Victorinox 2AAA - can anyone recommend?

[boet]

Hi all,

Does anyone have / used and can recommend the Victorinox 2AAA LED?
The packaging does not mention the type of LED used, nor any output specs. Does anyone know what LED is used, lumens and runtime of this light?

Thank you.
Cheers,
Boet

 

[parnass]

I posted a few comments about the Victorinox 2AAA light in a couple of other threads. There are 2 versions. I have the version without the red rubber grip.

It is very well built and I have had no problems with it. The light emitted is considerably whiter than my Arc AAA-P lights, but not that much brighter.

The hotspot is small and there is a good spill beam. My only regret is that it is dimmer than I had hoped.

 

[boet]

There are 2 versions. I have the version without the red rubber grip.

That is exactly the light that I am asking about (2AAA without red rubber grip). Do you have any idea what LED is used? I've never seen an Arc AAA-P, so cannot compare.
I have read that the Victorinox is made by Inova.

I saw this light packaged with a Tinker Victorinox knife marked down to $29 CAD. Seems a good deal, but I am more interested in the light than the knife. As usual, in a blister pack so that I cannot test before buying

Thanks for the reply.

 

[parnass]

...Do you have any idea what LED is used?

No, but I suspect it is the same LED used in the Inova 2AAA Bolt. They claim 2 watts, but I suspect that refers to the maximum rating of the LED itself and the flashlight circuitry runs the LED at considerably less power. It is much dimmer than my 1 watt Luxeon lights (e.g., Peak LED Solutions Caribbean, Dorcy CR123A and 3AAA).

I have read that the Victorinox is made by Inova.

Yes, it is displayed at the http://www.inovalight.com web site, too.

I saw this light packaged with a Tinker Victorinox knife marked down to $29 CAD.

I don't know about Canadian vs. USA dollars, but that sounds like a good deal. Felinevet.sosakonline.com sells the light for $28.50 US with free shipping.

 

[parnass]

Here is another comparison which might help you understand the Victorinox 2AAA flashlight.

I bought a new 3rd generation Inova X1 tonight. It's beam pattern and color are virtually identical to the Victorinox 2AAA.

Both have a small hotspot and emit light at a considerably smaller angle than the 2nd generation Inova X1.

Both the Victorinox 2AAA and the 3rd generation Inova X1 grow warm after a minute or two usage, though the 3rd generation X1 becomes warmer than the Victorinox.

The older 2nd generation X1 (5 mm LED) stays cold.

 

[boet]

Here is another comparison which might help you understand the Victorinox 2AAA flashlight.

parnass, thanks for the extra info. That helps.

Last question:
The black battery cap/tail cap and the black on the end of the head - is that plastic or metal?

Thanks.
Cheers
Boet

 

[parnass]

...
The black battery cap/tail cap and the black on the end of the head - is that plastic or metal?

It feels and looks to me like metal.

 

[boet]

Re: Victorinox 2AAA

I purchased both the Victorinox 2AAA (see parnass's picture above) and Inova X1 version 3 (latest) this weekend.
Both are very well built. The Victorinox beam is blue/white while the X1 is a bit green :thumbsdow. The Vic appears to be slightly brighter, with a larger hot spot (but maybe this is because of the difference in beam colour?).

I was under the impression that both had a "2 Watt" LED, as is in the latest X1. However, the LED's are different in appearance, with the LED in the Vic looking like a regular 5mm. The Vic packaging made no mention of the type of LED being used.

parnass, what does your Vic LED look like?
Do I maybe have an older Vic light?

Anyway, I like both lights - handy for when it's completely dark, or when working in close spaces.

Cheers,
Boet

 

[parnass]

Re: Victorinox 2AAA

I purchased both the Victorinox 2AAA (see parnass's picture above) and Inova X1 version 3 (latest) this weekend.
....
I was under the impression that both had a "2 Watt" LED, as is in the latest X1. However, the LED's are different in appearance, with the LED in the Vic looking like a regular 5mm. The Vic packaging made no mention of the type of LED being used.

parnass, what does your Vic LED look like?
...

Forgive the photo of my Victorinox 2AAA LED shown below. I created the image using my flatbed scanner, which has poor depth perception compared with a real camera.

My Vic 2AAA's LED is rectangular shaped and yellow. How does this compare with your Vic 2AAA? The Victorinox package says "with 2.0 watt LED."

 

[LukeA]

Re: Victorinox 2AAA

That's a PWT. I could Rebel that...

Where did you find an alox Tinker with that light?

 

[parnass]

Re: Victorinox 2AAA

That's a PWT. I could Rebel that...

Where did you find an alox Tinker with that light?

What is a PWT?

I bought the Victorinox Electrician knife shown in the early 1990s, but don't recall where.

 

[LukeA]

Re: Victorinox 2AAA

What is a PWT?

The LED in the Vic light. Inova rates it at 2W and the part number as LXCL-PWT3. However, there is no Lumileds part number LXCL-PWT3. The only LED that could be in there is the LXCL-PWT1 (PWT), which is rated at 1.19W (of course it might be overdriven to get to 2W). The Rebel is a fairly simple replacement.

I bought the Victorinox Electrician knife shown in the early 1990s, but don't recall where.

Oh well.

 

[psul71]

Re: Victorinox 2AAA

Where did you find an alox Tinker with that light?

Contact Felinevet at over at sosakonline.com. I think that he still might have some new "old" stock Alox Electrician SAKs available.

psul71

 

[parnass]

Re: Victorinox 2AAA

The LED in the Vic light. Inova rates it at 2W and the part number as LXCL-PWT3. However, there is no Lumileds part number LXCL-PWT3. The only LED that could be in there is the LXCL-PWT1 (PWT), which is rated at 1.19W (of course it might be overdriven to get to 2W).....

Thanks for explanation. I see that the PWT1 lifetime is rated at only 2,000 hours compared with 50,000 and 100,000 hours for other Luxeons. The data sheet is at: http://www.lumileds.com/pdfs/DS52.pdf

 

[boet]

Re: Victorinox 2AAA

My Vic 2AAA's LED is rectangular shaped and yellow. How does this compare with your Vic 2AAA? The Victorinox package says "with 2.0 watt LED."

Good photo !
You can see the LED very easily.
My light has what I believe is called a Tiros or collimating lens - I cannot see the shape of the LED. I thought at first that I was seeing a "domed" LED.

Oh well, we may have different LEDs / different versions. My package definitely did not say "2 Watt" on it - it said nothing about the LED.

Do you know whether this 2AAA Victorinox was made with a 5mm LED prior to the version you have? Or some other LED maybe?

On a different note, I have now purchased two of the "2 Watt" Inova X1's, which are supposed to be the same LED as the Vic (maybe not mine, though). Very useful for close up work / going walkabout in home in the middle of the night. Don't need uber brightness for that. The shortish runtime is not a problem - one AA is cheap to replace, NiMh even cheaper.

Cheers.
Boet

 

[parnass]

Re: Victorinox 2AAA

Good photo !
You can see the LED very easily.
My light has what I believe is called a Tiros or collimating lens - I cannot see the shape of the LED. I thought at first that I was seeing a "domed" LED.

...

Though I have seen other LED flashlights packaged with Victorinox Swiss Army knives (in the USA), I thought that the Victorinox 2AAA LED light I had was the first and only 2AAA made by Inova for Vic. I think the other lights were made for Vic by different manufacturers.

Are you sure your 2AAA Vic light was made in USA by Inova (Emissive Energy Corp.)?

 

[boet]

Re: Victorinox 2AAA

Are you sure your 2AAA Vic light was made in USA by Inova (Emissive Energy Corp.)?

Yes, my Vic is made by Inova. There is a paper in the blister pack that says send to Emissive Energy Corp for warranty.

Can you easily see your Vic LED through the lens/window in the same way as you can with the Inova X1 "2 Watt"? Your picture of the Vic LED appears to be similar to the X1 "2 Watt" LED.

Thanks.
Cheers.
Boet

 

[parnass]

Re: Victorinox 2AAA

Yes, my Vic is made by Inova. There is a paper in the blister pack that says send to Emissive Energy Corp for warranty.

Very interesting! I didn't know Inova made a TIROS light for Victorinox.

Can you easily see your Vic LED through the lens/window in the same way as you can with the Inova X1 "2 Watt"? Your picture of the Vic LED appears to be similar to the X1 "2 Watt" LED.

Yes, I can easily see the LED and reflector in my Vic 2AAA and they look the same as those in the new 2 watt Inova X1.

 

[lumenal]

I looked at the 2 AAA Victorinox LED flashlight at Sportsmans Warehouse recently. (I've looked at it several times actually).

This particular one has no rubber grip, and it definitely looks like a 5mm LED in a reflector - very similar to the Inova X1, gen.2.

There is no mention of a "2 watt" LED anywhere on the package.

I suspect, from Parnass' photos, that Inova updated the 2 AAA Vic the same way as the X1, gen. 3. :shrug:

 

[boet]

This particular one has no rubber grip, and it definitely looks like a 5mm LED in a reflector - very similar to the Inova X1, gen.2.
There is no mention of a "2 watt" LED anywhere on the package.

lumenal, thanks for chiming in. This appears to be what I have.
parnass, the mystery is solved. There is an earlier Vic 2AAA out there (compared to yours).
But :mecry: I wanted the new "2 Watt" LED - the latest and greatest is always best, yes?

.

Thanks for your help in clarifying this for me, guys.
Cheers.
Boet

Edited to add: lumenal said: ".......looks like a 5MM LED in a reflector....".
So what I see is not a Tiros or collimating lens, but a reflector. Learning every day. Thanks.