Question for Inova T3 owners.

scr7b

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Hey all, been lurking here for a while, this is my first post, so be nice! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/blush.gif

I just got delivery of an Inova T3, and while I'm seriously impressed with it, there's a defect in the lens. At first glance it looks like a crack, but now I'm wondering if it looks more like a manufacturing defect.

I managed to get a photo of it, and was wondering if anyone else has seen this kind of defect before. I have an Inova X0 which does not have this defect, but it has a smaller lens. I contacted the seller, and they said that all their stock of the T3 look like this, and they have offered a refund. There is no impact on beam quality.

t3lens.jpg
 

RonnieBarlow

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Well, well, well... so I'm not the only one who has fallen victim to this.

I have seen this defect on three TIROS lights. I attempted to purchase an XO a while back, and it had many, many of those "cracks" in the optic. It was so bad, there was terrible artifacting in the beam corona. (I ended up NOT buying this XO, and the store had no others in stock.)

I purchased a T1 from an internet retailer, and it had cracks that were very similar. I returned it, and received a replacement. It, too, had these "cracks."

I called Emissive Energy, and they confirmed this is not normal. Based on what they told me, I think these may not be cracks at all. They commented that "the lights aren't assembled in a 'clean' room." This leads me to believe this may be a strand of hair or (more likely) a string of adhesive.

At any rate, my T1 is now in the hands of EE. They said they will repair or replace it. Once I get it back from them, I'll post the results.

If you can, return your T3 to the place of purchase. If not, I highly recommend you call Emissive Energy. They were easy to deal with and seemed geniunely concerned about my issue with the light.

BTW, I own a T3 and it's fine. There are no flaws in the optic.
 

Krit

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I have 1 watt XO. It is same optic as T3 which are shown. I thinks light pattern should be same. Does any one modify to increase current to LuxIII in T3.?
 

scr7b

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[ QUOTE ]
WallaceD said:
Well, well, well... so I'm not the only one who has fallen victim to this.

I have seen this defect on three TIROS lights. I attempted to purchase an XO a while back, and it had many, many of those "cracks" in the optic. It was so bad, there was terrible artifacting in the beam corona. (I ended up NOT buying this XO, and the store had no others in stock.)

I purchased a T1 from an internet retailer, and it had cracks that were very similar. I returned it, and received a replacement. It, too, had these "cracks."

I called Emissive Energy, and they confirmed this is not normal. Based on what they told me, I think these may not be cracks at all. They commented that "the lights aren't assembled in a 'clean' room." This leads me to believe this may be a strand of hair or (more likely) a string of adhesive.

At any rate, my T1 is now in the hands of EE. They said they will repair or replace it. Once I get it back from them, I'll post the results.

If you can, return your T3 to the place of purchase. If not, I highly recommend you call Emissive Energy. They were easy to deal with and seemed geniunely concerned about my issue with the light.

BTW, I own a T3 and it's fine. There are no flaws in the optic.

[/ QUOTE ]

Now that you've mentioned "strings of adhesive", I think that's most likely what the problem is... I'm only a little bit concerned about it, and I might not return the light to the seller. They have been very good, and they immediately offered a full refund, but I'm thinking I can live with it.

Has anyone tried to remove the front bezel from an Inova product? I wonder if it's permanently bonded or just threadlocked in place? If it was adhesive, it would likely be easy to remove if I could get in there!
 

Mark2

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I have a T1 with this 'crack'. Like the one on the picture, the crack passes through the middle of the lens. I don't think that this affects the light's performance.
 

RonnieBarlow

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There's a thread floating around here about the removal of an X5T bezel. I'll be damned if I can find it, however.

It involves filling the light with water and freezing. I don't know if this would work on a T series light, though, because of that TIROS optic.
 

mccavazos

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My X0 has one of those as well. I thought that it was just mine, but i guess not. There is no effect on my beam qualtiy, and it looks like a string of adhesive, or perhaps a gathering of coating on the lens.
 

Wong

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You are not alone /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif mine lens look exactly like yours :-( luckily the beam not affected by the crack mark /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Good luck
 

Ray_of_Light

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My brand new T1 has the same problem. I agree on the fact that it isn't a crack but a string of glue. I'm am not returning the light to Inova, since there it doesn't affect the functionality or the beam. Hope they will provide, in the future, better QC on their lights.

Anthony
 

JML

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I had an X0 where the stainless bezel was removable (it's screwed-on). I think that was an unintended defect, as the other XO and X03 lights I've handled did not let me unscrew the bezel. Anyway, if the bezel is removable, the lens is NOT. It looks like a press-fit into the body, with a gasket, and there is probably no way to remove it without damaging the lens, gasket, and other stuff.

I agree that the line is probably glue from fitting the TIROS optic into the head -- remember the other threads about the TIROS being loose and moving around? I would be willing to bet that they use some silicone adhesive to retain the lens, and that some optics aren't adequately sealed into the body, but that there are threads of glue flying around the assembly station. If you've ever worked with stuff like that, you know how it doesn't like to stay in place once you remove the nozzle.
 

dougmccoy

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One can never be certain of anything without being there but from the evidence seen in the picture the defect you see doesn't look like a crack! This defect doesn't appear to go right to the edge of the glass and the twist at the top part of the picture certainly doesn't resemble normal cracking.
As others have said it would seem to be much more likely to be a glue thread than anything else.

Unless it compromises use or water integrity of the light I'd forget about it!

Doug
 

greenlight

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My t1 has the same line on the lens. Oh well. How long will they stick with this tiros thing? The ringy beam is tiring, and only acceptable on an inexpensive light.
--------------------
t1 poll
 

scr7b

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[ QUOTE ]
greenlight said:
My t1 has the same line on the lens. Oh well. How long will they stick with this tiros thing?



how to disassemble x1/x5

Somewhere in the thread it mentions the this cannot be done with the T1 due to the two separate chambers.
how a tiros optic looks like

[/ QUOTE ]

This is very interesting... I also have an X1, but I couldn't bring myself to fill it with water and freeze it like that! Kudos to the guy who did though!! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif
 

LuxeonFans

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I also just got delivery of an Inova T3 look better than you,but between TIROS optic and lens with some little
hair,look like cloth fiber inside.
T2 and T1 same problem with dirty inside, T2 TIROS optic
same problem with crack,T1 a little crack.
 

RonnieBarlow

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Well, I received my replacement T1 from Inova today. It came in standard packaging with no correspondence. The T1 box was beand new and sealed.

Unfortunately, this T1 has the same problem as the other ones I owned. It has a similar crack/seam/string of glue just like the others.

However... this one has a completely flawless beam. That is to say, the crack/seam/string of glue has no effect on the hotspot or the corona. My last T1 had a good hotspot, but a corona that was filled with artifacts. My new one does not.

Emissive Energy didn't really address my problem (at all), but at least this new light produces a beam as it should. I would have preferred a hand-picked flawless light, but I suppose it was much easier to simply send a new unit.
 

asdalton

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I have seen three Inova T3s up close (I kept the whitest one), and none of these had any blemishes on the lens or optics.
 
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