River Rock 2AAA vs. Inova Radiant 2AAA

As they came from Target in Humble,TX (River Rock $9.99, Inova $12.99)
(Hmmm, Photobucket being persnickety)



Here they are side by side



Here is size vs. Common 2AA Light (MiniM*g)



Here are beam shots at about 24" in my semi dark computer room



And here with NiteIze drop in shining below them



River Rock seems to be made of black anodized Aluminum. Inova of a metal tube surrounded by lots-o-plastic.

River Rock has a pocket clip of decent quality and tightness, Inova has octagon body and square head with no clip.

River Rock has a push button/twist tail cap switching, Inova has a standard clickie under a rubber button momentary/on/off.

River Rock has a reflector :thumbsup:, Inova an Optic :thumbsdown:

As the pics show, River Rock has a pretty tight spot, what they don't show is pretty good spill too! Inova AMAZINGLY enough also has spill with a sharply defined edge. Both beams are somewhat artifacty in the center, but really only noticeable against a white wall.

An interested observer (co-worker) thought the River Rock was brighter and better designed. I think I concur!

As can be seen in the last pic, both 2AAA lights SMOKE the NiteIze module where white walls are concerned. The NiteIze is considerably whiter of tint however, and holds it's own once it gets DARK.

If the River Rock had a clickie, it would be AWESOME!

As I see it, it's a damn good buy for 10 bucks! I may get a few for my co-workers.

Hope this helps!

Yeah, I just picked up a silver RR 2AAA today at Target and like it very much. The switch IMHO is the weak link, though.

Yes it's funny... ARC AAA, Infinity or PT40 with twist bezel are peachy keen! But rear twist just doesn't fit me correctly. Give me a clickie any day!

Still, I find it a good deal for $10!

The River Rock is an awesome light...let alone for $10

My new EDC...and it won't kill me if I lose this one!

The switch is gonna be the hard part for me too. I like the look of the River Rock, but the lack of clickie is a big downer. The Inova looked alright to me also, I was actually impressed with how small it was when I saw it the other day. The fact that it does have a clickie might sell it for me, but I'll probably end up getting both. PlayboyJoeShmoe thanks for the review, it clears some things up for me.

WDR65 said:

The switch is gonna be the hard part for me too. I like the look of the River Rock, but the lack of clickie is a big downer. The Inova looked alright to me also, I was actually impressed with how small it was when I saw it the other day. The fact that it does have a clickie might sell it for me, but I'll probably end up getting both. PlayboyJoeShmoe thanks for the review, it clears some things up for me.

Click to expand...

This may be only partly helpfull since I bought the Inova Radiant 2AA instead of the 2AAA, but I did get the River Rock .5w 2AAA. I have had the Nuwai .5w 1AAA light for a while, and I like the light, but I stopped EDCing it. I found it to be just slightly too large to be comfortable for pocket cary (ymmv) and the momentary tail switch was awkward because the light is so short. (With the tailcap twisted for constant ON, it was a very convenient size to hold, however.) My ARC-P will be here at the end of the month, and that will be my new pocket EDC.

I find that I like the RR 2AAA better than the 1AAA because it is just enough longer to make operation of the momentary tail switch convienient. In a 'tactical' style hold, the light fits perfectly within my closed fist: The switch falls naturally under the thumb and the head end sticks out just far enough that I don't have to worry about blocking the beam with my fingers. I'm still not fond of the pressure required to activate the tail switch, so if I need more than a couple of seconds of light I expect that I'll twist the tail that quarter turn to get constant on. The size feels really good in my hand, and I particularly like the looks of the silver version. It will probably be the light that I keep in my laptop case.

Check out the post here by attowatt.
He modded his switch to a clickie. Thought you guys might be interested.


Hope this helps!

Danno

The Inova Radiant 2AAA has NOT an optic. It's a standardsized 5mm LED inside a metal(lized) reflector. What you perceived as an optic is the epoxy dome of the LED.

hey i was just wondering if any of you have tried lithiums in the river rock? i woud but cant get another light if mine was to die for quite a while. like maybe one of you guys that screwed up your reflectors could try it out in the neme of science of course

Can someone weigh these lights? (Particularly the river rock).

Thanks

I picked up one of those River Rock 2AAA lights in a silver finish. Amazing output for such a small flashlight!

mossyoak said:

hey i was just wondering if any of you have tried lithiums in the river rock?...

Click to expand...

I've got Energizer e2 lithiums in my River Rock 2AAA, and so far it's working fine. Seems a little brighter than alkaline but I didn't measure it.

Assumingthat the RiverRock is the same as the Nuwai tm-311.....here are the runtime plots I did on the 311....one alkalind and one lithium.
Alkaline battery


Lithium battery

Inova Radiant 2xAAA (Ignore the bump at 80 min, my cat nudged the equipment and I had to re-connect it.





River Rock 0.5

mossyoak said:

hey i was just wondering if any of you have tried lithiums in the river rock? i woud but cant get another light if mine was to die for quite a while. like maybe one of you guys that screwed up your reflectors could try it out in the neme of science of course

Click to expand...

I have lithiums in mine and there is no problem with using them. I'm assuming that this is merely a "rebadged" Nuwai, and according to Roy's run-time plot for this same light, this thing REALLY likes lithiums! Run-time is GREATLY increased using them, and the discharge curve is MUCH flatter than with alkalines. In fact, the discharge curve with alkalines just barely fits what I'd call "semi-regulated", but with the lithiums, the discharge curve stays pretty flat for over nine hours!

PJD

Oops! didn't read far enough to see that Roy...the man, himself!...beat me to the punch...

thanks guys ill have to get me some lithiums for it now

My River Rock has a more blotchy beam then what is apparent in these photographs. But still a really good buy, especially if it's true you get ten hours burn time. I would also say it's about as bright as three old style (non cs) Nichias, not as wide but with more throw. Agree also a clickie would be icing on the cake. Mine is going to be a work tool light in the electronics industry. I thought most of the new Inovas were ugly and oversized. Likewise the X5 still seemed to have old style Nichias. The X5 might be a better value if they used the Nichia CS leds.

PlayboyJoeShmoe said:

As they came from Target in Humble,TX (River Rock $9.99, Inova $12.99)


Here are beam shots at about 24" in my semi dark computer room

River Rock seems to be made of black anodized Aluminum. Inova of a metal tube surrounded by lots-o-plastic.

River Rock has a pocket clip of decent quality and tightness, Inova has octagon body and square head with no clip.

River Rock has a push button/twist tail cap switching, Inova has a standard clickie under a rubber button momentary/on/off.

River Rock has a reflector :thumbsup:, Inova an Optic :thumbsdown:

As the pics show, River Rock has a pretty tight spot, what they don't show is pretty good spill too! Inova AMAZINGLY enough also has spill with a sharply defined edge. Both beams are somewhat artifacty in the center, but really only noticeable against a white wall.

An interested observer (co-worker) thought the River Rock was brighter and better designed. I think I concur!

As can be seen in the last pic, both 2AAA lights SMOKE the NiteIze module where white walls are concerned. The NiteIze is considerably whiter of tint however, and holds it's own once it gets DARK.

If the River Rock had a clickie, it would be AWESOME!

As I see it, it's a damn good buy for 10 bucks! I may get a few for my co-workers.

Hope this helps!

Click to expand...

With a pack of Lith aaa's and two of these, for 30 bucks I could have GREAT emergency lights in two cars!

I would have NEVER believed the Radiant has a reflector. Heck, even now when I look at it I see and think it to be an optic.

Ok folks. Bought another River Rock 2AAA .5 watt. This one is silver, more blue tinted and will drown the beam from the first one. The spot is just slightly more cohesive too.

That said, I believe my co-worker gets the silver one monday.

I bought both the River Rock 2AAA flashlight and the RR .5w LED headlamp. Cut a circle of "Fellowes WriteRight" PDA film and placed over the lens of each light.

Each light uses 2 AAA cells. The RR 2AAA flashlight blows away my MiniMag with the NiteIze LED module.

Getting much better sidespill from both lights, and the bonus of the PDA film is it protects the lens from scratching while in my backpack.

For $10 for the flashlight and $15 for the headlamp, these are a true bargain!