Intova 3W LED Dive Light?

[under water]

I bought two of these and am somewhat dissapointed so far when comparing them out of water to a couple of UK Q40+'s that we were using. I expected much more light, but with fresh batteries in both, the best I can say is they are a tie. There is a difference in light distribution, with the INTOVA having a halo around a central bright spot and the Q40's having a very even, but smaller, spot.
The Intova seems a lot heavier.
I'll bring both diving and see which I like better.
I also wonder about the 8 hour claim for battery life.
I got the sealed variety, so no upgrade for me.

 

[HenrikBP]

Funny; my Intova compares very favorably to my UK Q40 eLED Plus. It's noticeably brighter and with a more even beam pattern. It's almost like I can see the square shape of the LED in the UK beam.

Henrik

 

[D_B]

another source for the 3w Intova at a very good price ... ANTOnline.com - Intova IFL660 Waterproof Aluminum Flashlight
Thanks RonFrank

 

[deepdiverbc]

The Intova caught my eye but after looking into other options I decided that for a light of that size I would be better off getting one with three C-cells. Why not go for a longer burn time. Maybe I'm missing something but I don't see an advantage to lithium batteries unless you are short on space and need a small battery.

I'm starting to look at the Salvo Rat, Photon Torpedo and the Tektite Expedition. The Intova is a nice looking light though.

 

[D_B]

The lithium advantage is power for size , the whole Intova light is the size of 3 C cell batteries by themselves

The light is a good light .. Brightness per dollar is what makes the Intova a great deal

 

[deepdiverbc]

I should have caught that. The Intova is about 2" shorter than the other three I listed. Personally I need a longer light because I use it to hold my long hose in place.

 

[deepdiverbc]

I don't get the 8 hour burn time.

The lithium batteries that come with the Intova light are 1400mah non rechargeable.
The light draws 0.5 amp (500ma)
So the light should only burn for just under 3hours not 8 hours.

So how long will this light burn with 900mah rechargeable batteries.
My calculations figure it at about 90 minutes, but if Intova says they can get 8 hours from the standard battery I should expect about 4 hours burn time.

So how long will this light really last using 900mah rechargeable batteries?

I sent the above question to Intova on March 19th and they forwarded it to the factory in China. I received a reply from both sources today. I have to say I wasn't expecting such prompt service and I was impressed by the communication with Intova.

I am guessing that the light will burn at close to full power for 3 hours but will continue to work as a dim light source for a total of 8 hours. If you check out the OMS Vega LED. It uses the same batteries and a 3W LED. Their advertised burn time is 3 hours.


Reply from Intova

Eric,

I've tested this torch and the burn time is over 3 hours. I tested it until the light went out and the test concluded an 8 hour burn time


Reply from Factory:

Our batteries (non-rechargeable) are 1400mAh.
Your client is right, the burn time is about 90 minutes if using 900mAh rechargeable batteries.

Kindly note it is not good enough to use rechargeable batteries for our torch as it is a non-rechargeable torch. And the burn time we indicate is 3 hours.

 

[netware]

I have the new version. Has anyone been able to open up the thread locked version?
I just broke the cheap strap wrenches I bought at home dep0t.
Guess i'll return them, must be defective.

 

[D_B]

This is the one it has now ...

60Lum at 700ma ... Luxeon LEDs - LXHL-LW3C Luxeon III Star - White Lambertian

And these will fit right in ...

75Lum at 700ma ... Luxeon LEDs - 5027-PW12 Luxeon K2 Star - White, 130 Lumens @ 1500mA

135Lum at 700ma ... Luxeon LEDs - LXK2-PWC4-0160 Luxeon K2-TFFC - White, 160 Lumens @ 1000mA

170Lum at 700ma ... Luxeon LEDs - LXK2-PWC4-0200 Luxeon K2-TFFC - White, 200 Lumens @ 1000mA

... these last two are just the LED (LXK2 xxxx) not a star LED (L2K2 xxxx) You might, with a little soldering, drop it in on the star, in place the original)

Again, the above options are depending on burn time ... and if you wanted to directly replace the LED without messing with the driver circuit
... all these have Lambertian lenses like the original

I just ordered one of each of the 75, 135, 170 Lumens LEDs (note: the 75Lum star I got here, #5027-PW12 is different than the one I had listed before, #5027-PW14 .. the PW12 is the one rated at 700ma)
It says it may take quite a while to ship some of them, I'll let you know how it goes

Just got my order (they dropped the ball during site restructure, had to reorder ... gonna try the 200/175 lumen one first

 

[divinginn]

has anyone had any luck cracking these open? I bought a ssc p-4 led to replace the luxeon led,it should at least double the output if I can get inside of it,have not gave a serious effort yet.