Price
The most expensive of the three is the SureFire Infinity, which typically retails for about $150. The Gerber is the cheapest of the three LED flashlights priced at just over $20. Meanwhile, the Inova XO3 is the mid-range LED flashlight. It retails at around $69.
Housing
All three LED flashlights offer toughened housing. The Gerber is made from anodized machined aircraft grade aluminum, making it durable and perfect for taking out in the woods. Adding to this durability is a watertight gasket. The Inova is made from similar materials, although it has type III military grade anodizing. It, too, is water resistant and its head is made from stainless steel with two-sided anti-reflective coating and a Teflon seal. The SureFire is built from aerospace-grade aluminum and features an o-ring to keep out moisture.
Beam Type
The beam type of the Gerber is a flood, offering brightness (in lux) of 5.2 at 2 meters. The maximum beam distance on the Gerber is 9.1 meters, and it has just one brightness level. The Inova has a focused beam, with just one brightness level. It offers a brightness of 279.7 at 2 meters and has a maximum beam length of 66.9 meters. Finally, the SureFire has two brightness levels, a low and a high with a spot beam. The company does note state the maximum beam distance or brightness level. However, the light output is 60 lumens when on high and 3 lumens when on the low setting.
Features
The Gerber is fairly basic, but it does have a twist on/off feature, which is nice when you have your hands full. The Inova has the twist on/off option also but with an additional button at the end of the flashlight, which is great for signaling. The SureFire has the button on the end of the flashlight that you can push partway down for momentary use or all the way down for constant use. The SureFire also has a clip so you can easily clip it to your belt or wherever you need to, making it much less likely that you'll lose it when out camping.
Battery
It takes one AA battery to power the Gerber, and it has a battery life of just over 12 hours. However, the SureFire and the Inova both take lithium batteries. The SureFire takes two CR123 lithium batteries and has a battery life of 11 to 100 hours, depending on whether it's on the low or high setting. The Inova takes two CR123A batteries but has a battery life of just under seven hours.
