Fenix E35R flashlight review

On paper, the Fenix E35R presents a compelling case to be your next flashlight. It is not the cheapest EDC flashlight out there but for those seeking a high-quality, dependable light, it offers great value for money.

For a while now, our go-to torch for everything from camping trips to late-night dog walks has been the Olight Perun 2. Its biggest drawback, however, is the proprietary charging cable — a minor frustration that becomes major when you realise you’ve left it behind on a multi-day trek!

That’s what initially drew us to the Fenix E35R. It shares many of the qualities we appreciate in the Perun 2. It has a similar size and weight, one-button operation, a magnetic base and excellent overall build quality but it charges via USB-C — far more convenient and universally accessible.

While it’s not a tactical flashlight — it lacks features like ‘momentary on’ or a tail cap switch — it shines as a sleek, durable and highly pocketable everyday carry option.

We are always looking for flashlights that balance quality with value, and on first look, the E35R feels like a promising addition to our best flashlight guide. But how does it perform after a few nights in the wild? Let’s delve in.

Fenix E35R flashlight review

Fenix E35R flashlight: Design

★★★★★

• Copper accents make it look premium
• Low-profile one-button operation
• Lightweight but solid

It feels odd to call a flashlight ‘stylish’ but somehow, this one is. The textured copper button and lamp surround give this flashlight a premium and stylish aesthetic. The body of the unit, built around the 21700 cell of the torch, is discreetly textured to assist with drop-proofing when wet.

Your grip is aided by the pocket clip, which we aligned to sit directly behind the single operation button and under the rubber USB-C port cover. Doing this made the low-profile easier to find quickly in the dark (we actually read this tip on another review before getting our hands on the unit ourselves). Without doing this, it takes a good bit of rummaging to find where the button is. It also means that when the pocket clip is attached to your pocket, the button is always at the front with the light facing the sky. This would perhaps be more useful as a feature if it were a 90-degree angled light.

Also on the unit’s body is the company logo and model number. Near the top of the unit is a written reminder of how to lock and unlock the unit (when the unit is off, quickly double-press the button) and a ‘hot’ warning symbol, which we’ll come on to later.

The single button itself contains an indicator light for the state of charge:

Static green light: 100% – 85% remaining.
Flashing green light: 85% – 50% remaining.
Static red light: 50% – 25% remaining.
Flashing red light: 25% – 1% remaining.

Though the brackets are fairly large, you only really need to worry when the light starts flashing red — you could have a quarter of the power left or you could be about to find yourself in the dark.

In our fairly small hands, the base of the flashlight fits nicely in the natural depression at the base of our palm, with our thumb comfortably covering the single-operation button.

Fenix E35R flashlight: Performance

★★★★½

• Trusted and dependable
• Accurate battery indicator light
• Bright and far-reaching beam

There are six lumen-level modes, increasing in brightness from a 30-lumen Eco mode, lasting 69 hours with a 25 m beam, to a 3100-lumen Turbo mode with a 260 m beam (and 3100 strobe mode) lasting 2.5 hours. You can see these details in the table below.

If you’re looking for a flashlight for your skywatching adventures, we must point out that this flashlight does not have a built-in red light. However, Fenix sells a red light filter for around $8. We tested this out and it works well. To save losing the filter, we recommend tying it to the flashlight using the supplied cord. We actually like having a separate filter. If you’re heading out for a night of stargazing, attach the filter before you depart and you can be sure there is no chance of ruining your night vision with a white LED out in the field.

We have provided the beam shots to demonstrate its capabilities. The stats above were measured by Fenix during continuous, uninterrupted operation at each brightness level, including at reduced output levels due to temperature regulation. During High and Turbo modes, the lumen output will reduce when the head reaches 60 °C to protect the LED and drive circuit.

We must mention that the end of the torch (nearest the LED) does feel very hot in these modes (remember that warning symbol we mentioned earlier). When ‘cupping’ the end of the lamp in turbo mode, we could only comfortably hold it for around five seconds. Granted, this isn’t how you would hold the torch in operation but it’s worth mentioning in case, for example, you’re going to hand this to a child to hold — careful operation is required.

Fenix E35R flashlight: Functionality

★★★★½

• Rechargeable using USB-C
• IP68 Water resistance
• Lockable lamp

As mentioned already, what drew us to this flashlight in particular, aside from Fenix’s excellent reputation, was the USB-C rechargeable battery, negating the need to carry proprietary cables.

Although we have said that giving this flashlight to a child requires care and attention, this is for the child’s benefit and not the flashlight. We spent a weekend camping with some heavy-handed family members who weren’t particularly delicate with it and it survived several knocks and drops. It definitely feels like it could withstand a whole lot more abuse, which is probably something to do with the A6061-T6 aircraft-grade aluminum casing.

Not only can the flashlight survive a weekend of excitable children having their first outdoor festival but it is also waterproof, rated to IP68. It can withstand being submerged to a 2 m depth and is dustproof. Left it out in the rain? No problem! Dropped it during a fishing trip? No sweat! Sitting out a sandstorm? Fear not!

We were pleased to have a ‘lock’ function to stop the lamp from being accidentally turned on. One reason, obviously, is to save battery when you don’t need to. And two, we’d worry about turbo mode being activated and burning a hole in our kitbag. Unlike the Olight Perun 2, there isn’t a proximity sensor to dim the light if something is too close.

Should I buy the Fenix E35R flashlight?

This is a well-made, excellent-quality, pocketable flashlight for everyday carry. It isn’t the cheapest flashlight on the market but it is certainly stylish, reliable and resilient. Although we will still use our trusty and recommended Olight Perun 2 for shorter adventures, we are fairly certain we’ll switch to the Fenix E35R for multi-day adventures that require lighting over longer periods for the USB-C charging capabilities alone.

If you just need a flashlight to light up large areas without spending too much money, check out the recently reviewed WindFire flashlight. It is also rugged and waterproof (IPX6) but be warned, it is obnoxiously bright.