Mantra
Contributor
Hey all.
I have been looking at the Archon range of lights for a while (originally their canister lights), but reviews on some of them in the west seem to be scarce. I was put onto them by a Chinese friend of mine who dives and loves them.
Anyway, when I saw they had a '1400 lumen' video light with a 120 degree spill and no hotspot for $170 I thought I would be a crash test dummy and give it a try.
I bought it here:
1PC Diving Flashlight ARCHON D32VR CREE XM L U2 + XP E N3 LED Most Powerful 32650 Battery Underwater Diving Led Torch-in LED Flashlights from Lights & Lighting on Aliexpress.com
They shipped it promptly and it arrived on time, and their communication was excellent, but there are a few different vendors out there selling it. Being Chinese, ARCHON lights appear to be rebranded here and there, per this discussion: The making of a 10.000 lm dive light. TRITON LongWang.龙王 . The different brands may all be from the same manufacturer, which is Shenzhen Xiware Technologies: Company Overview - Shenzhen Xiware Technologies Co., Ltd.
So the specs (per http://www.archonlight.com/en/product_show.php?id=61 ) are:
2 x CREE XM-L U2 Leds (white) that operate in high or low mode, plus 2 x CREE XP-E N3 Leds (Red). It operates, if the specs are to be believed, at 1400 lumens on high (burn time 1.5 hrs), ??? lumens on low (burn time 4 hours) and 200 lumens on red (burn time 3.5 hours).
So far I have opened the box and powered it on. It seems very solidly built. Cycling through the modes is easy. I notice the spill is wide with no hot spot, although the mounting screws throw small shadows at the edge of the beam where the light passes through the side of the (very thick) lens. It claims a rating of 100m depth. The battery, a li-ion 32650 was difficult to source, although trustfire make one.
It seems a promising light for the price if it holds up and I thought it was worth a gamble. I will be diving this shortly and was wondering what information would be useful to know if I want to properly review this light for you guys? Please let me know what you would like to test and I will test it. I don't have a light meter, but have a DRIS 1000 lumen torch and a trustfire TR-J1 for comparison.
Thanks!
I have been looking at the Archon range of lights for a while (originally their canister lights), but reviews on some of them in the west seem to be scarce. I was put onto them by a Chinese friend of mine who dives and loves them.
Anyway, when I saw they had a '1400 lumen' video light with a 120 degree spill and no hotspot for $170 I thought I would be a crash test dummy and give it a try.
I bought it here:
1PC Diving Flashlight ARCHON D32VR CREE XM L U2 + XP E N3 LED Most Powerful 32650 Battery Underwater Diving Led Torch-in LED Flashlights from Lights & Lighting on Aliexpress.com
They shipped it promptly and it arrived on time, and their communication was excellent, but there are a few different vendors out there selling it. Being Chinese, ARCHON lights appear to be rebranded here and there, per this discussion: The making of a 10.000 lm dive light. TRITON LongWang.龙王 . The different brands may all be from the same manufacturer, which is Shenzhen Xiware Technologies: Company Overview - Shenzhen Xiware Technologies Co., Ltd.
So the specs (per http://www.archonlight.com/en/product_show.php?id=61 ) are:
2 x CREE XM-L U2 Leds (white) that operate in high or low mode, plus 2 x CREE XP-E N3 Leds (Red). It operates, if the specs are to be believed, at 1400 lumens on high (burn time 1.5 hrs), ??? lumens on low (burn time 4 hours) and 200 lumens on red (burn time 3.5 hours).
So far I have opened the box and powered it on. It seems very solidly built. Cycling through the modes is easy. I notice the spill is wide with no hot spot, although the mounting screws throw small shadows at the edge of the beam where the light passes through the side of the (very thick) lens. It claims a rating of 100m depth. The battery, a li-ion 32650 was difficult to source, although trustfire make one.
It seems a promising light for the price if it holds up and I thought it was worth a gamble. I will be diving this shortly and was wondering what information would be useful to know if I want to properly review this light for you guys? Please let me know what you would like to test and I will test it. I don't have a light meter, but have a DRIS 1000 lumen torch and a trustfire TR-J1 for comparison.
Thanks!