Inova X1 80/11 lumen 1AA flashlight

Here are my early observations about the new Nite Ize Inova X1 80/11 lumen flashlight.

Comments about the prior version 55/6 lumen X1 appear in this thread:

http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?313902-New-Inova-X1-55-6-lumen-version

Nite Ize continues the feature it began in the last version of printing a manufacturing date code inside the battery tube.

The LED emitter is larger than the LED employed in the prior 55/6 lumen version, but I do not know the exact type LED.

The new X1 throws about the same distance as the prior 55/6 lumen version, which I considered an over achiever. There is a modest increase in the amount of light in the spill area, though the beam angle of each light looks the same.

The tint of my new X1 is cooler than the previous X1, making the newer X1 look brighter. Neither X1's tint is too blue nor too yellow/green.

My new X1's current consumption is surprising. It draws a whopping 1900 mA in high brightness mode and 106 mA in low from an Energizer lithium primary battery. Compare that with the prior version which draws 840 mA and 132 mA.

I've owned just about every version of the 1xAA Inova X1 flashlight because I like its simplicity, robust construction, and beam pattern. The tint has always been good, unlike some of my Fenix and Surefire purchases.

Overall, my new X1 emits a little more light, with whiter tint, but draws a lot more current so I don't expect the runtime to be nearly as long as the previous version. I had hoped the new version would throw farther than the prior X1, but I cannot discern a difference in early trials.

Wow, looks like they are trying to entice the sheer output crowd at the expense of runtime.

I will always have a soft spot for Inova as they were my 1st "impress your friends" modern led flashlight that got me hooked on personal lighting.

But that was the good old days when they were Made in America

thanx for the review!!

The runtime of my new X1 (80/11 lumen) is about the same as the previous X1 (55/6 lumen) when powered by an NiMH battery.

Last night, I used a 1900 mAH Eneloop NiMH battery to power a new Inova X1 in the high brightness mode. It ran continuously for 2 hours 35 minutes without getting warm. At that point, the light emitted in the high mode was only a little brighter than in the low mode.

I was wondering if it might be sensitive to the higher input voltage of a lithium primary. I always feed them NiMH's. Maybe you could do the tailcap current measurement comparison with the Eneloop. Runtime suggests they should be about the same.

My X1's are still the 5 mm variety. Runtime was always a big reason I did not try one of the later models yet, but I was tempted when the dual mode came out. This might be the best one yet, at least for running NiMH's.

Hondo said:

I was wondering if it might be sensitive to the higher input voltage of a lithium primary. I always feed them NiMH's. Maybe you could do the tailcap current measurement comparison with the Eneloop. Runtime suggests they should be about the same. ...

Click to expand...

Good point. The new X1 draws less current when using an Eneloop than when powered by the higher voltage Energizer Lithium primary. I measured current consumption from a fresh Eneloop to be about 1090 mA on high and 93 mA on low mode (vs. 1900 mA and 106 mA for the Energizer).

Thanks. :thumbsup: