The FENIX LD02 is a piece of junk light compared to the LD01 (due to the clip)

[Roleigh Martin]

Ps, if this gets posted twice, I apologize.  I got a 404 error on my first post.  I tried again and got a duplicate message but do not see it posted yet.

For many of us old timers, the Fenix LD01 was the best light to hike with. Well, it’s been replaced by the Fenix LD02. The FENIX LD02 Light is a piece of junk compared to the LD01–My complaint to Fenix is below. I hope others on this forum email them with a similar complaint. Let me know if you know of a light comparable to the LD02 (I like the push button versus the twist, as the oLight competitive product often twists off completely when you turn it off). But I want something with a great clip. Thanks!

From: Roleigh Martin <[email protected]>
Date: Tue, Jun 28, 2016 at 10:23 PM
Subject: A professional gear reviewer backs off of giving your lighting #1 due to your cheapening your clip
To: [email protected]

Hello

I am the lead moderator of the John Muir Trail Yahoo Group (over 5,500 members) and the FAQ author of the Facebook John Muir Trail Group (over 21,000 members) and a Sierra Club Group Board Officer, Trainer, Treasurer, and Hiking Group Leader (Great Basin Sierra Club, Reno Nevada), and the founder of two Facebook groups (Nevada 13ers and Tahoe to Yosemite PCT Section Hikers), as well as a moderator on the Theodore Solomons Trail Hikers. I am one of the top 7 recognized expert writers on the John Muir Trail. I have my own meetup group, Reno & Nearby CA JMT-High Sierra Backpackers.

Some of my more famous documents:
http://www.trailtosummit.com/comprehensive-review-5-jmt-guidebooks/
https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B7L_TrVYTWZRS2UxLTUzN1ZpMWs
https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B7L_TrVYTWZRdzZsWFliMjNHdG8
http://climber.org/data/JMTCribSheet.pdf
http://climber.org/data/JMT_Wenk.html
https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B7L_TrVYTWZRUl94bWtfSVBRNzA

I am also a lifetime member of Backpackinglight.com (which used to love your LD01 light as the best light), and a lifetime member of the Adirondack Mountain Club, the Catskill 3500 Club, and the Sierra Club.

I have been leading my own formed hiking groups to do month long hikes in the High Sierra for 17 years now. I have always recommended your LD01 light but it has been replaced by the LD02 light. I recommended my hikers use a firm baseball style hiking hat (with a Sahara flap for sun) so that they can clip your light onto the brim to hike up Mt. Whitney. I have done Mt. Whitney in the dark 7 years now using your LD01 light. It was brought to my attention tonight though that the clip for your LD02 is super cheap and worthless compared to the nearly twice-as thick/twice as strong clip of the LD01. I can send you pictures showing you the difference between the two clips. It is extremely risky to clip the LD02 light to a cap to hike with.

The clip makes your otherwise incredibly great light a piece of Walmart junk.

Why did you ever make such a horrendous, significant safety change like that?

I now have to research your competition to find a worthy replacement light.

If you can promise me you’ll go back to your incredibly high quality, strong clip that you had with the LD01, I will return to recommending your light as the best hiking light there is.

Furthermore, to allow your existing LD02 owners a clip worthy of using on a long backpacking hike, please sell the LD01 clip as an accessory that can be separately ordered for the LD02 light.

Otherwise, what you offer at a very high premium cost is nothing but a piece of junk not worthy of using on a Mt. Whitney or any other long backpacking venture.

Very upset and disappointed.

Sincerely,

Roleigh Martin
5200 Summit Ridge Drive #1021
Reno NV 89523

————————————————-
Visit my Google Profile (lots of very interesting research links)
_

[Roleigh Martin]

This picture shows the dramatic differences in the Ld01 clip (weak, thin, nearly weightless) versus the obsoleted LD01 light and clip (heavy duty, thick, sturdy, reliable).

[Ken Thompson]

Well. Kinda a harsh rant that doesn’t speak of any personal experience of the new clip failing in any way. I get what you’re saying though. I can see the difference between the new and old clip. But some first hand evidence of failure or even photographic, video of actual failure would be more persuasive than Walmart junk. Catch more flies with honey.

[Ken Thompson]

Any word from Fenix?

[Ken Thompson]

Picked up an LD01 on Swap. Nice little light.

Did you ever get any kind of response?

[Brian Hall]

1. My biggest complaint with the LD02 is that there is not a cutout for the clip to fit into on both ends. The cutout for the clip is on the tail cap end making the light point towards your face if clipped onto the brim of a hat. It will still clip around the body on the bezel end like you have in the picture above, but it’s not as secure.

[Jeffs Eleven]

On the next Rossen Reports: Fenix claims 1500cd intensity but can the LD02 hold a candle to this claim?

[Ken Thompson]

How enlightening, please illuminate us.

 

[Roleigh Martin]

I have not heard from Fenix.  As for fails, what happens is the light falls off your hiking cap brim with the new clip, it does not securely “bite” onto the brim like the old clip.

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