Many years ago I came across these nifty little LED lights made by Inova that clip to your coat zipper, or your bag, or your keychain. They were pretty cool, for what they were, small lights to help you locate your car’s key slot, or find that loose change you dropped, or illuminate an escape route in case of an emergency. I love those little lights and I still think of them when somebody starts talking about Inova.
But Inova, like everything else, has changed in the last few years. The Inova Light division of Emissive Energy now manufactures very impressive LED duty lights.
Inova duty lights are now available in models that offer 1-watt to 4-watt LEDs. These lights have more than enough power for duty use and are durable enough to survive many years of hard work.
Inova recently introduced two new models in its tactical flashlight line, the T4 and T5. These two lights are virtually identical 4-watt LED models. The only difference between the two is that the T4 is rechargeable while the T5 is not. Because the T4 is rechargeable, I decided to focus on it for this review.
The T4 comes with two charging units: one for AC and the other for DC. For cops on patrol, DC recharging is a nice option. You can charge the light in your duty vehicle, so you don’t have to worry about your light dying mid-shift.
Another great feature of the T4 system is that the chargers have blinking lights in blue and green to signify that the T4 is charged. This is better than the standard red and green charge lights because they can be seen by color blind users.
Inova uses a lithium ion battery as the power source for the T4. Lithium ion batteries charge faster than nickel cadmium batteries. Also, the light doesn’t have to be fully discharged before recharging, so your light will always be at full power if you keep it in the charger when it’s not in use.
Unlike many rechargeable lights the T4 gives constant light output for its entire run time, which is about two hours. Inova uses a regulatory circuit to achieve this constant light output. The result is that from a full charge to depletion you get the T4’s 100-lumen output. That translates to a useful beam of 300 feet, which was enough for me to make out facial details at about 40 yards.
The T4 uses a mid-body on/off switch. This switch provides constant on/off or can be used as a momentary on. It is easily operated with or without gloves, and it can be easily manipulated when using a handgun with either Harris’ or Ayoob’s light techniques.
And the T4 is tough. I accidentally knocked my evaluation T4 off of a file cabinet to the concrete floor of my basement. The light fell about three feet and was still shining brightly. So I decided to experiment. I set it on top of a clothing armoire that is approximately six feet high and I knocked it off six times. The T4 came through like a champ; no cracks in the lamp, no chips to the light’s body, and it just kept shining brightly.
The T4 gets its toughness from the LED light assembly and the aircraft grade aluminum body with military grade Type III anodizing. This keeps the unit’s weight down, while giving it enhanced durability.
Inova’s duty lights are innovative, well designed, powerful, and tough. The T4 is no exception.
Emissive Energy Inova T4 Duty Light
Length: 8 inches
Diameter: 1.1 inches
Lamp Type: Trios LED
Lamp Output: 100 lumens
Body Material: Aircraft grade anodized aluminum alloy
Battery: Rechargeable lithium ion
Price: $129.99
Website: www.inovalight.com
Scott Smith is a disabled veteran who served as an active duty Army MP and in the U.S. Air Force Reserve and Air National Guard as a security policeman.
