Fenix C7 Flashlight Review

The Fenix C7 is a high-performance flashlight offering high output and great throw. It includes a 21700 cell, and has USB-C charging, too!

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Official Specs and Features

Here’s a link to the Fenix C7 flashlight product page.

Versions

There is only one version of the Fenix C7 flashlight.

Price

The Fenix C7 flashlight sells for $79.95 and you can buy it at fenix-store.com.

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Short Review

I like a lot of things about this light, but one notable thing is just how flashlighty it is.  It has a great flashlight shape, with a body size great for holding, and a flared head. That head has a big reflector, so the throw is great, too. The charging works nicely, and overall the whole package is well appointed.  The Fenix C7 flashlight is a solid light and package.

Long Review

The Big Table

5800-6500 Kelvin

Fenix C7 Flashlight
Emitter:	Luminus SST-70
Price in USD at publication time:	$79.95
Cell:	1×21700
Turbo Runtime Graph	High Runtime Graph
LVP?	Yes
Switch Type:	E-Switch
Quiescent Current (mA):	?
On-Board Charging?	Yes
Charge Port Type:	USB-C
Charge Graph
Power off Charge Port	with cell: ECO only without cell or tailcap: no modes
Claimed Lumens (lm)	3000
Measured Lumens (at 30s)	2829 (94.3% of claim)^
Candela per Lumen	21.2
Claimed Throw (m)	470
Candela (Calculated) in cd (at 30s)	1961lux @ 5.555m = 60513cd
Throw (Calculated) (m)	492.0 (104.7% of claim)^
Item provided for review by:	Fenix
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 C7 flashlight
• Charging cable (USB to USB-C)
• Fenix 5000mAh 21700
• Lanyard
• Spare o-rings (2)
• Manual and paperwork

Package and Manual

Build Quality and Disassembly

Again, I love how much like a flashlight the C7 looks.  That might be silly, but it’s just one thing I like, and take note of when I see it. This is a very flashlighty flashlight.

The build quality is very good, too. The light seems robust, and in hand, there are no real questions about quality. There’s no rattle or anything of the sort.

Only the tailcap comes off, and inside that is a big beefy spring. The tailcap threads are anodized, well lubed, square cut, and quite long.

Inside the head is just a button for contact – no spring. No issues there; this isn’t billed as a tactical flashlight, and Fenix does include the cell that’s required, so it all works out fine.

Size and Comps

• Length: 5.87″
• Head Diameter: 1.57″
• Body Diameter: 1.06″
• Weight: 6.07 Oz (Excluding battery)

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

First, let’s talk about the pocket clip. This clip ships attached to the C7. It’s a fairly standard friction fit pocket clip. In fact, I’d call this a “Lumintop pocket clip” and you can probably see why.

The clip attaches only to the tail end of the C7, so only bezel-down carry is possible using the pocket clip.

The pocket clip works fine and is fine, and everything’s fine. But it’s a bit lower in quality than the rest of the light. It’s sufficient, while the rest of the light is great.

Next up is the lanyard. There’s just one place to attach the lanyard, and that’s through these two holes in the tailcap.

Since there are two holes, it’s possible to attach the lanyard so that the C7 will still tailstand, too.

Within the tailcap is a magnet, too.

This magnet is quite strong and is capable of holding the flashlight in any orientation.

There is no nylon pouch or sheath.

Power and Runtime

Included with the $80 purchase price of the Fenix C7 flashlight is a 5000mAh 21700 cell with a Fenix wrapper.

This lithium-ion cell is a standard button top.

The cell goes into the C7 in the normal way – positive end (button) toward the head.

Note that a flat top 21700 (that is, one with standard 21700 dimensions) seems to fit but doesn’t work in the C7. That’s probably because the head connection seems to require a button top.

Here are a few runtime tests.

When the cell voltage gets low, the indicating e-switch begins notification, as follows:

Green: 100-85% power
Green flashing: 85-50% power
Red: 50-25% power
Red flashing: 25-1% power

Charging

The Fenix C7 flashlight also has built-in charging, by way of a USB-C charging port.

This port is on the head just on the opposite side to the e-switch. To be honest, they’re a little bit difficult to differentiate by feel.  The charging port cover has more of a nub than the e-switch does.

An appropriate charging cable is included: USB to USB-C.

Here are a few charge cycles. one with USB to USB-C, and a couple with C to C.  C to C works, and works well.

The indicating switch will also indicate the charging status, too. While charging, the indicator is red. When charging is complete, the indicator turns green. In the C to C test above, the switch would have turned green around 200 minutes.

Modes and Currents

Mode	Mode Claimed Output (lm)	Claimed Runtime	Measured Lumens	Tailcap Amps
Turbo	3000	1h	2829	9.95
High	1400	2h	1386	3.10
Med	400	7h	391	0.65
Low	100	29h	98	0.14
Eco	30	68h	30	0.05

Pulse Width Modulation

No mode uses PWM.

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 Fenix C7 flashlight is controlled by a single e-switch. This switch is at the top of the body, not just quite “on the head” but that’s the ergonomics of it.

The switch is curved to fit the body and is very low to the body.

The action is very low.  I mean very low – I don’t think the edges of the rubber cover even move.

Also, I covered the indicator features of the switch – below you can see the switch lighting in green. The red looks just the same, and in the same place.  Ie, the whole switch cover doesn’t light in either color, just that one spot does.

Here’s a user interface table!

State	Action	Result
Off	Click	Battery check (indicates as covered in the Power and Runtime section)
Off	Hold 0.5s	Enter general mode (with mode memory)
Off	Hold 1.2s	Enter flash mode
On	Hold 0.5s	Off
On	Click	General mode: mode advance (Eco > L > M > H > T) Flash mode: mode advance (strobe > SOS)
Off	Double click	Lockout
Lockout	Double click	Unlock
Lockout	Click	Eco flash twice

LED and Beam

Fenix uses a Luminus SST-70 emitter on the C7. That emitter is coupled with a smooth and deep reflector.

The result is a very throwy beam profile (and I love it.)

LED Color Report (CRI and CCT)

Both CRI and CCT are probably about what you’d guess for a high-performance flashlight like the C7, which uses a Luminus SST-70. That emitter is known for high output, and not known for great CRI or a warm CCT. The CCT ranges from around 5800 (on the lower modes) to around 6500K on the highest. That’s fairly acceptable.  We’ll give the CRI the benefit of the doubt and say that it “hovers around 70.”

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.

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

• Great performance
• High output
• Very good throw
• Wonderful beam profile
• USB-C to USB-C works great
• Indicating switch is useful
• Reasonable cost
• Straightforward user interface (even if it might not be how I’d design it)

What I don’t like

• Low CRI
• Hold for off
• CCT creeps up into the very cool at high output
• Pocket clip quality seems to be lower than the rest of the C7 quality level

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Notes

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