When do you use your Inovas?

All the Inovas except the X5 gives you a needle beam. How do you guys who EDC one deal with that?

Just got my first one (T3) yesterday, tried it out last night. For throw, it was significantly better than my G2, but it got blown away by a Mag2c 3x123 mod. For spill, it was better than I thought. Describing the beam as having rings is a major understatement; looks like Saturn, but the rings provide decent spill. I'm real impressed with it, but I'm not sure it's the best trade-off. A 2 stage switch for it would be perfect.

I carry my Inova X1 in my front left pocket every day. It is not my only EDC light, just a companion. I like it for when I don't need a tremendous amount of light, or perhaps when I don't want to unholster a larger light like here in the office.

I dunno, my X5T rides in my swim trunks @ work. .

My X5t rocks!! When I need some serious spill in a room, I wip her out and PRESTO I have light!

My X1 is always with me at work.

I find that it is the best flashlight I have for mooching around buildings (aka surveying) when it is not too dark, but when a bit more light is needed in certain areas. Also for nooks and crannies or when there is a lot of clutter about.

Most of the 'normal' flashlights in these circumstances can make an area too bright, or cast too many shadows. The X1 can light just the area I want, with the right amount of light. Its also useful in pointing out specific areas to others.

Can't find the needle beam setting on my 24/7. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

I use my X1 for searching out things , ie going through a pile of cds without lighting up the whole room. I also find that the lack of sidespill helps you concentrate on the area you're shining at , if that makes sense.

I carry my T3 everyday. It's one of two non-keychain lights I carry. (The other is the Nuwai Q-III.)

I would hardly call the T3's output a "needle beam." The X1 perhaps has a needle beam, but not the T3. At any significant distance outdoors, the ring effect is barely noticeable. Besides, I'll take the throw if the only so-called drawback is the ringy sidespill.

I just put fresh batteries in my Inova X0 and shined the light in a dark hallway to help me remember how the beam is.

My opinion, good large and bright hotspot--hotspot beam quality is very good. Unfortunately, a terrible, practically useless ringy sidespill/corona. The little sidespill there is doesn't seem helpful at all, and the rings sure don't help seeing things at close range.

Now I remember why I rarely use the X0 anymore...not enough sidespill for everyday use or EDC, and terrible corona beam quality IMO.

I'll agree that at far range the rings don't matter (since the hotspot would be the only thing visible and only throw would be needed), but most of my use is closer range and the dim ringy sidespill is aggravatingly unacceptable IMO.

The flashlight itself has exceptional fit and finish and is built well, its just too bad there wasn't an option to put in a reflector to get at least acceptable beam quality.

To each his own.

Since it's such a useless light, may I have your XO? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif

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GarageBoy said:
All the Inovas except the X5 gives you a needle beam. How do you guys who EDC one deal with that?

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I've got an Inova XO and a T1 which is my current EDC light. I don't consider them to have needle beams. You must be confusing them with the X1. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/rolleyes.gif

They have more than adequate sidespill to work for me around the house and the backyard at night. Pretty good throw on these lights as well.

I was looking at quickbeam's site and they look like there's no corona

I ended up using both of mine tonight, walking trails in Arbor Hills Nature Preserve. I was using my XO3. It was nice and bright, although my friend who went along on the hike with me had brought along a 2,000,000 CP lantern. So for a while his light was massively making mine look faint and silly. Still, we pressed on, and about half way through the hike (we were out for about 3 hours in cold and rainy weather), his battery was dying. So I loaned him the XO I was carrying as a backup. We used these lights to hike around the park - no problems. The limited sidespill of the Inova lights was adequate for navigating around the wet, slippery trails with no problems. The lights' throw was helpful, as we were trying to follow very small, not very visible trail markers. After 3 hours, the XO3 was definitely out of regulation, but still producing very usable light. Got completely soaked while on the trail - it started raining really hard as we were leaving, and light rain had been falling off and on all evening, but the lights were just fine.

I hope inova makes a pocketable EDC with sidespill. A shorter length T1 with reflector & 3Watt led & clickie would be ideal.



http://www.geocities.com/nonbox/

The last time I used my X5 was for pitching my tent in the pitch dark, 4000 feet up Braeriach, the 3rd highest mountain in Scotland (and Britain). I was wearing a small Petzl headtorch (Taktikka) and had the X5 sitting on my sack to light up the whole area. The combo worked well and I had no problem pitching the tent.

Most times the X5 sits in my sack as a reserve torch for when I walking in the dark.

My X5T is the most used light around the house for the nightly walk to the bathroom (or to the refrigerator)! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/happy14.gif

Well I finally acquired an X1 and it is an interesting little light. I've been edc'ing it the past few days to get a feel for it and how it works in my normal routine. When I'm at work I mostly use a light to dig something out of my briefcase or find change in the car, etc... so the spot works just fine. Around the house I typically have something else with me - usually a modded LuxIII minimag which quite honestly does get most of the use.

The X1 is an appealing package, well built and finished and fine for most uses but the narrow beam absolutely has some limitations depending on your use. I do agree that at times it is the right amount of light when the LuxIII is just a bit too much - but quite honestly when/if Cy is able to fix my Arc4+ switch the ability to change levels as needed will likely make the 4+ my EDC light once again.

My X5 is on my nightstand. I read with a red LED Peak AAA if my wife is already asleep, but I have the Inova there if I need to go downstairs because of a bump in the night, one of the dogs has a problem, etc. Now that I have an Arc LSLP and an LSHST, I think one of them will get moved to bedroom duty and the Arc will go in my car. It's okay to leave a CR123 light in the cold, isn't it (assuming it's not so cold that the batteries won't come on)?

X5T is on my belt around the house at night. Use it when down in the basement, and when I turn the lights out on the first floor. Oh, also use it whenever I open up one of the 4 desktop PCs.