has anyone tried diving with Mag-lite torches?... are they water resistant to high pressures? i know they're not designed for diving, but i noticed they have little o-rings...so maybe it's ok?
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Thread Status: Hello
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THe mag lites get rusty if exposed to salt water.
Not sure if they are waterproof or just water resistant.
Not sure if they are waterproof or just water resistant.
I've got a Mini Q40 light attached to the strap of my mask
if you set it on the surface to just being switched off, it will turn on automatically after a few meters by the water pressure
works great and gives a decent amount of light
if you set it on the surface to just being switched off, it will turn on automatically after a few meters by the water pressure
works great and gives a decent amount of light
i'll be using it in fresh water so rust shouldnt be a big problem.
yes, i've used that trick with the Q40 too! the Q40 is a little on the bulky side for me, which is why i was thinking about using a little mag-lite....
maybe i'll just try it anyway, next time i dive.
thanks
alun
yes, i've used that trick with the Q40 too! the Q40 is a little on the bulky side for me, which is why i was thinking about using a little mag-lite....
maybe i'll just try it anyway, next time i dive.
thanks
alun
verdict: mag-lites ok for diving.
they seem to be fine...
i strapped two of the smallest mag-lites onto a rubber knife strap, which fits around my forehead. the mag-lites fit snuggly underneath the rubber loops on the strap - the ones that keep the excess strap from flapping about.
the mag-lites are then aligned and focussed on a point about 6-9" from my face (where the rope would be)... they worked fine... no problems. i took them down to 7atm. no idea how much more pressure they can tolerate. they may fail at 8atm or 16atm- who knows - but in the meantime i'll keep using them...
they seem to be fine...
i strapped two of the smallest mag-lites onto a rubber knife strap, which fits around my forehead. the mag-lites fit snuggly underneath the rubber loops on the strap - the ones that keep the excess strap from flapping about.
the mag-lites are then aligned and focussed on a point about 6-9" from my face (where the rope would be)... they worked fine... no problems. i took them down to 7atm. no idea how much more pressure they can tolerate. they may fail at 8atm or 16atm- who knows - but in the meantime i'll keep using them...
I tried this weekend also one of the smallest mag-lights. Didn't know befor if it would be fine after a deep dive. But I was surprised that it still workes after a 40 m dive. The light isn't that bright than other lamps but it's ok, I only want to see my mares apneist and the rope, and that worked.
So i will still use it.
So i will still use it.
actually, they may not be ok after all...
over the weekend, i took them down to 40 on the first test and they seemed fine - they gave reasonable illumination at depth, and they seemed ok back at the surface. after the dive to 60, they were still ok - no obvious problems - they were still shining when i got back to the surface. i assumed that there was no problem....
BUT...
... today when i was checking/cleaning my gear, i opened up the two maglites and they had water inside them!... :head and they didnt work - probably because of a damaged battery or short circuit. hopefully they'll be ok with new batteries once they've dried out.
i find it strange that they worked ok throughout the whole dive, when water obviously did get inside them.
... so, the small maglites are not suitable for deep freediving, but maybe ok for shallow depths?
next time i will try something new... i will strap a Q40 vertically around my elastic belt (around my stomach), so that it points upwards along the rope. should be quite effective and streamlined this way. i *think* this will work ok.... it's just that i don't like the bulky Q40 strapped to my head, especially when finning quite fast.
over the weekend, i took them down to 40 on the first test and they seemed fine - they gave reasonable illumination at depth, and they seemed ok back at the surface. after the dive to 60, they were still ok - no obvious problems - they were still shining when i got back to the surface. i assumed that there was no problem....
BUT...
... today when i was checking/cleaning my gear, i opened up the two maglites and they had water inside them!... :head and they didnt work - probably because of a damaged battery or short circuit. hopefully they'll be ok with new batteries once they've dried out.
i find it strange that they worked ok throughout the whole dive, when water obviously did get inside them.
... so, the small maglites are not suitable for deep freediving, but maybe ok for shallow depths?
next time i will try something new... i will strap a Q40 vertically around my elastic belt (around my stomach), so that it points upwards along the rope. should be quite effective and streamlined this way. i *think* this will work ok.... it's just that i don't like the bulky Q40 strapped to my head, especially when finning quite fast.
Saltwater and batteries do not mix. If you get a leak, make sure you leave the case or flashlight open or they could explode. I believe it is hydrogen gas that is produced.
torch on belt update...
...."next time i will try something new... i will strap a Q40 vertically around my elastic belt (around my stomach), so that it points upwards along the rope. should be quite effective and streamlined this way. i *think* this will work ok.... it's just that i don't like the bulky Q40 strapped to my head, especially when finning quite fast."....
i tried it out this morning, and it does work quite well.... at the moment we have a thick layer of planktony crap at 10-12m which meant that i couldn't even see the rope 6" from my eyes at depth!!... pretty bad, even by our standards.
i did two deep dives - it worked very well for one dive, and ok for the other. you have to make sure the torch is pointing at the right angle before diving - this may be affected by the relative size of your chest and stomach! obviously, you need to dive quite close to the line for it to work.
bottom line: it can work. give it a try if you need an alternative to using a head torch.
alun
...."next time i will try something new... i will strap a Q40 vertically around my elastic belt (around my stomach), so that it points upwards along the rope. should be quite effective and streamlined this way. i *think* this will work ok.... it's just that i don't like the bulky Q40 strapped to my head, especially when finning quite fast."....
i tried it out this morning, and it does work quite well.... at the moment we have a thick layer of planktony crap at 10-12m which meant that i couldn't even see the rope 6" from my eyes at depth!!... pretty bad, even by our standards.
i did two deep dives - it worked very well for one dive, and ok for the other. you have to make sure the torch is pointing at the right angle before diving - this may be affected by the relative size of your chest and stomach!
obviously, you need to dive quite close to the line for it to work.bottom line: it can work. give it a try if you need an alternative to using a head torch.
alun
If you notice a little water leaking into your light during
a dive. Remove the batteries asap. When underwater they
speed eat the inside of the light. I had a light that was new,
and an hour later when I got to shore, it looked like I had
found it on an old ship. The insides were all rusty and ruined.
I guess SCUBA divers know this, but at the time I didn't.
a dive. Remove the batteries asap. When underwater they
speed eat the inside of the light. I had a light that was new,
and an hour later when I got to shore, it looked like I had
found it on an old ship. The insides were all rusty and ruined.
I guess SCUBA divers know this, but at the time I didn't.
I think all screw on types of lights, wether they are waterproof or not, is asking for trouble over time. It's bound that water will get in one day or another. One day you might twist it the wrong way by accident, or not screw it tight enough, or even unscrew it too much when you are turning it off.
I would go with the gun type of lights.
I would go with the gun type of lights.