Whenever I am planning gear to take somewhere I always tend to categorize my gear by the intensity of usage.

First category is the EDC, something I’ll have with me daily. For example, going out to the movies I’ll take something tiny like a E18R or the PD25. Something to help find dropped keys in a dark parking lot.

Second category is the “outside light” these lights are the ones I’ll grab when I know I’ll be outdoors and I know it will be dark. Camping, walking the dog, hunting, hiking at night, BBQs, etc… These lights tend to be more powerful with better throw than my EDC. My go-to lights here are the PD35 V2.0 or TK15UE, both are fantastic lights with huge power in a small package, but I find myself nine times out of ten grabbing the PD35 because the form factor is just so nice.

Fenix PD35v2 camo flashlight tail switch

Third category are the “Emergency” Lights, or in my case, the show-off-to-the-friends “look how bright this is” light. These are big, heavy, hot, insanely bright, and not all that practical unless you are doing search and rescue. But for a guy who likes flashlight, not much else beats them. My go to lights are the TK72R or the TK75.

Last category for me is the “special uses lights” things like lanterns or on of my all time favorites the TK47, which is basically an ultra throw light. That one gets used to shoo away owls off the property, they like to wait on my tiny dog to go out at night. A blast of 1300 lumens to the face usually does the trick.

Back to the PD35 however, The PD35 has been a long time favorite of mine, and the V2.0 is an improvement in every way.

Form Factor

First things first: As far as form factor, this light is just about perfect. Fits great in the hand, you still have the rear click tail cap button, the mode button on the side lights up and tells you battery capacity and finally has some texture to it, making it far easier to find in the dark. The camo cover is just a bonus as it not only looks fantastic, but has a really nice feel to it in the hand, smoother and somehow softer than the coatings on Fenix’s black lights.

Fenix PD35v2 camo flashlight size

Function

Not a ton new here, same Low>Med>High>Turbo that I’ve come to use and love with Fenix’s other lights. I do really like the extra utility the lighted side button gives. No more wondering if the batteries are low. As far as the beam goes, it’s a perfect mix of throw and spill. Gives you plenty of light up close for seeing where you are walking or tasks around camp, and enough throw to check what that noise in the woods was.

All up this is a great jack of all trades light and my personal favorite in the 1 18650 form factor. It does everything well, and if I could grab only one light the PD35 V2.0 would be the one.