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.
Some have said that this light is made by Yelz - who knows. Mine is marked with the name ‘GoRead’ - that certainly isn’t a light maker. So, there could be some difference between the drop in module that the OP received and the one included with my light.
The light head on my light is different than that of the OP. Mine has an outer sleeve/shell that is either metal or metalized plastic - identical in appearance to those sold under the ‘POP-Lite’ brand name (I think those were LED Lenser knockoffs - POP Lite called their light the ‘POP Lite F2’ Cree Q5 - 4AA).
I bought my ‘GoRead’ T6 on ebay for $16.90 - delivered!
I’ve taken mine on several dives - no leaks, no problems. I didn’t check the depth, but probably around 80 feet.
The biggest drawback - like the OP said - it’s difficult to rotate the light head and turn the thing on. Mine does have Buna o-rings and plenty of silicone lubricant - it’s still difficult. If you put this in a light glove (or use the velcro wrist strap) - before you can get the light to twist ‘on’ - you’ll be rotating the entire light in the glove. So, for a day dive, the light / glove become a hassle. For a night dive, the light / glove are OK - just turn it on once and leave it on (it will burn for over an hour on a freshly charged 18650)
Color temperature is ever so slightly ‘cool’, but I’d say this flashlight is the closest thing to 5,000 Kelvin that I’ve bought (I’m not comparing it to color corrected video or strobe lights)
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…
I’ve seen two Chinese sites offering a light which appears to be the original ‘POP Lite F2’ with a T6 LED. It only seemed to be offered in production quantities (which makes me think they haven’t even made one yet - they might just be on a fishing expedition).
Incidentally, my needs are different than those of the OP…
I’m an OW recreational diver.
I only dive in clear warm water
I’m mostly using my lights on day dives to light up shadow areas / features. (But wouldn’t it be nice if there was a great lightweight light that would travel well and function as both a day light and night light!)
Since I’m mostly using these for day dives, I like a light with a pivoting magnetic switch - put the light in a goodman glove and then you can turn it on and off with one hand. That’s the way my POP-Lite F2 works, but it doesn’t compare to this T6.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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?
IMO, water (and especially salt water) are potential recipes for disaster when mixed with lithium cobalt oxide cells contained within a small sealed metallic housing. While many cheap lithium powered dive lights have flooded without incident, the potential for catastrophic venting is still present. Given the right conditions, an 18650 can make one hell of a ka-boom. Water will also corrode everything: from protection circuits, drivers and everything else metallic in the light. A descent dive light should NEVER leak if inspected and maintained properly. If you cant easily disassemble a dive light to lubricate and maintain orings and seals, it probably shouldn’t be submerged.
100% agree, which is why I use a quality torch and batteries. Also, any dive lights should have double O-rings, which should be removed, cleaned and re-lubed after every dive.
Cutting corners on equipment that could cost you your life is dumb beyond words. Reliable lights for cave diving are an absolutely necessity! Anything from SOLA would be a great choice for your primary dive light. They run from $299 up to $1000. Check them out. If money must be saved, save it on the backup lights. Princeton is a good choice ($60 - $200). There are some serious professional dive lights available (the Polarian Abyss comes to mind) but for $2K you could buy 2 or 3 top of the line SOLA models. There are several other top quality dive light manufacturers available. I only mention these three companies because I am familiar with them.
I never had any of these dive lights flood on me. Me and my dive buddies use a lot of Li-ion powered dive lights - actually we ONLY use Li-ion dive lights now. I don't ever use xxx-fire cells.
Remember in my first post I recommended dive lights with only 1 opening. So the chances of water leakage is minimized. And to regularly apply silicone grease to the o-rings - believe me this is where we fail most - in basic dive light care.
No need to buy expensive $100+ dive lights. I've bought them. Not impressed. In fact one of my $200+ back-up lights was one that failed from a new Alkaline battery that leaked. Destroyed the battery carrier inside.
It was about 1 or 2 years ago that I realized this after reading a post from Forrest over on Cave Diver's Forum (CDF) and then buying and using these so-called "cheap Chinese lights"
If you don't believe me then try some of those I mentioned above. They're inexpensive as far as dive lights. The Brinyte DIV05 - I think you can run over with your car and it would be fine. I'm also very interested to see how the X-Beam dive light fairs - it has a magnetic switch - so it's not another opening to the inside.
