The head of the PD30 has a clean looking cylindrical design with a chunky hex-shaped at the neck which provides grip for twisting and also serves as an anti-roll feature. Up the front the head has a smooth bezel, behind which sits a toughened ultra-clear glass lens with AR coating. The reflector used is of smooth aluminum which is well-polished with no noticeable flaws. This particular sample of the PD30 has an LED which is slightly off-center relative to the reflector which doesn't sit exactly around the LED's PCB base.

The entire light is finished in black Type 3 anodizing with a smooth texture. For the most part the battery tube is covered in textured knurling which provides good grip. There are a couple of flat faces machined on where branding is printed. The PD30 has a removable titanium-coated pocket clip which allows for the light to be carried head-down if you prefer it without the holster. Threads on both ends of the tube are cleanly machined and came well-lubricated too, very smooth with no grinding or cross-threading encountered. The threads at the rear end are anodized which allows the PD30 to be locked-out by slightly loosening the tail cap. The tail cap is mostly covered in knurling too and has a partially raised lip which allows the light to tail stand while still providing comfortable activation of the switch. There are slits machined through both the raised lips which allows for lanyard attachments and such. The PD30 uses a reverse push button which means momentary activation won't be practical. The switching mechanism feels nice and secure providing an average amount of tension and travel, and produces a positive click when fully engaged.

If you're unfamiliar with any of the terms used in this review, click here for explanations on common flashlight related vocabulary.

The user interface of the PD30 is very similar to other Fenix products before it. There are two set of output modes depending on whether the head is loosened or tightened. Within these two sets are various output modes which are cycled through by half-pressing the tail switch.

Set 1 (loosened head)
Off > Low > Medium > High > S.O.S.

Set 2 (tightened head)
Off > Turbo > Strobe

As compared with other 2x CR123 models, overall output from this R4 edition seems similar to non-premium binned lights. It's interesting to note that even with its smooth reflector, the PD30 doesn't seem to throw much better than say, the P3D which has a textured reflector. Regulation is maintained very nicely through all levels of output, though it drops rather quickly towards the end of the battery life. The beam profile produced has a narrow hotspot with a large, soft corona tapering towards the spill beam. In terms of beam quality, the smooth reflector does a great job of focusing a clean beam to no apparently visible artifacts. Beam color temperature is almost pure white, looking just slightly cooler then sunlight white.

The Good - Great build quality as expected by Fenix. Fit and finish are well done. Runtime and regulation are above average.

The Bad - Nothing significant.

The Relative - Beam is clean and artifact-free with a slight cool color temperature against sunlight white. Utilizes a reverse push button switch. Is able to tail stand.