New compact Intova 4.7

[DevilDiver]

Well... Here you go. I have to say that I am shocked, I really expected the Dorcy would be the brighter light at 180 lmn output vs. the Intova at 130 lmn.
All photos were taken from the exact same distance (approx 7ft) with the same camera setting.

First photo: Dorcy



Second Photo: Intova @ full power



Third Photo: Intova @ 30% power



Fourth Photo: Intova on/off button


With 3 AAA batteries (Intova) vs 6 AAA batteries (Dorcy) the Intova is lighter, smaller (3.75 L x 0.5 W vs 6.5 L X 1.5 W) and a lot more powerful, even at 30% output. Both lights claim an 8hr burn time.

In case it was missed the Dorcy has a twist on/off and the Intova has a button located in the base with three settings 1) 100% 2) 30% 3) Strobe.

Cost:
Dorcy- $49
Intova- $38

CD- As you can see from the above photo, the Intova has a hole in the lip around the button for the attachment of the bolt snap.

[CompuDude]

Originally Posted by DevilDiver

Well... Here you go. I have to say that I am shocked, I really expected the Dorcy would be the brighter light at 180 lmn output vs. the Intova at 130 lmn.
All photos were taken from the exact same distance (approx 7ft) with the same camera setting.
<snip>

With 3 AAA batteries (Intova) vs 6 AAA batteries (Dorcy) the Intova is lighter, smaller (3.75 L x 0.5 W vs 6.5 L X 1.5 W) and a lot more powerful, even at 30% output. Both lights claim an 8hr burn time.

In case it was missed the Dorcy has a twist on/off and the Intova has a button located in the base with three settings 1) 100% 2) 30% 3) Strobe.

Cost:
Dorcy- $49
Intova- $38

CD- As you can see from the above photo, the Intova has a hole in the lip around the button for the attachment of the bolt snap.

Well dang. That's darned interesting. (At least I only paid $40 for my Dorcy)

I wish I knew more about that button, and the long term reliability. But I may just have to pick one up. Great, just what I need, ANOTHER flashlight. LOL

At this rate I'm going to have to sell off one of my Photon Torpedos.

[CompuDude]

I'm thinking more and more that I'm going to get one, if not two, of these new Intova's, I guess from B&H.

xref reason: New Dorcy Dive Light

[Recon]

I am a little disapointed that I got the older style one when I got mine a few weeks ago from ST. The darn c123s are FAR more expensive then standard AAAs....

[DevilDiver]

Originally Posted by CompuDude

I'm thinking more and more that I'm going to get one, if not two, of these new Intova's, I guess from B&H.

xref reason: New Dorcy Dive Light

Wow, now thats a freaky story. I will have to believe the flying battery story because you can't make that kind of stuff up.

I have never had my Dorcy flood but I have flooded two twist on lights before and know where your comming from. This was one one of the selling points of the Intova for me.

I found out tonight that ST carries Intova products and should have these lights soon. (A pm or call would push this forward)

[DevilDiver]

Originally Posted by Recon

I am a little disapointed that I got the older style one when I got mine a few weeks ago from ST. The darn c123s are FAR more expensive then standard AAAs....

I know, next time out at the lake you can check it out. I do not know how the older model compares but we can side by side them.

Shout out when you are back in town..... How's that sand looking?

[Recon]

Looks like I need to get Another Intova light just use the new one for a backup and the other one, .... for a back up back up, and get a can light , well make a can light probably.

~Recon

[CompuDude]

FWIW, B&H is out of stock on these new lights. Bummer.

However, Adorama seems to carry them: ICOM Intova Compact Tourch 4.7 Watt, 130 Lumens, CREE L.E.D., Waterproof (to 400')

It's about $2 more, but I can live with that. EDIT: ARGH! They're backordered as well. I'll have to do some more digging...

I saw someone this weekend with TWO of these lights on their harness, so I was able to see them in person (topside, at least), and she even switched them on briefly to show the various light functions to me. (100%, 30#, off, strobe) Very slick, although I still am annoyed by the side-mount holes for the bolt snap. I can live with that, however, since that appears to be pretty much the only downside.

NOTE: There IS one downside I just discovered. There is no such thing as a free lunch.

The long burn time cited for these is apparently at the 30% power level, NOT the 100% power level.

See this thread on SB for details: Newest Intova-Compact, push button - ScubaBoard

Originally Posted by SomeAssembly

I didn't get a chance to take pictures, but I did do a battery test since burn time seems to be what people cared about most.

Total time was right at 2.5 hours.

It's a little hard to know what the usable time was. The discharge curve for a AAA is very different than the CR123. With the Nova Wide, you get fairly constant output until it falls off a cliff at the end.

With the AAA the output was very good through about 1 1/2 hours. Between 1 1/2 and 2 hours I started to see a noticeable decrease in the output, but I would still consider it usable.

At 2 hours, I would say the hot spot was about the same as the brightness of the Nova Wide. Because of the smaller beam, the total light was less.

Between 2 and 2 1/2 hours the output dropped more much more quickly. I would not have wanted to use the light much past the 2 hour point.

For me, this is all the performance I need for a pocket light. This is a replacement for 4AA and 6AA halogen lights, and that was all the time I was getting from them.

I'll get pictures of the beam compared to the Nova Wide when I get back next weeks trip.

Still 1.5 hours of excellent light and at least 2.5 hrs of usable light seems totally sufficient for OW dives within the NDLs, and even "light" overhead use, at least, alongside my trusty Photo Torpedo. I don't think I would consider it sufficient for actual cave diving or serious wreck penetration, however, and would swap in a different light for those dives... perhaps the Dorcy.

[DevilDiver]

Interesting.......

Tell you what, I will run a burn test tonight to see how long you get usable light. I plan the first test @ 100% and I will do 30% tomorrow night.

By the way ST can order this light, they are an authorized dealer for Intova.

[CompuDude]

Originally Posted by DevilDiver

Interesting.......

Tell you what, I will run a burn test tonight to see how long you get usable light. I plan the first test @ 100% and I will do 30% tomorrow night.

By the way ST can order this light, they are an authorized dealer for Intova.

Oh, I forgot about that. Considering Adorama back-ordered my light, I may just cancel that and place the order through ST. I'll give them a call.

What batteries are you going to use for your burn test? (please say Eneloops)