Inova X1 Woes!

Hi All,



I picked up my first (new version) Inova X1 Black and had to return it right away due to a faulty switch.. Read the forums here and decided to give it another try, I found a titanium color one and picked it up..



After 1 week I was very happy with the output, appearance and attributed the problem to bad luck. I noticed later that the light no longer has a lens. Apparently it fell off!



Stopped by Target today on the way home and picked up my third and last Inova X1 once again in black. Tomorrow I will package up my second and return it..



Is any one else having quality problems with these lights or are my just on an unlucky streak?:thumbsdow



Thanks for any input!

I don't have any Inovas, and sorry to hear about this SeaWard. Hopefully you'll get a reliable enough light soon.

Hmmmm, just picked up a black X1 ver. 2.0 from Target last night.

This is discouraging news. Can you elaborate on how the switch fails?
I don't see how the lens can fall out, unless you cracked it to pieces and they fell out. The lens looks recessed behind the stainless steel collar.

So far, it's been as described by all here at CPF. Nice little pocket light for close up work.

seems inova has qc issues with their switches. when i first got my t1 the switch was cranky but after working it for a few minutes it cleared up and has been good ever since.

Thanks guys, the switch problem was more then likely a contact problem. When you twisted the tail cap in all the way the light would sometimes time turn on and do nothing the other times.



Apparently, the lens is glued on from the front. I know this because I found the lens in my jacket pocket and it is tacky.



I am interested to see if many other people have a lot of problems, really I do like the light output and appearance. I hope this one holds up!

I have one each of the new and old versions. On both the lens is captured behind the steel bezel and can not come out. I do have switch problems from time to time, mostly flickering when it is not screwed in very far. Sometimes when screwed in further it still flickers, so I clean the contacts on the battery and light and it works fine. I use my new style one at work and this is the one that has the problems because it gets dirty at work.

Ah Blindasabat, I have to disagree as I have proof. It did happen to me. If they were mounted from the behind it could not have fallen out.

http://us.a2.yahoofs.com/users/43c2cfddze3e3fdc0/8794/__sr_/3d47re2.jpg?phwz0HEB3X44l2yq

http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/gregary/album?.dir=/8794&.src=ph

Do you have a picture of your bezel with the lens out? I'm looking at mine right now and it sure looks like it is captured under the pressed in bezel.

Added.. If some one can host the image that would be great.. Right now only yahoo users can see it I believe..

Your post prompted me to take a closer look under a Nikon digital microscope we have here at work. It does appear to be seated on a ledge from the outside. though at first glance (all I gave it before) it appears to be captured like most lenses are.
Good call. And good eyes. :bow:

wow, that's odd!!! I guess they used too small of a lens on your light or something?!?!

Better engineering could have been expected.

I figured the switch problems were just the nature of the X1. I had problems with mine and my dealer ordered me another one. When the new one got here it wasn't much better. The switch on my X5 works fine in comparisson. With the X1, you pretty much have to screw it in untill the light will come on just by pushing against the side of the tail cap. The button part of the switch is pretty much useless.

The lens is only glued in on mine as well.

My new-style X1 (silver) also developed tailcap problems over the weekend. It always seemed a little "sensitive," but for $20, I wasn't worried about it until yesterday. In fact, I expected it. Now, however, it sits in the returns bin at my local Target store.

As to picking up a new/replacement X1, I don't know yet... My new Fenix L1P arrived today, and for twice the price of the X1, I feel like I received three times the light.

Heh, who am I kidding?!? Of course I'll pick up a new X1, lol! But, in all seriousness, I'm not in any real rush to do so now.

I fixed the intermittant twisty tailcap on a new Inova X1 tonight by:

1) cleaning the inside rear shiny surface of the tailcap, the rear edge of the flashlight body, and the positive contact (deep inside the flashlight body) with a swab dipped in 99% alcohol.

2) cleaning the AA battery ends using a pencil eraser.

Works much better now.

Rats!

I suppose the freeze-pop method may not work to open them either.

I'm dissappointed, but I'll still have to get a couple, just for research you understand, I'll get no pleasure out of it!!!!




...Otisville?...OTISVILLE!!!!!!????????......

Sorry to hear you guys are having so much trouble with your X1's. Mine hasn't give me any issues with lens or the switch at all.

I do keep mine in the nylon sheath when not in use, and I don't normally carry it it my pocket, it gets stowed in my laptop case.

It appears to my eyes to be a well-engineering light, quite a bargain for $20.

I have three new X1s and numerous older style X1s and I've never seen an instance where the tailcap stopped functioning. It is true that with the small diameter membrane type 'switch', that the metal portion of the tailcap needs to be close to full contact for it to work, but as has been discussed on numerous other threads, if you press on a metal section of the very end of the tailcap, they tend to work very reliably. Actually, I almost always just screw mine down if I'm going to be using it for more than 1 second at a time.

I am somewhat off put by the notion of the lens being glued in place, if that is in fact true which it appears to be. On the old style ones, it was retained by the stainless steel bezel... I wonder why they didn't just stick with that design?