Pelican M6 LED vs Inova XO

buba

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Any thoughts on how the Pelican M6 LED compares to the Inova XO? Cannot decide between the two and looking for advice? Primary use would be as a walking light.
 

stockae92

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i don't have the Pelican M6 LED

i can only comment on SF G2Z vs Inova X0 vs Inova X5T HA

the throw and brightness goes with that order too:

SF G2Z > Inova X0 > Inova X5T HA

but of course, battery life goes the other way /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif :

SF G2Z < Inova X0 < Inova X5T HA

i think the Inova X0 is a great light, for a 1W-er, 2 CR123a. it has great throw and good useable side spill. the rings is not noticeable when using outdoor. it's a little big (quite a little bigger than X5T, but the throw simply blow it away), more so than i thought. X0 got better throw than my MM+ Q3 on 2AA mini mag w/ NX-05 (which i use the most because of NiMH).

i think X0 would be a good walking light because of its throw and side spill. but i think MM+ (or badboy) w/ mini mag + NiMH will make a cheaper walking light in a long run.

my MM+ does run a little warm on extended time (not burning hot, but noticeably warm. but i can't comment on the X0's temperature cause batteries are expensive /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif
 

MoonRise

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I just got an M6. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif I haven't played, umm -used- it much yet, but I like it so far, solid construction, white light, decent throw and light output. It's not a throw or output monster, but it is decent. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbsup.gif

I can't compare it to an X0, but I did a quick comparison to an Arc4 and a tweaked PrincetonTec 40 (Mag 4-cell xenon bulb with 4 NiMH cells). The M6 has a bit more output than the Arc4 (as expected, ~40 lumens vs ~30 lumens) and a bit more throw (bigger reflector than the Arc4) and a bit less output and throw than the PT40 (which I think is running around the ~60 lumens mark).

For EDC and indoor usage, the Arc4 still wins. As an outdoor walking-the-dogs light, the Arc4 is a little too little (in size, output, and throw). The PT40 with the xenon bulb and NiMH cells is a good outdoor light, bright with decent throw, but not blinding for the user. I still have to see how the M6-LED is for a walk-the-dogs light.

The PT40 will light up a house 100 yds away enough to see and ID things, while the Arc4 doesn't quite reach that far even on Level-1 (the beam is a bit too diffuse). The M6-LED reaches the 100 yd house, but a bit wider on the hot-spot than the PT40. The environment is open suburbs with a goodly amount of light pollution from porch lights and strteet lights. In close quarters in more dark areas (hiking a trail in the woods, for instance), the M6 might be a bit too bright for close-in usage and the PT40 would almost certainly be overkill close-in (closer than 10-20 yards).

In true CPF form, get them all. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif
 

Wingerr

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X0-PM6_copy.jpg

The lengths are similar, with the X0 being longer, but for some reason the X0 just feels much larger in hand than the PM6. The PM6 has a nice tactile feel to it, maybe because of the knurled body.


th_PM6-XO.jpg
PM6-X0
PM6 on the bottom:
With camera color balanced to the PM6, the X0 has a more violet color to it, though when viewed individually without the other light as a reference, they don't have any obvious tints to them.

th_XO-PM6.jpg
XO-PM6
X0 on top; with the image color balanced to the X0, the PM6 appears greener than the X0.


On my meter, my PM6 LED has a higher peak brightness by about 20%, and also has the smoother, wider dispersion. The X0 has those interesting rings-of-saturn in the beam-
Though it doesn't have the full regulation of the X0, for a first light, I'd probably go for the PM6, and get the X0 later.
 

Aten_Imago

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Could you please reshoot these beamshots for us and set your camera for DAYLIGHT White Balance and not white balance to either light.
That would be great. Thanks! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/popcorn.gif
 

PJD

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My Inova X0 gets slightly warm when used long-term, but my Arc4+ gets noticably warmer. As far as output goes, there's no comparison...the X0 blows the Arc away. They're both rated at 30 lumens, but the X0 seems to put the lumens to much better use as a result of the optics. The flip-side is that the X0, IMHO, is not EDCable...too big. For EDC purposes the Arc gets the nod. According to Roy's run-time plot the X0 has rock-steady regulation for about 4 hours, and that goes pretty much with what I saw on my first set of batteries. When compared to my Pelican M6 LED, the X0's hotspot appears to my eyes (...I don't have any measuring equipment) to be just about as bright as the M6's hotspot and about 50% bigger. In sidespill the M6 beats the X0 hands down...there's not much sidespill on the X0 to speak of, but the nice wide hotspot does a pretty good job of making up for the lack of sidespill. As far as the way they "feel" in the hand, I prefer the M6. It's knurling makes it easier to hold on to, and I prefer it's clickie switch over the X0's switch. Both lights are built like a tank, so durability shouldn't be a problem with either one of them. The one I prefer in terms of beam "type" is the X0; it's wide, focused hotspot is pretty impressive to me. While it may not throw quite as far as the M6, it's damn close. As a result of the X0's regulation, it's the one I use the most...I have a real weakness for flat output, and for right at 4 straight hours, the X0 has truly flat, impressive output. Just my $.02...YMMV!

PJD
 

Wingerr

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The M6 beam does seem to measure brighter than the visual comparison with the X0; maybe the smoothness makes it seem less so- Like how a bad stick shift driver can make a car seem more powerful than a smooth one - /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Another point of comparision- the X0 input current draw is about 270mA, vs the PM6 LED's draw of 640mA. For the 20% peak brightness advantage of the PM6, you have to slake its thirst for power.. The X0 certainly seems to sip the electrons more daintily.
For a fair comparision though, the total output needs to be compared though, not just the peak "throw" power. It's certain the total output advantage of the PM6 LED is much higher than 20%. Didn't see the X0 on Quickbeam's chart yet- And were there any run time charts done on the stock PM6 LED yet?
 

Wingerr

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Hopefully soon- those throw vs. total output numbers definitely will complete the puzzle-

The ratio of your throw/output numbers is a nice figure to categorize a light as spot or flood.
6.24 for the X1 (spot)
3.47 for the CMG Sonic
2.76 Mag 4D
1.95 PM6 LED
1.5 for the Newbeam
1.43 for 24/7
1.1 for the X5
0.42 for the L4 (flood)

It'll be interesting to see what the X0 would be-
 

gwbaltzell

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I can't compare only having a X0. I have tried it as a walking light but I don't need to see 200 ft in front of me. Maybe I've not completely burned my ancient retinas yet. But for just walking around the neighborhood my $15 (US) Dorcy 4 LED 2 AA puts out a nice wide beam thats not too bright. Don't get me wrong the 32 lumen Inova X0 is an excellent light. And it could be used for this purpose. It just not the best choice for me. Sometimes less is more.

edit: I was reminded of one "advantage" of the X0 when I took it out a short while ago to check out a noise outside. It has such a tight, bright beam you get to see what you're breathing!
 
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