Fenix E12: Pocket Power

It's no secret I like AA powered lights. So the E12 was a no brainer for me.

My first venture into the E-series from Fenix was my E25. It combined a nice throwy beam, bright hotspot with an excellent build, making for a pretty useful mid sized flashlight. It features simple one button operation while being durable and bright. The E-series seems to focus on a "less is more" ethic while still maintaining superb quality.

After some consideration, the E12 looked like a top contender for a worthy pocket light.

Once my Amazon package was dropped off, I eagerly sliced the Fenix packaging open to marvel at this tiny little beauty. At a price of around $25, it's not terribly pricey and despite its small stature, the quality is top notch. Inside the packaging is all the usual Fenix extras: Warranty card, instructions, lanyard and a spare O ring.

Don't let it fool you, this pocket light packs a punch. 130 lumen high, 50 lumen mid and 8 lumen low...all from a single AA battery with Fenix claiming up to a 40 hour run time. The beam is balanced and uniform, wide yet focused. Of couse, based on it's size it doesn't provide an abundance of throw or flood, but it strikes a chord right in the middle. Ultimately it excels at your basic lighting tasks at a moderate range. Whether its lighting up a dim area for work or looking around your backyard at night, the E12 will handle it with ease. The beam is rated to throw up to 88 meters, which is helpful in most cases but definitely lacks the distance to act as a dedicated search light.

But hey, it's tiny and travels well and handles everything else.

The E12 is just a bit bigger than a tube of Chapstick, and much brighter too...

The interface is wonderfully simple to control with its single tail button. One full click to turn on. Tap the button to switch modes. Full click to turn off. Its that easy. It always starts on low and cycles to medium, then high. No mode memory, no SOS, no strobe, no hidden Funkadelic disco mode. Just a simple, dependable no nonsense light. Like all Fenix lights it boasts both impact and water resistance ratings so for under $30 bucks you get a tough, reliable and EDC ready light that is quite a performer.

Overall, it is a highly recommended little light that is the perfect size to ride in your pocket everywhere you go.

So far being my second E-series Fenix light, I very much like the quality, simplicity and price point and certainly there are other great offerings within this series of lights that I will check out in the future as well.