Which NovaTac? P or T?

[Brigadier]

My stimulus check is going to buy me a NovaTac. I just don't know which one to get - a P or a T. I have read the User Guides to both[still studying them], and the P seems awfully complicated.

What I am looking for is a light that no matter what mode I am in - say low for navigating the house at night, I can go instantly tactical full output, even strobe, NOW! if the need arises.

From what I gather, the T will do that[momentary maximum]. Will the P?

TIA

[LargePig]

I'd have to go searching for the manual online, but IIRC the P will go into momentary maximum if you press and hold when the light is on.

I can't verify this though as mine is still with the postal service

Edit:

The manual here... he say yes http://www.novatac.com/downloads/Nov...-UserGuide.pdf

[Brigadier]

I'd have to go searching for the manual online, but IIRC the P will go into momentary maximum if you press and hold when the light is on.

I can't verify this though as mine is still with the postal service

Edit:

The manual here... he say yes http://www.novatac.com/downloads/Nov...-UserGuide.pdf

Been reading that. Still confused

[~Deicide~]

I would go with the 120P. I believe that it will be one of the most versatile lights that you will ever buy. You can program the "P'' model to mimic the settings of a ''T''. Go ahead and buy it, you wont regret it.

-Aaron

Edit:It wont take you long to learn the UI once you have the light in hand.

[kromeke]

The P can do everything the T can do and more. It all depends on how you program it.

The settings can also be "locked" once it is programmed to how you like it. A reset will "unlock" it such that it can be reprogrammed (P model only).


The T model has its settings and cannot be changed.

I've got a P and wouldn't have it any other way, provided one can get it at a good price.

[LargePig]

Ok so the 120P out of the box is programmed as follows:

Click: Turn on to Primary (10 Lumens)

From ON
1. Two Clicks: Toggle between Secondary (30 Lumens) and Primary (10 Lumens)
2. Three Clicks: Minimum (0.3 Lumens)
3. Press (and hold) while ON: Momentary Maximum (120 Lumens)
4. Click-Press: Maximum (120 Lumens)
5. Click: Turn off

From OFF
1. Click-Press: Maximum (120 Lumens)

[MacTech]

Speaking as a complete Novatac Newbie myself, yes, the P series can seem rather overwhelming.....

....for about 10 minutes....

once you get the hang of it, it's remarkably intuitive

Here's the Cliffs Notes version of Novatac setup

there are four programmable slots, each designated by a distinct click pattern;

Click
Double Click
Triple Click
Click-Press

any light level can be assigned to any slot, as can the SOS, and Strobe modes

there are two programming commands;
Click-Click-Press; sets the light level and/or strobe modes
Click-Click-Click-Press; enters the option menu to set things like the Beacon, SOS, Find-Me flash, and menu lockout

to program the light levels, click to the slot you want to program, then Click-Click-Press, the brightness will ramp upward in distinct steps, when you get the light level you want, stop, and turn the light off to set that level

to program menu options, Click-Click-Click-Press and release the button when the LED flashes in Beacon mode (1 flash per second), click the button to step through the modes, when you find the one you want to enable or disable, hold in the button, if you are enabling the option, the light will go dim-to-bright, then to on, if you are disabling the option, the light will go bright to dim, then on

it sounds more complicated written out than it really is, the versatility of the P series is unmatched, you can set up the P to mimic the behavior of the T, lock out the menus and you're good to go, if you ever want to change settings, just perform a factory reset and set it up however you want

the P's versatility is worth it

[LargePig]

If you wanted instant access to full or strobe you could quite easilly set the light like this

1 Click: Turn on into 10 lumens or whatever you want
2 Clicks: Maximum 120
3 Clicks: Strobe
Click-Press: Really low 0.3

The possibilities are endless.....

[Brigadier]

Ok so the 120P out of the box is programmed as follows:

Click: Turn on to Primary (10 Lumens)

From ON
1. Two Clicks: Toggle between Secondary (30 Lumens) and Primary (10 Lumens)
2. Three Clicks: Minimum (0.3 Lumens)
3. Press (and hold) while ON: Momentary Maximum (120 Lumens)
4. Click-Press: Maximum (120 Lumens)
5. Click: Turn off

From OFF
1. Click-Press: Maximum (120 Lumens)

Not very tactically friendly under a stressfull situation. Click-Press from OFF to Maximum is one too many operations under stress.

Looks like the T is what I am looking for. Defensive capabilities FIRST, fu-fu modes second.

Thanks for all the info.

[houtex]

I own two 120T's. I like being able to go right to full blast bright on the first click. Clicking thru to get to the lower modes is easy though I rarely have a need to use the low modes. The T is cheaper,plus you can change out to the flat tailcap of the P.

[LargePig]

I see what you mean about the manual sounding scary, but I really think it would be very easy to set one click from off go into max 120.

[HoopleHead]

the P can be programmed any way you like. low low first, or maximum first. note that all 4 settings can be programmed, so "Maximum" could be set to low low, and the strobe can be changed to max. its all good, whats not to like?

i have 2 120Ps.

[MacTech]

My 120P is set up thusly;

Click; .08 Lumens
Double-Click; 10 lumens
Triple-Click; 30 Lumens
Click-Press; 120 Lumens

I basically reversed the factory order, I want the light to come on ultra-low and adjust upward as needed

[LargePig]

My 120P is set up thusly;

Click; .08 Lumens
Double-Click; 10 lumens
Triple-Click; 30 Lumens
Click-Press; 120 Lumens

I basically reversed the factory order, I want the light to come on ultra-low and adjust upward as needed

Thats pretty much how I am planning on setting up mine. But having 120 on the first click could be good sometimes. Perhaps they could complicate things further and have a number of memory banks in future versions

Like from off, click turns on settings bank A or press turns on settings bank B.

Im only half serious BTW

[Dead_Nuts]

Not very tactically friendly under a stressfull situation. Click-Press from OFF to Maximum is one too many operations under stress.

Looks like the T is what I am looking for. Defensive capabilities FIRST, fu-fu modes second.

Thanks for all the info.

The P can have max as the very first mode and have strobe available with a press-hold, if that's what you want. Max (or any level or function) can be any, all or none of the 4 modes - that's the beauty of it. If you decide ti use your light in a different fashion in a year or so, just reprogram it accordingly.

[MacTech]

Considering you can get right to 120 Lumens in my setup by Click on>Click-Press or Click on>Hold, 120 Lumens is almost instantly available, if you need immediate access to 120, just program it as the first light level

[kromeke]

The P can be set up with one level, two levels, three levels or 4 levels. (Or "slots" as MacTech called them)

It can be set up to come on at the brightest level or the lowest. It is extremely flexible.

Want one level, program all slots for the same setting. Two levels, no problem. Want one level and a strobe, can do.

[Brigadier]

Does the P have a momentary on capability ala SureFire style? Or is it a click only. For tactical uses, momentary on without an audible click is desireable.

[MacTech]

It can be programmed that way, yes, and the programmablew switch does emit a faint click when pressed, but it's almost inaudible, it is a forward clicky though, and must be pressed fully to activate the light, unlike a tactical switch which can be partially pressed for light

the T's tactical tailcap is compatible with the P, so you could purchase a P and a tactical tailcap if you'd like

[candlelight001]

As others have mentioned, the P can be set up just like a T if you want.

One thing to consider though, is that in my experience, the P models have a little bit of flicker and pulsing when switching between high and low modes. The pulsing appears to be random, which makes a me a little nervous about the reliability of the circuit.

At the moment I have a 120 E that doesn't pulse and feels rock solid. It's less flexible and I wish the low were lower, but I don't worry about it either. I have a 85p that rarely, rarely pulses and is more fun to play with too...

[sawlight]

I think the p is the cats meow!!! One click is 10, push and hold it's 120. That easy!! Look at the car, push and hold to scare the drunk, let off and do you're paper work. Push and hold again when the drunk gets ancy.
But you can program it any way you like, and not have to worry about the tailcap getting clicked when you put it in a pocket.

[Buffalohump]

I've been looking at these two lights myself lately...

The 120P seems to be the one that gets all the love around here, which I can understand given the high level of involvement that CPFers have with their lights.

However, I think if what you are after is just pure blazing light in a high quality package, then the T seems to be the one to get.

If Murphy has anything to do with it, the KISS principle must always be followed.

The only thing I would change is the button as I prefer the flat button of the P. Thanks to the wonderful dealers we have you can do this at a later date no problemo.

If it were me, I would choose the T. (gee, I made a rhyme... )

[xcel730]

I would go with the 120P. I got it and love it. Reading the manual online seems confusing, but once you play with the flashlight while reading it, it's pretty straightforward ... and once you set your Novie, you could keep it in that setting forever. I only tinkered the settings once or twice after I got it.

Don't get too caught up on the naming convention of the 120P. The Primary, Secondary, Min, and Max could be set up anyway you want. For tactical purpose, you could set your either set your primary setting to max or have your Max setting the default mode when you turn the flashlight on. You could do something like:

(1) Primary - 120 lumens
(2) Secondary - anything you want
(3) Minimum - anything you want
(4) Maximum - Strobe

[gottawearshades]

That about sums it up for me.

I think the p is the cats meow!!! One click is 10, push and hold it's 120. That easy!! Look at the car, push and hold to scare the drunk, let off and do you're paper work. Push and hold again when the drunk gets ancy.
But you can program it any way you like, and not have to worry about the tailcap getting clicked when you put it in a pocket.

[Knifekulture]

That about sums it up for me.

+1