Flashlight Review: Fenix TK35R

After almost eight years, one of my favorite flashlight models has been upgraded. The Fenix TK35 instantly became my favorite flashlight back in 2011, and I loved the upgraded version that came out in 2017, called the TK35UE. This year, they revamped the flashlight again with the TK35R. I wasted no time in purchasing one.

Size and Shape

The TK35R is smaller than previous models in height, length, and width. In the images below, you have the TK35 on the left, then the TK35UE, then the TK35R on the right.

The general shape and design is nearly identical to the TK35UE. One unfortunate difference, however, is the addition of a belt clip, which I’m not happy about.

I’m providing a numbered list of reasons why I’m not excited.

1. The clip is recessed. If you want to use the clip to hang this flashlight from a belt, you need to pull your belt away from your hip with one hand, then approach the belt at an angle. Check out my video review above to see what I mean. It’s terrible.

2. It’s very hard to hold the flashlight between two fingers with the clip in place. I already didn’t like how the TK35UE had much less of a flared end than the TK35, and this belt clip makes it far worse.

3. The belt clip is fastened to the TK35R with a pair of Torx T4 screws. WHY T4? That’s so tiny. I own a gazillion bits and several sets of jewelers’ screwdrivers, but the smallest I have in any of my sets is a T5. That’s the smallest size that comes with most sets. I had to order a new screwdriver set that included a T4 just so I could take the belt clip off.

Rant over. Now that I’ve removed the belt clip, I can do some deep breathing and relax about it. Now the TK35R feels the same as the TK35UE. It’s better, but still not as grippable as the original TK35. I wish they had gone back to a wider flared base.

There is enough of a flat section at the tail so you can stand the flashlight on its end, just like the previous model.

It also comes with a heavy-duty holster and a heavy-duty lanyard, neither of which I would ever use for home inspection work.

Controls

Like the previous model, it features a button at the bottom to turn it on and off, as well as another button to adjust the brightness. That’s perfect, just as it should be. I won’t use a flashlight with buttons on the side.

It also features a dial on the bottom, allowing you to select from three different modes: flashlight, locked off, or blacklight. These are self-explanatory, right? And yes, it has a blacklight (UV) mode, with two brightness settings.

The blacklight mode is a novel feature, but I would caution any home inspector against using it. Anything you look at under a blacklight looks nasty and has the potential to gross people out. For example, take a look at my toilet, which I cleaned just yesterday.

Gross! Right? How do I even live with myself? But this is what you find anywhere you use a blacklight, and this is actually pretty clean. As a home inspector, I’m not there to report on the current occupant’s level of cleanliness.

Durability

The TK35R has a 1-meter drop rating and is IP68-rated for water resistance. That means it’s water resistant in fresh water to a depth of 1.5 meters for up to 30 minutes. Good stuff.

Power

This flashlight comes with a pair of 18650 batteries rated at 4000mAh. Those are some incredibly powerful batteries, but I’m disappointed they didn’t step it up to a pair of 21700 batteries, which are slightly larger and could have provided 6000mAh each, resulting in a significant improvement in battery life. But still, this is a lot of juice, providing some outstanding run times:

• 2000 lumens: 3h 15min
• 800 lumens: 4h
• 350 lumens: 9h 20 min
• 30 lumens: 105h

It also has a Burst mode, giving off a blinding 5800 lumens, but it’ll only stay at that level for about 15 minutes. If it stayed at that brightness any longer, it would probably catch on fire. After that, it automatically drops down to 2000 lumens. For home inspection work, this is way more time at full brightness than I’d ever need.

The TK35R has an external USB-C charging port, which is a huge improvement over the interal micro-USB port on the TK35UE. And to make it even better, you don’t have some little rubber plug to mess with; instead, you have a sturdy sliding cover.

Light Output

Show me the light. I used a DSLR camera on a tripod and set to full manual mode to take these images; this helps to ensure you’re comparing apples to apples when looking at the images. I don’t need to go on and on about these images; at 5800 lumens, this flashlight is insanely bright. And the hotspot is pretty hot, meaning the light is pretty focused.

Here’s 30 Lumens:

350 Lumens:

800 Lumens:

2000 Lumens:

And 5800 Lumens:

TK35R Conclusion

I don’t like the belt clip and the blacklight isn’t useful… but these aren’t drawbacks. The TK35R makes some great improvements over the TK35UE, offering nearly twice the light output, longer battery life, smaller size, and a far superior charging port. I think I just found my new favorite flashlight. It retails for $200, and you can find it on Amazon here: TK35R.

Oh, and if you’re looking for a nice jewelers’ screwdriver set that comes with a T4 bit, get this one for $8 on Amazon: JOREST 25-IN-1.