Streamlight Propoly 4AA vs Inova X5

My brother is starting his own Heating/Air conditioning business in central minnesota (15 years experience, he's licensed and insured to go on his own now), and I want to get him a couple of good lights. He's not a flashaholic by any means. When I asked him if he's got a flashlight he said, "oh yea, I usually get about 4 or 5 of those $7 ones every year. I told him I'd get him a good one. Here's the list I've come up with:

Streamlight Strion $95.00 - 2 chargers
Streamlight ProPoly 4AA, 7 LED $25.00 (maybe a 3C, 10 LED would be better, it's got a clip - $37, I'm not sure which is best)
(free shipping over $30 from www.opticsplanet.com )
Princeton Tec Corona headlamp $54.00 with shipping from Bright guy

I was thinking this should cover everything needed from looking down a long section of ductwork to hands free electrical in a dark corner.
My question is on the Propoly. I have a blue X5. It's not a bad wall of light but the dark spot in the middle is very anoying to me. It's not a smooth wall of light. An X6, with an LED in the middle would be much better. Does the ProPoly 7LED have a smooth, large wall of light? Or can you count the number of LEDs if you shine it at a wall 5 feet away?
Also, I'd like some feed back on my selection of lights for this kind of work.
I've bought quite a few lights from target and walmart plus some good ones like a TL-3 and just recently a G2. The light I chose to get him are ones that are on my own wish list. My wife told me to just give him a few of the ones I already have but none of them really fit the situation just right, (except the G2 maybe, but the 3V batteries, well, you know). I'm just amazed at how many lights it takes to be ready for any situation.

zulu45 said:

I own and EDC an Inova X5T, and there's no dark spot in the middle. It looks perfect.

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Well, I checked it out and I can see why you'd say that. http://www.flashlightreviews.com/reviews/inova_x5t.htm The X5T does have a smoother flood than the X5. I didn't realize the difference when I bought it, but I think I got an X5 and not an X5T, which is a newer model. I just bought mine a few weeks ago at target, they were having a sale on a select few lights. Maybe that's why this one was on sale.

I work midnights so on my days off and during the winter when it's still dark in the morning, I do my walking/jogging in the dark, uptown usually. There's always street lights but still enough darkness to have fun with my TL-3 and my other lights. That's how I found out about the X5. On a walking bridge, over a river, I could shine the X5 down and it lights stuff up pretty good out to 50 meters, (it's pretty dark right there), but there were all the rings, dark spots and light spots, because of the way the LEDs are situated. Not good. And up close, like just shining on the floor, the place in the middle, where there is no LED, is very noticable. There's nothing better than a nice walk at 3 am

If you can, try out one of the new X5Ts. You won't be disappointed. Just now, 4:51am here, I was out, and on the way back in, with the slight rain, I wondered how my EDC lights would look, and how much they'd illuminate in an outdoors situation. I was definately pleased. I've decided I'll keep either 3 or 4 EDCs on me... my 6P for tactical purposes, my X5 for a floodlight, my Streamlight Twin Task 1L for basic navigation, and my X1 v2 for the real small stuff. 4 EDCs... I need help...
:lolsign:

Once I get my KL3 module, though, I'll probably only carry three, the 6P, the X5, and the Streamlight, dropping use of alkalines altogether for EDC...

If your brother is not in to lights like you are, then go with a couple of Streamlight poly-pro luxeon 4AA or 3C lights good center spot and lots of throw. This light is much better than the 7 led version. He will be able to get batteries anywhere, the clickie switch is alot easier to use in tight places with 1 hand, and the size and color of these lights makes it harder to misplace them and lose them on the job sight.

Chuck

Agree with Chuck4570,I have both lights and for the non flashlight type the SL poly is a good choice,have used mine at work and has held up well. The new X5 at Target is much brighter than the older model with white leds.

The SL PP 7 LED and the SL PP Lux, while they may share a common appearance, are VERY different flashlights.

The 7 LED, a flashlight that I have, use and like, produces about 30 lumens of FLOOD light on fresh batteries. A tremendous wall of light. Beyond 10 or 15 feet, sometimes one may want something with a bit more focus, but within that range, it's almost startling as to how much it lights up an area.

The PP Lux, a flashlight that I have no experience with but is very popular on CPF, is a highly focused thrower with, by reported accounts and as pictured in beam shots, a fair amount of spill.

Both flashlights take four AA batteries. The PP Lux is regulated and, according to reviews, runs for about four very steady hours before it drops out of regulation. The 7 LED is not regulated but also produces about 4-6 hours of quality brightness. According to reviews, the 7 LED produces more overall light than the PP Lux.

73
dim

DaveG said:

... The new X5 at Target is much brighter than the older model with white leds.

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How can one distinguish between the old and new Inova X5 while it is still sealed in the package? There are many Target stores near here and I would want a newer X5 with white light, not an older one.

The new X5 has an octagonal body and a momentary tailcap switch. It also has a stainless steel bezel and a stainless steel ring on the bottom of the tailcap. They also have the latest Nichia CS LEDs.

The older model is designated the X5T, and has scalloped ridges, like the one shown on Flashlightreviews.com. I believe it also has older non-CS Nichias. Otherwise, it is functionally exactly the same as the new X5.

The old X5 has no stainless steel bezel or tailcap ring, and the body is machined out of aluminum. Also, on the old X5 there is no momentary switch, and the bezel, rather than the (non-existant) tailcap unscrews to replace the batteries.

Inova really needs to stop messing around with their light designations. I expect the same mix-ups will happen with the Inova XO and the new XO.

carrot wrote: "The new X5 has an octagonal body and a momentary tailcap switch. It also has a stainless steel bezel and a stainless steel ring on the bottom of the tailcap. They also have the latest Nichia CS LEDs. "

Although this is true - the X5 has had the octagonal body and stainless steel bezel for a number of years now (ie: I haven't seen a scalloped body for years).

All the ones I've ever seen in Target have had the octagonal bodies.

So this brings this question/complication
- since the Nichia CS is a relatively recent introduction -
how can one tell which X5 (octagonal bodies) have the Nichia CS?

for jimmybrown2 - with Nichia CS LEDs this makes the X5 both bright and very efficient - it's worth trying out one - buy from a local Target if you can since they have a no fuss return policy.....

UnknownVT said:

how can one tell which X5 (octagonal bodies) have the Nichia CS?

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This, I'm not sure. Mine appears to have the Nichia CS LEDs, and the UPC code says X5MT-WB. It also says ©2005 on the cardboard insert. It also has a very smooth beam, soft at the edges of the hotspot, with no rings or holes, and is very white compared to my Arc-AA, though the very center of the hotspot is bluish.

Well, I'm going to keep my mind open for the newer version, Inova X5T. I'd like to get a green one, they do make a green one don't they? I've never had a green light. My original intention was to get an X5 of each color, but I did get a bit dismayed by my first purchase. I will get un-dismayed and try again.

As for the Propoly, I think my question has been answered. The 7 LED or the 3C 10 LED, still not sure which but I'm leaning towards the latter, does indeed have a very good, bright wall of light. I just wanted to make sure the propoly wouldn't have the same issues as I've had with the Inova. It all sounds good though. My reasons for the selecting the ones I did was as follows: To have the strion clipped to his belt and always at the ready for a quick check of whatever needed checking, like in an attic or in a crawl space under a house looking from one end to the other to see what's there. And he could always put it on the charger every night. I don't expect he'd use it a lot but when he did need a light, it'd have all the light and good throw needed and then forgotten when it was holstered. I intended for the Propoly and the Headlight to be work lights. Most of his work will be with his hands and a bright wall of light that can be controlled or directed, vs a lantern type light, should fit the bill perfectly.
Though my brother is not a flashaholic, he is a hunter, fisherman and just an all around do-it-yourselfer type outdoorsman. So he will appreciate a good light as long as it's useful to him. Unlike me, who can appreciate a good light that just sits on the shelf until the right opportunity comes along.
I appreciate the imput I've gotten from everybody.

Hello JimmyBrown2!

I have that Streamlight 4AA ProPolymer SS 7 LED. But I prefered its sibling in Luxeon. I did notice that the SL4AAPP Solid State 7 LEDs tend to flicker after a while of usage, especially after it has been dropped. Don't know why that is so. But the SL4AAPPLux doesn't.

Hope you find what you're looking for and Enjoy!

I have a new in pkg X5 from the Discovery store,it is about a year or so old,not used at all,picked up a new one at Target.Did a side by side eye ball test, the Target one blows the older one away, much brighter. I also have a older X5 with the scalloped body,it and the Discovery store one output wise looked the same. The stainless ring at the bottom of the switch on the older model is engraved,the new model is not.All of these lights are white leds.Looks like the new ones at Target have the newer brighter leds.

I have seen in action and been pleasantly suprised by an X5.

I own a SL 4AA 7LED, a 3C 10LED and a 4AA LUX. I find the 4AA LUX to compare fairly favorable with a P60 Lamp powered by 2x123, and with about 4 times the runtime.

My 4AA 7LED is somewhat angry blueish, but a nice blob of blueish light. My 3C 10LED is not as blueish. I don't feel that the blob is quite as nice however.

Get him a Streamlight 2AA 1W JR. or get a 3W drop-in and a Kroll for a Minim*g (like my EDC) and I think you would make him VERY happy.

The 4AA 1W LUX is a bit too focused for general use, though just like my EDC if the spot is TOO much, the spill usually works great.

In REALLY dark (like my bathroom with the door closed) the 4AA 7LED and 3C 10LED are plenty of light. I could never count on one to do what I need my EDC for however!

Pretty much what PlayboyJoeShmoe said regarding the SL4AAPPSS7LED being not entirely "white" in its lighting appearance. Mine appears blue-purple hazed together.

The CS leds may have changed everything.

But at the time I got my 4AA 7LED, 3C 10LED and many other 5MM LED lights, blueish was what we got.

Actually it wasn't until my first LUXIII that I saw WHITE light from a LED!

All this said, as long as the blue doesn't run overboard, in use it's not that bad.

Also I'm somewhat prejudisted against my 3C as it's an older push/twist instead of a clickie. I'd like it a lot better that way. It's quite usable, just not as fine as the 4AA.