Surefire or Inova X5?

[Peter1976]

Hi!
I work as a police officer. I'm interested in buying a new flashlight. I can't decide if I want one of surefires rechargeable flashlights or the Inova-X5.
Which one would you suggest and why?

Sincerely
Peter Fernlund

 

[Size15's]

Peter, Welcome to CPF!

What would you be using the X5 for?

Thanks

Al

 

[Cosmic Superchunk]

Peter, it depends on what the intended use of the light is going to be. If you don't mind the price tag and you want a very bright incandescent, then Surefire is the one. If you want a bright LED with long battery runtime, the Inova X5 is a good choice. I personally like the Inova X5T with white LED. It's under $40 bucks, compact, and hardly noticable on your belt. It's the one I carry everyday, but I still keep an incandescent (Streamlight Scorpion) as backup when I need a powerful burst of light in a compact package.

 

[keithhr]

surefire rechargeables will give you more projection, the inova X5 will give you, it's dark I can't see anything,any bit of light will do. The Inova , which I have and like, will give you a very subdued type of light ,while the surefire will simply, much more dramatically light up what you point it at. The Inova will run for way longer on a set of lithiums. I think you should buy from someone who will let you try them out and return what you don't use. It might be a good idea for you to do some searches and read what you can to get a feel for what's going on here. That's what I did month ago and have bought many lights because they all provide something different. What kind of lights do the guys you work with use, indicate what you like about or don't like about the lights they use, and from your preferences we could maybe give you some ideas. When I was a Police officer, all they had were the crummy mags, with the teeny tiny little yellow circle, my how things have changed.

 

[notos&w]

has surefire straightened out the problems w/ their rechargeables yet?

 

[Size15's]

I believe so.

Al

 

[kimchikungfu]

I'll second Superchunk's and keithhr's take on the X5T.

I have one and really like it. Very smooth and wide-angle floodlight, near natural color rendition, and not too harsh on the eyes in the dark (where my E2e will have me seeing stars).

Not sure if this is important, but since you're a leo the X5T also comes in a blue light version, which I'm told is the best color to see blood in. For nightshifts, the red light version might come in handy too.

On the other hand, the X5T doesn't throw that well. The throw-flood issue is a well-known CPF dichotomy, usually resulting in the near mythical "buy both" advice.

I have in fact come to realize that it really isn't a bad idea to edc both types of lights. And since you'll be using them professionally, you'll probably find it easier to justify the cost of a good SureFire rechargeable AND two or three Inovas (white, red, blue).

However, in regard to the Inova, you may want to consider waiting for the smaller X1. Read all about it in this Master Thread.