Re: of the following which is \"better\"
The Xo3 and the T3 are the same, except for the clicky switch, and the knurling on the body of the T3. I'm not sure whether or not the T3 includes a sheath - the T1's apparently don't. If not, this shouldn't be a deal killer - the sheaths on the "X" series inova lights kind of suck. I do not use the sheath that came with my Xo3.
The Xo3 really throws. It is exceedingly bright. It's not as bright, nor does it throw as far as my Pelican M6 incandescent (xenon) light. However, it has substantially better battery life, and it's regulated. And it's pretty darn bright! So if you really need throw, it's a good choice. The only downsides I can see to it are:
- if you need flood, the beam seems even tighter to me than an Xo. The Xo3 is not a good flood light, imho. It has a decent amount of spill, and I don't have any trouble walking with it - but I think I'd get annoyed trying to use it while changing a tire.
- the inova TIROS optics create ring artifacts in the beam. I don't find this to be a problem - I think the beam is fine, but I imagine it could drive some people nuts. I expect this is a love it / hate it kind of thing.
I think that it is a hell of a light. It does what I need it to do very well. I like mine a lot!