Review: Starry Light DXM
Reviewer’s Rating: 
A special thanks to TOMTOP for providing this light and the battery for review.
SKU: L0861 – Starry Light DMX*
SKU: L0235 – Trustfire 26650 IMR
*At the time of posting, priced at $15.48 (12% off)
A while back, there was a 4xAA budget light that gained popularity through its quality, performance, and affordability. So when I found out there was an all metal diving flashlight of the same brand, I was very excited to try it out. There are many budget choices out there for diving lights and the price point that this one is at places it towards the middle/lower end. I went into this review keeping my expectations realistic and proportionate to the price point. What I found was very surprising.
Let’s take a look at the manufacturer’s specifications first:
Brand: STARRYLIGHT
Product Model: DXM
Materials: Aircraft Aluminum
LED: XM-L2 U2
Light Color: White
Lumens: Max.850lms
Power Supply: 1 * 18650 Lithium Battery (with tube) / 1 * 26650 Lithium Battery (without tube) (Not included)
Waterproof: IPX8
Diving Depth: max.50m
Item Size: 13.6 * 3.8 * 3.7cm / 5.4 * 1.5 * 1.5in(L * Head Dia. * Tail Dia.)
Item Weight: 200g / 7.1oz
Package Size: 15 * 7 * 6cm / 5.9 * 2.8 * 2.4in
Package Weight: 217g / 7.7oz
Package List:
1 * Flashlight
1 * Long Lanyard
1 * Hand Strap
1 * 18650 Battery Holder
It comes in a standard cardboard box with bubble wrap. Inside, you’ll find a long lanyard, short lanyard, and 18650 battery tube adapter.
Here it is for a look at its relative size: It’s very compact. It’s slightly longer than some of your other soda can lights, but it’s slimmer in the hand. 
Here’s a look at the heat sink fins. They’re not that deep, but since this is designed to be a diving light, heat dissipation shouldn’t be a problem unless you’re planning on using this in a hot tub. Even if you use it at a outdoor light, it’s more than what some comparable lights will offer. 
Here’s the bezel of the flashlight. It’s hard to tell in this picture, but the bezel actually extends less than 1mm above the head, doing a great job of protecting the head of the light if you were to rest it on a rough surface.
A look at the well-centered emitter and the smooth polished reflector. I found no blemishes and the reflector sits deep to make use of all the light from the emitter.
Here is the magnetic switch. It’s a sturdy switch that’s well weighted without feeling too stiff or flimsy. With this step-less switch, you can truly pick anywhere from less than 1 lumen up to the max manufacturer rated 850 lumens (closer to 700). 
The threads came a little dry, but nothing a little lube can’t fix. Tons of threads and two o-rings make it a very well sealed light. 
Nice big hole to fit either of the two lanyards or if you can make your own with paracord, it would easily make it through. The top is also flat so you can tail stand it if you have to, although it’s not the most stable.
The body of the tube is nice and thick.
The head of the flashlight doesn’t seem to come off, although I didn’t want to try too hard. It’s probably sealed like this to keep it more water tight. Here’s the best shot I could get of the driver inside. It’s held down with some screws.
Here it is when I slowly slide the switch from the off position until it turns on. I’ve done some comparisons and it’s the lowest I have from any of my lights. I have a BLF A6 rated at .45 lumens and it’s incredibly lower than that. If you want to see a video demonstration of the step-less switch and its ultra-low mode, go to the bottom of the review. The second picture was shot at 1/30, f2.8, ISO-800 in my hallway with all the lights off with the flashlight a few inches away from the wall.
I don’t have any kind of pressurized chamber, so the kitchen sink in a dish washing basin will have to do for a water test. I left it in there for about 30 minutes in a mid output and came back with everything working as it should with no signs of leakage. I’m going to take the light with me when I go snorkeling in Thailand in the coming months, but even then, it won’t be fully tested as the light is rated for 50m. As mentioned before, the light is step-less, but for the sake of time, I decided to just take pictures of 3 levels: a comparable low, mid, and high. Notice there is some PWM so the middle picture has part of my arm blacked out. The video will also show this. 
Here are some beam shots at various levels of brightness. I realize that this is a diving flashlight and this test is in no way an accurate depiction of how well it would perform underwater, but merely for simple comparisons. The building ahead is 75 meters away. This is shot at 1/6, f2.8, ISO-800. Left column from top to bottom: Control, low, mid. Right column top and bottom: high, turbo.
Conclusion:
Pros:
- Pricing
- Build quality
- Sturdy step-less switch that offers large variability in output
- Amazingly low-low
- Easy interface
- Great emitter
- Compactness
- Two battery sizes accepted
- No pointless flashy modes
- Good water proofing
Cons:
- Could be driven a little harder
- Lumen output is probably closer to 700-750. (my only way of really knowing is comparing it to my EA41. It’s in between the brightness of high (510 lumens) and turbo (960 lumens)
- Not as moddable
Overall: I am pleasantly surprised at the build quality and performance of the light. The popular 4xAA sibling was a hit or miss on durability with some people, but this one is as rugged as you can get. The biggest surprise was the true step-less switch which gives you total control of the output without having to deal with any of the annoying flashy modes that most Chinese lights come with. It’s simple, it’s well-built, it’s compact, and it performs like it should. The pricing also makes this a very strong contender for one of the better 18650/26650 budget lights.
I highly recommend this light if you’re looking for a reliable water proof light or just something simple to have for your next camping trip.
