Novae MC-E (link) vs. Aleto XM-L 26650. Camera settings 1/25, F 2.8, ISO 50:
Camera settings 1/25, F 2.8, ISO 50: Towards Garage Door
These Camera settings changed a bit... 1/4, F 2.8, ISO 50: Toward backyard Fence
Novae MC-E (link) vs. Aleto XM-L 26650. Camera settings 1/25, F 2.8, ISO 50:
Camera settings 1/25, F 2.8, ISO 50: Towards Garage Door
These Camera settings changed a bit... 1/4, F 2.8, ISO 50: Toward backyard Fence
The ebay light you posted seems like a decent traveling-light.
(Other than the modes (might be mod-able) and many unscrew points).
How is the spot on this on? Good enough for communication?
I use one of these for traveling setups: http://dx.com/p/diving-cree-ssc-p7-c-sxo-3-mode-900-lumen-led-flashlight-kit-2-18650-4-cr123a-4-16340-29069
Has really served me well, but it’s getting quite old now.
I'm trying to recommend what I consider the best, but economical too. This is BLF after all. These are powerful lights. The hotspot is intense. Do you know the 4/7s Maelstrom X10? Well the beam is like that. It beats a Hollis 16W canister light (Link)
I editted post 1 with beam shots vs. the ugly light. See post 1.
Yeah I have two of these "ugly lights" (that's what ppl call them), but MC-E LED versions. One I modded with an XM-L, which produced only a very slight upgrade from the MC-E, since I didn't change the drive current.
I had one of them cut the latex wrist seal on my drysuit. It didn't make me happy. Since then I've sanded down the front bezels. No one should have to deal with a dive light with sharp crenelated bezels Except for Him.
See post 1 for comparisons
Looks pretty neat, thanks for reference picture with the “ugly” light.
Size looks better for goodman handle than the one I use for traveling. (I’ve a similar setup as yours for this one)
4 hour burn time is also quite good, heck, it’s about the same I get for my 35W HID with its gigantic 3 kg canister.
Looking forward to beam shots.
Hello
For the new ALETO 2013 (Diving FlashLight)
All rings are dead original (except sometimes the door)
Stretch them and you will see!
A change of office before taking the plunge
attention in changing those of the body/head interface not lose the ball.
Tape the switch towards the head with adhesive canvas.
attention en changeant ceux de la jonction corps/tête de ne pas perdre la bille.
Scotchez le contacteur vers la tête avec toile adhésive.
“Sinon la bille et les joints toriques sont ici :
Otherwise the ball and o-ring jonits are here:
“:www.aesm.tk
page : ”Kit LED 2013”
O-rings quality and security KIT for ALETO or EDI-T.
Here on the ebay US
Number : 251242093927
“O-ring quality KIT for ALETO or EDI-T. Diving Flashlight CREE XML XM-L T6 LED”
The rings of these lamps (excellent also) are almost all out of service of origin (or lack)
(Cracked, split and flattened)
Stretch them and see
Don’t risk a fatal water inlet.
Systematically change the o-rings before diving with this lamp
Glass window o-ring is generally good.
But check the about same and especially the negative presence of metal shavings
@MRTdiver - great review! It’s been some time since you did the original write up. You probably have had a chance to use the UltraFire WF-3430 a little more. For others reading this, I’ll add some comments about that light.
This puppy is fantastic! If it just had a simple pivoting magnetic switch, it would be the last light I’d buy. Speaking of which…
Incidentally, my needs are different than those of the OP…
For years I’ve used a Hubblelite(clone of Pelican xenon saberlite)3C that has been through a number of changes in drivers and emitters but has always been a reliable host(never flooded in 15 years) probably due to the single opening and regular cleaning and relubing w/silicon grease. Great advice and info in OP.
Also always stored the light without the o-ring installed(kept in separate plastic bag with spares.
I was unhappy with the dive lights my wife and I used on our last vacation, and a search for something better turned up this thread.
I ordered one of the 26650 XM-L T6 lights MRTdiver detailed from a US fleabay seller here.
It shipped fast, came with a 18650 sleeve but no lanyard, quality is very good for the price and the four modes are well spaced.
I don’t currently have 26650’s to test with but with a fully charged 18650, my light draws 2.6a on high.
It has a tight and bright hotspot and also very nice spill, these should work much better on our next trip.
I will order another one and probably perform the mod detailed in this thread to get better thermal transfer.
Thanks to MRTdiver for posting his experience and links, anyone looking for a small bright XM-L dive light should give this one a look.
A bit expensive, but maybe the XTAR D35? XTAR also sells a flashlight handle for the D35.
It’s a dive light with quite a bit of throw and output and is ridiculously big, but weight shouldn’t be much of a concern if you’re using it underwater.
I think UnderWater Kintetics is one of the sturdier dive lights I’ve heard of
http://www.uwkinetics.com/market/dive
Xtar make some pretty cool dive lights with variable dimmers but I’m not sure they’d hold up like a UK would.
Pelican, if they made a dive light would be good too.
http://www.brightguy.com/find/quick_search[0]=Dive%20light
I’d suggest leaning towards a 4aa 100 lumen light, it’ll have a tight beam and 6-8 hours of useable runtime. I use Pelican and Streamlight 4aa lights on my hardhat. There durable, trustworthy, great warranty and single mode. My Streamlight still outputs 80 lumens at the 6 hour mark.
Forgot to mention the 26650 light I linked to only costs $23 shipped and are small enough to fit in a BC pocket.
If you already have 18650 batteries and a charger its a very inexpensive way to go for a bright light.
At 2.6a on high it should give about an hour of run time from a 2600mah 18650 and much more on the lower modes.
With Trustfire flame 26650 cells which have about 4200mah, I would expect about 90-100 minutes on high.
Also, these lights are brighter on the second to lowest mode than the 8x AA lights we were using.
I don’t know if the UltraFire WF-3430 all come out of the same manufacturer or there are a bunch of them. I’ve gotten 2 @ $10 like this 1200 Lumen CREE XM-L T6 LED Waterproof Diving Flashlight which seems to be the same as the Yelz mentioned above.
They are put together with 2 halves apparently based on a seam presence. There is an obvious small ridge running down the threads and under the O-ring area. The bezel that screws on also has small ridges in the part that mates with the O-rings. These may weep under pressure and get worse as the O-ring ages.
In addition the first one had an obvious chunk out of the plastic under the top O-ring, a glaring defect. There was a kind of unevenness just off to the side of this flashing ridge. I spent the better part of a half hour cleaning this up as best possible with 1000 and then 2000 grit sandpaper. #1 survived an empty test dive to 140 feet. On the next working dive it functioned fine but had a few micro drops inside that would have been easy to overlook in an empty case. The outer silver part of the head came off when I tried to unscrew it. I epoxied it back on and it’s holding. I retired this light from diving as not trustworthy in the long run. This would not make a reliable backup unless you overhauled and checked it each dive as water would accumulate and destroy the electrics after awhile.
Number 2 is similar except does not have the gouge under the top O-ring. It still has ridges where glued together in the head and O-ring area along with some manufacturing anomalies under the O-ring area. It needs magnification to see, but it’s there. Water under pressure will find any flaw. Problem areas have been sanded down as before as well as possible. The 2nd one came with 1 extra ‘base/bottom’ square O-ring added in this model. This could provide additional protection. This new one has not been dive tested yet but appears more promising.
For not much more money and apparently a MUCH better light is this 1200 Lumen 12W Cree XM-L T6 LED 100m Diving Flashlight Torch for $20. It has a tighter spot with a smoother spill is made better, and will take a 26650 Lion. With a fresh battery it’s almost up to the standard of my $400 canister light.
There is more discussion on this light, including a breakdown (possible problems with thermal transfer), here: New cheap 26650 diving light at DX
Yes, the 26650 light is the same I gave my thoughts on earlier today.
I also provided a link to the thread with the mod for thermal improvement, that thread and this one is what made me decide to try one.
The thermal path improvements detailed by the OP in the DX thread would no doubt help, but I believe the OP of this thread has been cave diving with these lights as is without issues.
The advantages the 26650 light has over the plastic XM-L diving lights seem to be: they are much less likely to leak (properly maintained), additional lower modes for longer run times if needed and additional battery capacity if 26650 cells are used.
Hi MRTdiver! I love talking about SCUBA. Sometimes I wish I were born a fish. :bigsmile: I dont think many people realize how important the reliability of SCUBA equipment is or why redundancy is so important. Its life support equipment. Ive done some penetration and overhead but prefer open water & night dives. I used to have a dive boat in Monterey Bay, CA… so cold water/dry suit/argon/deep was the norm. Im thinking about the Cenotes in Florida next year but heard the ancient waters have been disturbed and vis is down. Not at all what it used to be.
For open water dives, my primary is the Xtar D35. I like it for its size, ruggedness, and ease of use. It has a magnetic rotating mode selection ring (no guess work for the proper mode), 3 x XM-L and uses 3 x 18650’s in parallel (safer than serial cell configurations, especially in salt water). The reflectors are deep for great throw, with a moderately tight hotspot to penetrate clear waters. It also puts out a great spill beam. IMO, the quality is top-notch and comparable to larger Olight & Fenix flashlights. Comparing high mode to high mode, it actually puts out slightly more lumens in my light box than a BTU Shocker (241k vs 227k). I measured current at 8.5A in high mode, so the emitters are well driven. I usually run mine in medium or low mode.
I got my D35 (along with an S1) from Mike over at http://www.e2fieldgear.com His kit includes the optional handle, light with case, lanyard and o-rings. Great US based seller, fast shipping and was there to answer all of my questions.
I also carry a pricey modified DiveRite 125w HID canister (and 2-3 other lights). It lights up the world and allows me to take most of the lead out of my BC.
The Cenotes are no doubt a facinating place to dive.
The wife and I dove the Cenotes of Tulum MX in 2009, and it was the clearest water I’ve ever seen.
Much clearer than Cozumel which we have dove many times and can reach 200ft vis.
I use the Xtar D06 for diving, I like that it just fits in BC pocket until I need it. Output is a bit disappointing though. I wished it pulled more amps, as underwater overheating and thermal lag isn’t a problem.
How many amps does the D06 draw on high?
When the magnetic switch is set to high, it’s puts out around 800 lumens with a U2 emitter, continuously running it doesn’t even get warm. No idea exactly how many amps it pulls though…
Curious, as I have a few old school dive lights. Dacor and Iklite that used plain old primary batteries. The cheap Dacors used to flood regularly but were easy and cheap to rebuild and used a lot in commercial diving.
What happens to these fantastic new 26650 lights if they flood? These batteries die peacefully?
Tia