Xtar D31

[DJack]

Need a new dive light so I started looking around and I found the XTAR d31. Does anyone have experience with this light? Seems like a huge amount of light for not too much money. Still $350+ though so I would like to know more about it.

Pros:
2300 claimed max lumens?
Water proof 50 meters
3 settings. 4 if you include off.
800 lumens for 7 hours.
Big enough to hit things with.

Cons.
Is 2300lm too bright?
Weighs "1.56Kg Moderate net weight". What does that mean? Under water?
Huge light.

Any Input?

 

[Yavox]

I have the D31 and I was seriously considering diving with it (at last at the time I was trying to get one), but now - when I have experienced its size and found how clumsy it is, I don't plan to take it underwater anymore.

This is actualy not because of the weight (BTW 1,5kg is not underwater) but because of its size. But this is just my 2 cents.

 

[Klem]

2300 lumens is not "too bright". Even in situations like catching crays when too much light tends to scare them and they back away (just turn your light slightly away from them). Bottom line...there are far more situations when you want more light, than less.

It's also as much about focus as it is about brightness. For example, 2300 lumens won't travel very far unless it is focussed. Worse still, in a silty environment it will reflect off the particulate and 'white-out'.

For 1.5kg above water I'd expect at least 3000+ lumens. If your torch weighs 1.5kgs when submerged then ditch it.

 

[DJack]

Ok, judging from these 2 responses this would not be the ideal light. It's too clumsy and weighs too much for the lumens it produces. I actually figured that they were not talking about its weight underwater, just thought that it was a funny way of saying what it weighs.
If I wanted to be snooty about it I would say that yes it still is 1.56 Kg anywhere in the universe, even underwater. But I'm not because I think you guys just saved me from making a $300 mistake.
Other than HIDs what dive light puts out greater than 3000 lm?

 

[Klem]

Like I said, brightness (measured in lumens or other) is only part of the equation. You can find a 'light engine' or build one yourself with multiple LEDs and add up all the lumens to give over 3000, but pratically unless you can focus all these lights into one tight beam it might not end up what you want.

3000+ lumens for primary torches which require tight spots is still the domain of HIDs (35W and above with a decent reflector). If a more area effect is required for photography or work for example, then LED works as well.

The 'weight' of the torch is only really an issue when you consider the relative difference between its weight out of water and how much water it displaces. The less water it displaces the better, and a negative-buoyant torch is a must. If underwater it's only a few grams then all that 1.5kg is 'useless' dead weight when you kit up. If you do a lot of climbing up stairs or long walks to shore diving then I suppose it might be an issue, but 1.5kgs is not a lot if you are fit and healthy. A weighty torch can actually be a good thing, if you need to put it down and don't want it being pushed around by the surge. Bottom line, weight is an issue, but as long as it's a bright torch... I wouldn't lose any sleep over it.