Some Torches

Item: Some Torches
Author: M0MNF

4 Jun 2025 · Torches

This is probably more of a confession than a review. I've got a thing for torches. I think it might be the inner caveman? Something about holding a mini sun in your hand? Whatever the reason I've got a few. They're like most things, there isn't one perfect torch for every occasion, so you need a selection. Well these are some of my selection.

My star torches are

Fenix TK35UE v2.
Fenix E20.
Olight i3T EOS.
Petzl Reactik+.
Astrolux K1.
Hugsby P2.
Fenix E35UE.
Olight Seeker 4 Pro.

They're all great torches, and all serve different purposes (maybe there's some crossover between the Seeker 4 and the TK35) but you know what I mean.

Fenix TK35 v2

We'll start with the TK35, it's a real heavyweight. It takes 2 x 18650 cells, has 3 x Luminus SST-40 LEDs and puts out 5000 lumen in turbo mode. The body is flat with a cylindrical head. It's a full aluminum body with a toughened, coated glass lens. The head is essentially flat, with minimal "tactical" castellations. There's a pocket clip but the head is so much bigger than the body that it isn't really much use.

The LEDs are set deep in the head which acts as a heatsink. The reflectors are cone shaped and aligned to produce a single intense spot. Fenix claim the beam length is 400m and I believe them. The color rendering of the torch isn't anything special, the LEDs are CRI rated to 72. Light output is 30 lumen in eco mode, 350 in low, 800 in medium, 2000 in high and 5000 in turbo. In medium, high and turbo modes the temperature cut off kicks in at 65 degrees C and the output drops to 350 lumen until the LEDs cool down.

The interface is a pair of buttons and a 3 position dial. The rubber button turns the LEDs on and off. With the dial set to the scrolling position the momentary button toggles between power levels. When it's in the flash position, the LEDs strobe at full power until you release the button and in the lock position it does nothing (it's locked). If you click the main button in lock, then the LED in the momentary switch flashes red/green to let you know. The tail LED also acts as a battery level indicator.

The buttons are protected from accidental presses by two rails on either side of the torch. The rails have holes for a lanyard, which surprise, surprise I've not tied on this torch. The torch is big enough that even with gloves on it's easy to get out of a pocket, so a lanyard isn't needed. The pocket clip seems like an afterthought included to compliment the styling? It came with a strong nylon webbing holster which has kept the torch in surprisingly good shape. I got the torch in Feb 2022 and it still looks box fresh.

The torch runs on 2 x 18650 button top cells, they load into the torch negative end down and contact directly with the head, the springs lock the cells in tightly and they do not rattle in the body of the torch. The cells need to be charged outside of the torch. The head and body screw together beautifully and are weather sealed with an O ring. The torch is IP68 waterproof, Fenix claim 2m depth for 4 hours. I've used it in the pouring rain more than once and have nothing bad to report.

Thoughts

The TK35 is a beast of a torch. I bought the torch for illuminating big dark spaces, think abandoned underground caverns. It's outstanding at that task. If you put high capacity cells in, then the runtime even on turbo mode is hours. The machining is excellent, the head to body threads are wonderfully smooth, the fastners on the body are all torx bits and are flush with the pocket clip and tail end. It's too big for everyday use, but for filling a space with light, I don't have anything better. I have no regrets buying this torch. It's a cracker.

Fenix E20

The E20 is a pencil torch, I call it a toolbox torch, it's perfect where you want some light but don't need 5000 lumen. It takes 2 x AA calls and has a single Cree Q2 LED. It's an aluminium body with a toughened glass lens. The torch is pencil shaped with knurling at the head, handle and tail. The head is slightly more bulbus than the body.

The interface is a clicky button on the tail. Click it and the light comes on, click it again and it goes off. The LED puts out 100 lumen and is a decent spot of light. It's the perfect torch to have in a toolbox, it fits nicely in your mouth for hands free operation and it light enough that you don't require a trip to the dentist afterwards. This (mouth functionality) is the reason it doesn't have a lanyard. There have been a couple of revisions of the torch after this adding more modes and a brighter LED, but for me, and my toolbox use case this torch is perfect. Simple operation and just enough light.

I've had this torch for ages, I think I got it in around 2009. Despite is being old, running on AA cells and only putting out 100 lumen I still use the torch regularly. It slips into a pocket, it's lightweight and puts out enough light to work by round the back of something. If I'm remembering correctly it was my first step away from Maglite torches.

Thoughts

It's a torch for when you just need a simple reliable torch with no frills. It's no use for lighting up a cave, it's no use for keeping your hands warm on a cold winter night hike and it's no use for blinding bad guys. But it is compact, lightweight and simple. You press the button and light comes out of the end. You can hold it in your mouth and leave both hands free for that fiddly job in low light. After all the time I've had it, it's earned its place on this page.

Olight i3T EOS

The first torch from Olight on here. Its a teeny tiny torch. It takes 1 x AAA Cell and has a Luxeon TX CW LED. Its an aluminum body with a plastic lens. It has a pair of spiral grooves cut along the body. The head is smooth and the tail has straight knurling on it. The cell goes in positive end down and the tail spring holds the cell firmly in the body of the torch. The torch has red squiggles on the body which I think look pretty cool.

The interface is a clicky button on the tail. Press it once and it comes on low power, click it again and it goes off, next click it comes on high power next click it goes off. Full blast is 180 lumen and low is 5 lumen. Full blast it lasts about 30 minutes, low lasts 16 hours. The interface is the most disappointing part of the torch, I wish it had a soft push to switch between the light levels. It's not a biggie though.

The pocket clip sits on the body of the torch and is a squashed S. You can pocket it either lamp down or lamp up depending on your preference.The clip leaves a 20mm or so of torch poking out of your pocket either way. The V2 of this torch has fixed that. There's a hole for a lanyard, but it doesn't work for me.

I keep this torch clipped onto my wallet. It almost perfectly fits the depth of my wallet. It adds no noticable bulk and doesn't affect the opening of my wallet and means that if I have my wallet, I have a torch. It's for me a cracking basic EDC torch. If you're going somewhere dark, take a bigger one, but if you need a torch when you're out, happy days. I bought this when I got the kids a couple of stocking filler torches at the end of 2023. I also picked up a couple of keyring i3Es, 1 for my car keys 1 for my house keys.

Thoughts

Handy torch, perfect fit and forget EDC. I like the colour scheme and the pocket clip suits my use case well. The light output is enough to be handy when you need it, the AAA battery is easy to replace and lasts long enough to be useful.

Petzl Reactik+

My overly complicated, but well loved headlamp. It runs on a 3.7v 1800mAh pack with a micro USB charge port, I had a AAA battery pack for it, but it didn't come back from an outing years ago and I've just never replaced it. It has 2 x white LEDs and a red one with clear plastic lens'. The lamp is 300 lumen on full blast. The body is plastic, mine has a couple of little impact cracks but they add to the character of the lamp! The strap is single round the sides, but switches to double at the back. I've had the lamp since

In the low modes the LED behind the smaller lens comes on and creates a good pool of light for short(ish) distances. When you turn on the LED behind the bigger lens it adds distance to the pool of light created by the smaller one. As well as the manual control offered by the side button the lamp automatically ups the power when you look (point it) at a dark area. The brightness increases and decreases smoothly. The red LED is bright enough for camp use without blinding your companions. On full blast the lamp shines well into the distance and creates a good local pool up close. The lamp body has several positions allowing you to point the lamp wherever you want it. I've had the lamp since 2017 and it's still going strong. The lamp is IPX4 rated, so it's splash resistant, suitable for rain, but don't drop it into a lake.

The headlamp has an app... Does a headlamp need an app? Who knows, but it has one! The app is a bit of a faff, connectivity is a bit iffy. It gives you access to different profiles and the ability to send morse code! The functionality has gotten worse with each new generation of phone I've installed it on.

If this was a proper review the headlamp would be a 5/5 the app would be 2/5 so together it'd be a 7/10. Which is I think a bit unfair on the headlamp. Forget the app, you don't need it, the lamp is a banger.

App aside, the interface on the torce is a couple of buttons. The top button turns it on and off, the side button flicks between the light output levels, a long press on the side button swaps between white LEDs and the red LED. There's a cover for the micro USB charge port and a hole for the the heat dissipation fins on the back of the LED.

The battery is a 3.7v flat(ish) pack. It has a built in micro USB charger. I'm sure the new version will have been updated to USB C. When I first got it I bought a AAA battery pack for it, but as I said above, I took it out on an adventure as a spare pack, and when I got home it was nowhere to be found. There's always a USB charger around in today's world and as long as you've got a micro USB lead, you're golden. The battery takes about 4 hours to charge from empty to full.

The strap is full width until your temples then it drops to be a slim strap. Each end of the strap terminates in the plastic clip so at the back the strap magically turns into two. The lamp isn't heavy but the two straps round the back makes it incredibly comfortable to wear.

Thoughts

The lamp is a cracker. It's light enough to wear for hours at a time with no discomfort, the second strap at the back means you don't need the straps tight to get a good solid fit. The lamp is compact enough that it doesn't wobble about when you walk with it. The reactik feature is handy and it works well, it helps preserve battey but when you need a bit more light it smoothly ups the power to the LED. I would have no issue buying another one, they don't sell them anymore so I'll struggle but I would.

Astrolux K1

I got this from banggood in 2018. It was an "ooo look at that" kind of purchase! I didn't expect the torch to be as handy as it is. It's a slim lamp with a single white, single UV and single red LED. It puts out an unknown amount of lumen! It's a similar shape to a fat USB memory stick.

The interface doesn't make much sense when you look at it. A long press of the on/off button turns on the UV & red LED & a short press flicks between them. A long press of the three line button turns on the main LED a short press flicks between low, med & high power. It's the one torch in my main fleet with a tied by me lanyard. The torch is small, so getting it out of a pocket can be a fiddle, lanyard solves that. It's an old torch, so it charges the on board cell via micro USB. The USB cover has long since been lost.

The torch lives in a jacket pocket in my car, so it's grubby & full of fluff. The main LED gets hot, therefore the torch also gets hot. There's complaints about the heat transfer from the LED to the body of the torch being poor, but in my experince it gets got after a few minutes so it works for me!

Thoughts

The torch is a novelty, but surprisingly good! The LED is plenty bright enough for lighting the way on a dark street, you wouldn't want to rely on it for an explore, but as a pocket torch in your car coat, it's hard to beat. It's survived everything I've thrown at it and still looks in reasonably good nick. Banggood, sometimes you win, sometimes you lose!

Hugsby P2

This torch is included because I love it. It's enjoying a well earned retirement. The tail switch is on its last legs, sometimes it takes a few clicks to turn it on. I got the torch back in 2012, so I can forgive switch failure. The torch is a tacticool style torch with heavy castellations and milled flats on the head, knurling on the head, body and tail and slots cut into the ridges in the end section.

The LED is a single Cree Q3 LED, the lens is clear plastic with a centre defuser to calm the hot spot. The torch takes a multitude of batteries, a 14500 with the extension tube, a CR123A without the extension, or an AA with the extension tube. The

The castellations on the head are very pronounced! There's a lot of machining on the torch, there's knurling all over the place, flats machined onto the head, dimples drilled in the knurling, it's very styled! The pocket clip is kind of annoying, it leaves about 45mm poking out of your pocket and can only be stored head up.

The interface is simple. Click on and off, brief press to flick between, low power, high power and flashing. The button is the reason this torch is now retired. It's been with me on so many adventures that I had to ignore its broken switch and include it in this list.

Thoughts

An old dog, but I love it. You can't buy them anymore, if you could I'd have no hesitation in buying another (maybe with less castellations!). A cracker.

Fenix E35UE

A pocket powerhouse. It takes a single 18650 cell or 2 x CR123A cells. It has a single Cree XM-L2 U2 LED and puts out 1000 lumen in turbo mode. The body is round and not much thicker than the cell. The body is aluminum the lens is toughened coated glass. The head is flat with no castellations. The head has heat disapating ridges with flat spots on three sides, the body and tail are knurled. I've had the torch since June 2017 and it still looks box fresh. The abrasion resistant hard anodising works a treat.

The torch has 5 modes, eco - 8 lumen, low - 50 lumen, mid - 150 lumen, high - 450 lumen, turbo 1000 lumen. It has 2 strobe modes. The LED is deeply set within the head and the body does a good job sucking heat out of the LED into the body. The LED is protected from overheating and when the temp gets to 65 degrees C it drops to mid power mode. The body of the torch is sealed and Fenix advertise the torch as IPX8 waterproof - Fenix say this means sumbersible to 2m. The standard says more than 1m for an extended period. I've used it in heavy rain with no issues.

The two buttons control the LED. A long press of the cycle button powers the torch on and a short press cycles through the light output moded. A long press of the flash button turns on the strobe a short press cycles between the strobe modes. Long pressing either button turns the LED off. By long pressing both buttons the torch enters and exits lock mode to prevent accidental activation in a bag or pocket. The buttons are quite small and operating the torch with gloves is quite tricky. I wish the buttons were the other way round.

The torch is powered by 1 x 18650 cell (or 2 x CR123As) the clearance of the body is tight, if your cell has thick wrapping then it might be a squeeze getting it in or out. The spring holds the cell firmly in place and there is no rattle or wobble when the torch is in use. The cell needs to be charged outside of the torch. The LED is protected from reverse polarity battery insertion.

The battery connection in the head has plenty of metal and the spring is made from nice chonky material. The threads that hold the head to the body are smooth and well made, the torch seals nicely with no gritty feeling. The torch came with a spare O ring, but that's long since lost and the one on it is fine! I'm not normally a fan of the included lanyards, but the hole is so small without using the included one you'd never be able to get a 550 cord one through it. A slim cord one looks daft on it, so the included one it is.

Thoughts

The torch is brilliant. Although it puts out less light than a more modern torch, the output is brilliant for open spaces. Rather than pure lumen numbers (more bigger, more betterer) Fenix have focused (pun intended) on the design of the reflector, this shows as soon as you turn the torch on. The beam is long and well shaped, there's enough local spill to light your foot fall as well as the path ahead out to about 150m. The machining on the torch is well done, it is quite descreet, no castellations and no shouty "tacticool" bits. The only down for me is the button size, they're tricky to operate with gloves, but the output, size and shape of the torch make up for this minor negative. I'm glad I bought this torch.

Olight Seeker 4 Pro

I was going to shoehorn this torch into here, but this page is far too long already and it's worthy of it's own review, so it gets one.