Inova T1 vs. SF E1e/KL1?

J_Roc

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How does the Inova T1 compare to the Surefire E1e with a KL1? They both seem to be pretty similar from what I can tell. They are both 1W LS, have HA-III, use 1x123 battery, and have momentary/constant on. The Inova is a little longer, but it is also waterproof and has a better (bigger) lanyard hole; the E1e has a belt clip. The T1 is rated for 35 lumens; the KL1 says 15 lumens of output. Will the T1 really be brighter and have greater throw?

Does anyone out there have any experience with either/both?

The T1 sells for about ¼ of what the E1e/KL1 goes for.

Thanks.
 

Size15's

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Welcome to CPF!

The KL1 uses a Luxeon III.
The E1e+KL1 should be as waterproof as you need it to be (unless you need it to be a divelight).

Al
 

tequilathursday

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I have both. They are both very good and the perfect size for me. My KL1 is far brighter, whiter and farther throwing than the T1... I'm very happy with it.

plus my girlfriend took my T1.(I wouldn't let her touch my surefires /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/sssh.gif)

p.s. the KL1 is even better on 2x 123's
 

J_Roc

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Thanks for the info.

I do not need it for diving, more for heavy rain/mud/puddles/snow than anything else. Just trying to decide if the SF is worth the difference in price; the T1 is about $50CAN, the SF E1e/KL1 is approx. $200CAN ($120 + $75). The E2e is about the same price as the E1e.
 

tequilathursday

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Get the T1. The T2 or XO will run for 4 hrs at full brightness is size isn't that important.

For the money if I were gona get it muddy and such I'd be perfectly happy with the less expensive inovas. (I hate banging up those high priced Surefires /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif)
 

sotto

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As I've said before, the KL1 is my new flashaholic "standard" for excellent value in lighting devices.

IMHO, it raised the bar.
 

Steve Andrews

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I have a T1 and an E2E/KL1.
I really like the shape of the T1. I carry it bezel-down in a large Benchmade soft sheath. It is very quick and easy to deploy that way.
I find the shape of the E2E/KL1 a bit awkward.
My KL1 has a purple/pink hue and is not as bright as the T1.
 

J_Roc

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Ok, now I've read conflicting reports on which is brighter. For the $, I think I will go with the T1. How far is the effective range of both?
 

sotto

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J Roc:

NO, WAIT!!!

With the KL1 you can swap it out onto any of the SF E-series bodies, Vital Gear bodies, put a Mcmodder double whizmo dual output clicker thingy on it, paint your name in light on the side of Mount Rushmore with it, fit some Surefire beam-shaper filters and doodads on it, etc etc.

And with the T1, you can....Well, you can....turn it on and off and light up something!
 

Roy

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But there is still that very large difference in the price of the two lights!
 

sotto

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[ QUOTE ]
Roy said:

But there is still that very large difference in the price of the two lights!

[/ QUOTE ]

Well, yeah....but, but....it's got a semi-crenelated bezel, too!! That's worth a lot, right? Self-defense and all. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif
 

Ray_of_Light

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The old KL1 with the LD/collimating NX05 cannot be compared to the T1, it's like apple and oranges. The new style KL1 is far brighter, longer throwing, and works from 3 to 9 Volts; the T1 do not even take the R123, it is dimmer, has less throw, but has a round spot instead of the square spot of new KL1.
Both are very good in relation to their respective price. In an absolute comparison, regardless of price, the KL1 is way better.

Anthony
 

Haesslich

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The T1, IMO, isn't anywhere NEAR 35 lumens, if only because of the LuxeonI. I don't know where they got that figure, but my other LuxI light barely hits 19 lumens, if that... and you'd need to overdrive the LuxI with more than a single 123 cell to get that level.

And, from what I've seen in reviews, my Nuwai Q-III, which costs the same as the T1, throws just as far but is brighter than that thing.. which means you're getting about 100-150 feet of good light in a city.

The T1's good if you want a relatively light, but I wouldn't use it for walking around. However, my Quantum-III, at approximately the same price, is a bit smaller and has a better flood.

The Surefire combo's a bit bigger, but the optics are better from what I've seen, and the extra intensity of light that a LuxIII can throw out will mean better lighting in most situations.

Otherwise, you could look at the Elektrolumens XM-3 if you want a cheap ligh that's fairly bright and durable. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif
 

RonnieBarlow

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The T1 is a good light for the price. It's got good throw, a good hotspot and minimal flood. I carry one, and am very pleased.

The Q-III is a fantastic light for the price. It's got about the same throw as the T1, but it has a flawless smooth flood and is brighter. The finish is not as tough as the T1.

The SF E1e/KL1 combo is the best light among these three, hands down. It is a SureFire, after all. But it should be the best light, considering the price difference.

If you can spend the cash, definitely get the E1e/KL1 combo. If not, get the T1 and the Q-III. For less money, you have two lights with which you can impress your friends! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif
 

John N

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Check out this 1W Luxeon from Sharper Image. It is the spitting image of the E1 + (old style) KL1 + clickie, but for $30.

-john
 

Mr_Dead

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I just put together a SF E1e/KL1(/Z57), just out of curiosity.

I need to play with it some more, but, although at a glance it seems brighter than the Q-III, I *think* I still prefer the Q-III beam.. at least for my wimpy suburban/urban use.

The KL1 does indeed out-throw any of the other LEDs (L2,L4), but, so far, I find it's intense white spot less generally useful. Especially indoors, I end up panning the spot all around to see what's there, whereas the Q-III obligingly just lights up a whole side of the room. Lots of artifacts in that KL1 beam, too.

If I spent more time outside in large open spaces where range mattered a lot (riding the fences in Wyoming, say), my preference would probably be reversed.

Don't have a T1 for comparison, sorry.
 

RonnieBarlow

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[ QUOTE ]
Mr_Dead said:
...whereas the Q-III obligingly just lights up a whole side of the room.

[/ QUOTE ]

Exactly. That's probably the number one reason I love my Q-III. Quite simply, it puts of a massive amount of flood for such a small light. It's great.
 

Haesslich

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[ QUOTE ]
Mr_Dead said:
I just put together a SF E1e/KL1(/Z57), just out of curiosity.

I need to play with it some more, but, although at a glance it seems brighter than the Q-III, I *think* I still prefer the Q-III beam.. at least for my wimpy suburban/urban use.

The KL1 does indeed out-throw any of the other LEDs (L2,L4), but, so far, I find it's intense white spot less generally useful. Especially indoors, I end up panning the spot all around to see what's there, whereas the Q-III obligingly just lights up a whole side of the room. Lots of artifacts in that KL1 beam, too.

If I spent more time outside in large open spaces where range mattered a lot (riding the fences in Wyoming, say), my preference would probably be reversed.

Don't have a T1 for comparison, sorry.

[/ QUOTE ]

Depends - if you need a flood there too, then you'd probably just get a better light like an Aleph 2 with 2x123 and a NextGen 759. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif If you need a spot, the E1e/KL1(new) combo would be far superior to the T1 in terms of throw, due to the optics that are being used in the new KL1, along with the LuxIII driver.

The LuxI in the T1 wouldn't be able to compete in terms of raw output, and even with the TIROS I highly doubt that 35 lumens figure. Now, the TIROS-type optics in the KL1(new) combined with the LuxIII, on the other hand, I can easily see doing 35 lumens, the way my Q-III is easily doing. Though, from what I can tell, mine's probably closer to 40-45 lumens, since it's twice as intense as my 19-lumens LS:1.
 
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