FENIX CIVICTOR V1

Fenix Civictor V1, retail $27.00*
(http://fenix-store.com...)
Manufactured by Fenix (www.fenixlight.com)
Last updated 03-15-07




The Fenix Civictor V1 is a single AA cell flashlight that has a white Luxeon I LED at the bottom of an almost-smooth reflector. The spectral analysis I performed on it appears to show a Luxeon III, but the packaging and the silkscreening on the flashlight indicates it's a Luxeon I LED.

It comes in a thick aluminum body protected by a Type II anodized finish, and has an AR (antireflective) glass window in its "business-end" to protect the LED and reflector.

* This prices ***INCLUDES*** shipping; something not seen with most other flashlight retailers.


SIZE



Feed your Civictor V1 first (see directly below), and then you can go paint the town red - or in this case, white.

Getting light is as easy as turning the head clockwise (as if tightening it) until it lights up; turn it the other way to plunge yourself back in darkness.

The flashlight comes with a nylon pouch/belt holster. The flashlight fits this holster bezel-up or bezel-down. This holster fits belts up to 1" wide. I do not own or use pants that require a belt however, so I cannot test this accessory in the manner in which it was intended to be used.



To change the battery, unscrew and remove the bezel, gently place it on the ground, and kick it into the garden so the hungry, hungry praying mantids will think it's something yummy to eat and subsequently strike at it...O WAIT!!! THAT'S THE GOOD PART!!! So just set it aside instead.

Tip the used AA cell out of the barrel, and dispose of or recycle it as you see fit.

Slide a new AA cell in the flashlight barrel, orienting it so the flat-end (-) negative goes in first. Finally, screw the bezel back on; and unscrew it slightly when your Civictor springs to life.
Aren't you glad you didn't kick that bezel into the garden with all those hungry praying mantids now?


Here is what a praying mantis looks like.
I found this guy on the morning of 09-08-06 clinging to the basket of my scooter.

Unable to measure current consumption due to how the Civictor V1 was constructed.




Photograph of the front of the Civictor V1, showing the LED and reflector.

The flashlight appears to be reasonably sturdy. Ordinary flashlight accidents should not be enough to do it in. I administered the smack test on it (fifteen whacks against the concrete floor of a patio; ten whacks against the side of the tailcap and five whacks against the side of the bezel), and found the expected damage. There is some minor gouging to the bare Metalgreymon — er — the bare Metalflamedramon — um that's not it either...the bare Metalzudomon...er...uh...wait a sec here...THE BARE METAL (guess I've been watching too much Digimon again! — now I'm just making {vulgar term for feces} up!!!) on the sides of the tailcap and bezel where it was struck. No optical or electrical malfunctions were detected.

The exterior finish is a Type II anodize, so it should stay new looking for a fairly long time, even if it goes up against keys, coins, or other metal flashlights during storage or transport. I tried to cut through the Civictor with the blade of a Gerber folding knife, and was successful. That's how I determined it has a Type II anodize, not HA-III.
Would I really try to cut up a brand spanken new flashlight?
You bet your sweet patootie I would, if it's in the name of science.

By request of its sender, I placed it under the rear drive wheel of a 450lb (with me in it) electric wheelchair on concrete, and ran over it a couple of times...no additional damage was detected (aside from some minor scuffing on the base of the bezel), and the product still functions properly.

The Civictor is waterproof and submersible. When I removed the bezel, relieved the flashlight of its battery, and performed that dreadful suction test on the barrel, no air leakage was detected. I also tested the bezel by suctioning it, and no leakage was detected there either. So if it falls into water, just shake it off and keep going. If it falls in the kitty litter box and the kitty pisses on it, just douche it off under the faucet - good as new.
There is an O-ring on the barrel that engages when the bezel is screwed on, so I don't think the E0 will leak there.

The flashlight can be stood up on its tail on a dresser, counter, table, or other flat surface and beam onto the ceiling, acting like an electronic candle.

The tint of the light emitted is a pure, slightly cool white, with no pink, yellow, blue, purple, or "rotten octopus urine green" coloration to it at all.

According to my contact at Fenix: "All our products being sold at the time being are not reverse-polarity protected. If the batteries are installed incorrectly, the circuit might be damaged. Though the rate is very low, we do need to install the batteries carefully."



Beam photograph on the test target at 12".
Measures 691,000mcd on a Meterman LM631 light meter.


Spectrographic plot
Spectrometer plot of the LED in this flashlight.
Ocean Optics USB2000 Spectrometer on loan from TWO-CUBED.


ProMetric analysis
Beam cross-sectional analysis.
Image made using the ProMetric System by Radiant Imaging.



Beam photograph on a wall at ~15'.
Those rectangular graphic things near the bottom are marquees from:
Midway ''Omega Race''
Sega ''Star Trek''
Williams ''Joust''
Venture Line ''Looping''
Universal ''Mr. Do!'s Castle''
Jaleco ''Exerion''
Gremlin/Sega ''Astro Blaster''
Atari ''Tempest''
Gottlieb ''Q*bert''

upright coin-op arcade video games from the 1980s.

And that red star thing on the marquees is from an American DJ Laser Widow.



TEST NOTES:
Test unit was sent by D.C. of www.fenix-store.com on 10-07-06, and it arrived here on 10-14-06.


UPDATE: 10-18-06
I have been asked on several occasions what battery type was used. I used an Energizer alkaline cell for all of the tests I performed on the Civictor.
I never use NiCd, NiMH, Li:ION, or primary lithium cells for tests unless the light manufacturer specifies a specific battery chemistry.


UPDATE: 12-16-06
I have decided to rate the Civictor 4½ Stars and place it in The Trophy Case on this website.


PROS:
Reasonably durable construction
Water-resistant and even waterproof to shallow depths
Uses a glass window (lens), not a plastic one
Decent intensity
Offers a good compromise between throw & flood
Uses battery that is inexpensive and easy to find
The price is lower than that of many other Luxeon LED-based flashlights


CONS:
Uses Type II anodizing, not the more durable Type III


    MANUFACTURER: Fenix
    PRODUCT TYPE: Small handheld flashlight
    LAMP TYPE: White Luxeon I LED
    No. OF LAMPS: 1
    BEAM TYPE: Medium spot with dimmer corona
    SWITCH TYPE: Twist bezel on/off
    BEZEL: Metal; LED & reflector protected by an AR glass window
    BATTERY: 1xAA cell
    CURRENT CONSUMPTION: Unknown/unable to measure
    WATER RESISTANT: Yes
    SUBMERSIBLE: Yes, to shallow depths (~12") at minimum
    SIZE: 8.28cm L, 2cm D
    WEIGHT: 38g empty
    ACCESSORIES: Nylon holster, wrist lanyard, O-ring
    WARRANTY: Lifetime

    PRODUCT RATING:

    Star RatingStar Rating





Fenix Civictor V1 * http://fenix-store.com...






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