Dive light

Joe90

Joe90

Member
What do people think? For a fiver it seems like a bargain to me!

cbc6bb7932dc9d93d275601614ea622d.jpg


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These are knock off of the LED Lenser D14 Frogman torch which are about ?32 for the genuine product.  The copies have plastic rather than stainless steel heads - having owned both, the copies are inferior (often not waterproof), but I've had even the expensive ones fail.  The light heads on both have no electronics in them save for a reed switch to turn the LED on and off and a ballast resistor for the LED.  Both types are good lights when they work - I use four of the LED Lenser ones (also available in black) on my helmet for cave diving.
 
Personally I would prefer lights without a switch on like that, i.e. twist on/off. I just think the switches look fragile and maybe something extra to get caught up on line. Probably over thinking that though.
 
You make a good point Matt.

I'm a UK 40 eLED man myself. Had some in regular use since 2006* and never ever had a failure. They're quite expensive these days but if all mine got pinched that's what I'd replace them with.

Isn't it the "Frogman" torches which unscrew the "wrong" way? Mind you, that's no problem if they are switch operated rather than by turning a bezel.

(* I ought to mention that I'm fastidious regarding cleaning & greasing O-rings before every dive.)
 
I use intovas.  Not leaked yet.  They have a button on the rear that cycles thru power levels.  Around 200 lumens each.  Cost around 40 quid
 
I've had about Five of these over the past few years Joe. I paid between ?5/?10 for most, but the quality of them has varied greatly surprisingly. The original two I got were brilliant and survived more than a year of diving/caving, the switch breaking was the weak point. I think one of those original two is still going. The recent one's I've acquired have been nothing but hassle, the inner and outer parts of the bezel unscrewing was the major fault when changing batteries. But for the money they're an absolute bargain.   
 
Simon Beck said:
The recent one's I've acquired have been nothing but hassle, the inner and outer parts of the bezel unscrewing was the major fault when changing batteries.
Click to expand...

A bit of thread sealant between the two components fixes that.  The bezel unscrews the normal  way.  I have had one switch break out of 10, a couple of floods which eventually killed the contacts.  Like all cave diving gear I treat lights as consumable items - i.e. they'll get broken and need replacing.  The LED's will eventually dim as the phosphor ages and newer and better lights come along.

I found my first D14 Frogman in Llygad Llwchwr - it had the original batteries in it and still worked.  No one came forward to claim it and I liked it some much I bought some more.
 
I think the UK40 eLEDs are more expensive than "?30/?40" these days - but, in my own experience, worth it. If they last 9 years in very hard use (as mine have - and counting) then they're no more expensive than cheapo torches which last a year.

However, there's more to lighting than mere economics. I'd rather have torches on my head which I know are very unlikely to fail. (A large part of this is maintenance of course.)

I've never used Intova or Frogman torches but they're probably just as good as UK40s, I suspect. Guess it's all down to personal choice really.  :thumbsup:
 
Thanks - I didn't know that. I'll keep an eye open for these.
Or does anyone have a link to information on them?
 
I keep meaning to buy these

http://www.dirdirect.com/SL3-eLED-Light.html

But then I have the money and I always seem to buy more cylinders...


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Thanks Beardy. Thanks ah147 -  when you've used a pair for a while, maybe you could do us a review on here?

jcarter5826 - is that the torch you referred to, three posts above?
 
ah147 (or should I say OOT) - these look very good. I take it there is no on/off "switch" (bar turning them on and off at the handle) ?
 
Thanks - that looks pretty good. Assuming it lasts well I don't think the price is that bad (considering it comes with battery and charger).
 
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