Hi everyone,
I am interested in a new dive torch.
A typical dive for me:
Freediving/spearfishing in 1m to 8m depth in the sea normally half an hour after last light in the evening. I do pre-dawn dives rarely.
An average depth is about 4m to 6m.
We cover quite alot of ground as we're either looking for something for the table or once that's happened then just looking around at interesting fish and life u/w.
Mostly it's diving over sand in bays with a reef edge to follow. This is in the UK. Water temperatures are about 12C to 18C.
Normally a dive is at least an hour and a half. The longest dive is about 2 and a half hours. I'd go for three hours if I could. The longest theoretical dive is an hour before low water to three hours up = four hours. After that, the tides are too strong.
There is alot of diving down and resurfacing (freediving/snorkelling).
If I'm with someone then we normally do one up/one down and follow the person down. They can be down for 30 seconds to 45 seconds as it's dynamic swimming along the bottom scanning left and right.
We also scan from the surface in the shallows if it's clear.
I often turn my torch off when I'm on the surface and then turn it on for a dive down. Friends leave their torches on.
If we catch something then the other person will shine a torch on them while they sort out the fish etc.
So, I originally started with a Ikelite PCa. It had either 4 or 6 AA batteries and was pretty rubbish! Not much light but it worked.
Around 2006 maybe (?) I bought a FaMi Power LED 40. This was a massive step up from the Ikelite in terms of light output and build quality. It had 4x AA's. Possibly 200 lumens? Not sure.
In 2010 I borrowed a Magicshine P7 (2x 18650's) and liked it enough to buy a Magicshine XML.
Currently still using the Macigshine XML.
Things I like :
Small in the hand. Small diameter means it's easy to carry & fish with.
The max output is quite good (it says 900 lumens but it's less for sure - maybe 600 lumens?).
It's quite robust - I rinse it and look after it unobsessively and it's still working. Got banged a bit on the rocks.
Cheap: It cost something like £50.
Things I don't like:
Run time! On max output it lasts less than 2 hours. I often run it on the lowest output (200 lumens? Similar to the FaMI output) to increase the run time but then I see less....
Switch: It's a ring dial that just turns between off / min / mid / max. It's now sticky and hard to turn with 3mm gloves on. As mentioned, I turn it off between up/down dives to save run time.
Cutout : the torch switches off abruptly at about 2 hours. I don't take a spare so either have to follow my buddy or head back to the shore.
Also, I dive with a friend who made his own umbilical torch with a maglight head and 6x or 8x 18650 belt pack. His torch is awesome! He has the torch on max for the entire dive with no dimming. It's a tight throw with a little bit of flood. When I follow him from the surface I see everything lit up (I was 6m above him on the last dive and saw everything better than with my own torch on the bottom....).
I have torch envy
Sooo... In an ideal world I would have a torch that is small in the hand, much brighter than my Magicshine, lasts on max output for 3 hours then gracefully steps down the output rather than cutting out.
Ideally with an easy switch between max and a lower setting (just need off / low / max).
I don't mind if it's umbilical or not. Never used umbilical but my friend seems to get on ok with it.
I'm not sure if 18650 is still a good solution but I have noticed the 26650 batteries - I'm easy either way.
(In fact I bought some green 18650 batteries 'NCR18650B' 3400 mAh several years ago to use with the Magicshine but they had flat ends and didn't work. A friend said that they were dangerous as unprotected. Will have a read about that.... they seem to work in my bike torch tho').
What are the best 18650 batteries for a torch at the moment? i.e. if I get better/newer batteries will I get 2.5hrs on max with the Macigshine XML? (cheapest/easiest solution!).
From my limited understanding I need capacity rather than current. So a higher mAh battery like the Sanyo NCR18650GA 3500mAh/10A will be more suitable than the Sony Konion US18650VTC6 3120mAh/30A ?
We'll often go a few days in a row due to the tides. So the recharge time will have to be overnight (probably not an issue!).
I have noticed that there are other emitters around now like the XHP70. Will have a read about that but is it a better solution for what I've described above than the XML's?
Anyway, I think I will buy a torch rather than make one. I have too many other projects on the go at the moment.
Budget.... ideally around £150 but I could go up to £200+. I this achievable?
Because it's freediving/snorkelling close to shore I don't think I need the uber-reliability of the more professional torches? If the light cuts out (happens often to me due to run time) then it's a 5min max swim back to the beach (I'm not metres down in a cave system... ).
Anyway - if you guys could point me in the right direction I'd be very grateful.
Thanks,
Island.
I am interested in a new dive torch.
A typical dive for me:
Freediving/spearfishing in 1m to 8m depth in the sea normally half an hour after last light in the evening. I do pre-dawn dives rarely.
An average depth is about 4m to 6m.
We cover quite alot of ground as we're either looking for something for the table or once that's happened then just looking around at interesting fish and life u/w.
Mostly it's diving over sand in bays with a reef edge to follow. This is in the UK. Water temperatures are about 12C to 18C.
Normally a dive is at least an hour and a half. The longest dive is about 2 and a half hours. I'd go for three hours if I could. The longest theoretical dive is an hour before low water to three hours up = four hours. After that, the tides are too strong.
There is alot of diving down and resurfacing (freediving/snorkelling).
If I'm with someone then we normally do one up/one down and follow the person down. They can be down for 30 seconds to 45 seconds as it's dynamic swimming along the bottom scanning left and right.
We also scan from the surface in the shallows if it's clear.
I often turn my torch off when I'm on the surface and then turn it on for a dive down. Friends leave their torches on.
If we catch something then the other person will shine a torch on them while they sort out the fish etc.
So, I originally started with a Ikelite PCa. It had either 4 or 6 AA batteries and was pretty rubbish! Not much light but it worked.
Around 2006 maybe (?) I bought a FaMi Power LED 40. This was a massive step up from the Ikelite in terms of light output and build quality. It had 4x AA's. Possibly 200 lumens? Not sure.
In 2010 I borrowed a Magicshine P7 (2x 18650's) and liked it enough to buy a Magicshine XML.
Currently still using the Macigshine XML.
Things I like :
Small in the hand. Small diameter means it's easy to carry & fish with.
The max output is quite good (it says 900 lumens but it's less for sure - maybe 600 lumens?).
It's quite robust - I rinse it and look after it unobsessively and it's still working. Got banged a bit on the rocks.
Cheap: It cost something like £50.
Things I don't like:
Run time! On max output it lasts less than 2 hours. I often run it on the lowest output (200 lumens? Similar to the FaMI output) to increase the run time but then I see less....
Switch: It's a ring dial that just turns between off / min / mid / max. It's now sticky and hard to turn with 3mm gloves on. As mentioned, I turn it off between up/down dives to save run time.
Cutout : the torch switches off abruptly at about 2 hours. I don't take a spare so either have to follow my buddy or head back to the shore.
Also, I dive with a friend who made his own umbilical torch with a maglight head and 6x or 8x 18650 belt pack. His torch is awesome! He has the torch on max for the entire dive with no dimming. It's a tight throw with a little bit of flood. When I follow him from the surface I see everything lit up (I was 6m above him on the last dive and saw everything better than with my own torch on the bottom....).
I have torch envy
Sooo... In an ideal world I would have a torch that is small in the hand, much brighter than my Magicshine, lasts on max output for 3 hours then gracefully steps down the output rather than cutting out.
Ideally with an easy switch between max and a lower setting (just need off / low / max).
I don't mind if it's umbilical or not. Never used umbilical but my friend seems to get on ok with it.
I'm not sure if 18650 is still a good solution but I have noticed the 26650 batteries - I'm easy either way.
(In fact I bought some green 18650 batteries 'NCR18650B' 3400 mAh several years ago to use with the Magicshine but they had flat ends and didn't work. A friend said that they were dangerous as unprotected. Will have a read about that.... they seem to work in my bike torch tho').
What are the best 18650 batteries for a torch at the moment? i.e. if I get better/newer batteries will I get 2.5hrs on max with the Macigshine XML? (cheapest/easiest solution!).
From my limited understanding I need capacity rather than current. So a higher mAh battery like the Sanyo NCR18650GA 3500mAh/10A will be more suitable than the Sony Konion US18650VTC6 3120mAh/30A ?
We'll often go a few days in a row due to the tides. So the recharge time will have to be overnight (probably not an issue!).
I have noticed that there are other emitters around now like the XHP70. Will have a read about that but is it a better solution for what I've described above than the XML's?
Anyway, I think I will buy a torch rather than make one. I have too many other projects on the go at the moment.
Budget.... ideally around £150 but I could go up to £200+. I this achievable?
Because it's freediving/snorkelling close to shore I don't think I need the uber-reliability of the more professional torches? If the light cuts out (happens often to me due to run time) then it's a 5min max swim back to the beach (I'm not metres down in a cave system... ).
Anyway - if you guys could point me in the right direction I'd be very grateful.
Thanks,
Island.