Which is the better buy: QIII or T1?

Assuming the price is the same for the each light, which is the best bang for the buck? Is the beam on the T1 really as narrow as people say? Anyone out there have both lights?

Thanks

T1 has a much more narrow beam then the QIII but is made much better IMHO. I have the two cell QIII with the two light outputs and love it but it just doesn't feel as well made as my Inova's. The beam on the QIIIs is spectacular though.

I personally bought the T1 when facing the same decision. I preferred the fit and finish of the Inova and liked the nice spot beam. The buying decision may come down to your preference for throw (T1) or flood (QIII). Seems like both lights have their devotees.

As someone who owns both of these wonderful lights, I feel compelled to put in my $0.02. I love both of these lights and both of them are currently in my EDC rotation. Either light can be had in the $30-$45 range which definitely makes them value leaders in the 1x123 cell luxeon pocket light field.

Inova T1 (Very Good Throw - Limited Spill)
+ Bulletproof build quality (like all Inova lights)
+ HAIII anodizing (really tough finish)
+ Very Good throw for a pocketable light
+ Fully regulated (1-1/2 to 2 hours of consistent light)
- "Ringy" beam (more of an issue for those concerned about pretty beamshots and not really as noticable in real life use)
- Can't use R123's

Nuwai QIII (Decent Throw - Spectacular Spill)
+ Decent build quality (nowhere near Inova standards but quite acceptable for low-mid cost light)
+ Amazing beam quality (this is what really makes the QIII an exceptional light - it has the smoothest stock beam this side of $100)
+ Very compact (the QIII's stubby profile makes it very "pocketable")
+ Can use R123's for guilt-free lumens
- Not fully regulated (not too big a deal since lithium cells will often delivery a relatively flat discharge curve on their own)
- Type II anodizing is not very durable and can scratch or flake relatively easily

wow, you just made me look up the T1... I'm a proud owner for a Q3, and absolutely love it, but it's finish is getting quite skuffed up with daily carry.

I never even looked at the T1 before though, never thought the q3 had any competition... i might have to get one and check it out.

Very interesting!
Do You think the QIII will be a better "Near-Light" than the T1? Which light will be the better choice for use up of old batterys? Do You know alternatives, besides SF L1?

Thanks

The T1 is a better buy, just for the build quality.

There is no question that between the two, the QIII is the better choice for "close-up" work. It's wide, smooth beam does an excellent job of lighting up your surroundings at close to medium ranges. The T1's beam is definitely more throw-biased but unlike it's little brother, the X1, it does produce a small amount of useful spill.

In my limited experience, neither one of them are especially useful for draining CR123's. As a matter of fact, it's been widely reported that the QIII will just die suddenly once the cell reaches a certain discharge state. IIRC, this issue is more pronounced with certain brands of cells. If you're looking for a good battery drainer, the Inova X5's have a well deserved reputation for sucking every last bit of juice out of those CR123 cells.

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Merowin said:
Very interesting!
Do You think the QIII will be a better "Near-Light" than the T1? Which light will be the better choice for use up of old batterys? Do You know alternatives, besides SF L1?

Thanks

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Do the Inova X5T lighting up the surroundings at close ranges?

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linerlock said:
There is no question that between the two, the QIII is the better choice for "close-up" work. It's wide, smooth beam does an excellent job of lighting up your surroundings at close to medium ranges. The T1's beam is definitely more throw-biased but unlike it's little brother, the X1, it does produce a small amount of useful spill.

In my limited experience, neither one of them are especially useful for draining CR123's. As a matter of fact, it's been widely reported that the QIII will just die suddenly once the cell reaches a certain discharge state. IIRC, this issue is more pronounced with certain brands of cells. If you're looking for a good battery drainer, the Inova X5's have a well deserved reputation for sucking every last bit of juice out of those CR123 cells.

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Merowin said:
Very interesting!
Do You think the QIII will be a better "Near-Light" than the T1? Which light will be the better choice for use up of old batterys? Do You know alternatives, besides SF L1?

Thanks

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Any chance some one could post a pic of the T1 & QIII next to each other for a size reference.

Thanks,
adam

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

The X5 is my absolute favorite close-up light. The T1 is 3/4 of an inch longer and a bit thinner throughout.

Like Leeoniya, I leave a T1 in my car glovebox. It is a bit large for a 1-cell light. Not out of the question for EDC, just maybe not quite small enough to forget it's in your pocket.

I'm new to this whole thing, but I've been researching the crap out of these things for several weeks now. Just made my first purchase last week, all but one in transit now.

So my opinion doesn't really count, not even having one a single light to play with, but I don't see them as comparable at all. Especially when you can get two Q-llls for 52 bucks from amondotech, which seems like a pretty good deal to me.

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linerlock said:

In my limited experience, neither one of them are especially useful for draining CR123's. As a matter of fact, it's been widely reported that the QIII will just die suddenly once the cell reaches a certain discharge state.



Thanks

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I had the same problem with my Q3, that is no moon mode it would just go out. The original star was a SX1L, I replaced it with a TWOK and now I get moon mode and the brightness just diminishes nice and gradually.

I would recomend the Q3 because it is easily modifiable, you can put different stars, change the lense to a UCL, different reflector and you can even buy the CR123 to 2 AA adapter tube from ebay and run the Q3 on 2 AA batteries. YOu can see that the Q3 is more versatile than the innova.

lol, speaking of the Q3 I just bought the extension and I don't even have a Q3 yet. ugh! looks like the Q3 is a great medium flood medium throw light which should be a great edc for most of us here.

thanks
doug

I have both, both are good lights for the money. I edc my T1(IWB), my QIII rides back-up on my slingbag(with my T3 and X5t). I prefer the T1 for throw, finish, and warranty. The QIII for size, clip, and flood. Both have there pros & cons.
The way I figure it, I can bounce a light with "throw" to get "flood" , but I can't bounce "flood" into "throw". /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif
I buy my batteries from Battery Station, so I'm not worried about rechargable's. That's just me. I use my X5t to suck my old 123's dry.
Good luck, and let us know what you decide.



Blades

52 bucks seems exspensive for a q3

I think some one in bst thread has them for less

Actually, my subjective experience with these two lights is a little different. I have no instrument readings to back this up but when both lights are loaded with CR123 cells, my QIII seems distinctly brighter. The QIII not only puts out more light overall but the hotspot is also brighter (and smaller). When my QIII is stoked with a rechargable 123 cell the difference is even more pronounced. Clearly, the Luxeon lottery is a factor here.
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Leeoniya said:
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.


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52 bucks seems expensive for a q3


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That's 52 for a pair /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif