We like to put Fenix lights to the test. Not only do we test it in our factories, but we also get industry experts and professionals to try our lights and give us their honest feedback. This is a review of the HT30R written by Gabriel at 1Lumen. Let’s see below what they think about the latest LEP light from Fenix.

The Review of HT30R

HT30R

LEP flashlights seem to be the new hot thing in the flashlight world. And not because it’s a new type of bright LED or something, because it’s not. LEP stands for Laser Excited Phosphor. Unlike LED, this technology creates a beam that is tightly focused.

Fenix has been building LED flashlights for many years, but produced its second LEP flashlight, the HT30R fairly recently.

Fenix’s first LEP flashlight the TK30, was difficult to purchase, since it was sold strictly to military personnel, law enforcement officials, and other similar tactical professionals. The main reason for this was the type of laser being used (Class 3 laser), which is banned for the public in many countries.

However, we got our hands on the first version fairly early on, and reviewed the Fenix TK30 extensively. We measured almost 500 lumens at turn on, and a maximum beam distance of 4252 ft (1296m). Yes, this was a bit more than the advertised 1200 meters, interestingly enough.

However, 2 years later, a second version of the TK30 was produced, using a Class 1 laser, which made it available to the general public, with the same specs and similar performance.

Fast forward 3 years, and here we have a new LEP flashlight from Fenix, the HT30R, with the same claimed output of 500 lumens, but with a maximum beam intensity of 4921 ft (1500m).

In this review of the HT30R, 1Lumen measured the flashlight on several metrics and found the following:

HT30R

HT30R in Use

“Size-wise, the HT30R flashlight is comfortable to hold and operate. 21700 type flashlights strike a nice, happy medium on sizes and overall sit in the hand pretty well. However, it is a bit long compared to your average LED-based Fenix, but this isn’t using an LED. It’s an LEP and LEP lights tend to be much longer to house the advanced optoelectronics.

The HT30R has two switches, and both are located on the tailcap. The main switch is a clicky on-off switch that also provides momentary activation. The second one, is less pronounced, and has an e-switch that is used for instant-Strobe as well as switching modes.

Batteries Used by HT30R

The HT30R takes a 21700 battery, or in a pinch, you can use 18650 type batteries with Fenix’s ALF-18 battery holder. The HT30R comes with the following battery: Fenix ARB-L21-5000 v2, which has a capacity of 5000mAh, and it’s a 21700-type battery. It’s loaded inside the flashlight, isolated with a little plastic protective disc. So you need to remove the disc before your first use!

This battery is a protected button-top cell, and non-protected flat top batteries will not fit.

Fenix specs say that the HT30R can charge the 5000 mAh battery (from empty) in 3 hours. In our testing and review of the HT30R, we saw a 2.9 amp charge rate at 5 volts (equals to 14.7 watts). The charge cycle was completed in 3 hours and 3 minutes with a final battery charge of 4.15 volts.

HT30R

HT30R is High-Performance

You probably realize this by now, but we want to make it official with our review of the HT30R — this Fenix light isn’t your average flashlight. Instead of an LED, the HT30R uses a laser. According to the specifications it’s a “447nm Class 1 white laser”. It also says it uses a “10W High Performance laser module” with a CCT of 6500K.

In our review of the HT30R, we first wanted to see how the beam performs in terms of temperature and CRI (which are not the strongest points for LEP flashlights).

Measurements from the Opple Light Meter at 10 meters in High mode:

  • CCT: 8174K
  • CRI: 71.8 Ra
  • DUV: -0.0006

This means that the beam temperature is very cold, with a low CRI.

Lumen measurements

During our test, we got the following measurements:

MODE SPECS LUMENS AT TURN ON LUMENS AFTER 30 SECONDS LUMENS AFTER 10 MINUTES
Low 100 lm 100 96 91
High  500 lm 442 lm 422 lm 329 lm

As you can see, it didn’t reach the claimed output, but behold, the beam distance, and beam intensity figures were much more impressive.

Some people would say that the lumen output is important, while that can be said for LED flashlight, the beam intensity is what it’s all about with LEP flashlights.

Throw measurements

The throw was measured at 20 meters distance (after 30 seconds, according to ANSI FL1 standards). And here are the staggering results from our review of the HT30R:

MODE SPECS CANDELA MEASURED METERS YARDS
Low 100,000 cd 160,000 cd 800 meters 875 yards
High 600,000 cd 650,000 cd 1612 meters  1763 yards

Despite the lumens measuring low, the throw measurement exceeded spec! And that’s what we’re really looking for in an LEP flashlight.

By the way, it’s also important to note that peak beam distance is calculated according to ANSI FL1 standards. This means that at 5289 ft (1612 m), the light intensity has decreased to 0.25 lux. This is about the brightness of a full moon, shining on an object.

This means, that at 5289 ft (1612 m), you will be able to see a shadow from your hand, if holding in the beam, but it’s hard or impossible to notice any dark objects on a dark background from that distance.

1Lumen Review of the HT30R Gives the Light Two Thumbs Up

Fenix knows how to make great flashlights. The HT30R is not an exception, and has such a nice build quality, you can tell it was made to be an actual tool! It’s hard for me to find much fault with it, aside from seemingly lower lumen output than spec and requiring long/protected batteries. In our throw test, we calculated a beam to just over a mile which is very impressive to see in person. If you want, check out this link to see the full Fenix HT30R review.

The Fenix HT30R gets two thumbs up from us!