, the fastest way and most sure way to stop them is a CNS (Central Nervous System) hit. This means the spine or head; either of which is usually an immediate fight ender. A shot to the liver, pancreas or lungs  may end up killing a bad guy but it also may leave him in the fight long enough to kill you or an innocent third party. The same theory goes with a knife when used in self defense which usually leaves them as a much less desirable option for self defense. You may cut someone a hundred times and they may bleed to death eventaully, but their duration in the fight may remain long enough for them to do the same to you or someone else. I've seen a man literally cut to shreds from his face to his thighs all the way to the bone and many of his cuts with chunks of flesh hanging off of him casually walk into an emergency room. So while stabbing and slicing may be an option for self defense, it is certainly not optimal self defense. Enter the "reverse S" blade. This blade is obviously not meant for stabbing so what is it for? Slicing obviously. Random slicing however is even less preferred in self defense than stabbing so why a slicing blade? Well, as previously stated, you need to know how the human muscular system works. Muscles are attached to bones and the contraction of muscles cause the bones in the attached appendage to move. Much like a system of pulleys with ropes lifting objects, if you cut the rope, the target object cannot be moved.

Law Enforcement officers often find themselves in life or death situations involving CQC (Close Quarter Combat). FBI statistics show that many officers have historically been killed with their own weapons by an otherwise unarmed assailant (Google Constable Lunsford). In many of these scenarios, officers end up wrestling a suspect over their own weapon. If you're an officer, you know that if the bad guy gets your weapon, you're probably going to end up shot so allowing him to gain control over your loaded weapon should never be an option. There are many options open to an officer in situations like this such as dropping the magazine and firing off the single chambered round (in a semi auto) to firing all the rounds when pointed away from you (revolver). Another option if you have a back up weapon such as a small gun or a knife is to go to that. With the "reverse S" blade, the intention was to create a blade that for lack of a better term was a good meat slicer that could slice through muscle tissue with ease; mainly wrists, biceps, finger muscles, etc. Finger muscles or those muscles that actuate the fingers can pull triggers, grip knives, etc. If those muscles are severed, fingers don't work, trigger don't get pulled, knives can't be held. It's all mechanics; break parts of the machine and the machine doesn't work. One of the first things you learn in law enforcement is the phrase, "Hands Kill" and in the case of the "reverse S" blade and a sufficient cut to the muscles of the hand in the right location(s), they can no longer do so. The same theory could work on a bicep, etc. Here again, the aim is to STOP the assault not kill the attacker. This being said, during an affray, just like a bullet wound, a significant slice to an artery may end up being fatal.

With these thoughts and theories in mind, I think (and would trust) the Matriarch 2 for this purpose. I carried the Matriarch 2 for several months, went through some defensive scenarios during training and I am convinced that it would work very well for it's intended purpose. Further, due to the Emerson opener, it works great for non-gun side carry; the preferred carry for law enforcement officers.

SO what about an EDC knife? I sold my original Spyderco Civilian due to it's size and ultra fine tip. I knew that I would eventually break the tip under normal EDC usage. Fortunately, Spyderco remedied both issues in the Matriarch and Matriarch 2.  I have used the tip for many EDC uses like opening boxes and even as a scribe (mentioned above). That being said, its uses are limited in this capacity and if you're looking for an all around EDC knife, this probably isn't it.

CONCLUSION

If you like the Spyderco Civilian but want a more robust EDC user version of it, then you can't go wrong with the Spyderco Matriarch or in this case the Matriarch 2 with the Emerson opener. Don't get me wrong, the Civilian is a vicious slicing machine - "Man Opener" but to me, it's use is limited to just that. With the Spyderco Matriarch and Spyderco Matriarch 2 , their usage ability broadens just a bit due to a less refined tip. The price is better as well. If I were a collector wanting to collect or a suit wearing body guard type, the civilian might be my choice. As a lowly paid law enforcement officer or military grunt however, I'd go with one of the Matriarchs. I would personally prefer the Matriarch 2 with the Emerson opener. You simply cannot get faster deployment out of a knife short of a fixed blade. As mentioned above, in a non-gun side carry, pulling your knife from your pocket already ready for use it much easier than pulling one from your pocket and either fumbling to push a button and relying on a spring (in the case of an auto) or having to rely on fine motor skills to deploy a knife in a fight or flight scenario. We all know how fine motor skills can fail us when the adrenaline gets pumping. In short, the Spyderco Matriarch 2 with the Emerson opener is a very good knife for it's intended purpose but it's EDC uses are somewhat limited.

Ergonomics: 9/10 (This knife feels good in the hand)
Looks: 8/10
Materials: 9/10 (I love the materials. Good blade steel and FRN is perfect for LEO knife)
Fit and Finish: 9/10 (Very good for a knife of this price range)
Camp Use: 3/10 (may have some use for cutting rope but not much else)
Military/Police Use: 9/10 (get one, learn the philosophy of use and train)
EDC Use: 4/10 (mainly a self defense knife)
Food Prep: 1/10
Skinning/Game Prep: 3/10 (Good for slicing open game but horrible for skinning)
Warranty: 8/10
Zombie Usefulness: 5/10 (slices don't work on Zombies)

Fenix LD75C Flashlight Review

The Fenix LD75C Flashlight

CLICK ON ANY OF THE PHOTOS FOR A LARGER VIEW

INITIAL IMPRESSIONS

This light came shipped from Fenix in a brown box, wrapped in bubble wrap inside. I guess Fenix hadn't developed a retail package for it at he time of this review. Unfortunately, it also came with zero batteries and I live out in the sticks with no place that sells 18650 rechargeable batteries. Fortunately it arrived on a Friday and I was going to be driving the 1.5 hours into the "big city" the next day so I could get the needed batteries.


My initial impression of the light was that it was thick but not too thick to carry comfortably on the job. Personally, I think it's too big for a pouch on a law enforcement duty belt but I weave lanyards from 550 para-cord so it will be getting a custom job with a carabineer later on. The LD75C weighed in at just under 1 pound without batteries and hovered right around a pound with batteries. Oddly enough, the two different brands 18650's I bought the following day, had different weights (more on that later). Fenix rates the water resistance (not water proof) at 2 meters and submerged for 30 minutes. So you'll be fine in any inclement weather. 

Size compared to a Zero Tolerance 0560 knife. 

The build is from air-craft grade aluminum, typical Fenix; very solid with no question about the quality. The front bezel is a stainless steel ring that could be used for defensive purposes if need be but I think it's purpose built more to protect the non-reflective glass lens.

I had actually gone to a gun show the day after receiving this light and there was a vendor selling 18650's and had a table full of other flashlights. I purchased several 18650's from him and he asked what I was doing with so many. I told him about doing a review on the Fenix LD75C and he said, "Oh! do you have it on you? I'd love to see it" I told him I had in outside in my truck and he said, "If you go get it and let me see it, I'll give you one of my lights for half price."......Off to the truck I went :)

When I arrived back with the light, he developed a big smile, put some batteries in and said, "Man, I love how Fenix does their lights" and turned it on. The beam that this light put out had several people gathering around the table asking questions. A few of them wrote the name down and the vendor even offered to buy it from me. I politely declined. He still made good on his 50% deal and since I now had several 18650's, I went home with a new Nitecore P12, which uses the same batteries. He didn't sell Fenix lights so I bough the Nitecore P12 . It was a good day.

SIZE

I did some measurements with my caliper. The head of this light is 2.9 inches wide. The grip or body is about 2 inches wide and the length is 6.2 inches long.

As you can see, this is a very compact little light and not much thicker than an old D cell flashlight. The photo below shows the LD75C compared to some of my most commonly carried flashlights.

LED ARRANGEMENT

Click on the below photo for an explanation of the LED arrangement.

BATTERY OPTIONS

The desired option for this light is obviously, four (4) rechargeable 18650's. It will however accept eight (8) CR123A's. I put eight CR123A's in the light and they were very loose. I don't know if the production version comes with a cradle or not but if not, I definitely recommend 18650's. This flashlight's performance is better with them anyway. A side note on the 18650's; their quality can vary greatly depending on where you buy them. The Ultrafire 18650's claimed 4000 mAH sucked (for lack of a better term). It wasn't until I purchased a set of Panasonic flat top batteries seen in the photo below that I realized the difference. Do yourself a favor and invest in some good 18650's;  Japanese Panasonic 3400mAH are the best IMO but I've found Xtar 3400mAH and Keeppower 3400mAH to be great as well.

The battery compartment of the Fenix LD75C

I put my first set of 18650's in the light and played with it momentarily until my next day at work. Then my first night at work, worked an tracking operation that lasted 5 hours that night. During that time I used the LD75C on the Mid/600 lumen mode which is more than bright enough. It never showed any signs of dimming. Three more nights of on and off use at the "mid" power level and it when the brightness dropped, it dropped off quick. Very impressive in my opinion. This being the case, I could only see the need for carrying one extra set of four batteries. Short of a long expedition somewhere, I can't think of many scenarios where you'd need more. In my case, working, snake hunting, night hiking, hunting, night time photography, all would be covered with this light; usually with one set of batteries.

POWER SWITCHES

There are three power switches on the side of the Fenix LD75C . Each has it's own set of functions. These are the easier to press, electronic switches, not "clicky" switches commonly found on the tail end of most flashlights. These switches feel like they are made well and require very little pressure to activate. Rather than explain their functions, see the photo below for an explanation.

Explanation of the LD75C's power switches.

IN USE

So how does this light work for various applications? 

Law Enforcement:  This light would work well for some law enforcement purposes. It would work very nicely for searches (hidden people, alleyway searches, search and rescue ops, etc.), but it's width and side operating buttons would be a hindrance on traffic stops and building clearing. I tried holding it tactically with a weapon and I don't think one would want it for this purpose. Although it would work OK, I'd choose a thinner light with a switch on the tail cap.

Camping: This would make an EXCELLENT camping light. For night-time walks, and inside the tent light, or just having fun with the stobes and colored lights with the kids, I don't think you'll find a better light. My kids loved the beam that the higher powers setting created at night in the sky. 

Caving: Stick to headlamps and smaller handheld lights :)

Search and Rescue Operations: I have used this light in this capacity and it works GREAT. In it's brightest setting, I think it would replace my Q-Beam just because of it portability alone. Again, I think just a couple of sets of batteries will get you through all foreseeable situations. 

Hiking: VERY nice light for this purpose. It's compactness allows for it to be stored along with extra batteries in a back pack. Much like a camping scenario, this light can fill many needs.In the rare case of someone getting lost, this light would make a great signal light. 

Snake Hunting (herping): A personal interest of mine. I'll just say this, I always take my Fenix HP25 and usually some other handheld. Now, this light will ALWAYS be with me. This light will work GREAT for herping. The only thing I will change is adding a lanyard and carabiner. If you herp, YOU WANT THIS LIGHT. It has so many uses.

Home Use: This would make a great home use light for all types of scenarios. For an emergency power outage light, it would work great. Turn the power down to low or mid and you'd have a light that lasts a long time. It also stands very well on it's end so it would work great to light a room.

In short, this light's strengths are obviously its variable power options, rechargeable batteries and compactness. All of these fit perfectly for camping, hiking and home use. It also works well for Search and Rescue type work and some law enforcement situations. 

Lastly, while I think the uses of the colored led's are somewhat limited, they could entertain kids, work for some creative photography lighting and the "police" mode (flashing blue and red led's) could be used in a law enforcement capacity. The flashing red and blue led's are seriously bright at night and visible through a windshield. One thing that I hadn't thought of until the other night was when I drove upon an accident scene off duty. I had unfortunately not taken the LD75C with me but it immediately hit me, this light could very well be a life saver with it's flashing red and blue lights to warn oncoming traffic at an accident scene. I took it with me to work the next night and demonstrated this use and now lots of co-workers are looking to buy one. I could see this being useful for EMT's, Firefighters, Volunteer Firefighters, plain clothes operations, etc. Unfortunately, I could also see the potential for nefarious use as well. I'll leave it at that. 

BEAM SHOTS

No review is complete without beam shots so here are some shots I took at 25 yards. The camera and light were tripod mounted and shot at the same camera settings for consistency. 

As I said earlier, when I went to buy my 18650 batteries, I also picked up a Nitecore P12 which uses a single 18650 with a claimed lumen rating of 1000 lumens on high. So below is a comparison of the P12 on high and the LD75C on high (not turbo). One thing to consider; the LD75C claims a run time of 3 hours on the 1600 lumen high while the P12 claims 1 hour on the 1000 lumen high setting. You could even crank down the LD75C to the mid 600 lumen setting and get 11 hours of run time. At 600 lumens, it will get 99% of your needed jobs done. 11 hours of run time gets you through a whole night and then some. What an excellent light! On to the comparison. 

Comparing the Fenix LD75C to the Nitecore P12, both on the "high" setting.

COLORED LED's

To be honest, I think the colored LED's are somewhat limited in scope. That being said, they do have their uses like I said above. For photographers or even film makers, they could be invaluable for creative purposes. For those in the military or Law Enforcement, lower powered red lights are often used to retain night vision capabilities of the human eye. Working at night under available light requires time to adjust to ambient light and any bright white lights, instantly ruins this advantage. The red led could be used in these circumstances. That being said, the red led is still fairly bright as are the other colored led's. My kids and their friends love the different colored leds and I have to keep the light away from them at night.

Take a look at the below photos of just how bright various colored led's can be. The tree is a 50 foot pine tree. 

Fenix LD75C with the red led activated. 

Fenix LD75C with the blue led activated. 

Fenix LD75C with the green led activated. 

RED AND BLUE MAKE??

Fenix LD75C with the red and blue "police" leds activated. 

In the last photo above, the red and blue "police" led's were activated and under a longer exposure, they "mix", causing a pink hue. 

NOTE: I call them "police" led's because they look and flash just like the led stobes on most police vehicles. THEY SHOULD NOT BE USED FOR THIS PURPOSE IF YOU ARE NOT IN LAW ENFORCEMENT; doing so is illegal in most states and will probably get you thrown in jail. That being said, my son has pulled over his sister many times already on his scooter. He just need a siren now :) 

CREATIVE PHOTOGRAPHY

I can see lots of creativity options using these colored led's in photography. Unfortunately, I haven't had much time off yet to play but rest assured, they're going to used for this purpose extensively when I do. Just some examples...

A Glock 23 and Hinderer XM-18 using the LD75C's blue led as a sole lighting source.

A woman greeting an intruder at night...(green led for effect)

SPECS FROM FENIX

Batteries: Four 18650's or Eight CR123A's

Turbo: 4000 lm!! - 1.5 hours (will get hot)

High: 1800 lm - 3 hours

Mid: 600 lm - 11 hours

Low: 200 lm - 35 hours

Eco: 40 lm - 17 hours

Water Resistance: IPX-8 up to 2 meters 

CONCLUSION

Of all of the many hand held, battery powered lights that I own, this is BY FAR, the brightest. The amount of light this little light can put out at night has to be seen to be believed. My co-workers who have seen and used this light have bestowed the moniker "MOAL" (Mother of all Lights) on this flashlight. A few short years ago my brother and I had a conversation about LED flashlights. Both of us made the ignorant statement that led's will never replace incans. Man, were we wrong. Of course I also said many years ago that digital photography will never replace film. So I'm batting a thousand.

Not only is this light insanely bright, it has the different power settings to either blast away as a spot light, turn it down a bit to extend it's use all night or even way down to 200 lumens for continuous use for four nights! You can go even lower to "Eco" mode and your grand-kids will still have some lighting :) 

I still use and carry my 180 lm Fenix L2D on my duty belt so at 20 more lumens, I could use the LD75C in place of the L2D without the worry of running out of juice for four continuous nights of use. If you add a second set of 18650's, you're easily covered for a very long time. The only drawback I can see is that it's a bit thick for some limited scenarios. It's the perfect size to throw in a backpack, camelbak, ruck sack. tricky bag, et al. If you're a hunter, snake hunter (herper), camper, hiker, you'll want this light. If you're in law enforcement, military, SAR, ect. you will also find many uses for this light. The rechargeable batteries are just icing on the cake. Fenix continues to impress with their new lights...As a law enforcement officer and shade-tree photographer, I'll have LOTS of use for it. I'll be ordering a holster for it and making a home-made 550 paracord lanyard with a carabiner for easier carry. 

BATTERY CHARGER

I think it's worth mentioning here that if you own a flashlight that uses rechargeable batteries, you owe it to yourself to get a good charger. I've been through the cheap off brand chargers and all I will say is save yourself the headache. Get a good charger. There are several good ones made but the Fenix ARE-C2 Advanced Multi Charger is the best that I've owned. It can charge a whole slew of different types of Li-ion and Ni-MH rechargeable batteries. It also shows you their current state and most importantly, protects against overcharging. I highly recommend it. 

DO NOT get ultrafire batteries, they suck. Spend the money and get Panasonic.