Also remember the lumen rating under water in almost total darkness will be different that dry lights. Water also magnifies light as well..
There are many great dive lights, more now than ever. I am sure better than the Pelican. The one thing I always liked most about a Pelican is none of them have ever failed. And they are guaranteed for life.
Sorry I clicked to the wrong URL when I copied it.. This is the correct one, good to 500 feet.
Thanks. Not that expensive though, but yes, old technology for sure. I hope to find the current best option for the Budget, Moddable (FET based driver replacement) Diving Light.
You are totally right it is old technology. Thing to keep in mind is that high current along with extreme heat, along with conductive metal in the water is a very hard thing to get just right. One of the reasons those Pelicans are still one of the best sellers.
On the other hand I am meeting some of the best and brightest here and next week you could be a millionaire from modding a dive light. I look forward to following your progress. I do not dive anymore, need to go get certified again I do miss it. But seeing your progress will be very interesting..
I’m a total newbie when it comes to diving lights - I know very little about the ‘gotchas’. You’re mentioning issues that I was not aware of yet. My first perception was that modding a diving light should be Awesome because one can push it too the limits without overheating problems - everything stays nice and cool in the water! I’m not yet sure how heat + high current + water causes trouble, I need to get this clarified. The other problem is the variable output switches in many of these lights. We normally cater for clicky & eswitches in the high performance drivers, so, I presume I need to pick a light that does not have a variable output switch, just a magnetic switch, which I believe reacts like an eswitch - I’m not even 100% sure about this, I need to get it confirmed.
As you can see, still lots to learn for me, I’m walking in the dark for now. But, I’m still interested to find out, as soon as possible, which budget diving lights are popular and reliable? From these, I can try to get a feel for which are mod-friendly. Thats very much what its about for me, to build an above average quality, value for money, high performance flashlight, that will last for some time to come.
Strongly doubt if I’ll become a millionaire from modding diving lights…
Yeh, goggle “sacrificial anode”. Even in car coolant systems, just dangle a hunk o’ Mg on a chain and it’ll get et before more critical goodies.
The critter should be insulated (anodised, ie, passivated), so ideally that should protect the body. And there should at least be some potential common to both metals, the protected one and the sacrificial one. The light itself should be a closed loop.
Maybe if the light has a bunch of starter scratches and dings, that’s where it’ll start to corrode first (like paint bubbling on a car where water gets under pinholes in the paint job).
Anyway, I ain’t gonna be using it for diving, as I don’t dive. I just got it because it looks purty, has the “infinitely adjustable” mag-switch, and is nominally at least more waterproof than the usual bunch of lights.
For actual diving, I’d imagine something sealed in plastic or rubber would be best. Also grippier when wet.
In fresh water mostly. In salt water the heaviest anodizing won’t stop the corrosion especially when you place a current through the body. As a fancy toy light she looks good. She’ll also have much better waterproofing than most others. What I like about landlocked dive lights is that a bit more went into making them. They tend to have thicker host and heads. This is a modders dream for heat sinking.
Ordered a set of 4 LK 26550s from GB to go with (and my L2, maybe, as these LKs are flattops).
This would be a nice critter to keep in the car (barring weather/temperature extremes) for those Just In Case scenarios. 5AH beats 3.4AH or even 3.6AH, and you won’t mind it rolling around in the mud as you’re changing a tire.
Well, I wouldn’t keep it in the car, at least not all the time. Got a small Craftsman toolbag (almost always “on sale”, and well worth it) that I switch from car to car. Phone charger, flashlight, spare bulbs/fuses, other crap I would keep in each car but got tired of “maintaining” different versions, so now it’s in one bag that I bring into whichever car I’m taking.
Gotta say again, the color’s fantastic, more of a deep indigo than generic blue as listed. Just like the XTAR WK50 which looked like a pale Barbie Pink in the ads, yet is a nicer satiny “hot pink” in person. Same with this. More than anything, I think that’s why I ordered a 2nd one.
Just ordered one of these Ultrafire DV-S9 dive lights, but who am I kidding, I don’t even swim! However, I do like the 26650 size lights, and Lightbringer makes it sound nice - I am sure it will find a use in my collection.
I can confirm that FastTech discounts 5% with the code BLF in case anyone else is shopping…
And the “funny” (not really) thing is, I’m STILL waiting for those LKs I ordered!!
I’m still using that old DE-whatever 26650 I got from Rat Shack…
Enjoy, all y’all!
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Oh, another addendum is that I love the “waterproofness” of the light if you do keep it with your car (changing a tire in the rain, etc.), and just for the sheer yummy goodness of that ’S9, for ~15bux?!? Can’t beat that price.
As I mentioned in the other thread, this critter really surpassed all my expectations. I’d consider this my buy of 2016/2017.
Certification covers the knowledge you need dive safely. Breathing at depth causes nitrogen (70% of each breath) to dissolve into the blood and accumulate in soft tissues and repetitive diving increases accumulation. Coming to the surface too rapidly or getting on a plane too soon can literally make you fizz and die. Deep dives can cause nitrogen narcosis(a sort of drinker disorientation). Knowing how to monitor your nitrogen(or O2 if using Nitrox) along with hand signals covering different situations, proper use of boyancy control and breathing, what to do in an emergency, these all take some practice to become second nature and certification is a means of verifying you have it down pat. Not to mention you need to show proof to get tanks filled. Check your weight belt and turn on your air. Certification doesn’t expire but if you haven’t done it for awhile then a refresher is a good idea. New technology and changes in boat diving practices can take getting used to.
As long as current is past through the body it wouldn’t help. Current has to be isolated from all external parts. At 8.4 volts 3 amps you could probable see gas bubbles forming if done in still water like a fish tank. Simply having both contacts at the head and none of this would happen.
