windstrings
Flashlight Enthusiast
Ok... I'm totally Blown away.... I've had "cool" flashlights all my life and this one totally takes the cake!!!
Inova truly held up their name this time! (Inova = New, innovative, cutting edge technology)... Wow!!
First let me give credit to Pocketlights.com, where I purchased this. While everyone else was up to 2 more months backordered before delivery, he had it in stock! Not only that, but it was at my house in two days after ordering!
Normally I"m a tough customer, if I"m disappointed... not too much mercy in my reviews for poor business tactics, but this little flashlight has stolen my heart!!
I originally got interested in this light because of the luxeon bulb "brightest LED on earth" and the Lithium Ion battery charging system. - No more dealing with memory affected failing batteries I can never trust because I don't use my light enough!
Where can I start?.... I guess the top.... the whole unit is finely machined Black Anodized aluminum with acute detail to accuracy inside and out, "not like the cheap Chinese flashlights I've tried in the past!"
1. The Front bright aluminum chrome colored ring is machine threaded, "not shown in most pictures on the net I noticed!" which protects the thick lens and is very attractive. The Lens underneath has a perfectly flat surface like window glass, but looking inside the lense, it "looks" round? Its quality reminds me of a lense of a fine Nikon camera lens.
2. Speaking of lense, this baby makes an almost laser beam brightness.... wow!- right out of the box without a charge! I was totally impressed! And don't bother trying to see if you can look in it "eyes open" with it on.... unless your stupid, or you'll be sorry!
I also have a 3 watt flashlight "the MXDL" and with your eyes closed "the only way you can do it!", I point it in my face and the Inova T4 seems about 3 times brighter, maybe even 4 to 5 times? When walking outside at night to shine off in the distance and comparing... there is none!
I used to work the streets as a paramedic and this light will definitely blind an assailant if needed.... even in a lighted room... none the less at night!!! I can't imagine the 5 watt luxeon is brighter?.... maybe it is, I would like some feedback, but you will be replacing batteries all the time too? With all that, and this little unit is only 8 inches long.
3. The 5 Watt Luxeon Star LED Hand torch is the only real competition. But with that light if you want rechargeable, you have to find a RCR-123A charger and take out the batteries etc to maintain a full charge. (Another 40.00) With the Inova T4, you just pop it in the cool bracket that charges it! You also have to deal with 2 batteries instead of one, plus buy the charger!
I finally did found a charger that would charge the RCA-123-A's "required in the 5Watt Luxeon" http://www.batteryprice.com/index.asp?=VIEWPROD&ProdID=59 & http://www.megabatteries.com/item_details.asp?id=11682&cat_id=27, but warning!, the batteries are only 700ma batterys each at 3.2 volts?.. the Inova T-4 comes with a 2100ma battery at 3.7 volts! Anyway, enough about the competitor! I'm sure this is only the beginning of the Luxeon/Lithium Ion marriages, but for now, the Inova T-4 is the "cats meow!"
4. I don't have a light meter, but it's a very solid beam that is perfectly round... even at a distance!
1 Foot away. the beam is about 3 inches in diameter, 5 Feet away.. the beam is about 1 Foot in diameter and 30 feet away, is about 5 foot in diameter. The color of the beam appears almost tinged as blue white, but is so intense... mostly appears as white. I walked outside at night... wow!... It advertises a beam that can see 300ft. Well they are right!... I'm quite sure I could spot a man dressed in black in someones back yard at 300ft!
5. The switch is a solid nice rubber feel, and feels as if it will last a lifetime.
6. The battery endcap that unscrews, is fine machine thread and inside is the single Lithium Ion battery. For those who care, the specs are 3.7Volt . @ 2100MAH. If you multiply the two together, you get real usable wattage.....7.77Watt/hours of battery life! Compared to the competition, you would be using two of the 700mah batteries at 3.2 volts 1400mAH X 3.2v = 4.48 Watt/hours You get almost twice the burn time with the Inova T-4!
7. Next the charger. It comes with Auto adapter and wall adapter for the charger. The charger is wall mountable with nice firm double roller clamps with Gold looking electrical contacts. The light fits very firmly, but comes out easily with a firm grip. The Clamp/charger has a nice Blue LED when charging.
You can tell every tiny detail of this light was well thought out by Inova with attention to total excellence and detail. Well worth the money! I appreciate quality when I find it.... too bad pictures are deceiving and it has to compete with all the junk out there!
Inova truly held up their name this time! (Inova = New, innovative, cutting edge technology)... Wow!!
First let me give credit to Pocketlights.com, where I purchased this. While everyone else was up to 2 more months backordered before delivery, he had it in stock! Not only that, but it was at my house in two days after ordering!
Normally I"m a tough customer, if I"m disappointed... not too much mercy in my reviews for poor business tactics, but this little flashlight has stolen my heart!!
I originally got interested in this light because of the luxeon bulb "brightest LED on earth" and the Lithium Ion battery charging system. - No more dealing with memory affected failing batteries I can never trust because I don't use my light enough!
Where can I start?.... I guess the top.... the whole unit is finely machined Black Anodized aluminum with acute detail to accuracy inside and out, "not like the cheap Chinese flashlights I've tried in the past!"
1. The Front bright aluminum chrome colored ring is machine threaded, "not shown in most pictures on the net I noticed!" which protects the thick lens and is very attractive. The Lens underneath has a perfectly flat surface like window glass, but looking inside the lense, it "looks" round? Its quality reminds me of a lense of a fine Nikon camera lens.
2. Speaking of lense, this baby makes an almost laser beam brightness.... wow!- right out of the box without a charge! I was totally impressed! And don't bother trying to see if you can look in it "eyes open" with it on.... unless your stupid, or you'll be sorry!
I also have a 3 watt flashlight "the MXDL" and with your eyes closed "the only way you can do it!", I point it in my face and the Inova T4 seems about 3 times brighter, maybe even 4 to 5 times? When walking outside at night to shine off in the distance and comparing... there is none!
I used to work the streets as a paramedic and this light will definitely blind an assailant if needed.... even in a lighted room... none the less at night!!! I can't imagine the 5 watt luxeon is brighter?.... maybe it is, I would like some feedback, but you will be replacing batteries all the time too? With all that, and this little unit is only 8 inches long.
3. The 5 Watt Luxeon Star LED Hand torch is the only real competition. But with that light if you want rechargeable, you have to find a RCR-123A charger and take out the batteries etc to maintain a full charge. (Another 40.00) With the Inova T4, you just pop it in the cool bracket that charges it! You also have to deal with 2 batteries instead of one, plus buy the charger!
I finally did found a charger that would charge the RCA-123-A's "required in the 5Watt Luxeon" http://www.batteryprice.com/index.asp?=VIEWPROD&ProdID=59 & http://www.megabatteries.com/item_details.asp?id=11682&cat_id=27, but warning!, the batteries are only 700ma batterys each at 3.2 volts?.. the Inova T-4 comes with a 2100ma battery at 3.7 volts! Anyway, enough about the competitor! I'm sure this is only the beginning of the Luxeon/Lithium Ion marriages, but for now, the Inova T-4 is the "cats meow!"
4. I don't have a light meter, but it's a very solid beam that is perfectly round... even at a distance!
1 Foot away. the beam is about 3 inches in diameter, 5 Feet away.. the beam is about 1 Foot in diameter and 30 feet away, is about 5 foot in diameter. The color of the beam appears almost tinged as blue white, but is so intense... mostly appears as white. I walked outside at night... wow!... It advertises a beam that can see 300ft. Well they are right!... I'm quite sure I could spot a man dressed in black in someones back yard at 300ft!
5. The switch is a solid nice rubber feel, and feels as if it will last a lifetime.
6. The battery endcap that unscrews, is fine machine thread and inside is the single Lithium Ion battery. For those who care, the specs are 3.7Volt . @ 2100MAH. If you multiply the two together, you get real usable wattage.....7.77Watt/hours of battery life! Compared to the competition, you would be using two of the 700mah batteries at 3.2 volts 1400mAH X 3.2v = 4.48 Watt/hours You get almost twice the burn time with the Inova T-4!
7. Next the charger. It comes with Auto adapter and wall adapter for the charger. The charger is wall mountable with nice firm double roller clamps with Gold looking electrical contacts. The light fits very firmly, but comes out easily with a firm grip. The Clamp/charger has a nice Blue LED when charging.
You can tell every tiny detail of this light was well thought out by Inova with attention to total excellence and detail. Well worth the money! I appreciate quality when I find it.... too bad pictures are deceiving and it has to compete with all the junk out there!
