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Freediving torch?

Thread Status: Hello , There was no answer in this thread for more than 60 days.
It can take a long time to get an up-to-date response or contact with relevant users.

Svedberg

Wannabe freediver
Aug 13, 2008
31
1
43
Any tips on good freediving torches? Tried searching for it but only found 3 threads that are 4+ years old.
As small and powerful as possible.
 
I use a SL4 by Underwater Kinetics, doesn't throw a huge amount of light (4 C batteries), has a narrow but bright pencil beam, don't know the lumens, but it is real small,stands up to abuse and streamlines well, good for what we do. If I had the $, an HID with a waist mounted battery pac and a hand held lense would be the cats meow.

Connor
 
I don't know what are your specifics needs. I have a small Princeton Tech Impact for ocasional use while spearfishing, and it is OK. It is powered by only 4 AA batteries. Maybe you could try the Torrent model, that uses 8 AA and produces 95 lumens. Here is a link to it: Princeton Tec Torrent LED Light
 
i dive at night all the time (normally i go for aquarium fish). all but one of the lights i have are Underwater Kinetics great quality i have a led Q40 a xenon Q40 a SL 4 xenon a D4 and a D8. all great lights. I normally dive with the led Q40 on my mask strap and the SL 4 its compact but nice and bright. i also love the D8 but it can be too big and heavy for catching fish in a net
 
Try the spearo section = lots & lots of info on torches - here is one - http://forums.deeperblue.com/hunting-equipment/64145-torch-anybody-use-torch-spearing.html
Most of the brands & models recommended are still available, often with LEDs instead or as an option. I would definitely suggest LED rather than bulb as they are usually far more efficient & robust. For electronic's bods, there are DIY conversion projects on the web but haven't come across any commerical upgrades. I've owned pre-LED Omer MoonLight & MoonLight elite - both seem decent quality & quite a good light power for a "hand torch" for general freediving. Bit pricey though. The Elite has a little electronic circuit that provides a little more brightness than normal & is heavier (mine had a cast metal head & plain glass lens & smooth reflector). I prefer the cheaper model, lighter & better balanced with cheaper plastic head, lens & reflector. The LED version would likely be very good.
moonlight_p.jpg


Omer
moonlight_led_p.jpg

Omer
"The most recent model among the Moonlight series of flashlights, Moonlight Led features a 3 Watt Led bulb that produces a very powerful and concentrated light beam with a power of 5.500 °K. The performance of the resulting beam is comparable to the one produced by a standard 10W bulb. Burn time is high: 30 hours with 6 non rechargeable batteries (included). The head of the flashlight features a new design and made in alluminum with a rubber protective cover. "

Omer also have an interesting torch designed to clip to your belt, the MiniMicra:
micra6.jpg
micra2.jpg

Omer


I have a couple of UK Mini-Q40s, pre-LED. Very handy but not really bright enough for anything other than checking things close up & scrambling around on the sea bed, close up, looking for scallops in our murkey conditions but definitely handy when clipped to the mask & probably a good safety feature at the surface. The newer LED versions would be the way to go. The bigger handheld UK diver torches are used by several forum members and are well regarded. Confusingly, UK torches are made in the USA not the UK.

I'm waiting for the supermarkets to carry cheap LED dive torches - they already sell a lot of cheap LED torches and a fair number of dive torches with bulbs -- sooner or later they'll figure out that combining the 2 is a winning combination!:D

BTW 7-day shop is a good on-line source for rechargeable batteries & chargers. The technology keeps improving, so look for high capacity batteries & the chargers to match (capacity is usually shown in mAhr - milliamp hours). I think my last lot were ground breaking 2300mAhrs AAs but you can get 2700mAhrs & probably better now (actually 3000mAhrs in bigger cell sizes). BTW rechargeable batteries usually produce a slightly lower voltage than regular batteries (which tend to start high and drop down over time).
e.g.
 
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The LED lights are interesting, They seem good as a flood lite, but I haven't found one that throws a tight beam. Anybody know of one that is equivalent size to the SL40 with the same kind of tight, long distance beam?

Connor
 
HI!
The Fantasea 360 is a great light..
(at 80 US! "Reet Photo & video")
-4 AA's, 36 LED's, long batt. life, not to big/handy, 40m depth range and good serch light...It's NO HID light. but dicent beam....
I use it both as a dive light and a focus light(with home made difuser)...
Depends on what your need is...I do a lot of UW-photo stuff...thats why I use a focus light as a dive light..hate having 2-3 dif. torches on one dive...and normal Torches dosen't cut off when the flash fires...
Have fun in the sun...

The Ninja

....NO bubbels NO trubbels....
 
BTW My torches all had a single rubber O-ring to seal them. Suggestion/tip: lube the O-ring (with glycerine/glycerol, silicon gel or similar), helps prevent leaking.
 
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Depends a bit on that the torch should be there for.

I keep a UK Lights 2AAA Xenon Mini on my mask.
22.jpg

2AAA Xenon Mini Pocket Light

In the murky waters of a german lake it shows me where my line is and tells my buddy that I'm comming just a bit earlier.

In the clear waters of Croatia it shows me what is living on the sea floor at 10m depth while I'm on the surface ready to dive down at night.

I don't want to miss it any moore... ;)
 
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wow very nice dive light you guys have.. me and my buddies can only dream of those but that doesn`t mean we are left in the dark.. we use seven led rechargeable lights found on local stores waterproofed by us using inner tubes and marine epoxy.. just a tip to those tight budgeted freedivers.. nw there`s no stopping us from enjoying night life underwater :)
 
Wow, that's dinky - they've really shrunk that down. I have one of their old UK mini Q10 mask torches but that is much smaller. (I think you can get an LED Q10 now though)
 
I always carry a little 4AA with me strapped to my pneumatic. I recently upgraded to the UK Mini Q40 eLED Plus. Nice little bright inexpensive light.
Lights > Dive Lights

For night time I use a larger handheld. I upgraded/changed to the C4 eLED.

I got these lights last years for about $25 and $55 and they are not the older models. Things have gone up in price considerably this year.
 
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