Inova Radiants or bolts

Irishsentry

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I am looking at picking up some Inova Radiants AA and C cell.....good or bad?

Would I be better off with the Bolt series AA and AAA?

Opinions needed and helpful. Thanks
 

parnass

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I scored an Inova 2C Radiant for about $7 on clearance from Target. This light lacks throw. It is more of a floodlight with bluish tint.
 

LightGrunt0311

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I think you should go with the Bolt series because they're currently in production. IMO, you should avoid the Radiant series because it's no longer in production.

I have a Bolt 2AA and it's a bit brighter than a 2AA LED Maglite and has a tailcap switch.
 

Irishsentry

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Thanks guys...I have the opportunity to score Inova, UK, and a few other brands wholesale...thought about doing a buy on the other forum.

Sometimes a floody light is good but it seems to me if the Radiants were good they would be a hot seller even if they are ugly. I can get all the T series and stuff too I just have a thing for AA and C lights.
 

parnass

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I forgot to mention that the 2C Radiant seems huge in size. The side mounted switch makes the light longer than a twisty tailcap would.
 

Irishsentry

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I will check for you....should post a little later. My source is wholesale BUT not the lowest tier so I might find them cheaper than from her....hard to say.

I have been in the knife game long enough to know a few "sources"
 

Monocrom

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The Radiants are overpriced. If you're trying to decide between the two, go for the Bolts.
 

Burgess

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I own a couple Inova Radiant 2AA flashlights.


Mine are Very Nice performers. (for 1-watt Luxeons)


Feel very good in the hand. Secure and solid rubber grip. :thumbsup:



As for styling . . . .


You can easily overlook the campy Shark-Fin slots on the head. :whistle:

Hey, at least it's not gonna' roll off the table or anything.



But, IMHO, the only major shortcoming is the tail-cap switch,
which can easily turn On accidently.


I made a "protective cap" to prevent this.

Used a 35mm plastic film canister, with a rubber washer (for a garden hose) inside. Works great !

And lets it Tail-Stand, to boot ! :)



Oh, and a Kodak "clear, frosted" 35mm canister fits perfectly
on the head, also.


Gives an excellent soft and diffused "Candle Mode". :candle:


Just dandy in Emergencies ! :twothumbs




FWIW, i paid 20 bucks each for 'em, at Target, nearly 2 yeas ago.


Certainly still very useful, if you can get 'em for a song.

:whistle:
_
 

parnass

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After this thread became dormant, I obtained a Victorinox 2AA LED light made by Inova. Felinevet was selling them for $10/each shipped a while back.

The Vic is a "relative" of the Bolt and Radiant, but its fit and finish are a lot better.

It has a good amount of spill, too. The 2AA Victorinox emits much more light than the 2AAA Victorinox I used to own.
 

Lee1959

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I use an Inova AAA Bolt quite often. It is a nice light and is the only flashlight I will actually grip in my teeth with its rubber sleeve. I had a AA Radiant and personally like the Bolt series better.
 

Monocrom

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{Victorinox 2AA LED light made by Inova}.

The Vic is a "relative" of the Bolt and Radiant, but its fit and finish are a lot better.

I'll agree with finish, but definitely not fit. My first 2AA Vic had bone dry threads. The head got stuck and I ended up tossing it in the trash. Thinking I had gotten a rare lemon, I bought another 2AA Vic.

Same thing happened again! This time, I was fortunate to be able to get the head off. Bone dry threads again. Considering that Inova's parent company makes these lights, bone dry threads are unacceptable. (If it was some cheap, No-Name company; that's a different story).

I was able to lube up the light. But even now, when I twist it to turn it on, the threads feel uneven. At least the Bolt and Radiant lines have tailcap switches. Inova's parent company has no clue how to do a twisty the right way. :thumbsdow
 

parnass

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I'll agree with finish, but definitely not fit. My first 2AA Vic had bone dry threads....

I recalled the original posting of the problems you had with your Vic 2AA lights and it stuck in my mind while I was contemplating the purchase one.

Perhaps Inova forgot to lube a batch of them and you bought some from that batch.

My 2AA light came prelubricated, the twisty action is quite smooth, and I have had no problems with the O-ring.

On the other hand, the 2AAA Vic I bought earlier arrived dry and I added Nyogel to suit. Its twisting action became smooth afterwards.
 

Monocrom

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I do hope that Inova's parent company has fixed the problem. Unfortunately, the lights are blister packed. No way of trying them out before buying them. And many places won't let you return the light if you open the blister pack. But that policy is understandable.

More lights should come in boxes.
 

matt0

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I'm not intending to take this thread offtopic but I've got a question about Inova, more specifically, its parent company. Why exactly are "Inova" and "Emissive Energy" two separate companies? Does Emissive Energy make anything else besides Inova lights? www.emissiveenergy.com redirects you to www.inovalight.com which lists all the lights they make (including the Victorinox models)...
 

22hornet

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Hello,

I have both the 2AAA and the 2AA Bolt. I like them both.
The 2AA is, understandably, a lot more powerful, a bit like a luxeon III flashlight like a Fenix L2T or P1 or a Peak Mediterranean luxeon. The downside is that the Bolt 2AA is larger than these lights, because of the larger bezel/reflector.

I prefer the 2AAA Bolt. Output is not very impressive (12 lumes? Perhaps slightly more) but it is very handy and compact. It offers a nice flood and fairly good and constant regulation with alkalines. In most cases, it's output will suffice me.

Kind regards,
Joris
 
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