Inova's excuse for dropping SS bezels on T-series

[pilou]

As most of you probably know, Inova has dropped the stainless steel bezels on their new updated T3 and T4. Their official explanation is that they did it because of complaints by "law enforcement and tactical users." The only possible compaint I can imagine is about the SS shine "giving them away." Law enforcement people give themselves away with all the rattling gear they carry anyway. But I can understant how it might be aproblem when mounted on guns, with the bezel not covered by any holster. Elighten me about how big of an issue this really is.

But do you folks believe that Inova did it because it really got a significant number of complaints or do you think maybe two people actually complained and Inova is just using it as an excuse for cost cutting? Just curious.

 

[orbital]

pilou, I believe it just was a simple request by some law enforcement clients.

 

[riffraff]

Well, it should be interesting to see how well the new ones sell (and what happens to the prices of the old ones in BST).

 

[woodrow]

I have had both their old and new T series lights. I do not think there is a real disadvantage to the new bezels. They still seem tough to me. I feel bad because I have not said very many positive things about Inova lately, but they really do make tough reliable lights.

 

[orbital]

woodrow, I have a '07 T3 and a while back if someone was to even mention a light with a K2 in it, people jumped on them.

Now Lumileds are gaining a bit more traction with the CPF crowds,
anyway my T3 is the best built light I own, not to mention an amazing reflector for the most flawless beam.

Quantity vs. Quality factor

 

[JML]

Well, has anyone thought about ...

There's something really obvious about this issue that may have eluded Inova and those who asked for the black bezels. Or maybe I'm missing something?:huh2:

The most significant part of a flashlight that will reflect external light and be shiny isn't the little bezel -- it's the highly polished big reflector inside that bezel -- which these new Inova lights now have, and didn't have before! With the TIROS, there might have been less reflection of outside light, but now, with that beautiful reflector... If a cop points that light at someone, and the light is off, the reflector will be far more visible than a tiny bezel. Right??

I wish they made the damned bezel removable. It might be, but it will take a major effort to find out if the ring can be unscrewed and replaced with the old one. {see below!}

 

[Lambert]

What alloy is the new black bezel made of?

 

[JML]

Well, I got the black bezel off my new T3. I just gave it a good twist, and it finally came off. Never would budge before...

Of course, now I can't get the stainless bezels off my old T3 and X03 to swap them, but I would bet anything they're all interchangable. (The thread pitch matches that found on a reflectorized X02 that I have, and which has a smaller diameter stainless bezel that was easy to unscrew.) In an effort to get that stainless bezel off the lights, I tried wet heat, dry heat, followed by immediate cold, and rubber strap pipe wrenches, to no avail. So I gave up.

There was some red compound on the T3 threads, which looked to me to be a thread-locking compound. The bezel material is steel, because a magnet is attracted to it; the black treatment goes all over the ring and threads. The four tiny little pin holes do not go all the way through the ring, but the ring doesn't really seal to the lens and prevent stuff from getting under the ring. How do I know? Well, I had removed the marred antireflective coating before, with very fine polish, and some of the dried polish was there under the ring.

Others have remarked about the fixed lens, but I can't see how one would get the lens out without breaking it, even if you have some type of super strong vacuum suction tool. It's apparently glued to the internal reflector/bezel somehow. I wanted to get it out to remove a mark on the inside surface, but I guess that's not going to be possible.

 

[orbital]

Quite the mission!