Helmet Lamps
- Thread starter MJenkinson
- Start date
PeteHall
Moderator
MJenkinson said:
I found a pretty big crack in the lens of my "good" duo, so bought a new one (?4 from caveclimb) and the front kept water out on the last trip, but th battery box was full, despite cleaning and greasing the seal. I actually think my knackered old one keeps the water out better!
I haven't seen it mentioned anywhere here, so just a heads up. El Speleo will be comming out with a new lamp soonish, a 2500lm one (From two emmiters as usual) with a 10500mAh battery pack and ratedd to 50m. You can probably get a dive version of the lamp if you ask him too.
http://www.elwork-speleo.hr/cd/1128/l/EN/elspeleo-lunatic-2500
http://www.elwork-speleo.hr/cd/1128/l/EN/elspeleo-lunatic-2500
The Old Ruminator
Well-known member
Peter Glanvill ( Mr O' Doc )managed to wreck another Earthworm yesterday so dont take any advice from him. 
Disgusted from Cornwall.
New member
Are the El Speleo's any good?
I alternate between a Fellows Trigon (and belt mounted arsenal of batteries) and a Scurion 1500. It seems the ES are a bit undergunned battery wise. The Scurion isn't really powerful enough to take good photos with my old Nikon AW130 rugged camera, but the fellows was great. (On beam mode - which is not overly beamy, which is good)
I alternate between a Fellows Trigon (and belt mounted arsenal of batteries) and a Scurion 1500. It seems the ES are a bit undergunned battery wise. The Scurion isn't really powerful enough to take good photos with my old Nikon AW130 rugged camera, but the fellows was great. (On beam mode - which is not overly beamy, which is good)
rhychydwr1
Active member
Nice lamp and helmet here for under a fiver:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/272557868494?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1555.l2649
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/272557868494?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1555.l2649
royfellows
Well-known member
Disgusted from Cornwall. said:
Stu, while I have you. I have a hardly used 8V blue belt battery only, will need the top swapping, yous for free. Needs new type charger which is yours for ?6
Will bring down when I come down later in the year.
royfellows
Well-known member
I have never actually seen one but they do look good to me. Problem is as far as I can see that they have moved to the USA and if you have to pay their postal charges you will probably end up paying nearly double the price.
Tell me if I am wrong.
Tell me if I am wrong.
http://www.elwork-speleo.hr/index.aspx?l=EN
is the manufactures website
http://elspeleo.com/
is a distributer in the USA
is the manufactures website
http://elspeleo.com/
is a distributer in the USA
royfellows
Well-known member
So how would I buy one from the manufacturer in Croatia?
Do I need to go to Specsavers?
Do I need to go to Specsavers?
royfellows
Well-known member
PaulW said:royfellows said:
You may do, but i would start with the contact us page on the website
So in the form I have to fill in I enter under "Content" (the main message field) "Please, I would like to buy a lamp"?
It probably is my fault as I expect to see "Add to basket" or similar, I can also perceive a difficulty in not knowing the price I have to pay which could be a problem with PayPal who usually require a figure.
royfellows
Well-known member
PaulW said:I never said it was easy to order from him
Hoops and Hurdles!
What a bizarre sales technique.
Its easier to open a bank account. Well maybe not.
royfellows said:PaulW said:royfellows said:
You may do, but i would start with the contact us page on the website
So in the form I have to fill in I enter under "Content" (the main message field) "Please, I would like to buy a lamp"?
It probably is my fault as I expect to see "Add to basket" or similar, I can also perceive a difficulty in not knowing the price I have to pay which could be a problem with PayPal who usually require a figure.
As said before, the lights are made in Rijeka, Croatia. So no customs charges. He usually makes the light only after you order it so you can choose the tint of the emitters and so on. If he has a few in stock he usually posts it on his facebook page as they sell quick. When I was ordering mine, I called him on the phone (I'm in Croatia too) and to check if he had any available and discuss what I would like to get, but all the subsequent communication was done via email.
Oh, yeah, I think I read on FB that you can use the new 10500mAh battery packs on the regular Rescue model too. You just have to buy the battery box for the bigger battery pack.
Pitlamp
Well-known member
royfellows said:
Hm; Roy - have you never considered running up a lamp that'd be OK for cave diving?
To pay ?700+ for a Scurion is just silly money. Particularly as it's designed to be mounted centrally (lots of scatter in less than 100% clear water). I still prefer a group of torches mounted on either side of the helmet - you don't have all your eggs in one basket, the scatter problem is less - and if one fails (which is vary rare with good maintenance) then replacing just one in the bunch is cheap.
If you could come up with a rechargeable torch design which is small, bright - and not too highly priced, I'd certainly be interested in buying them in multiples of 2.
royfellows
Well-known member
There are a lot of issues involved, primarily that I only make lamps as a hobby, and am 72 and like a laid back lifestyle.
I struggle to keep up with demand for the lamps as it is.
Looking at diving lamps. I have talked to divers and been acquainted with pressures as depth. Ouch
For a start a lamp would have to have a permanent fixed battery pack, hopefully one that an owner can replace cells easily. Ones produced appear to fit this criteria. The issue with detachable battery packs is that water would be forced up inside the cable. I wonder how many people realize this.
Moving on, second issue is the switch. Easy option here is of course magnetic, and if soft switching is used the current rating would be very low.
The seal on the battery pack would not be too much of a problem, but the pack would have to be CNC machined out of solid material. Cost.
Lamp itself, what remains is the cable gland and front lens.
Most lamps use polycarbonate which is machinable, but unfortunately will scuff and scratch over time which will affect the beam pattern, hence my preference for glass.
The bottom line on it all is that I could probably produce such a lamp but it would not end up much cheaper than dive Scurions.
A couple of weeks ago I had chance to see both a El Speleo and Phaethon, the former being described as waterproof to 40 metres, the later as suitable for up to a depth of 250 metres and tested to 7 bar. Both looked good to me.
I think that you have what you want there, unfortunately no UK agents which would be desirable.
I struggle to keep up with demand for the lamps as it is.
Looking at diving lamps. I have talked to divers and been acquainted with pressures as depth. Ouch
For a start a lamp would have to have a permanent fixed battery pack, hopefully one that an owner can replace cells easily. Ones produced appear to fit this criteria. The issue with detachable battery packs is that water would be forced up inside the cable. I wonder how many people realize this.
Moving on, second issue is the switch. Easy option here is of course magnetic, and if soft switching is used the current rating would be very low.
The seal on the battery pack would not be too much of a problem, but the pack would have to be CNC machined out of solid material. Cost.
Lamp itself, what remains is the cable gland and front lens.
Most lamps use polycarbonate which is machinable, but unfortunately will scuff and scratch over time which will affect the beam pattern, hence my preference for glass.
The bottom line on it all is that I could probably produce such a lamp but it would not end up much cheaper than dive Scurions.
A couple of weeks ago I had chance to see both a El Speleo and Phaethon, the former being described as waterproof to 40 metres, the later as suitable for up to a depth of 250 metres and tested to 7 bar. Both looked good to me.
I think that you have what you want there, unfortunately no UK agents which would be desirable.