TK40 suitable to submerge under sea water?

quacka

Newly Enlightened
Joined
Jan 3, 2010
Messages
1
Hi,

First time poster here.

I have been reading around here for a couple of days before deciding to buy myself a TK40 for genereal purpose use. I don't use the torch much so I decided to get the TK40 for the convenient AA battery size.

We are planning to go to catch prawns this weekend. I saw that the TK40 is water proof but was wondering if anyone knows if it can withstand being submerge in the salty sea water over a few hours at maximum power?

Thanks
 
Most lights (that are not dive lights) will perform decent in the water, the IPX 8 rating is found on most current lights. These are rated for static water pressure, or NO movement while submerged. The second you start swimming with it, or moving it in any way, these ratings are moot. Most CPFers will advise that waterproof lights are only water RESISTANT. If you want to take your light in the water for a long while, get a dive light, they are designed for that type of activity.
More "specialists" are likely to chime in soon....
 
Hi, Welcome to CPF quacka.
I saw that the TK40 is water proof but was wondering if anyone knows if it can withstand being submerge in the salty sea water over a few hours at maximum power?
No. As Officer Camp mentioned, for an activity like that you need a dive rated light.
 
Actually most practical tests done by cpf-ers showed that most of the IPX8 lights passed the 'submerged underwater test'(usually the swimming in the swimming pool test).

The big problem would be the flashlight body itself. If there is any ano worn out at any part of the light, you will have a problem. Aluminum does not fare well in saltwater.
 
Also the torch is probably only rated to a few metres deep for a specific time. IPX-8 is manufacturer specific, so you'd need to ask Fenix, although it exceeds IPX-7. Here are the water resistance ratings:

http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=229090

If you do use it in sea water, it would be sensible to wash it under fresh water before you open the casing.
 
Actually most practical tests done by cpf-ers showed that most of the IPX8 lights passed the 'submerged underwater test'(usually the swimming in the swimming pool test).

The big problem would be the flashlight body itself. If there is any ano worn out at any part of the light, you will have a problem. Aluminum does not fare well in saltwater.

Imo that's not a problem at all. All my dive rated lights are made of aluminum. My oldest "keeper" is about 5 years old, full of scratches, still no corrosion after heavy use in saltwater. The worst part is that i rarely bother to wash the salt away after a dip in the ocean. I know, I'm a baaaad flashoholic.. both lights i use is >500$ and they still get a bad treatment :oops: but they look fresh.
I work as a boat builder, making 35-40 foot fishing boats. I see the damage saltwater CAN do to aluminum every day at work, but I'm not worried about my flashlights. The difference between the corroded boats and my non corroded light, is that my lights doesn't lay dunked in saltwater for more than some few hours at the time. Corrosion don't eat much aluminum in a couple of hours, so you don't even need to put zinc on it..:poke:
 
Last edited:
The IPX-8 standard by itself is meaningless without further elaboration form the light manufacturer on the capabilities of the product.

http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=177366

If it were me, I would use a dive rated light instead, and/or a light with some following with recreational divers.

It isn't meaningless. It tells you that the product can resist continuous immersion, in such a way as to exceed IPX-7, in a manner specified by the manufacturer. Without further qualification you have no idea how.

http://www.adaptaflex.co.uk/news-archive.asp?year=2006

I have to agree about using a diving light.
 
whatever happens, common sense prevails.
no rating is gonna save your light if the bezel isn't tight or the o-ring is damaged.
 
Get a huge ziploc bag and put the TK40 in it, seal it up and go prawning :D
If you do that, examine inside the bag when you are finished. If there is even a little moisture in the bag, take the light apart. If you see NO moisture in the bag, leave the light apart for a day in a dry place, especially the switch. I have a drying rack near my furnace that is great at drying things. If there is moisture inside the light, rinse it in fresh water and dry it, again leaving it apart to dry for a day or so.

I used a non-dive light with a twisty that was rated waterproof to scuba once. It appeared dry inside after, and I closed it back up. A few weeks after it developed a problem. When I took it apart there was corrosion inside on the battery contacts. It was never the same even after a thorough cleaning.
 
Its an expensive light.....why risk it if its not dive rated.
 
I'm not a physicist so I don't know all the technical terms, but in laymen's terms the pressure of the water pushing into the flashlight will be heavily influenced by the amount of air inside the light. For an example of this take two Ziploc bags. Fill one with air and close; the other leave completely closed without ever opening. Take both of them into a spimming pool and take them as deep as you possibly can. I bet you can guess which bag will fail first.

To translate this to a flashlight, while the TK40 has a great seal on it compared to other lights, it also has a lot more air inside it due to the inefficent spacial usage of the battery compartment. IMHO I would be a lot more worried about it leaking than say my E01 which has next to no air within the battery compartment.
 
Without going into atmospheric physics much (I'm a diver, not a scientist!) you also have to account for the depth. If we are talikng about a few feet or less, then fine, but anything with a rubber boot over the switch will fail under these pressures (1st 33 feet double the pressure of sea level atmosphere air, 66 feet is triple) the switch boot may likely rupture inward. It's not the seals, glass (althouh this can be a problem if not thick enough) or body that is the problem, but the soft parts (rubber boot). Solids don't compress, but soft parts do (like a wetsuit compresses underwater) and anythign with an airspace will want to compress to equalize the pressure.

That being said, I have no experience with these types of lights as dive lights, this is mere hypothesis on my part. But I do know all dedicated dive lights are usually reinforced at seams and have poly lenses and hard switches sealed by an o-ring just to prevent this type of failure.
 
In a more generic sense, if I HAD to rely on a typical IPX8 flashlight that wasn't a dive light for underwater use I'd:

1. Turn it on BEFORE getting in the water, and not mess with the switch while underwater.

2. Not take it any deeper than I absolutely HAD to.

3. Try not to "stroke" with the hand holding the light - I'd try to keep it pointed straight ahead and not swish it through the water any more than necessary.

4. Hope to the heavens I got away with this.

I'd take a TK-40 into the ocean, even to 20 feet, in one of these two conditions:

1. I'm merely "seeing if it can do it", in conditions where I don't really need a light, and I don't care about money.

2. There's some emergency reason to at least try it, and it's the only light around.

Other than those two reasons I'd never attempt it.
 
I'd take a TK-40 into the ocean, even to 20 feet, in one of these two conditions:

1. I'm merely "seeing if it can do it", in conditions where I don't really need a light, and I don't care about money.

2. There's some emergency reason to at least try it, and it's the only light around.

Other than those two reasons I'd never attempt it.

I think you forgot one:

3. To find out how much it can withstand before it floods, and then post the outcome on CPF to prevent other people making the same mistake.
 
Top