REVIEW: OrcaTorch 2700 lumens canister light D620 by Alec Peirce

[Reku]

It shouldn't take much effort to create a battery pack that has a larger canister with the same threads as the smaller canister so it works on the orca.

I hope they delay this release and do it right - make a larger canister with the same threads.

 

[stuartv]

The D620 is listed some places as having an 8 degree beam angle. Other places, it says 14 degrees. The OT rep told me that it is actually 14. That jibes with at least one review I read that said the beam angle is not quite as tight as one might want.

The OT rep told me that, in addition to having a bigger canister, the new version will also have a beam angle in the 6 - 8 degree range.

So, if you can't replace just the canister to upgrade your current D620, well, at least the new light should also give you a new and improved light head as well.

I am glad I have been able to hold out on buying a can light and I am really hoping the new light is as good as it sounds.

 

[Reku]

if it really has 6-8 degree beam that will be awesome!

 

[OrcaTorch]

It shouldn't take much effort to create a battery pack that has a larger canister with the same threads as the smaller canister so it works on the orca.

I hope they delay this release and do it right - make a larger canister with the same threads.

Hi Reku, we create a new battery pack for the new model and you can not take the batteries out separately from the battery pack. The battery pack is different compared with the D620 battery. So they are not compatible. It is a totally new model.

 

[Reku]

Hi Reku, we create a new battery pack for the new model and you can not take the batteries out separately from the battery pack. The battery pack is different compared with the D620 battery. So they are not compatible. It is a totally new model.

That makes sense now. I'm looking forward to the new light. Honestly it's a HUGE deal breaker to not be able to swap the batteries out separately. I have a large number of friends who will do 2-3 battery swaps on their d620 in a day - having everything using 18650s was very very useful and now we'll have to have separate battery packs for the orca - it's much easier to carry single batteries when moving through dry caves when going to sumps and such than it is to carry a complete canister and battery inside. But there's no reason for me to think it isn't going to be amazing! Can't wait to see what you guys have come up with and improved on.

What was your reasoning for making the canister and battery pack one single unit? I'm just curious from a design perspective - it probably took quite a bit of R&D in order to do that - much more than just having a longer canister and an array of loose 18650s.

 

[stuartv]

I agree with @Reku. Having individual 18650 batteries that are user replaceable would definitely be preferable to me.

One of the big knocks some people have against inexpensive Chinese-made lights is that the quality of the battery cells is always suspect. A light needs a long time in the marketplace with a lot of user testimonials before the broad audience of divers that use canister lights would trust any given light (from a Chinese brand that isn't already widely respected in that tech diving community). A simple burn time test is not enough. Tech divers want to know that when the light is a year or two old, it will still have a very low self-discharge rate and and still have a long burn time.

Being able to use my own 18650 batteries would mean that I can KNOW the quality of the battery cells I'm using. And, the light would be less expensive to purchase (presuming I would buy it without batteries - which I would, since I already have a stockpile of good quality 18650 cells). And, of course, I can replace any individual cell if/when it goes bad.

Companies like Underwater Light Dude, Light Monkey, Halcyon, and Dive Rite are all well-known and well-respected. People in the market for a highly reliable, long-burning canister light generally accept that those brands will have high quality batteries in them and so they don't mind that those lights come with what is essentially a proprietary battery pack built in. The OrcaTorch name does not carry that same weight in tech diving circles (as far as I know, anyway) and I don't think people are nearly as likely to accept it on faith that an OrcaTorch proprietary battery pack will be long-lasting and highly reliable.

I was really looking forward to a new and improved D620. But, if I have no control over the batteries that are in it, and it's a fair bit more expensive than the D620 (because I'm also paying for batteries), I am not nearly so interested in buying one as I once was.

 

[Reku]

I agree with @Reku. Having individual 18650 batteries that are user replaceable would definitely be preferable to me.

One of the big knocks some people have against inexpensive Chinese-made lights is that the quality of the battery cells is always suspect. A light needs a long time in the marketplace with a lot of user testimonials before the broad audience of divers that use canister lights would trust any given light (from a Chinese brand that isn't already widely respected in that tech diving community). A simple burn time test is not enough. Tech divers want to know that when the light is a year or two old, it will still have a very low self-discharge rate and and still have a long burn time.

Being able to use my own 18650 batteries would mean that I can KNOW the quality of the battery cells I'm using. And, the light would be less expensive to purchase (presuming I would buy it without batteries - which I would, since I already have a stockpile of good quality 18650 cells). And, of course, I can replace any individual cell if/when it goes bad.

Companies like Underwater Light Dude, Light Monkey, Halcyon, and Dive Rite are all well-known and well-respected. People in the market for a highly reliable, long-burning canister light generally accept that those brands will have high quality batteries in them and so they don't mind that those lights come with what is essentially a proprietary battery pack built in. The OrcaTorch name does not carry that same weight in tech diving circles (as far as I know, anyway) and I don't think people are nearly as likely to accept it on faith that an OrcaTorch proprietary battery pack will be long-lasting and highly reliable.

I was really looking forward to a new and improved D620. But, if I have no control over the batteries that are in it, and it's a fair bit more expensive than the D620 (because I'm also paying for batteries), I am not nearly so interested in buying one as I once was.

At a minimum I would like to see what cells they are using in their battery packs - Panasonic etc generally make good cells. Maybe a voltage test, burn test etc. I'd be a little more willing to accept it if I knew that the battery packs were made using good quality cells that won't die out before/after 50 cycles.

 

[hxtk]

Yeah, I really wanted to want this light but I'm just not sure it makes sense for me after these latest updates. I don't have that many dives, but at the price point of the D620 it still made sense for me to buy it and I could continue using it as I got into more advanced diving. But now I think I'd rather wait/save up and get a more mainstream canister light when I've advanced enough as a diver to really benefit from it.

 

[stuartv]

We're designing a improved model for D620 with 8 pcs 18650 batteires now Planned to release it in 2 month

Next week makes 2 months. Any news?

 

[BoltSnap]

We're designing a improved model for D620 with 8 pcs 18650 batteires now Planned to release it in 2 month

The two months are up, do you have an update on when it will be released please. The new light doesn't appear on your website so far.