Phaserburn
Flashlight Enthusiast
Recieved my new Inova T1 from BatteryJunction yesterday.
Initial thoughts: Same quality you have come to expect from the Inova T series. Tank-like build, "quality gear" comes from every pore. Really, the only differences externally from the older versions are the lack of silver bezel ring (which was removed for tactical reasons, but I liked it; it looked great) and the new reflector instead of TIROS.
The T1 is very bright; way, way brighter than the old T1/T2. Not even close. As bright as a high powered Cree? No, but no run of the mill Lux3 level, either. The K2 used is well centered, extremely bright and very white; mine is "snow". The beam quality, for me, couldn't be any better. Not an artifact, ring, dark spot, etc - Perfect. The beam has got a bit wider spot and great spill; an extremely useful pattern. The T1 came loaded with 2 Energizer 123 cells (instead of the older model using 1 cell; size is the same as cell#2 replaced the long TIROS). The threads were dry and needed a little nyogel.
I am thinking Inova is intending the T1 for task light and medium range; a more useful beam for vision is hard to imagine short of a total flood. I think this is why the new T2 recieved the flared head of the T3 for more throw.
I had the old T1/T2. Neither was bright enough for me to warrant the larger size/weight of the light. I also ended up selling them because I hated the almost total lack of spill using TIROS. Nice throw, but be prepared to trip over loose bricks in your walkway. Both of these issues have been corrected on the new T series. Of course, the increased brightness of the T1 is courtesy of a 740ma drain at the battery. Because this must be a buck circuit, over that amount will be hitting the emitter. The light gets warm in operation after a few minutes, but not hot.
Overall, I'm quite pleased with the T1. They may not have harnessed the latest emitter, but they did a good job with this light. Build quality, including the SF quality body, AR lens, AL reflector and clickie are all top notch.
Initial thoughts: Same quality you have come to expect from the Inova T series. Tank-like build, "quality gear" comes from every pore. Really, the only differences externally from the older versions are the lack of silver bezel ring (which was removed for tactical reasons, but I liked it; it looked great) and the new reflector instead of TIROS.
The T1 is very bright; way, way brighter than the old T1/T2. Not even close. As bright as a high powered Cree? No, but no run of the mill Lux3 level, either. The K2 used is well centered, extremely bright and very white; mine is "snow". The beam quality, for me, couldn't be any better. Not an artifact, ring, dark spot, etc - Perfect. The beam has got a bit wider spot and great spill; an extremely useful pattern. The T1 came loaded with 2 Energizer 123 cells (instead of the older model using 1 cell; size is the same as cell#2 replaced the long TIROS). The threads were dry and needed a little nyogel.
I am thinking Inova is intending the T1 for task light and medium range; a more useful beam for vision is hard to imagine short of a total flood. I think this is why the new T2 recieved the flared head of the T3 for more throw.
I had the old T1/T2. Neither was bright enough for me to warrant the larger size/weight of the light. I also ended up selling them because I hated the almost total lack of spill using TIROS. Nice throw, but be prepared to trip over loose bricks in your walkway. Both of these issues have been corrected on the new T series. Of course, the increased brightness of the T1 is courtesy of a 740ma drain at the battery. Because this must be a buck circuit, over that amount will be hitting the emitter. The light gets warm in operation after a few minutes, but not hot.
Overall, I'm quite pleased with the T1. They may not have harnessed the latest emitter, but they did a good job with this light. Build quality, including the SF quality body, AR lens, AL reflector and clickie are all top notch.
Last edited:
