Nova Tac 120 T...vs. 120 P

I just bought a new Surefire E1B backup for EDC (general use) as I liked the small size for inside my pocket. I also like the clip option in case it is more comfy carrying it this way. Maybe I'm having regrets before I even have it in my hands. I almost bought the 120 T...then I looked at the 120 P. Hmmmm. Seems the E1B is a little more simple to use/operate than the 120 T without all those different functions. Then the 120 P came into play. Even more options. Here's my questions.

1. did i make a bad decision on the E1B???
2. who would use all the functions of the 120 T and what conditions would they be useful???
3. 120 P seems to be even more ridiculous with even more functions. Who would need all these for EDC.
4. Where is the 120 P or T better than the E1B???

1. No. Buy them both. Or all three. Or carry one for a while, sell it, try the other.

2. Customers of NovaTac! Seriously, though, the strobe may be mostly a curiosity for most folks. Maybe not you. Who knows?

3. Well, that's the point. You wouldn't necessarily need them EVERY day. But someone will need some of them some days, and it's sure cheaper to make one model with all those functions than to have custom pre-programming. Also, you may not know you need them until the need arises, at which point they're very nice to have as part of THAT day's carry.

4. This is a question only you can answer for yourself. You'll find common answers to be "Truly LOW low setting" and "strobe!" and "programmable!" and "true momentary on!", perhaps.

youre new, you might not understand the need for a super low, low.....but get the 120p anyway. E1B isnt a bad choice, but do some reasearch too...and dont limit yourself to surefires..

Crenshaw

CanUseeMeNow said:

1. did i make a bad decision on the E1B???

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SFs usually aren't bad decisions...

2. who would use all the functions of the 120 T and what conditions would they be useful???

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I feel the levels in the 120T are excruciatingly-well chosen.

.3 lumens: walking around the house at night, reading a map in the car, etc
10 lumens: Normal utility use
120 lumens: anytime you need lots of light; tactical use
disorienting strobe: tactical use; freaking out grandma by shining it into her room from outside (don't ask me how I know this).

3. 120 P seems to be even more ridiculous with even more functions. Who would need all these for EDC.

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Just to correct your impression, the reason why most people love the Novatacs is because the interface is so elegant. With just one button, Novatac (and ultimately Henry) came up with an incredible interface that is way easier and more instinctive to use than many of the Chinese-made lights that are so popular here. Yes, the light does have a lot of functions, but it only becomes complex if you decide to re-program it, and you won't do that often -- so far I've owned an HDS and a Novatac, and I've re-programmed each light exactly once. Now, I have a light whose behavior is custom built to exactly meet my needs, as perfectly as can be asked of a light.

:welcome: Let me say first that I've had all three and I whole heartedly recommend the 120P.

Chris

CanUseeMeNow said:

I just bought a new Surefire E1B backup for EDC (general use) as I liked the small size for inside my pocket. I also like the clip option in case it is more comfy carrying it this way. Maybe I'm having regrets before I even have it in my hands. I almost bought the 120 T...then I looked at the 120 P. Hmmmm. Seems the E1B is a little more simple to use/operate than the 120 T without all those different functions. Then the 120 P came into play. Even more options. Here's my questions.

1. did i make a bad decision on the E1B???
2. who would use all the functions of the 120 T and what conditions would they be useful???
3. 120 P seems to be even more ridiculous with even more functions. Who would need all these for EDC.
4. Where is the 120 P or T better than the E1B???

Click to expand...

Joe Talmadge said:

Just to correct your impression, the reason why most people love the Novatacs is because the interface is so elegant. With just one button, Novatac (and ultimately Henry) came up with an incredible interface that is way easier and more instinctive to use than many of the Chinese-made lights that are so popular here. Yes, the light does have a lot of functions, but it only becomes complex if you decide to re-program it, and you won't do that often -- so far I've owned an HDS and a Novatac, and I've re-programmed each light exactly once. Now, I have a light whose behavior is custom built to exactly meet my needs, as perfectly as can be asked of a light.

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I agree about the programming, but i dont think the UI is all that instinctive, i couldnt figure it out on my friends one, and he took nearly a week to get it down. Im waiting on the arc6 to see the reports on that new UI. The complicated UI on a novatac is whats stopping me. That said, there are other lights with bad UIs too.. im changing my MTE 20 mode to single mode +14500s, cos i like the form factor.

Crenshaw

I also find the levels of the T model to be useful. Some don't like the 120 lumens first, however I've learned to live with the old "hand over bezel, click click, then use" technique. Plus when/if the poop hits the fans, its nice to know that all I have to do is either press or click the button and 120 lumens will come forth, no worrying about # of clicks and such. Having a low low is also a great feature, and I"m sure one day I'll be using the strobe for something other than annoying my family! With all the new flashlights coming out I don't want to get more than one of a certain model, however the NovaTac P series is really pulling on my wallet
IMHO all three lights you have stated are useful for EDC, and the motto of CPF stands true, buy em all, sell the ones you don't need, or just keep em all and rotate them for edc duty.(my personal preferance)

Mayo

With the NovaTac P, you could program it down to be as simple as a single level light with momentary.

Or, all 4 modes. I think it would be a good choice for its flexibilty if your strapped on funds or just like the idea of having option available when neeed

I've got the E1B and the 120P. Which one gets the most use? The 120P, but I still like the E1B. The beam on the 120P is more to my liking for everyday use. The E1B has better throw with very little spill outside the center spot as compared to the 120P. I'm keeping both.

waxking1 said:

I've got the E1B and the 120P. Which one gets the most use? The 120P, but I still like the E1B. The beam on the 120P is more to my liking for everyday use. The E1B has better throw with very little spill outside the center spot as compared to the 120P. I'm keeping both.

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Allow me to cut 'n paste your reply and "make it my own" (kudos to Paula Abdul).

I have both, and while I do like the simplicity of the E1B, it doesn't handle ALL the situations I get in as does the 120P.
But like waxking, I use them both and I'm keeping them both.

I'd also recommend the 120P over the 120T because once you get over the learning curve of the programming (takes a few days of playing with it), you find that it's really easy.
And once you've got the programming down, you can program it to operate exactly like the T model, or any personalized way you want.
Plus, for me, being able to tail stand is important in an EDC light, and I use that feature all the time. As you probably know, neither the 120T nor the 120E will tail stand.

Bottom line, though, keep the E1B (for sure), but now get the 120P. They're both "keepers" for different reasons.

Where is the 120 P or T better than the E1B???

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The only 'problem' with the E1B is you either get 5 or you get 80. For some, possibly many, 5 is the perfect low, 80 is the perfect high.

For me, 10 is the perfect low. 60 is the best midrange. 120 is a nice bright high. And 0.12 is great for not bumping into things in the dark. Which is why the 120P is always in my pocket.

Maybe you don't want or don't like 10/60/120/.12 ... there are twenty other selections to choose from. It's all about choice, as opposed to getting what the marketing department thinks will sell the best.

And I own more Surefires than any other brand:thumbsup:

Along the same lines as magic_elf was going, you can make the P models complex or very simple. Want a single level light? program all 4 settings the same brightness. Want 2 levels, can do. 3 levels, ditto.

I've programmed mine with 4 levels still, but I probably only use 3 mostly. I like the ultra low. I made the highest setting the most difficult to get to, to save battery life.

I don't use the strobe, SOS or some of the other features. However, if I was going backpacking in the backcountry, I would reconfigure the light with the locater beacon and the strobe as one of the settings. The beacon is so I can find it if it gets dropped, the strobe would be for emergency use.

Memorizing all the programming can be difficult. You can of course train oneself to know every feature from memory, but I just program it and forget about the rest, keeping the manual around for the occasion that I want to reconfigure it.

Ordered E1B and 120T. Do I need to order 120P too?

This is getting seriously expensive. :sigh:

Yes. Sell the one or two that you don't use.

Black 120P at yourcornerstore for cheap... almost same price as when the Novatacs were first released... hurry!