New Inova X1?

[Solstice]

Re: new inova x1 at target

I threw a partially used e2 lithium in there and it hasn't blown up so far. Looks about the same, output wise, but of course it is lighter in weight . These batteries are rated 1.5 volts, some run a little higher, but I doubt it's enough to damage anything- certainly not the LED, and most likely not the circuit.

 

[Blindasabat]

Re: new inova x1 at target

I have run Lithium in mine for over a week with no problem.

 

[cratz2]

Re: new inova x1 at target

I've used many Energizer Lithiums in the older X1s with no trouble and I've used a Lithium in the new X1s but obiously not for very long (since I haven't had them very long). The driver isn't really hitting the LED very hard so I seriously doubt there would be a problem using lithiums.

 

[parnass]

Re: new inova x1 at target

The 4 Target stores in my area do not have the new Inova X1s yet.

How does the throw, spill, and tint of the new X1 using an alkaline battery compare with a 2AA Mini Maglite using the $5 Nite Ize LED drop-in?

Thanks.

 

[Ikonomi]

Re: new inova x1 at target

I have used lithium AAs in my old X1 almost exclusively and have never had a problem.

I see a lot of praise for the new X1 in this thread, but would you guys who've handled them recommend them over the River Rock 2AAA for a cheap, pocketable light?

 

[Nyctophiliac]

Re: new inova x1 at target

Having read all of these posts, three things occur to me:

1. I wish Target had shops in the UK.

2. I wish I was blind so I didn't want these things so badly!

3. How many shall I buy?


Debt is good...

 

[not2bright]

Re: new inova x1 at target

I have used lithium AAs in my old X1 almost exclusively and have never had a problem.

I see a lot of praise for the new X1 in this thread, but would you guys who've handled them recommend them over the River Rock 2AAA for a cheap, pocketable light?

Ikonomi, the RR 2AAA is about .75" longer than the X1, and the bezel is just a bit larger. Of course the body of the RR is slimmer than the X1.

The RR is brighter overall, with a bit more throw. The RR beam is BLUE all over, where the X1 has a bluish hotspot and the spill is white.

The X1 makes the RR feel cheaply constructed and the X1 is made in the US (or so it says). Either are EDC candidates, however I feel that the shorter X1 is a bit easier to carry.

Inova should include sheaths with all X1s (I found several reflector models with sheath rather than the lanyard) as it makes for easy belt carry.

 

[cratz2]

Re: new inova x1 at target

I see a lot of praise for the new X1 in this thread, but would you guys who've handled them recommend them over the River Rock 2AAA for a cheap, pocketable light?

The River Rock 2xAAA light has easily been my most recommended light of the last six months. It's slim and perfect for a shirt pocket or a lab pocket. Nurses love them.

Personally, I'd rather have the new X1. It more than likely has better runtime, has a better quality feel, has that great glass lens that will never get scratched unless you intentionally do it and I'd much rather have the 'blue in the center, green in the corona' pattern of the Nicha CS in the new X1 than the pure blue tint of the River Rock lights.

Of course, the other issue is cost... There was a recent thread where someone was offput by the idea of a $15 flashlight. For these kinds of people (whether this is from true lack of funds or lack of desire to spend the funds) the $10 River Rock may very well be more palatable than the $20 Inova.

Overall, I'd prefer to have the X1, I'd probably steer women towards the River Rock since it's slimmer and would probably steer men towards the X1 since it has a better 'coolness' factor along with the qualities I listed above.

In all honesty, both of them, along with the XNova 8LED, are outstanding values.

 

[BlackDecker]

Re: new inova x1 at target

I own both the RR 2AAA and the new X1, but if it came down to recommending one over the other, I would say get the X1. The runtime on the X1 with a 2500mah AA NiMh should be greater than the RR with two 850mah AAA NiMh batteries.

As mentioned above, the RR has a strong blueish tint that covers the entire hotspot and much of the spill, whereas the X1 is only slightly blue in the hotspot with a white spill.

Granted, I am comparing a $10 light to a $20 light, but for that extra $10, you do get much better quality.... hard anodizing and a glass lens.

The tailswitch on the RR is easier to use in the momentary on position compared to the X1. There is more travel in the cap button on the RR.

Take the RR 2AAA and rap it lightly against an object... you'll hear the batteries rattling around inside the tube. Do the same with the X1 and you don't hear anything.

Both are excellent values... now if I was going to loan someone a light, I'd loan them the RR before I'd loan out the X1

 

[Flying Turtle]

Re: new inova x1 at target

Has anyone noticed if the pocket clip from an Infinity works on the X1? I think this feature adds greatly to the RR and would like it on the X1, too. I'll try it when I get home tonight on my old X1, but maybe someone already has.

Geoff

 

[BlackDecker]

Re: new inova x1 at target

Has anyone noticed if the pocket clip from an Infinity works on the X1? I think this feature adds greatly to the RR and would like it on the X1, too. I'll try it when I get home tonight on my old X1, but maybe someone already has.

Geoff

Good point. I wish the X1 had some type of clip as it will easily roll off a flat surface if you aren't careful.

 

[greenlight]

Re: new inova x1 at target

The new x1 has some differences from the old flashight:

Notice how the battery sticks out 3/8" instead of sitting flush with the tube. The piston/spring mechanism is probably improved over v1.

The tailcap is looser than on the original x1. It moves more in an annoying sort of way. I prefer the threads to ride more tightly and feel more solid. I switched out tailcaps, but the same effect. The threads on the body part appear different.

Compare the two:

 

[CoffeeAchiever]

Re: new inova x1 at target

Ok, I've gone over the edge now. Read this thread this morning, made an excuse to visit my local Target Store over lunch. Now I own BOTH versions of the Innova X1 - a black one with the original lens and a titanium colored light with the new reflector.

In the interest of full disclosure, I also have a Gerber Infiniti Ultra that I bought from BatteryStation (post FlashLightReviews article driven impulse buy) along with a gaggle of BatteryStation CR123a primaries and Li-ion AA's.

I have a few observations that I can share. First of all, both flashlights came in identical packages. My local Target is stocking these lights with the nylon holster rather than the lanyard that others on this forum have reported. There is also no difference in UPC or SKU numbers between the old X1 and the new X1. The ONLY packaging difference is that the black flashlight's SKU# is X1MT-BK (UPC: 71192-10001) and the white/titanium X1's SKU# is X1MT-WT (UPC: 71192-10002).

With the packages open, more differences are observed. As greenlight's excellent pictures reveal, Innova has made a number of significant changes to the new X1 over and above the lens assembly. The plunger type switch is indeed very different as greenlight's photos illustrate. Which is better, old or new? Difficult to say but in my opinion, the old switch does feel better. So do the threads. Switching tailcaps makes no difference. Again, greenlight hit the nail squarely on the head here.

Finally, the overall quality of the machine work and finishing is superior on the old model X1. But, you must look very closely at the flashlight body, comparing the two side-by-side, to see this. Those of you who do not own an older X1 will not be disappointed by the overall look and superb feel of the new Innova X1. This flashlight just exudes quality - well beyond the $20 I paid for each unit this afternoon at Target.

Regarding the controversial nature of the Innova X1's lamp/lens assembly, I must confess that I too find the new X1's conventional beam pattern to be much more "satisfying" than the "moon" beam pattern of the original. That said, the original X1 lens is unique and is much brighter than the new X1's hotspot. I'm really glad that I was able to buy both versions. I'll take both of them with me on a camping trip that I'm taking at the end of this month and see how they compare in actual use.

Since I also own a Gerber Infiniti Ultra, I was able to conduct a side-by-side comparison between the Infiniti Ultra and the new X1. First of all, the beams cast on a white painted wall in a darkened hall bathroom are very similar. The hotspots appear almost identically bright (the X1 seems to win by a very small margin) but the Infiniti Ultra's spillbeam is very noticeably dimmer that that of the new X1. No surprise here as the X1 has a real reflector surrounding its LED while the Infiniti Ultra's "reflector" is merely a black anodized cone. Interestingly enough, the LED's used in these two lights appear to be exact twins in every way - same slight bluish tint to the hot spot with a whiter spillbeam.

Now for the real head-scratching observation. Having read the excellent comparison review of the old and new X1's by cratz2 [https://www.candlepowerforums.com/posts/1294555], I wanted to see first-hand what would happen if I substituted a fresh BatteryStation 1.5V, 2900mAh LFB AA Li-ion battery for a Duracell Ultra 1.5V Alkaline battery. I was braced for the doubly-bright "angry blue" beam that cratz2 reported in his review. What I saw was - NO DIFFERENCE!

OK, I know that AA Li-ions generally output 1.7V rather than the 1.5V printed on the battery label. I also know that neither Innova nor Gerber recommend that Li-ion AA batteries be used in these two flashlights. True, the 14500 Li-ion battery that cratz2 substituted in his Innova X1 was probably delivering over 3V to the light but I really wanted to see something noticeable when I switched to the Li-ion AA. I guess that I'll resist my impulse to tempt fate by sticking with alkaline AA batteries in my X1 and Infinity Ultra lights. Lithium AA's certainly offer no perceptible performance advantages to justify the risk, however small.

Bottom line - I'm very pleased with my new acquisitions from Innova. Had I not stumbled across QuickBeam's FlashlightReviews website and then landed here at CPF early last month I'd probably still think that my AA Mini-Mag was hot stuff. On the other hand, my wife (and my wallet) wish that I had never "seen the light"!

 

[Flying Turtle]

Re: new inova x1 at target

To answer my own question, the pocket clip from an Infinity works fine on the old X1, so I presume it would also on the new model. It does turn with the tailcap, but doesn't seem to exert enough pressure to mar the finish. I suppose accessory clips for MiniMags would work as well.

Geoff

 

[edakoppo]

Re: new inova x1 at target

Now I own BOTH versions of the Innova X1 - a black one with the original lens and a titanium colored light with the new reflector.

But do you have the old style with a blue LED? That's when you know you're hooked. FWIW, I don't, and won't.

 

[Kryosphinx]

Re: new inova x1 at target

Lol, coffeeachiever, what he meant by li-ion was a 3.7V rechargeable. Those charge up to about 4.2V, which would explain the angry blue. Just a tad more than 1.7V, wouldn't you say? :laughing:

 

[unclearty]

Re: new inova x1 at target

I must say...this is an impressive little light. I think I'll add some WrightRight to smooth out the beam. The hotspot is slightly annoying, but nothing serious.

 

[cave dave]

Re: new inova x1 at target

Beam and brightness look virtually identical to my new company ARCAAA-P. So its quite a bit brighter than my old company ARC AA. I wish the new arc would come out with a CS AA, as its easier to turn on and its smaller. But this will do for now. Its brighter than many of my 3LED lights like the Opalec, Gerber and Dorcy.
My target had 3 black, two silver and one old lensed black. I didn't look closely to see if any came with a holster, I was to busy trying to determine which one was the brightest and whitest, which is hard to do while they are still in the package. I bought a silver with lanyard.

 

[Beacon of Light]

Re: new inova x1 at target

Bought a black non-optic one. Quite ironic as I never thought I'd go back to Target to purchase one of these considering I took back the version 1 Inova X1 a month or so earlier due to the unusable narrow beam. It's like a totally different light than the previous version. I honest couldn't find a use for a light with such a narrow spot. This version now has a usable floody beam which is what I value in an LED light and I guess that's why I love the cheapo lights that I have.

Can anyone tell me what they could possibly use that for? I've read this thread and some say it's great to use when you don't want to alert others. I don't see how that would apply.

If there was someone in the bushes waiting to ambush someone walking down a path with an Inova X1, they'd still see the light from a distance, and the bad thing would be, you wouldn't see them with that narrow beam till it's too late.

 

[carrot]

Re: new inova x1 at target

Can anyone tell me what they could possibly use that for? I've read this thread and some say it's great to use when you don't want to alert others. I don't see how that would apply.

If there was someone in the bushes waiting to ambush someone walking down a path with an Inova X1, they'd still see the light from a distance, and the bad thing would be, you wouldn't see them with that narrow beam till it's too late.

I thought of it as, since it's such a spot beam, if you're walking around at night and you don't want to disturb other people with it (eg, walking around after everyone crashes at a party), then it'd be pretty ideal.