i own both. i must say for that for the money, they sure put damn good tint Lux1s in there. i've already had 3 friends order T1s after they saw mine and we all compared tints, they're ALL on par with TW0J Lux3s.
the q3 does have bettr side spill and i like the size more than the T1 but it does feel more cheaply made.
inova's T1 hotspot quality is great and i swear to god it makes the Lux1 seem like a TW0J lux3...without even overdriving it.
for closeup work, yesm Q3 is good. but if you put the 2 side by side (q3 midded with a TW0J, and a T1 stock,) you'll see that the T1 has a 10%-15% larger hotspot and is brighter at the same time with close to no sidespill. the q3 has good sidespill but a dimmer hotspot. which sort of makes me wonder...what's the lux3 really doing that the lux1 isn't? they're identical in tint.
if you dont plan on modding the Q3 with a TW0J, i'd say the stock Bin code lottery rarely works out in your favor. i had 3 Q3s and they all had greenish tint.
for the money, you can't go wrong with a T1. you get much more than you pay for.
q3 is very nice sidespill because of the orange peel reflector and good size, but worse regulation. and if you look at the design, the heat path for the star and electronics isnt all that great. and the type2 anodize is marginal to say the least.
for closeup illumination, the sidespill isnt all that important cause given a bright concentrated source, the reflection of the target gives more than enough ambient illumination to surrounding areas.
my q3 sits at home for backup. my EDC is an ARC-LSH modded with a TW0J, 667ma tweak, UCL lens, and 17mm IMS smooth reflector.
my T1 sits in my car's globox and gets used frequently. that light is solid. but i'd rather EDC something smaller. although i did EDC it comfortably before as well.
for $30, get a T1, dont be fooled into thinking that the Lux3 you get in the Q3 will be brighter, it wont. it'll have more and smooth sidespill but a dimmer hotspot. and the T1 will have excellent tint. chances are, the Q3 wont.
my $0.02
Leon