Inova T series Lumen numbers/Comments Sought

fonarik

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Nov 3, 2006
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Comments sought. Recently i ran some numbers based on the Flashlightreviews Doug's comparison for Overall Output: http://flashlightreviews.com/features/output_vs_throw.htm#lumens

The result was devastaing:

Manufacturer/Light______Throw______Overall Output____Lumens_____Factor 1.39
Inova T2 (1 LS 1)__________ 26.93________17.2______________23.908
Inova T3 (1 LS 3)__________ 45.8_________ 28_______________ 38.92
Inova T4 (1 LS 3)___________40.8_________ 27_______________ 37.53

However, Inova claims to have 100 for T4 and 80 for T3. Any thought on my numbers/comments?

Thank you
 
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Illum

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its not a surprise, so far only company I know that doesnt hype their lumen ratings is Surefire.

btw, take into accound the factor scale is more of a rough sketch than a precise calculation,

by multiplying the overall output by 1.43 and what you get is the actual lumen rating +/- 17%.

EDIT: where are my manners, WELCOME TO CPFORUMS! :wave:
someone with expertise will eventually ring in, be patient ;)
 

FILA BRAZILIA

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Fonarik; Good point. Actually, I have been wondering myself, I noticed the numbers being higher on the T3 than the T4, and thought- WHAT?? And- to bring the confusion on a higher level- T5 is supposed to be a lot brighter than the T3, but, identical to the T4 (only difference batteries and runtime), which is dimmer than the T3....:shakehead
 

FlashInThePan

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Welcome to CPF!

Part of the confusion may come from the way manufacturers measure their lights' output. The first centers around the LED's bin. (If you're new to flashlights, LEDs are graded like diamonds and sorted into a "bin" according to how bright they are. See http://home.comcast.net/~theledguy/bin_codes/index.htm for more info). So if the manufacturer is using a T-bin LED, which theoretically provides between 67-87 lumens, the manufacturer will probably ignore the lower end of the spectrum and claim, "our flashlight provides up to 87 lumens!"

Another possibility is that the manufacturer is just measuring "bulb lumens," which are higher than the actual lumens you see because some light is always lost on the way out of the flashlight. Although a bulb may initially put out 100 lumens, you lose some of that brightness when the light has to bounce off the reflector, pass through the lens, etc. (That's one reason Surefire uses high-quality lenses on its flashlights - they let more light through!) By the time you're done, your 100 lumen light may only actually be pushing 70 lumens out the front. Surefire's pretty good about measuring how much light *actually* comes out of their flashlights, but doing so requires expensive machinery (and gives you lower numbers, which the marketing people don't like!) So many manufacturers will just report their bulb lumens, which doesn't accurately reflect the amount of light you'd see in actual use.

So if we put this all together, look how crazy the numbers can get. Manufacturer X reads the bin code and says "hey, this provides up to 87 lumens; I'll just use that number." But in reality, if the flashlight has an underperforming T-bin that's only putting out 67 lumens (the bottom end for a T-bin), and the manufacturer is using a low quality lense and other components that reduce the transmission rate to only 75% of the bulb's rated lumens, our 87 lumen flashlight transforms - yikes! - into a 50 lumen flashlight. In other words, the "real world" brightness of this light is just over 1/2 the manufacturer's claim!

Part of the reason that Surefire is so respected is that they accurately report (and sometimes even understate) their flashlights' brightness. With them, you know that your 60 lumen flashlight will actually be putting out 60 lumens.

Other manufacturers who have pretty good reputations for accurate reporting are HDS (now Novatac), and Arc. And nearly all of the custom flashlight makers here on CPF (e.g. McGizmo) are well known for their honesty and careful reporting. As for the others, well...that's why we have sites like FlashlightsReviews.com - to keep the manufacturers honest! (This seems like an appropriate time to send out a quick thanks - "thanks!" - to QuickBeam, who runs FR.com). =)

Hope this helps!

- FITP
 
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Lee1959

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Welcome to CPF. :)

I have found lumen ratings in lights to be akin to MPG ratings in cars, somepleace to start comparing to get a general idea where you want to be for your needs.
 

pirinst

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Oct 11, 2006
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Interesting comments. I've been a motorcycle enthusiast for years. Mostly track day
mileage for me. The cycle mags and manufacturers usually state horsepower at the
crank instead of the rear tire. There are frictional losses between the two points.

Ergo, a 180 horsepower bike may have only 155 or maybe 160 horsepower at the rear
tire which the dyno will record at the tuning shop. It's still a lot, but eveyone wants
that 185 or 180 horsepower we read about in the mags. Good marketing and sales
promo technique. It is all relative in the end-most of the bikes are close enough
powerwise and it is the rider's skill, bravado, and weight/size that affect the end
performance.

Back to leds- I did notice my "60" lumen 1 watt ledlensor seems brighter than my previous sportsmans warehouse 72 lumen 3 watt led light..

After buying the 180 lumen rated fourty buck sportsmans warehouse incan,
I've decided to Not put out the $100 for the Inova T4. Even the 180 lumen
output (impressive as it is) isn't enough for me throw wise.... Am happy
with the light for price however.
 
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pilou

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I suspect the T4 rating is for marketing purposes vis a vis the other Ts. The others' ratings are probably reasonable relative to each other.
 
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woodrow

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Welcome to CPF! This place along with flashlight reviews and led modifications has been invaluable to my quest to actually be happy with my flashlight purchases. As to picking lights I have learned a few theories that I now go by:

1: Brightness is the enemy of runtime and vice versa. I know some lights are more effecient than others, but I think this holds true 95% of the time. If a surefire l6 has an hour and a half of bright regulated runtime on 3 lithium 123 cells and the inova t5 gets 3 hours (which it does) and the surefire is rated arround 100 lumens...the inova is going to put out ABOUT half as much overall light as the l6. You just can't fight the physics of it. A l5 gets 50min at 100 lumens (or less based on different arguments here) before it starts to dim. A T3 gets 2 hours....See my point...

2. Winning or loosing the "luxeon lottery" will also determain how much I like my light. My t4's beam was purpleish. My t5 had a verry white beam...I liked it better. I also believe that it made the beam apear brighter. (I believe it was in reality 15-20% brighter than the t4) That being said, I have heard from other members who had very white beamed t4's.

Lastly, look for beamshots. I have a love hate relationship with the trios optics. I love the great throwing spot, but I hate the lack of sidespill. I would be tempted to buy a cheaper trios inova to see if you like the beam pattern before spending the money for t4 or t5.

Also consider your needs. I am doing a job where I need 3&1/2 hours of light at a time, and my hid is too heavy to carry all the time. I am going to buy another t5 ( I destroyed my last one) because I like its runtime, durability and throw...I will put up with the downside. You need to find the light that meets your needs....Hope that helps, also look for past posts about a light that you are considering...It has helped me a lot.
 

Monocrom

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Aug 27, 2006
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Had I known those were the actual numbers, I wouldn't have bought a T2. Glad I didn't spend my money on a T3 that I thought would give me 82 Lumens.

Also, if a light doesn't come with a pocket-carry clip, the company should provide a belt pouch for it, at least. Inova provided one for the X5 I bought. Odd that these "tactical" lights don't come with one. :thumbsdow
 
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