All Inova X5s on Sale at Fry's Electronics.

All Inova X5s on Sale at Fry\'s Electronics.

$29.99 any color body, and color LED.
I think the sale ends Tuesday.

Re: All Inova X5s on Sale at Fry\'s Electronics.

ARGH!!!

Putting diesel in my truck took enough of my cash that I can't get one.

Oh well.

Re: All Inova X5s on Sale at Fry\'s Electronics.

I just happened to be going though Sacramento on my way back from Yuba City and I remembered GJW saying the Inova X5 were on sale at Frys and the sale ended today. I had to see the light. I found them, at least 70 of them in black and titanium, all the different color LEDs and on sale for $29.99. Inova X1 lights were there too.

I tried all the white LED Inova X5 but I didn't buy a single one. The lights are very high quality but they just didn't seem bright enough. And the lights seem to have a too blue of a tint of me to enjoy. The blue LED light was quite bright but I'm not used to looking at blue trees and blue fences in the dark.

Considering the X5 uses two expensive CR123A batteries (6-volts total) I was expecting very serious lighting and the light seemed whimpy. Maybe the light was meant for a long run time?

I thought the Inova X1 with the AA battery was brighter. I realize it should be brighter with the "marble" optic installed in the light. But that X1 light was more of a mini spot light and I like a light with more spill light.

Am I in the minority thinking the light output is weak?

Thanks GJW for the heads up!

Re: All Inova X5s on Sale at Fry\'s Electronics.

Hi haveblue, the Inova is most appreciated for it's very long run time. I love it for what it is although it is the weakest light in my collection. It cost only $29.99 and you should buy one. It has a decent flood and in pitch darkness it is all you ever need to move around.

Re: All Inova X5s on Sale at Fry\'s Electronics.

I tend to agree with haveblue. At that price it might be worth it, but I was expecting better after all the eager positive reviews.

The brightness is average and the one that I received has a poor off-white blue/green beam. It certainly doesn't deserve the title "flood light" as it proudly states on the packaging (many less bright LED lights will flood an area much more effectively even without reflecting off a wall/ceiling).

According to some other posts I've read there appears to be poor quality control on the LED colour so maybe I was just unlucky.

The fantastic build quality and to a lesser extent the runtime is what saves it from being completely disregarded in my opinion.

Re: All Inova X5s on Sale at Fry\'s Electronics.

I keep mine loaded with "dead" batteries. I have batteries that will not light my Arc LS, Longbow Micra, or Surefire E2 with KL1 but will light up the X5. Makes a great get up in the middle of the night light. Of course the X5 is brighter with fresh batteries but with "dead" ones it is plenty bright enough for inside the house at night. I put fresh batteries in it for my 6 year old to use outside when hunting fireflys and it gives off just the right amount of light to see where he is going.

Re: All Inova X5s on Sale at Fry\'s Electronics.

I use my X5 on fresh batteries for trekking and changed the batteries to those already expanded by my Surefires for reading. Although it takes a long time to drain the juice but at least I drain it all before throwing it away.

Re: All Inova X5s on Sale at Fry\'s Electronics.

Actually the X5 is a great floodlight, and as andy mentioned its a great light for trekking/hiking/walking. I use mine for 'around the house' kinda stuff when not doing night hikes. It may not seem bright enough in the day but try it on at night and you'll see the difference and I'm sure you'll appreciate the amount of flood it provides. Its plenty bright for its size... Although advertised as 20 hours runtime, but Roy's runtime plots have shown otherwise, i.e. about 4 hrs IIRC. A shame, would've been really great if it could actually live up to even 50% of its advertised runtime... Having said that I also use mine to suck up juice from remaining 123s and they are great that way too! All in all, it'd still make a great light even if just for its sleek build! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Re: All Inova X5s on Sale at Fry\'s Electronics.

Just left Fry's -- sale is apparently still on.

Re: All Inova X5s on Sale at Fry\'s Electronics.

I was wondering if anyone has seen the Red X5 at Fry's? I've only seen the White, Blue, and Green ones there.

Re: All Inova X5s on Sale at Fry\'s Electronics.

A red X5 ought to feature far greater runtimes than the white.

Re: All Inova X5s on Sale at Fry\'s Electronics.

Fry's here in Sillicon Valley has been selling X5 at $29.99 for at least 2 months. It's their regular price. The X1, on the other hand, is still selling at $19.99. No change since I saw them first appeared last year.

ernest

Re: All Inova X5s on Sale at Fry\'s Electronics.

The Fry's near me has XO's in stock for $39.99 each - and they're not short on stock by any means.

Re: All Inova X5s on Sale at Fry\'s Electronics.

[ QUOTE ]
idleprocess said:
A red X5 ought to feature far greater runtimes than the white.

[/ QUOTE ]

Why should it? The red one uses only one CR123. Are the reds really that much more efficient?

Re: All Inova X5s on Sale at Fry\'s Electronics.

I mistakenly assumed it used 2x 123 like the other models.

Red LEDs typically have a Vf in the area of 1.6V, whereas blue, white, and high-brightness green are typically around 3.5V. Half the voltage drop should mean roughly double the run time from an equivalent number of watt-hours in your power source.

I'd still expect slightly greater runtimes on the red since 3.5V > 2*1.6V.

Re: All Inova X5s on Sale at Fry\'s Electronics.

Hm. Inova is claiming Type III Anodizing on all X-series lights.

Now I have to wonder if Type III is really synonymous with hard anodizing (HA) - my X1 looks to be as easy to scratch as my other Type II lights.

Re: All Inova X5s on Sale at Fry\'s Electronics.

My Inova X5T is the black HAII version and after so many drops and long usage the black is still intact. Only thing is the tail cap has chipped when my 1 1/2 year old nephew threw it around but besides that the light is functioning flawlessly.