Video Overview

Chris from Chrispy Things [EDC] finally gets the Fenix TK17 on camera. He says he is late, and he is right that this light has been out for a while. It is the follow-up to the Fenix TK16 V2, the tactical flashlight he still calls a favorite. In this video he sets the two lights next to each other and talks through the finish, the beam, the tail switches, and the battery. He wants a tac light that fills a hallway, not only a distant hotspot. The TK17 is the one he would keep in hand. Thanks to Chrispy Things for a straight comparison instead of a solo unboxing.

Items & Gear List

• Fenix TK17 – Purchase on Amazon

Editor’s Insight

Chris from Chrispy Things still likes the Fenix TK16 V2. He calls it one of his favorite tactical lights, and he keeps it on the bench for this review. The TK17 is the one he says should take its place. The first change he felt was the finish. The TK16 V2 has a semi-gloss body with light texture. The TK17 is matte black hard-anodized 6061-T6 aluminum. When he presses a thumb into the middle of the TK17 and tries to slide it, the body holds. The same move on the TK16 V2 still slides. That is the kind of grip that matters when a light is wet or when a glove is on. He wishes the older light had shipped in the same finish. It did not, which is why he treats the TK17 as the successor and not a small refresh.

Output is the next split, and it is not a clean win on every number. Chris reads 3,600 lumens and a 330-meter throw on the TK17, against 3,100 lumens and a 380-meter throw on the TK16 V2. Peak intensity on the new light is 27,300 candela. He would rather have the extra lumens and a wider beam for a hallway than a longer throw down a dark road. The head on the TK17 is wider, 1.42 inches against a 1-inch body, and the whole light is 5.85 inches long. He expected that head to throw a clearly floodier beam. In a side-by-side turbo test, the outer edge looked about the same to his eye. The hotspot looked about the same too. What did change was the tint. The TK16 V2 beam looks green to him. The TK17, with a CREE XHP50.3 HD LED at about 5,700 Kelvin, looks brighter overall and much less green. He still likes a cool beam in a tac light. 5,700 Kelvin stays cool without going blue.

The switches are where the TK17 feels like a different tool. Both lights use a dual rubber tail switch. On the TK16 V2, the tactical switch is loud and clicky. On the TK17, Chris clicks the on/off switch next to the microphone and you can barely hear it. The constant-on press is deeper, so a half press stays momentary. That is the control he wants on a light meant for a quick flash. The TK17 also jumps to turbo if you hold the button, after about a half-second delay. The TK16 V2 did not offer that shortcut at all. Both lights have instant strobe. Chris wants both shortcuts on a tac light, and he is fine calling the half-second wait a small trade for getting turbo at all.

Mode count went the other way, and he likes that. The TK16 V2 has five brightness levels plus strobe: 30, 150, 350, 1,000, and 3,100 lumens. The TK17 drops the 150-lumen step. Low stays at 30 lumens, medium is 350, high is 1,000, and turbo is 3,600. Strobe is about 3,000 lumens, a little under the older light. Fewer steps means fewer chances to land on the wrong level when the light comes out fast. Runtime on low is about 60 hours, against about 43 hours on the TK16 V2. The included cell is a 6,000 milliamp-hour 21700, up from 5,000. Both cells charge through a USB-C port on the battery, not through the light body. Chris tried his slot charger and the TK17 cell was a little too long. The new cell can also charge a phone: pull it out and use the included USB-C cable. He calls that a real upgrade, not a spec-sheet extra.

On his scale, the TK17 with the battery and pocket clip is 7.1 ounces, about 200 grams. The body also has a glass lens, a stainless striking bezel, and tungsten glass-breaking tips. It is rated IP68, which he explains as dust-tight and able to go under about 6 feet of water, plus a 1-meter drop rating. This post does not walk through how to use the bezel or the tips. The description links only the TK17. The TK16 V2 is the comparison light in the video, and it has no product URL in that list, so it is not linked here.

Chris still likes the TK16 V2. He does not pretend the older throw number is worse on paper. He just says the grip, the quieter switches, the shortcut to turbo, the cleaner tint, the larger cell, and the power-bank battery are enough to retire it. Thanks again to Chris from Chrispy Things for putting both lights on the same bench instead of reading a spec sheet alone.

Closing Remarks

Watch Chris from Chrispy Things put the Fenix TK17 next to the TK16 V2 before you decide the newer light is only a spec bump. The video shows the matte grip, the quieter tail switches, the half-second jump to turbo, and the side-by-side beam. The link above goes to the TK17, the only product in the description. The TK16 V2 is the comparison light, and it has no product link here. Hit play, then say whether you would trade throw for a cleaner beam and a quieter switch. A tac light that only wins on a spec sheet is not the one that stays in the hand.