Inova X1 flickering?

[59Bassman]

I've EDC'ed on of the "2-watt" X1's for the past year. I know it's not the favored light of some folks. I'm pretty happy with the light, and use it almost everyday.

Normally I carry it with the tailcap backed quite a ways out, just so it does not turn on inadvertently. This comes after an early episode where the flashlight wedged against my cell phone in my pocket, and I had a young lady clue me into the fact that my flashlight was attempting to "spotlight the family jewels" in my pocket. Grrr...

Anyway, in the past few months, the flashlight has started occasionally flickering. This is most noticeable when using the pushbutton, but it will also do this when screwing the tailcap all the way down. I've cleaned the contacts but cannot make it stop.

One thing I have noticed is that this light puts a significant dent in the end of the battery under the tailcap. That contact is pretty pointed, and after a couple of days I have a dented battery. I wonder if this dent is not the cause of the issue.

Has anyone else noticed this? Is this flickering common with this light? It won't do it on a fresh battery, but only starts after the battery has 15+ minutes of runtime on it.

 

[Gunner12]

When you say it might flicker when tightening the tailcap, I was thinking maybe some of the anodizing is wearing off.

Some have said flickering is a response to a lower battery, but it has been fixed in the newer versions.

 

[gwbaltzell]

The current draw of the T1 is relatively high and the battery contact poor. What you are seeing is just like a low battery condition because of poor battery contact. Check with Inova.

 

[lumenal]

One thing I have noticed is that this light puts a significant dent in the end of the battery under the tailcap. That contact is pretty pointed, and after a couple of days I have a dented battery. I wonder if this dent is not the cause of the issue.

Has anyone else noticed this? Is this flickering common with this light? It won't do it on a fresh battery, but only starts after the battery has 15+ minutes of runtime on it.

Funny story about the "family jewels"! :twothumbs

I have all 4 generations of the Inova X1 (yes, there really is a generation 2 and 2.1, both with 5mm Nichias and reflectors).

I quit using NiMH cells in mine and went back to alkaline because I too noticed the dent in the negative end of the battery.

X1s are notorious for flickering, especially when theres a build-up of aluminum oxide on the contacts and threads.

Very tempermental - lots of cleaning and lubing required.

I would guess that the dented negative battery contact, the crud build-up, and a quick drop in voltage all as a combined unit contribute to the flickering.

So, I rarely use the momentary on and just twist to constant on - the light seems to operate better this way.

 

[Delij]

I have 3 X1s.

I never had any problem like you described, but I did have a tailcap that was hard to use in push mode and sometimes i had to loosen it a lot first before I could get it to stay on when tight. (constant on).

This was on my X03.

I called Inova and they sent me a new tail piece right away. No questions asked.

Give them a call, and tell them about your problem. My bet is you wll receive a new tail cap within a few days. Their service is super. Look on their web site and call customer service.

I was so impressed I now have the X03, two X5s, three X1s, and just today picked up an XO. So now I have the entire X lineup. With both colors in the X5 and X1. Plus a second "titanium" x1 with the newer reflector...

peace,
D.