Inova T3 (2007) review +vs. T4trios, P61 &MMag3AA BEAMSHOTS

[woodrow]

I LOVED my Inova X5. It was my first Cool led light purchase ranking up there with my Sf 6p so many years ago. But as much as I liked it, I wished it was a little Brighter. The New T3 Delivers on the brightness request. Gone are the fabled 'Purple Rings of Saturn' that my old T4 so reliably provided at the press of a button. Replaced by a Perfect bright white medium spot surrounded by a Flawlessly smooth and Very Bright corrona.

The light itsself seems very short for a three cell light, but it is actually just shorter than the SL tl3, withought the super wide head. It has the usual nice, tough Inova finish. Its push button tailcap is stiffer than I would like, but I have no worries of accidental activation in a coat or pants pocket. If you are putting it into a suitcase, a small twist of the tailcap locks out the beam. The reflector is smooth aluminum (at least in apearance) without being shiny or having a orangepeel look. That being said, the beam is verry Surefire 'orangepeelish' looking.

The light has only one output level, bright. It is much brighter than the old T4 and dwarfs the MMag 3AA. I believe it would come in between the p60 and p61 SF incan bulbs. I could not find my p60 bulb for my gpz to prove this. I did compare the light against the Streamlight tl2 I had given to a co-worker (after putting new batts in it) and the spots seemed similar, but the T3 had a much brighter surround. It easily beat my Sf e2e for overall brightness.

Overall, I am verry impressed with the light. I believe it is actually close to the 100 lumans stated on the packageing. (thanks inova for not rating it at 250 lumans!) It apears to have all of Inova's normal toughness, and while I am sure it is not quite as bright as a Lumapower, Huntlight ect. Cree led light...It does have a flawless beam which makes up for a lot in my book. After hating my old t4 and being dissapointed in my T5, it is nice to see Inova come up with a winner.

Here are some beamshots below. All taken in manual mode, same exposure, iso, shutter ect. The wall shots were about 3' away. The bathroom wall in my store was 15 yards away.

The P61 is still brighter (at least for the first 8 minutes) but only its broader slightly more intense spot makes it so. The T3's brighter spillbeam and 2+ hour runtime have let it take over the space in my jacket's pocket that my Sf gpz use to occupy. I never thought a led would do that. Good job Inova!
Also, thanks for taking the time to look at this thread!
brad

 

[woodrow]

I just wanted to say thanks to : Newuser01, Skybane and shoe. Without the three of you responding to my plea for help about not being able to post pics, just links...I would have jumped off a cliff by now. Thanks!!!

 

[276]

i have the same lights u do i ;ove the new t3 and how bright it is but for some dumb reason when i got the new t4 ot is not as bright as the new t3 or my old t4

 

[pilou]

Thanks for the mini review! I must say I really like these new Inovas. I wish the bezel was still SS (I like the looks), but that is obviously just a very minor nitpick. I am actually looking forward to the new T1 as well.

 

[woodrow]

Just a quick note...I went through my first set of batts in the T3. Unlike my old T5, the beam does not strobe to let you know the batts are almost out of juice. The beam just quickly dims to about a Riverrock 2AAA's output.

Also, I decided to try 2 AW 17500's in it. It works fine (at least so far) but the tube is pretty tight. I allready took off the stickers on the batteries to fit it in my old Inova. They do slide out ok, you just have to give the light a little shake of the wrist.

 

[InfidelCastro]

i have the same lights u do i ;ove the new t3 and how bright it is but for some dumb reason when i got the new t4 ot is not as bright as the new t3 or my old t4

Your new K2 version T4 is not as bright as your old TIROS one?


Interesting..

I wonder who has the best price on these new T3's right now.

I like the new XO3, but I don't really like the smooth body. I need something to grip onto.

 

[Casual Flashlight User]

Nice review and pics...I like the form and build of my old T3, the beam is limited in it's usefulness though. This new version looks great.

What sort of runtime did you get from primaries and the 2x17500's?

Were the AW cells protected or unprotected?


CFU

 

[woodrow]

I am not sure what kind of runtime I got with the duracell 123's that came with the light. I played with the light a lot over a few days for several minutes at a time. I will give a more accurate time when I just put some 123's in it and let it run. Usually Inova is decently accurate on its runtimes.

As to the 17500's I ran it a couple of times for 20 min strait. I will have to let it run and see when they cut off. It is nice that the 17500's fit. It makes the T3 into a shorter T4 that can also use primaries.

 

[Blindasabat]

Nice review Woodrow.

As to the 17500's I ran it a couple of times for 20 min strait. I will have to let it run and see when they cut off. It is nice that the 17500's fit. It makes the T3 into a shorter T4 that can also use primaries.

That rocks. I wasn't planning to get one as I never thought 3-CR123 lights were worth the extra length, but I might have to see about the new T3, especially if I get some 17500's.
My current T3 and T1 were my first serious lights from a serious high quality manufacturer. You can feel the quality in them.