A Legit Dive Light or a Hoax...What do you think?

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do you use the manafont light? what kind of driver do they use? that is an amazing price; i have been buying the spiky magicshine so this one looks like an interesting alternative.
 
do you use the manafont light? what kind of driver do they use? that is an amazing price; i have been buying the spiky magicshine so this one looks like an interesting alternative.

Don't know about the driver. The stepless brightness control is something the XTAR dive lights have and the XTAR D01 is a great single 18650 cell 350 lumen light. I've ordered the Manafont light and after diving with it will post a report. If the light is like the D01, the basic on-off is twisty, while the brightness control goes from 0 to max.

Adam
 
Hatul, do you know how many lumens the manafont light is rated at? Either it doesn't say on their website or I just couldn't find the info :idk:

Don't know about the driver. The stepless brightness control is something the XTAR dive lights have and the XTAR D01 is a great single 18650 cell 350 lumen light. I've ordered the Manafont light and after diving with it will post a report. If the light is like the D01, the basic on-off is twisty, while the brightness control goes from 0 to max.

Adam
 
The new dive lights that are coming out of China are remarkable. There is another light with the same LED that I like (but don't have in my collection), and uses 2 18650 batteries which I like more than the C cells:

Manafont.com | $48.9 Stepless Brightness Control XM-L T6 200M Diver Flashlight (2x18650)

And another even brighter light using a different LED:

http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/cl...dive-led-cree-mc-e-dive-light-900-lumens.html

Web Store - Novae: Your #1 source for HID and LED flashlights!

Adam

PS being a light addict I ordered the Manafont light. So if you wait a couple of weeks I can give a report on it.

My wife and I own two of the Novae lights. They are brighter than any other light we have seen on night dives. They have three brightness levels, we use them in low and even the I cover the lens with two fingers at times. Granted I have not compared side by side with a HID can, but other have threads here with good feedback.
 
And I think it looks quite similar to this light, rated at (!) 1200 lumens :

1200 CREE XML T6 LED Waterproof Diving Flashlight Torch | eBay

You're right. I suspect 1200 lumens is an exaggeration and that all the lights on the different websites are the same. I suppose he can put any number in his listing as he has a sales final policy. Even at 700 lumens it should be brighter than anything I have now. My current brightest light is the XTAR D01 which is far brighter than the Dorcy and even brighter than a custom mod of the W200 with two 18650 cells. And I really like the continuous brightness adjustment.

If you do decide to order one remember you'll also need to get a charger and at least two batteries. You can also get the charger and batteries at dealextreme.com -- also with free shipping.

Adam
 
I'm looking forward to your review of the Manafont light.

My last cheap-o LED light adventure ended in disappointment, as the LED basically cooked itself with each use, making the light dimmer and dimmer... and this happened with FOUR lights in a row. The vendor refunded me without hassle, but it's made me wary of trying a cheap LED again, especially a Cree.

When you get the Manafont, I suggest taking a picture of the LED itself when it is new, and then after you have used it a few times. See if it turns brown like my Cree lghts did. If you have the means to actually measure light output, that's a great thing to do too. You may not notice a surprisingly large dip in output power from dive to dive, the eye is funny that way.
 
I'm looking forward to your review of the Manafont light.

My last cheap-o LED light adventure ended in disappointment, as the LED basically cooked itself with each use, making the light dimmer and dimmer... and this happened with FOUR lights in a row. The vendor refunded me without hassle, but it's made me wary of trying a cheap LED again, especially a Cree.

When you get the Manafont, I suggest taking a picture of the LED itself when it is new, and then after you have used it a few times. See if it turns brown like my Cree lghts did. If you have the means to actually measure light output, that's a great thing to do too. You may not notice a surprisingly large dip in output power from dive to dive, the eye is funny that way.

Can I ask you which light you're referring to? I'm no expert on LEDs but I wonder if the LED was overdriven?
 
It was the Cree MC-E light sold by many places. Mine came from Novae.

http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/cl...dive-led-cree-mc-e-dive-light-900-lumens.html

They were great about refunding me though, which is the most important thing.

I was very very surprised that no one else posted similar problems, at least that I could find, since I had 4 lights in a row that ate themselves. Then again, I am the kind of guy that runs a new light in a bucket of water a few times with each set of batteries, and takes light readings every few minutes, and then makes a chart. If you did not do that, but just used the light once, used it again a week later, and maybe a couple weeks after that, you could easily not notice the output power dropping.

But enough threadjacking... I'd love to find a cheap, bright, and reliable light to put these 18650 batteries of mine in, so I hope the Manafont works out!
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/swift/

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