Fenix L1P vs. Gerber Infinity Ultra / Inova X1

Has anyone done runtime tests on these lights? What I am trying to determine is the point in time that an L1P puts out the same amount of light as the IU or the X1.

Also, I was interested in knowing how long the L1P would run and see the output over time.

The reason that I am interested is that I was running an alkaline AA down in my Fenix to see how long it would last and it ran overnight and still put out more light than my Gladius on low; enough light in a dark environment to operate. I decided to switch the battery to my Inova X1 and it wouldn't light up. Then I tried to switch to my Gerber Infinity Ultra and it also would not light up. When I put the battery back in my Fenix L1P, it lit up the LED just fine.

If the L1P runs for as long or close to as long as the IU or the X1, I will be leaving those lights behind on my next hiking trip and the L1P will take their place.

-Goatee

Look in the Reviews section for the sticky thread -

Sticky: Run-Time Plots by Roy

for your convenience - extracted from that post -

Fenix L1P AA Akaline PLOT---1h 51m
Inova X1 PLOT---5h 51m
CMG Infinity Ultra-G PLOT--11h 15m

From the date of the Inova X1 of 2003 - that would be the older spot/lensed version.....

on QuickBeam's FlashlightReviews.com (with runtimes except the Infinity Ultra)-

Fenix L1P

Inova X1

CMG Infinity Ultra

Looking at the runtime plots by both Roy and FlashlightReviews - I'm surprised your Fenix L1P lasted that long, as they both seem to show nearly 0% at about 3hours.......

My Gerber IU is my main backup/emergency light. With a lithium battery, it's always there & will always "just work". Someone did a runtime test with the G.I.U. and got almost 80 hours of usable light out of it. Granted, it tapered well off after ~11hrs, but the guy actually walked around & did tasks in his basement around hour 75-80 and it was enough light to see by.

I figure some usable light @ 80 hours beats the heck outta great usable light for a couple hours.

I'd like to see some actual "runtime till total darkness" tests myself.

Most of the reviews show runtime to 50%, which is a good benchmark, but they get very unclear after that. Sure, they drop down to almos -0-, BUT what does that really mean? Is it still producing light? If so, for how long?

I've tried running down an alkaline in my L1P and been quite surprised at how long it lasted. 4 hours later and still putting out usable light (though significantly less of it), and I gave up and just chucked it.

I'd like to know, though, how long it takes till it puts out no light at all. :candle:

I did my own runtime test on my Gerber IU (my thread is in the LED forum somewhere). Mine ran to 110hrs with usable light off a partially used alkaline cell that read 1.34V open voltage (new cells read 1.55-1.62V typically). On a new cell, it would have lasted longer. My definition of usable light is enough for me to navigate indoors in the dark with the light pointed 3-6ft on the ground in front of me and still see where I'm going and not run into objects. Color rendition beyond 3ft is poor, but decent within that range. The light output drops around the 12hr mark (as indicated by other's runtime curves), but the light is still very usable. Past 110hrs, the output dimmed further and several hours after, no more light. However, due to the recovery of alkaline batteries, if you turn off the IU for a few minutes and turn it back on, you'll receive useful light for another several minutes (how long depends on how long you let the alkaline recover). A very good survival light IMO.