Not impressed with Feniex Avatar.

[AJ3814]

My department recently got in a new '15 Charger and it was outfitted with a brand new 47" Feniex Avatar (all blue). This has got to be one of the dimmest and crappiest off-axis bars I have ever seen. I checked by with the chief on a daytime traffic stop, and on approach from the side, I couldn't even tell the lightbar was on until I was about 50 yards away, and even then I could only see the joke of an alley light flashing. The bar was fully activated and the alley lights were flashing. I am not impressed in the least. They are not nearly as bright as they are made out to be and I almost had to be directly behind the car to even see the blue. Off axis light output is just horrible. It may be different at night, but regardless, if it can't perform during the day, it's useless. I politely told my chief I felt it was money wasted. The bar on my car is a SoundOff ETL 5000 from 2008 and it blows the Feniex out of the water. This car will be handed down when we get another new vehicle but I plan to keep my '08 Vic because I won't drive a car with that bar after seeing them in operation.

 

[TritonBoulder47]

This sounds more like a complaint about the product than a review...  And also, the Avatar uses their TIR Optic heads, which we all know, TIR Optics don't have very much off-axis...  

Just my $0.02  (not sure why this was even approved to be posted, it doesn't follow any of the guidelines posted in the for this section...)

 

[JohnMarcson]

This thread does not comply with .?do=embed' frameborder='0' data-embedContent> This post moved to discussion area. If you want to do a full review, please use the .?do=embed' frameborder='0' data-embedContent>

Just my $0.02 (not sure why this was even approved to be posted, it doesn't follow any of the guidelines posted in the for this section...)

It was approved only so I could move it. You caught it in limbo.

 

[acala91]

I share the same sentiments, I wasn't impressed with the Avatar either. It is very bright straight on but the corners and off axis are really lacking. 

 

[Chris W]

The new Cobra and Apollo bars wil blow away the avatar when they come out.

 

[7d9_z28]

I was under the impression that the Avatar was a bunch of T6 in an aluminum frame... Did they manufacture specific lightheads for the Avatar?

 

[Station 3]

If it has Feniex T6 heads then it should be pretty bright or at least as bright as any other major brand light out there at the moment. I have seen T6 light heads in action and they are as bright as any other major company out there. I bought a Feniex Apollo inner light bar and it is bright but not as bright as lets say a TIR type light and I think it has to do with the type of optic it has. Either way im happy with the product and it moves traffic like crazy but everyone has opinions.

 

[bluestinger90]

Yes Feniex products are not as bright as the big 3, but blue should be Feniex's second brightest looking led color. Is it possible the light bar was set to low power/dim mode?

 

[okc_f150]

Was the "low power" mode turned on? If not, there may be an issue with the bar. Call Feniex and try to troubleshoot.

I have some T6s in my Freedom next to some of the Whelen 400 heads. The T6s BLOW the 400s out of the water on all levels.

This isn't normal and shouldn't sway your opinion of Feniex.

 

[AJ3814]

I have to add a little to this .....  a couple of nights ago, I got to work tandem with my chief and got to see the bar in action again, trying to "view" it as "another first time".... well, just as the first post, in the daytime, you must be dead in front of or dead behind the car to see it on.... now.... at night, COMPLETELY different story. It is VERY bright at night, but again, off axis REALLY suffers on this bar, even at night. In the daytime, off axis suffers so much, it's almost impossible to see the bar is turned on. Maybe a good bar for highway patrol in the middle of nowhere, but other than that, I would never put this bar on a city/county unit. Definitely never on fire/EMS apparatus.

And no, our bar has never been on the "low" setting. The largest up-fitter in our parish (who does vehicles from all over the state AND is a full time deputy) swears by Feniex, and I'm certainly trying to keep an open mind (because they do have several things I really like) but this certain line of bars just flat out sucks.

Is Feniex really made in China? I saw something on here where some members were arguing on where they were made..... and since I'm on the topic, which of the big 4 are really made in the USA?

 

[bluestinger90]

The Avatar resembles the 911signal skyline lightbar, but from what everyone says, Feniex is made or manufactured in America.

 

[Chris W]

Feniex is actually made in the USA.

 

[AJ3814]

The new Cobra and Apollo bars wil blow away the avatar when they come out.

When is that supposed to be?

 

[Phoenix_Rising]

Apollo Bar is already out IIRC

 

[Carlos SpicyWeiner]

They are expected to be in production the third quarter of this year (49'' models).

That said, keep in mind the difference in TIR vs Linear/Wide Angle optics in lightbars. 

The Cobra will essentially still use the same style head (depending on your Avatars construction date, the cobra modules have been greatly improved to more efficiently get every bit of light through the optics and out to warn people compared to the first generations. 

The Apollo is probably better suited for a lightbar as every module has 180 degress of visibility with the sweet spot in my opinion being around the 130 degree mark. When you have an entire bar of these style modules it is impressive. I've created lightbars using a similar setup and they were great overals lightbars with no real dead spots or lack of visibility in any of it. 

 

[7d9_z28]

They are expected to be in production the third quarter of this year (49'' models).

That said, keep in mind the difference in TIR vs Linear/Wide Angle optics in lightbars. 

Why is Feniex making the end user choose between the types? Why are they not making a bar with both the Apollo heads and the Cobra? Combine the two and you have every end covered.

 

[Phoenix_Rising]

Why is Feniex making the end user choose between the types? Why are they not making a bar with both the Apollo heads and the Cobra? Combine the two and you have every end covered.

ive thought the same thing

 

[Carlos SpicyWeiner]

if you knew about the engineering behind each head, you would understand why.  Could it be done? Probably. Could it be done in a cost effective manner? That would be the question. (then again there is alot about the new bars we don't know. Just going based upon the engineering involved in the current controllers).

 

[7d9_z28]

All it would be is the bar they are making now, with Apollo heads at the ends and Cobra heads in the middle... Like a Liberty with LIN12 linear corners and CON3 rear flashers and TIR6 forward and so on and so forth... Somebody needs to buy an Apollo bar and put Cobra heads in the middle. I do not believe theres a massive engineering flaw that doesn't allow this to be a thing.

 

[Carlos SpicyWeiner]

All it would be is the bar they are making now, with Apollo heads at the ends and Cobra heads in the middle... Like a Liberty with LIN12 linear corners and CON3 rear flashers and TIR6 forward and so on and so forth... Somebody needs to buy an Apollo bar and put Cobra heads in the middle. I do not believe theres a massive engineering flaw that doesn't allow this to be a thing.

That would be one thing if the heads were switched the same way, which they are not.  Biggest reason you don't see dummy Apollo surface mounts like you do the T-6.  Not as easy to hook up. 

 

[Carlos SpicyWeiner]

We need to wait and see on the Apollo. There are two sets of optics on the apollo interior. (Usually one is only reserved as takedown.) it would be interesting to see if that is going to be offered up in the apollo exterior. 

 

[StEaLtH2]

Not to run afoul of this thread, but does a single color Apollo use the same board as a dual color? Can a single color be used in half the diodes? Is a single color twice as bright as a dual? Wondering out loud as that would affect configuration. I would think single color Apollos would get it done, even though dual or trio seems to be standard almost these days. 🙊

 

[StEaLtH2]

We need to wait and see on the Apollo. There are two sets of optics on the apollo interior. (Usually one is only reserved as takedown.) it would be interesting to see if that is going to be offered up in the apollo exterior.

Are the "takedown" Apollos lenses more of a TIR style?

 

[Carlos SpicyWeiner]

Are the "takedown" Apollos lenses more of a TIR style?

Yes.... but restricted to just takedown lights. 

 

[Tom@Feniex]

I absolutely can't wait until the NEW Apollo light-bar is released. We have high expectation with this lightbar. If the Avatar have not  placed us on the map  already you can bet the Apollo light-bar will. We have had great compliments about our Avatar and some bad. This is just apart of the qualms that we are prepare to hear. Rest assure the NEW Apollo lightbar will rise above this. 

AJ3814, from an information collective stand point I haven't heard of an issue like this. You are more than welcome to contact me directly to discuss what you're experiencing on your end. We could go through the troubleshooting together to determine if there's an issue with your Chief's light bar. Thank you for your feedback. We take all concerns and issues with any Feniex product with the utmost care. 

 

[AJ3814]

Tom, thanks for the info! I've sent you a PM but I'll go ahead and air a couple of questions here in case others may wonder the same things I am....

1) Do you have a "guesstimate" on when the new changes will be implemented and actually ready for shipment?

2) Is it going to be applied to all lengths, or just the 49" in the beginning?

I ask these questions because I was about to order a Mini Apollo so I had at least some "top" warning while I saved up for a full bar, but am now wondering if I should wait for the new changes to be implemented.

Thanks again!

Alvie

 

[Tom@Feniex]

Officer Alvie Jones, It was an absolute pleasure speaking with you! Having an opportunity to speak with an elec tech guru with a wealth of experience and information allowed me to expand on this experience. A lot users may not know we take every feedback into consideration and expand from it. You guys are the reason why we are who we are to date and we thank y'all! 

I know I have answered your questions over the phone but for those who are also curious I could also answer it here on this thread. 

1) Do you have a "guesstimate" on when the new changes will be implemented and actually ready for shipment?

The new Apollo lightbar should be ready for production in August tentatively.

2) Is it going to be applied to all lengths, or just the 49" in the beginning?

The available features that you would experience on the 49" will also be on the 60" lightbar. 

If anyone else would like to add to this I am available.