Inova's Hard Anodizing, tougher than i thought....

I've recently been EDC'ing my 2nd-gen Inova X1 reflector model, as i wanted to add a long runtime 1AA light to my EDC setup (consisting mainly of a Aviatrixed (Red/White) A2, and a E1L-SR.

I had been EDC'ing my MaxLiteII as my 1AA light, but it got a tad bulky jammed in my LF pocket in it's soft case, and I've had to resort to turning the head 1/4 turn to lock out the tailcap switch, as it's come on twice accidentally in pocket, both times eating up an expensive Energizer Lithium AA....

there was also the thought that I was carrying around a $200 custom flashlight in my LF pocket, and although I did *use* it on a regular basis (thanks to the ubiquitousness of the AA cell), I was always concerned with hurting an expensive custom light, as I also carry my keyring and a Victorinox SwissChamp SAK in there as well

so as I was looking through my light arsenal, I happened across my little Inova X1 2G reflector (and also found a type II blue anodized first-gen Optic X1 I thought I had "lost"), I figured "why not", so I dropped the X1 into my LF pocket with the keys and SwissChamp and forgot about it....

I pulled the light out a few days later, and it looked horribly banged up, silver scuffs everywhere....

they simply wiped off with a little elbow grease and saliva, it turns out the X1's HA was actually wearing down my keys and SwissChamp, not the other way around....

pretty darned tough stuff, that Hard Anodizing....

I'll second that. When done correctly, HA is some good voodoo.

+1

These guys sure know how to build a tough piece of equipment. Inova's HA and build quality is a tough as any SureFire high-end combat light.

True, Inova is right up there with SureFire in terms of manufacturing quality and tolerances, the only real problem I have with my Inovas is the lack of knurling, the smooth sided design is more visually pleasing, but less grippable.

then again, on the plus side, the lack of pointy edges and knurling does give Inova an edge in HA durability, as we all know that HA has a problem sticking to "corners" and "edges", the slab-finish of Inova X-series lights seems to hold onto the ano better, but at the expense of grippability, it's a trade-off either way....

The Inova HA is excellent in my experience as well. MacTech, you may find the T series to be more to your liking in terms of grip.