Fenix E04R: Keyring Torch, Red Light and Signal Panel

The Fenix E04R is a small rechargeable torch that does three jobs in one body: a white torch, a red torch and a multi-colour signal panel. It measures 58.5mm long, 30mm wide and 29.8mm deep and weighs 41 grams including its battery, so it can live on a keyring or in a coat pocket and be there when a power cut or a dark walk catches you out¹.

What makes it worth carrying is the range between its settings. On its lowest white setting it runs for up to 87 hours at 1 lumen, and on its highest it gives 300 lumens with a 46m beam for 1 hour 40 minutes². In between sit a 25 lumen low and a 100 lumen medium, and there is a separate red light and a flashing panel for being seen rather than seeing.

It charges by USB-C in about 2 hours from a 5 V/1 A adapter, is rated IP66 for weather and dust, and is drop tested to 1.5m¹. The battery is built in and not user replaceable, and the maker states that disassembling the sealed head will void the warranty¹.

What the Fenix E04R is and who it suits

Fenix describes the E04R as a combined LED torch, red torch and signalling device³. The white light comes from a Luminus SST-12 LED behind a TIR lens, while the red light uses a faceted reflector, and a separate multi-colour panel sits alongside them¹. The body is polycarbonate and ABS with a polycarbonate lens².

That combination suits a particular kind of household. It is a torch you carry rather than store: on a keyring, clipped inside a bag, or in a coat pocket, so that the light is with you when the power goes at the moment you are out, or when you are walking home in the dark. Fenix lists its intended uses as a police back-up or duty torch, a patrol torch, a camping torch, a rear warning light for cycling and running, and an emergency marker¹. For a household, the practical reading is that it covers the small, frequent jobs, finding a keyhole, checking a fuse box, walking a dog, and marking yourself at the roadside, rather than lighting a room for an evening.

If you are building a lighting plan for the home, this is the light that goes in a pocket or bag, alongside a larger torch or lantern for the room. Our guide to torches and how to choose one for home sets out where a small carry torch fits next to the bigger lights, and the emergency lighting section covers the whole picture.

Run time: up to 87 hours on the lowest white setting

The headline figure is the one that matters in a long power cut. On its lowest white setting, Moonlight, the E04R gives 1 lumen for up to 87 hours with a 3m beam². That is a small pool of light, enough to find your way around a room or read a meter without waking anyone, and it will last for days of evening use.

The trade is straightforward: the brighter the setting, the shorter the run. The table below sets out every white and red setting with its brightness, run time and beam distance as the distributor lists them².

Two things affect those figures in practice. The first is heat: on the highest setting the torch will step down as it warms, which is covered below. The second is how you use it. A torch left on Moonlight for an evening uses very little of the 400 mAh battery, while repeated bursts on High will use it quickly. If you want to understand how run times are measured and why a low setting lasts so much longer, our explainer on lumens, beam distance and run time goes through it, and there is a separate page on how long a torch battery lasts on low.

White and red light levels, brightness and beam distance

The white torch has four levels from 1 to 300 lumens². At the top, 300 lumens carries a 46m beam, which is enough to pick out a path, a fence line or a number on a gate at the end of a garden¹. Medium gives 100 lumens over 28m, Low gives 25 lumens over 13m, and Moonlight gives 1 lumen over 3m². The white LED has a colour temperature of 6500K, a cool white that reads as bright and crisp rather than warm¹.

The red light is a separate mode with two levels: 5 lumens for 19 hours 30 minutes over an 8m beam, and 12 lumens for 6 hours 40 minutes over 13m². Fenix describes the two red light modes as designed to preserve night vision². In a household that means a red light you can use at night without ruining your adjusted eyes, whether you are checking on a child, moving around a dark landing or stepping outside to look at the street. Our page on what red light mode is for explains the principle.

A word of caution that applies to any torch: do not look into the beam or shine it into anyone's eyes, particularly a child's. At 300 lumens the E04R is bright enough to dazzle and uncomfortable at close range. Our page on whether it is safe to look into a bright torch beam covers this.

Using the signal panel to be seen in the dark

The third job is being seen. The E04R has a multi-colour LED panel with five flashing modes: red and blue alternating flash, red flash, blue flash, RGB pulse and RGB chase¹. Each runs at 1 lumen, and the red and blue alternating flash is listed at 23 hours². The panel is not there to light your way; it is there to make you visible to someone else, at the roadside, on a dark cycle path or in a car park.

Fenix lists a rear warning light for cycling and running among the torch's intended uses, and an emergency marker¹. If you are using it that way, clip it where it can be seen from behind and set the panel going before you set off. The 23 hour figure for the red and blue flash means it will last a long evening and well beyond.

The panel is operated by its own switch. From off, press and hold the side light switch to reach the side light modes, then single click to cycle through the output options². The torch remembers the last output you used in white light and side light mode, so it will come back to the same setting next time¹.

How to switch modes and lock the torch in a bag

The E04R has two switches, one for the torch and one for the LED panel¹. The main light switch works like this: from off, press and hold to activate white light mode; double click to enter red light mode; single click to cycle through output levels; and from red light mode, press and hold to turn off².

Because it is a keyring torch, the lock matters as much as the modes. A torch that switches on inside a bag will be flat when you need it. The maker's instruction is to use the electronic lock: with the light turned off, press and hold the main light switch and the side light switch simultaneously for 3 seconds¹. Do the same to unlock it. Get into the habit of locking it before it goes in a bag or pocket, and check it is locked when you pack for a trip.

Keeping a torch where you can find it in the dark is its own small skill. Our page on where to keep torches so you can find them in the dark has more, and the power cut checklist lists what to have ready before the lights go out.

Charging by USB-C: about 2 hours at 1.85W

The E04R charges through a waterproof USB-C port. The maker states that the normal charging time is approximately 2 hours from depleted to fully charged with a 5 V/1 A charging adapter¹. The maximum charging power is 1.85 W (5 V/370 mA), and the maker states plainly that this torch does not support fast charging¹. Use a standard 5 V/1 A adapter rather than a high-power fast charger, and the charge will be straightforward.

The charging indicator is simple: red while charging, green when charged¹. You can use the torch while it is charging, with one exception. The maker states that all modes and outputs can be activated while charging, except for the High output of white light mode¹. So if you are charging from a power bank during a power cut, you can still use the red light, the panel and the lower white settings.

If you want to know more about using a light while it is plugged in, our page on whether you can use a torch while it is charging covers the general principles.

Built for rough use: IP66 and a 1.5m drop test

The E04R is rated IP66, which the maker describes as weatherproof and dustproof¹. In practice that means it will shrug off rain and splashes and keep dust out, which is what you want from a torch that lives on a keyring and goes outdoors. It is not a diving light, and it should not be deliberately submerged. Our page on what IPX ratings mean for torches and lanterns explains the scale.

It is also drop tested to 1.5m¹. The distributor lists impact resistance up to 1 meter², so the two documents give different figures for impact; the maker's 1.5m drop test is the figure to rely on for a drop, and the distributor's 1 meter is a more conservative impact rating. Either way, a fall from pocket or hand height is within what it is built for.

The body is polycarbonate and ABS with a polycarbonate lens². It also stands on its tail, so it can be set down on a table or shelf pointing upwards to light a small area hands free¹. That is a useful trick in a power cut: stand it on a hall table and it lights the way to the door.

Heat, step-down and what to expect on high

The E04R protects itself from heat. The maker states that when the torch gets hot it will automatically step down a few lumens to reduce the temperature¹. This is normal and is not a fault. It means that the 300 lumen High setting is best treated as a burst of light for checking something at a distance, not as a setting to leave running for an hour.

If you need sustained light, choose a lower setting. Low at 25 lumens runs for 11 hours 40 minutes and Medium at 100 lumens for 2 hours 40 minutes, and neither will drive the torch to its temperature limit as quickly². The same principle applies to any bright torch, and our page on how long a torch battery lasts on low explains why the lower settings are so much more efficient.

Warranty and the sealed head you must not open

The E04R carries a 2 year UK warranty¹. The battery is built in: a 400 mAh Li-Poly cell that the maker lists as not user replaceable, and the distributor lists no compatible batteries¹. That is not a limitation you can work around at home. The maker states that disassembling the sealed head can cause damage to the torch and will void the warranty¹.

So treat the torch as sealed. Charge it through the USB-C port, keep it clean and dry, and if it stops holding charge or the port is damaged, contact the retailer or Fenix about the warranty rather than opening it. The same applies to the battery: do not attempt to prise it out or replace it yourself.

What comes in the box, and how it fits a household kit

The retail pack contains the Fenix E04R torch, a USB-C charge lead and a lanyard¹. You supply the 5 V/1 A USB adapter. The torch is listed as in stock by the distributor¹.

For a household emergency kit, the E04R is the light that goes with you rather than the one that lights the room. Northern Powergrid's advice for winter readiness is to keep torches and spare batteries among the things you have ready⁴. A small rechargeable torch like this complements that: it needs no spare cells, charges from any USB source, and its 87 hour lowest setting means it will still be working long after a power cut has become an evening. Pair it with a larger light for the room, and check it is charged and locked before winter. Our lighting checks before winter checklist and the power cut lighting guide show where it fits.