Fenix TK09: Not So Tactical

Fenix has recently come up as having some of the best value flashlights on the market. I first started using Fenix years ago and always was impressed with their quality. I was never much of a flashlight guy, and I am still learning. However, I have used the TK09 for a while and I have applied it as a tactical light, as well as a general purpose carry light. I want to talk about using this light, but without throwing numbers and specifications at you. Let us cover the different modes, using the light in these different modes, and how the body and design works for or against you.

BODY DESIGN

Looking at the TK09 right off the bat, it looks like a tactical flashlight. It has a body that is roughly 5" long with a slight bell up front. The front of the light has a strike bezel on the front of it in case it needs to be used as an impact tool in a pinch. Being that it is advertised as a tactical light, I suppose that makes sense to have on, but unless you know how to use it, this feature is relatively useless.

The body of the flashlight is textured nicely and the finish has held up incredibly well.

The tail switch on this flashlight slightly protrudes from the protective risers around it. This prevents the flashlight from being stood up on the tail end. Some people really want a light to be able to do this because they want to use the light to illuminate a whole room by standing it up and having the high lumen beam reflect off the ceiling. Given that this light is advertised as being a good tactical, hunting, and outdoors light, I don't see this as being a necessary feature.

The TK09, as with most GOOD quality flashlights today, is waterproof down to about 2 meters depth and it is built to withstand lots of shock and hard usage. The flashlight is relatively lightweight with the balance point being just in front of the knurling and before the bell.

MODES

The Fenix TK09 has a total of 4 modes that you can choose, based on how many times you hit the tail switch. Technically, if you want to consider the temporary-on a MODE, it has 5. Cycling through these modes is best done by using light pressure on the tail switch. In order to lock in on the mode, you simply depress the tail switch until it clicks. However, the light does not have a mode memory, which means it will not remember your last mode after turning off the light. Though, it will cycle through to the next mode if you reactivate the light within a second of turning it off. So be aware of that if you are spot-checking. If you go too fast, all you are going to do is cycle through the modes and possibly get into one that you don't intend to use.

Here is the list of modes and the relative Lumens labeled by how many times you hit the tail switch:
1. High (900 Lumens)
2. Medium (450 Lumens)
3. Low (50 Lumens)
​4. Strobe (900 Lumens)

The TK09 has a strobe at the end of the list for some reason. I am not a fan of strobe for much of anything except for raves, so I don't care for the idea that it is even on the list of modes. I am also not a fan of the fact that you cannot program this light to a certain mode like most other tactical flashlights. Being that this is supposed to be a tactical light, I like that I have different brightness options, but strobe is basically a waste, IMO.

USING THE LIGHT

The Fenix TK09 has been used as an EDC light by me for a while. I have used it mostly as my everyday light and it is also the light I use for shooting. As an everyday carry light, in the sense of being general purpose, it is a good light. The hot spot is nice and bright and it has a good throw out to a good distance. This is not common among all high lumen lights. Just having alot of lumens does not mean the hot spot will stay tight and bright out to a long distance. The spill of the light on high is somewhere in between the brightness of the hot spot of the medium and low modes. I am kind of picky on this being a trait in my flashlights. I like to have a good tight and bright hot spot on my light for blinding, and enhanced illumination of an area for emergencies and general usage. 

The tail switch on this flashlight is very nice in my opinion. I like how easy I can actuate it when using it for shooting. I don't want a tail switch that is too guarded like some other tactical lights where you can rest the flashlight on the tail switch guard and not set off the light. However, I have seen that if you apply enough sideways pressure on the tail switch, you can set it off. This may be a cause for concern for some people, but I have yet to have that be a problem. 

In using this light as a tool in a tactical setting, I found it to be less than optimal. I am not a fan of the fact that I would be spot checking an area and inadvertently switching between modes. What makes this worse is the strobe setting. I don't care for the strobe in a tactical setting since it is hard to get real clear data on the movements of my target, or threat. A constant high lumen beam in the eyes has always been more than effective when applying light control over someone. I wish that this light was programmable so I could just have it on the high beam setting all the time.

CONCLUSION

In my estimation, the Fenix TK09 is more of a utility, general purpose light. Yes it has all the features and promise of a tactical light for my needs. It has a good amount of lumens, a durable body with aggressive knurling, and has a tail switch I can use with ease. It falls short in the fact that you switch through modes with the tail switch. Inadvertently switching through modes while spot checking is not ideal for my uses. Sure, I can make it work, but it doesn't mean I am going to fully accept it as a light I will prefer for carry and shooting. Everyone can have their own opinions on this subject, but this is just my 2 cents.