Arc Flashlights survive the depths of Heritage Lake

It was in the "can the optics be replaced in an LS" thread.I took a minimag acessory kit and used black RTV sealant to bond the clear lens to the end of my LS.Then I used the same sealant to bond the rubber bezel protector over the end of the bezel.The waterproofing was a secondary consideration,as I did it mainly to protect the optics.It is a really good sealant though,so I'm not surprised it held up so well.
Edited to add:I didn't do anything to the CPF arc except lube the O-ring.
troy

Awesome Troy. This is some data we can use to make the Arc-LS better! From my earlier posts I suggested trying a lexan disk with an o-ring infront of the stock optics. If we can make a production assembly, this would be incorporated into future designs as an improvement. From your tests, we know the body o-ring can take the 50 feet rating.

I was also suprised to learn the Arc-AAA can go down to 50 ft with a fresh o-ring. Did you take the LE with the worn o-ring to any depth?

Thanks again for this informative, "field" study. I am indepthed to you. Seriously, use the "lscoupon-1" (worth $30) when we come out with the "Troy-tested" upgrade to the Arc-LS.

Peter Gransee

It was my pleasure,Peter!I did not take my LE with the worn o-ring down at all.My wife couldn't believe I was taking the CPF down ,but I thought the o-ring looked pretty beefy.I had a feeling it was going to make it though.It was a leap of faith having my 2 favorite lights dangling 50 feet at the bottom of a thin metal tape.But it worked out great and I have even more respect for your products.Thanks Peter.
troy

Do you have any pictures of your mod?

I can try to take a picture and e-mail it to you after dinner.It looks about like Chris's pictures with the Surefire beamshaper only it has a clear lens and the rubber part is six sided and the six corners are flattened(so technically it is twelve sided)Like a bolt head with the corners flattened.I'll try to get you a picture......
troy

if you were down that low and swimming etc I'm guessing it would put a lot more force on it than just dunking it down. I bet the princeton tec lights wouldn't go to half their ratings cause its probably for still water.

I think turning it off and on might cause a problem at that depth,but I don't see how the water not being still would add to the pressure.I would think that the rapid descent and ascention I put it through would be more likely to cause failure rather than using it at a depth.I'll probably never know,the deepest I have been underwater is 15 feet.
troy

Great test, Troy! This info is good to know. It's great that you took the time out to do this and share it with us...

Troy -

Next time (if there ever IS a next time) for fun, take the O ring completely off an AAA, and see how it does at 50'. Considering that I've filled my battery compartment completely with water (at Peter's challenge, for some, unkown reason ), and had no problem with the light at all, I'm willing to bet that you could use the Arc AAA as a divelight with no O ring whatsoever! No lens on that little bugger to fog up. Yup the battery gets wet, but it doesn't really seem to matter. Salt water would probably effect it differently though...

Hey I remember that test Darell.Man if I would have remembered that, and the fact that it didn't hurt your light,I would probably sent the LE with the worn o-ring down.I bet without an o-ring it would have filled up quickly.When I got home,I took tissue paper and blotted both light's foam retainers and there was no moisture present.
During the test I was a little bit afraid that one of the legendary Heritage Lake forty pound catfish would run off with the lights Now that would have been a fishing story.I used both lights this evening to make sure they were still working properly and they are.

Is there any chance that the head would unscrew itself without an o-ring?

YC

Now that would be really cool to reel in a fish with a lit, $100 flashlight, huh?

Seems like the light would attract them too, especially way down there...

As for the head coming off - if the thing was turned on somewhat "tight" I don't think there would be much concern. I wouldn't actually use it "O-ringless" for anything in the water - just a fun test is all. Really, the ONLY thing that could be harmed in this test is the battery (talking about the AAA here).

Come to think of it, I can't imagine using the AAA underwater for anything. Really wouldn't be bright enough to be practical underwater. Except maybe as an emergency backup light to check your gages or something.

I remember that Peter said some seal team guys needed a more water proof Arc so that they can have "a bit of light" to check their meters and stuff.

YC

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by yclo:
I remember that Peter said some seal team guys needed a more water proof Arc so that they can have "a bit of light" to check their meters and stuff.

YC<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Yep! I rememder that post too. Wonder if the seal guys ever tested the AAA and how it turned out?

Today was the day for the flashlight depth testing .I'll cut to the chase and say both flashlights performed flawlessly.I had already gotten my modified LS down to 10 ft,So I started the lights at 20 feet for this series of tests.The lake itself is very deep.I don't exactly know the depth,and the fishermen I ran into didn't know either,but it is very deep.The lake is called Heritage Lake and it is located in the small town of Mackinaw ,Illinois.About a half hour drive from where I live.If I were to describe the lake,I would say it is a miniature Loch Ness.Very narrow,very deep.
I used a 100 foot reel type metal tape measure for the test.The lights were attached with zip ties through the split rings to the tip of the tape measure.I had intended to send my Arc LE down with the LS ,but the o-ring looked to be in pretty bad shape,so I sent my CPF edition aaa instead.I sent them down to 20,30 ,40,and 50 feet for 10 minutes each.My father was with me and paddled the boat to keep it close to the same place.At each depth the lights were brought up,dried with paper towels,inspected ,and sent back down.The lights were tested while on to make it realistic for underwater use. I should add that before the tests were begun,I lubed the o-rings of both with a teflon lube called Magic Lube made by a company called Aladdin.I did not bring the lube with on the boat,so the original lube was used for all of the series of tests.
After 50 feet,I removed the CPF edition and decided I would send the ARC LS down to the bottom of the lake by itself.I took it down to 95 feet,because I did not feel comfortable unwinding the tape right to the end.I should also add that the tape reel was wired to my ankle for all the tests so I did not accidentally lose the whole test rig.
After 10 minutes,I brought it up.It was still shining.I opened it up and it was unaffected by the submersion.I took some stills of the lake and test rig,but I did not bring the video camera out on the lake because I already had enough stuff I was trying to keep from falling out of the boat.
I guess I don't really know what this proves except that my Arcs have gone deep into Heritage Lake and survived.The O-ring setup worked great Peter,and I guess my mod worked nicely too.
I welcome any comments or observations.
troy

Troy, What exactly was your "mod" to the LS - - too many threads to keep up with - I didn't see it somewhere else.

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by yclo:
Is there any chance that the head would unscrew itself without an o-ring?
<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

I've removed the o-ring on my Arc AAA, and always carry it on a lanyard around my neck, and it's neither unscrewed itself nor turned on accidentally- the friction characteristics (on my particular one, anyway) is fine without it.
I've tried it on my Infinity, though, and it feels too loose; apparently the threading pattern doesn't lend itself to running around o-ringless, so I leave it on.