MR11 not as bright as it used to be....

I have a 10 watt slimline MR11 canister. I have owned the unit for about a year, it has approx 50 dives on it. I have taken very good care of the unit. One thing I have noticed is it is not nearly as bright as it used to be.

When I compare it to my buddies 10 watt light, I can really notice the difference. My light used to outshine his. Now, you can barely see mine when it's next to his beam. What gives? I keep the battery charged, the bulb works as it still turns on. Is it the ballast? Cord? Any advice?

-Eric

A little more information is needed; did you buy it new? Or is the light older than the year you indicate? Is it actually an MR 11 bulb (mirrored reflector actually part of the bulb) or the H10/Sunspot (reflector seperate from the bulb)?

This sounds fairly unusual which leads me to: Has your buddy changed something?

regards,

Jerry

The light was purchased new last year. No changes have been made to my buddies light. As to the bulb, it is the fixed focus Light, C-MR11 Head w/Slimline Can, 10W Solarc Bulb. I am going to compare it to another DR can light (exact same make/model) this week. I'm almost positive that mine is not throwing out the same amount of light as it used it. It looks like I have a 6 or 7 watt light instead of a 10 watt.

-Eric

I have not done the side by side test with the other 10 watt can light from the LDS, but I just compared it to my 10 watt DR handheld HID. Same bulb. The light from the can always seemed brighter. This test shows the HH to be a brighter, more blue, and a tighter beam. The difference between the two is not huge, but noticeable.