Has the Inova X5 been eclipsed?

DaveH

DaveH

Joined
Dec 2, 1999
Messages
12,249
Just wondering, sometimes I'm a year or two behind the curves, I was thinking on picking one up.
 
Hey buddy-

I have a Inova X5 titanium flashlight in xint condition. Absolute awesome little flashlight. Problem is, I don't have any use for any flashlight really.

I might consider a trade if you want one.
 
No, not really eclipsed. It all depends on what your use or focus is. That's a pretty common piece of advice, but it especially lies true in flashlights. For the X5, you get a wide angle flood beam, with not a super long throw distance. It is nice for lighting up a whole room so you don't have to move the light around to find things. The new X1, on the other hand, is a super-focused beam that is on the opposite spectrum of uses.

I'd say that its construction and durability are top-notch, so you really can't go wrong.
 
I LOVE mine!! What an incredible deal! I was sooooo surprised by the brightness and build quality when I got mine. It feels so solid, and it just puts off an aura of a quality product. You really can't go wrong with it.
 
While the Inova X5 is a fine light, I think there's no doubt it's been eclipsed. You can get Arc LS 1 Watters on sale for not too much more than the Inova X5. The LS is brighter, has a broad useful beam, and is regulated so you don't get that slow excruciating descent into ever-dimmer beams. The Inova's main advantage is that it's less expensive than the Arc, but Arc LSes -- firsts and seconds -- occasionally go on sale in the $60 range, not too bad for what you're getting. A Badboy or MadMax dropped into a MiniMag outperforms it. An E1 w/ KL1 outperforms it.

That's not to say that the Inova X5 isn't a fine light, extremely handsome and at a nice price to boot. But performance-wise, regulated 1 Watt LSes kick its butt, though at a higher price, and they don't look as good doing it.
 
I have an Arc LS from last year, it does fine, but I kinda treat it with kid gloves so to speak, I'm not sure why.

The ARC AA is great, I've been carrying that, but I think I want something in between.
 
Originally posted by DaveH
I have an Arc LS from last year, it does fine, but I kinda treat it with kid gloves so to speak, I'm not sure why.

The ARC AA is great, I've been carrying that, but I think I want something in between.
Click to expand...

Hmmm, what'd you buy your Arc LS for? If you didn't get it during one of the big sales waves, then considering what you paid for it, I might treat it w/ kid gloves, too! But again, I think you can probably go find an Arc LS 2nd for cheap, that will outperform the Inova and still serve as something inbetween your Arc AA and your Arc LS first.

That said ... if you want something in between, and you want it to be really good looking, and not too expensive, and you don't mind that it uses somewhat expensive batteries, then the Inova X5 is a fine choice. It's a good light that by all reports is very rugged and performs nicely. There's no reason not to buy it for the niche you want. It's just that, if you're asking about how it performs, you can get better performers for not too much more money. Arc LS 2nd (or even a cheap older 1st) will outperform it, but won't look great doing it. Badboy or MadMax will outperform it, for roughly the same price even, but won't look nearly as great doing it, and is a bigger package, and maybe not as rugged.

Joe
 
I think the Inoxa5 has been eclipsed by the Lenser V2 Power Chip. Others may disagree with me. V2 is way ahead in terms of brightness.
 
I have an Inova X5 and still carry it on several occasions. It's still a fine light, but you'll find much better illumination with 1 watt Luxeon lights. The Arc LSH is my choice for a small compact carry light, but some may find it a bit on the expensive side. Still, if you want a superb Luxeon Star LED light at a more affordable price, check out the Streamlight TL-2 LED. If lithium batteries are not to your liking you can also check out the Streamlight 3AA Tasklight. It's a bit long, but it's a great light as well. You can read out reviews of the TL series HERE and the Tasklight HERE

.....And then there are the 5 watt Luxeons like the Surefire L4 and the Streamlight TL-3. :cool: So many lights, so little money.....
 
I agree with Cosmic Superchunk. Take a look at the Streamlight 3 AA Tasklight with the one-watt Luxeon LED as contender in lieu of the Inova X5. It's in the same price range; but it is longer and weighs more -- uses standard AA batteries though.

The ARC LS series is the way to go for small and a Surefire L4 for bright (custom/modified lights excluded). But these don't come cheap.

However, if long battery run time is your priority, I'd say the Inova X5 beats all the above handily and it's the LED light doing the eclipsing. ;)
 
You guys'd better watch your mouths! Don't talk about the Inova like that. The ONLY light that eclipses the X5 is the X5T, of which I am a proud owner.:D
 
Heh, light wars! Snow, talk to me again when Inova stuffs a 1W LS (or even a 5W LS!) into the Inova X5T body :) That could be awesome.

Anywhere I can see pics and specs of the Led Lenser power chip? thanks!

Joe
 
Inova X1's have started shipping, so in some ways, that eclipsed the X5 :D

Anyhow, yea, the Luxeon LED does rock hard. With the constant innovations in the field, though, it's tough to point to a single light and say "This is the one light, all others bow before it!"
 
I had a LSH-P for a little while, and although bright, it wasn't as bright as my E2e (which fulfills the "tactical role"), and felt awkward in the hand, mainly because it it short & stubby. The X5T I have, on the otherhand, works great for normal daily tasks (where a blinding light is not needed) & digests the batteries that no longer feed the E2e - perfect combination, IMO.

I give Arc full marks for their design & craftsmanship, but none of the designs to date have really appealed to me (haven't tried the Arc-AA, though). My preferred keychain light is still a Photon 2 (having tried the Arc-AAA & dismisssed it for it's size).
 
Joe,

There's a mammoth thread over at CPF on the entire LED Lenser line-up, along with a bunch of pics. You might want to check it out.
 
I might have changed my mind about Inova, I received an X-1 I ordered, it's DOA. New battery doesn't help.

They want $5 to process warranty, with is approximately 30% of the initial cost.

GRRR, don't you hate it when you buy something brand new and it doesn't work? :mad: :mad:

NEVERMIND, I had to push the battery past the polarity boot with my finger, now it works OK.
 
Dave, what do you think of the X1? It's getting mixed reviews so far. It's being characterized as having a very tight beam with no side splash, which I imagine would make it useful for some things but less useful for others. I know with my SureFire E1, the lack of useful side spill made it practically useless for me -- whenever I wanted to get a view of something, I had to move the E1's beam all around to glimpse the entire view. I relegated it to a drawer quickly. Whereas the Arc LS was about the brightness but the beam so useful that it quickly became an EDC. I guess I personally don't have much use for a super-defined tight beam, but some folks are finding it very useful.

Joe
 
I like the tight beam just for novelties sake, I'll know more when it gets dark.
 
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