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Detailed
Information:
The body of the light is anodized aluminum with longitudinal
flat panels machined into its sides to help with grip.
The surface is very smooth with no real texture. The
tailcap has reverse checkering for grip when twisting
the switch. The very front of the light contains a stainless
steel bezel with beveled edges. This bezel ring helps
protect the recessed glass optics. The inside of the
light is also anodized for corrosion resistance. Machining
is very good. The fit and finish are excellent.
Size vs. common aluminum 2-AA light
Size Reference
New (bottom) vs. Old (top)
Inside the bezel behind the glass lens is a single
5mm white LED. In the new version of this light it is
set in the middle of a metal polished reflector which
catches the sidespill light and directs it forward.
In the older version the LED is set at a precise distance
from the optics to produce a very uniform and round
circle of light. Further in is a regulator circuit which
should give uniform light output over the life of the
battery, which was advertised at about 10 hours.
Bezel picture - New version with reflector
on left, older version on right
The switch is basically identical to the Inova X5.
There is a rubber dot in the center that can be pressed
for momentary operation. Tighten the whole tailcap for
constant operation. Turn back 1 full turn and the light
is "locked out" - it cannot turn on. This
setting is to prevent accidental operation which could
wear down your battery in the bottom of your backpack
or luggage.
Output from the reflector version is a wide spot of
smooth light, brighter in the center, with a slight
bluish tint. The optics version produces a very round
and quite uniform spot with a bluish ring around the
edge of the spot and a few minor beam artifacts.
 
Beam at one meter, New version left vs. Old version
right (~ 7" diameter spot at one meter)
Direct comparison - new on left, old on right
I think you can see why I prefer the newer version!
Runtime Plot: Great runtime! Over 8 hours before
it reaches 50% of its starting output. After that it
keeps going for many more hours.
Runtime
completed with included batteries. More information
on runtime plots is available HERE.
The X1 is water resistant and is protected at the tailcap
by an O-ring which should be kept clean and lubricated
with a silicone grease.
The X1 is powered by a single AA alkaline battery.
The use of any other type of AA battery (lithium or
rechargeable) is not mentioned in the documentation
and is therefore not recommended. Simply unscrew the
tailcap and drop in a new battery, positive side first.
There is a piston-based reverse polarity protection
device built in to the far end of the light to protect
the electronics.
What I Liked: Well engineered,
tough little light. Lots of extras like the stainless
steel bezel, coated optics and regulation circuitry.
What I Didn't Like: The one thing
I really disliked about the older, optics-based version
was the complete lack of sidespill. It was sort of like
looking around a room through a hole in a sheet of paper
held at arms length. You only get to see a small part
of the picture at any moment in time which makes it
very dangerous for navigation in the dark. Good for
spotting, not so good for navigating. The new version
with the reflector, which appears to be the now-current
version as the older optics-based system lights are
discontinued, provides a much better beam and is much
more useful in my opinion.
Other Things I Noticed: The finish
of the new reflector-based light I just picked up is
slightly darker than the original.
Conclusions: A well engineered
light with top quality components. I'd recommend looking
for the new one if purchasing one around the time of
this update (March 2006). The older ones will probably
be phased out, so if you like the spotlight type of
output, get them while you can. The new version was
purchased from Target Department Stores. The review
rating has been updated to reflect (pun intended) the
improvements in the new version.
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