Fenix PD36 TAC Flashlight Review

Fenix is now offering a tactical version of the PD36 – the PD36 TAC flashlight.  This looks like a great duty light, and has some astounding output, too!

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Fenix PD36 TAC Flashlight Official Specs and Features

Here’s a link to the product page at Fenix-Store.com.

Versions

There is just this one version of the PD36 TAC.  Of course, there’s also the Fenix PD36R, which I reviewed.  And maybe some predecessors, too.

Price

This light lists for just under $100, at$99.95.  Get yours at fenix-store.com!

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Short Review of the Fenix PD36 TAC Flashlight

I’m not an operator, but I can appreciate the need for dedicated tactical flashlights.  I think this will be a solid choice for that category.  The Fenix PD36 TAC flashlight has a very high output and an interesting switch setup.

Long Review

The Big Table

Fenix PD36 TAC Flashlight
Emitter:	Luminus SST70
Price in USD at publication time:	$99.95 at fenix-store.com
Cell:	1×21700
Turbo (3000 lumen) Runtime Graph	High (1000 lumen) Runtime Graph
LVP?	Yes
Switch Type:	Mechanical
On-Board Charging?	Yes
Charge Port Type:	USB-C (On cell)
Charge Graph
Power off Charge Port	–
Claimed Lumens (lm)	3000
Measured Lumens (at 30s)	2746 (91.5% of claim)^
Candela per Lumen	7
Claimed Throw (m)	274
Candela (Calculated) in cd (at 30s)	707lux @ 5.342m = 20176cd
Throw (Calculated) (m)	284.1 (103.7% of claim)^
All my Fenix reviews!

^ Measurement disclaimer:  Testing flashlights is my hobby. I use hobbyist-level equipment for testing, including some I made myself. Try not to get buried in the details of manufacturer specifications versus measurements recorded here; A certain amount of difference (say, 10 or 15%) is perfectly reasonable.

What’s Included

• Fenix PD36 TAC Flashlight
• Fenix 5000mAh 21700
• Charge cable (USB to USB-C)
• Spare o-ring
• Nylon pouch
• Manual etc

Package and Manual

I don’t always picture the inside of the box, but this one is exceptionally good.  You can remove it from the box and easily prevent everything from falling everywhere.  I like that.

Build Quality and Disassembly

Much like the Fenix PD36R which I already reviewed, (and in fact has been one of my most read reviews), the build quality of the Fenix PD36 TAC flashlight is very good.

You’d really expect that, and should demand that out of a tactical light, right?

The grip pattern seems ideal for using while holding a weapon.

The bezel has flutes, which is something I strongly prefer.

On the head, you can see minimal cooling.  I wasn’t able to get a read on the current required for the highest two modes, but based on output I can say it’s quite high!  The cooling fins here will help with that (minimally).

Only the tailcap is removable.  The threads here are square-cut, anodized, well lubed, and quite long.

Both head and tail have springs.

Size and Comps

• Length: 5.5 inches
• Body Width: 1 inch
• Head Width: 1.04 inches
• Weight: 3.24 ounces

If the flashlight will headstand, I’ll show it here (usually the third photo).  If the flashlight will tailstand, I’ll show that here, too (usually the fourth photo).

Here’s the test light with the venerable Convoy S2+.  Mine’s a custom “baked” edition Nichia 219b triple.  A very nice 18650 light.

And here’s the light beside my custom engraved TorchLAB BOSS 35, an 18350 light.  I reviewed the aluminum version of that light in both 35 and 70 formats.

Retention and Carry

The Fenix PD36 TAC flashlight has a few carry options.  First I’ll mention the pocket clip, which comes attached from the factory.

This is a friction-fit pocket clip and has nice spring.  It only connects on the tail end, so no bezel-up carry at all.

Next is the lanyard hole, which allows lanyard attachment on the pocket clip.  Note that no lanyard is included.

Finally, there’s this nylon pouch.  The pouch is sufficient.  If you really need that bezel-up carry the pocket clip doesn’t provide, then just throw this pouch on your belt – the Fenix PD36 TAC flashlight will go into the pouch in either orientation.

You won’t be able to use the light while it’s in the pouch, though.

Power and Runtime

Power for the Fenix PD36 TAC flashlight comes from a single lithium-ion cell.  Included with your purchase is the appropriately sized cell – a 21700.

This cell is (or “functions like”) a standard button top.  A flat-top 21700 will not work in the Fenix PD36 TAC flashlight.

The cell is installed in the normal direction – positive terminal toward the head.

Here are a couple of runtime graphs.  There are big step-downs on Turbo, but the light does practically hit the specification (over 3000 lumens at startup, specifically) and within 10% at 30s, which is “close enough.”

Charging

While the Fenix PD36 TAC flashlight itself doesn’t have built-in charging, the included cell does.  The cell has a USB-C port near the positive terminal.  This is the same cell as was used in the Fenix TK30 LEP.

There’s also an indicator on the positive terminal of this cell.  While charging, the indicator is red.  When charging is complete, the indicator turns blue.

A cable is included for charging – USB to USB-C.

Charging looks good, but because of the high capacity of the cell (5000mAh), charging takes a while (around 3.5 hours).  It looks like the charging “starts soft” and only ramps up to a high current when the cell reaches a certain voltage.

Modes and Currents

Mode	Mode Claimed Output (lm)	Claimed Runtime	Measured Lumens	Tailcap Amps
Turbo	3000	1h30m	2746	?
HIgh	2000	3h10m	2074	?
High	1000	3h15m	1029	1.84
Med	350	10h10m	363	0.53
Low	150	18h45m	150	0.24
Eco	30	160h	30	0.09

Pulse Width Modulation

There’s not really any PWM here, but there’s a bit of wiggle in the graph.  Nothing to be concerned about, though.  This mode order is lowest to highest.

Here you can see a “baseline” – a chart with almost no light hitting the sensor.

Then there’s the Ultrafire WF-602C flashlight, which has some of the worst PWM I’ve seen. It’s so bad that I used a post about it to explain PWM! Here are multiple timescales (10ms, 5ms, 2ms, 1ms, 0.5ms, 0.2ms) to make comparing this “worst” PWM light to the test light easier. That post also explains why I didn’t test the WF-602C at the usual 50us scale.

User Interface and Operation

The switch (or really the whole user interface) on the Fenix PD36 TAC flashlight is what’s important here.  First, it’s a two-stage tail switch.  Next, it offers a rotary dial to select a few options, including a physical lock.

The little white line on the rotary indicates the mode.  In the photo below, the selection is “High (2000 lumens) only.  Middle is locked.

And the rightmost option is the “Duty Mode” which has multiple output levels (including the highest level, of 3000 lumens).

That switch is a two-stage switch.  The lock (middle selection on the rotary) is a physical lock, too.  Notably, it can be locked not only in the Off position but also can be locked On.

This is an interesting (and good) switch setup for the TAC, but I found the second stage (steady on) to not be quite as smooth as I wanted.  There’s a bit of a hitch in the giddy-up when fully depressing the switch.  (Likely it’s when the switch crosses through whatever it is in the “lock” position that locks or unlocks the switch.)

I’ve already covered the rotary control, but I’ll add it again here.  The rotary has 3 points.

• The most clockwise position is “Tactical” which offers only 2000 lumen output, but that’s “high” and “strobe” both.  So two modes.  Note that the switch must be fully depressed to access strobe (half-press will not do it – half-press is only momentary High (2000 lumens).
• The middle position is locked.  In this position, the switch may not be pressed but can be in an on or off state.  That is (unusually), it can be locked in an on state.
• The most counterclockwise position is “Duty” mode, which has multiple output levels, which I’ll cover in the table below.

The rotary switch can be used regardless of any other state of the light.

Here’s a UI table for Duty Mode!

State	Action	Result
Off	Tap	On (Momentary, Mode memory)
Off	Repeated Tap	Mode advance (Lower to higher direction)
Off	Click	On (Mode memory)
On	Tap	Mode advance (Lower to higher direction)
On	Click	Off
Any	Fully depress switch for around 1s	Strobe
Strobe	Tap	Exit strobe back to main output (memory)

LED and Beam

In the Fenix PD40R V2.0 is a Luminus SST-70 emitter.  I didn’t see the CCT stated, but it’s cool white.

The reflector is smooth.  This is a tube light (essentially) so the reflector isn’t too broad.  But it’s consistent with the PD36 style.

LED Color Report (CRI and CCT)

The last one seen below is the “one mode only” output of 2000 lumens.

Beamshots

These beamshots are always with the following settings:  f8, ISO100, 0.3s shutter, and manual 5000K exposure. These photos are taken at floor level and the beam hits the ceiling around 9 feet away.  The mode order below is “all the Duty modes” then “the one Tactical mode” – this results in the highest mode not being the rightmost.

Tint vs BLF-348 (KillzoneFlashlights.com 219b version) (affiliate link)

I keep the test flashlight on the left, and the BLF-348 reference flashlight on the right.

I compare everything to the KillzoneFlashlights.com 219b BLF-348 because it’s inexpensive and has the best tint!

Conclusion

What I like

• Massive output!
• Hits claims for output and throw
• Interesting rotary interface, probably very useful for tactical situations
• Very simple user interface
• Complete package with (essentially) standard button top 21700 cell
• Can be locked on

What I don’t like

• Cool white emitter
• Switch is a little cumbersome to fully depress
• No lanyard

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Notes

• This light was provided by Fenix-Store.com for review. I was not paid to write this review.
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