Review: Fenix CL05 Emergency Light

The nice folks over at Fenix sent out a satisfaction survey for their customers via email earlier this year. If you registered your Fenix light online to ensure your warranty is effective, you likely received one of these surveys. I gladly filled mine out, sent it back and thought that was that. Little did I know, everyone who entered had a chance to win a TK35, PD35 Tac, E20 or a CL05, for a total of 70 free lights being given away to folks all around the world. So I was quite surprised to get an email from Fenix corporate saying I won a free CL05.

The winners list, courtesy of FenixLight.com

Of course, winning one of their full sized lights, like the TK35, would have been awesome but I can't complain. I knew very little about the CL05 but it seemed like a handy little lamp so I claimed my prize and waited for the authorized US Fenix vendor to ship it to me. About 2 weeks later it arrived in the mail, in all its purple glory.

Fenix markets this as the CL05 Liplight, since the size closely matches a tube of lipstick. It runs on a single AAA battery, boasts 7 modes and can be attached to your keychain, backpack or anywhere you need light. Modes are controlled via twisting the base.

For a single AAA battery, the run times are pretty good and like most Fenix lights, it's waterproof and impact resistant.

After using it for a few months, I found it to be a pretty cool little light. It's a good addition to a keychain. Moonlight is a nice soft light for reading in low light conditions. High mode bumps up the output to 8 lumens, making it easier to navigate in the dark and search small areas, like your car, if need be. The red and green modes make for great personal beacons, even more so when flashing. SOS is a nice touch for emergencies as well. In additional to keychain use, you could clip it to a backpack when hiking, use it in conjunction with your car lights if you break down at night, increase your visibility while bike riding at night etc. This light would make a neat beacon for night dog walks or even trick or treating with the kids. The possibilities are endless, and all it takes is a single AAA battery.

The one complaint I have is the color choices. I wish we had black or slate gray to choose from. It is a very cool light in function, but the styling of it, to me, is quite feminine. Maybe Fenix will address this in the future but the "Liplight" tag and the colors don't exactly seem to fit the typical EDC crowd that they seem to be marketing this to.

In the end, the light is functional and quite handy and I do use it from time to time. I definitely appreciate it as a free gift from Fenix but, the colors aren't really my style. For the most part, the CL05 is clipped to my wife's keys where it serves as a useful lamp for short walks in the dark or searching around a dark car. Though, I still bring it along for night activities when a personal beacon might come in handy. Overall, the colors might not be the best but still a useful light nonetheless. Thanks Fenix!