Question about Underwater Kinetics Mini Q40 eLED torches.

[Pitlamp]

Has anyone used these latest incarnations of the Underwater Kinetics Mini Q40 eLED torches?

Mini-Q40 MK2

MINI-Q40 MK2 Die Mini-Q40 MK2 ist eine kompakte und zuverlässige Tauchlampe mit einer Leistung, die man von einer so kleinen Lampe nicht erwartet. 250 Lumen erzeugen eine großartige Helligkeit bei einer Batteriebetriebszeit von bis zu 5 Stunden. Der stark fokussierter Lichtstrahl...

www.uwkinetics.eu

I've been regularly diving with the original eLED version for over a decade and they've never let me down. (I do clean & grease the O rings religiously before every dive; note.) But the bulb units are now dimming so I need to replace them. The new version has a push button switch which rings warning bells; anyone know how reliable they are? (What concerns me is the switches are at the rear, so vulnerable to regular scraping along the roof of more gnarly passages when helmet mounted.)

I'd be really grateful for any advice either way; thanks.

(Note to mods - yes, I know; it's an equipment question. But I'm only interested in divers' opinions, hence posting it here.)

 

[Pitlamp]

P.S. - despite the German words in the displayed link above, it is in English when you open the link.

 

[Pitlamp]

Or are these a better bet?

Underwater Kinetics SL3 eLED L2 425 Lumens Scuba Diving Torch

Underwater Kinetics SL3 eLED L2 425 Lumens Scuba Diving Torch

mad-divers.co.uk

 

[Steve Clark]

Check that SL3 link carefully. The picture and title are for an SL3, but the stats appear to be for an SL4. The size seems odd too. 15.5cm doesn't seem long enough to fit 4 C-cells in it if it is an SL4 spec.

I used Q40's when I first started diving entirely because of the simplicity of the twist on twist off (anti-clockwise on from memory?) Swapped to two Halycon Scouts (3 C cell) about 2006 because they have the same mechanism (but clockwise on), two barrel o-rings and are incredibly robust being machined out of a solid billet of tough delrin, including the nipple & hole for string on the end. When they were £50 or so, they were a really good option and could be upgraded with various LED capsules. The latest ones are similarly good and will last forever but are £200+ now

I don't think I'd want any kind of mechanical switch or a read-magnet to stick/rust on a true backup torch.

 

[Steve Clark]

This link appears to have a different (correct?) size for the SL 3 - 20.07cm

Underwater Kinetics SL3 eLED L2 Light - DirDirect

The 425-lumen Underwater Kinetics SL3 eLED L2 Light is depth rated to 150m. Beam produces a bright centre spot with low-level peripheral lighting.

www.dirdirect.com

Presumably the SL4 is even longer....

 

[Pitlamp]

That's useful; thanks Steve.

 

[PeteHall]

I can't speak for the new Mini-Q, but I've been using a couple of the Northern Diver equivalent for a few years which seem to be a reasonable substitute for the old Mini-Q:

https://www.ndiver.com/mini-quest-torch

The body is hard plastic, with a metal bezel at the front. It is operated by a sliding magnetic switch on the back, which is easy to use with gloved hands and seems pretty robust, however it is liable to get clogged with mud.

On the downside, the casing is on the lower limit for fitting in AA batteries and I find it's often a struggle to get high capacity rechargeables into them.

 

[Ed]

Bisun used to do an LED drop in upgrade.

No idea if the still do

 

[Pitlamp]

Thanks Pete - those ND torches are significantly cheaper than the lastest Underwater Kinetics offering. Next time I'm passing Appley Bridge (near Wigan) I'll call in and have a look at them

 

[underground]

@Pitlamp although it may be a non starter based on what the custom duo website says about the LED version, from my reading there ‘may’ be an older iteration that the Q40 module fits in and works with.
If you want to try it I have a couple, happy to lend them by caver post / let come come and have a try if you’re ever in the Peak

 

[Pitlamp]

@Pitlamp although it may be a non starter based on what the custom duo website says about the LED version, from my reading there ‘may’ be an older iteration that the Q40 module fits in and works with.
If you want to try it I have a couple, happy to lend them by caver post / let come come and have a try if you’re ever in the Peak

Thanks Underground - I've actually got one of those (and it's excellent).

My problem isn't just that the bulb units are dimming after so much use - it's also that the rear corners of the torches have worn down so much I've been coating them with liquid metal in an effort to stop them leaking. The time comes when the best option is replacement torches.