Best LED back up on market ???

[stuartv]

I have 2 X DGX 600 and they are great. But, they are now backups to 2 x Xtar D26 lights, which I like a lot better. Same basic beam, with many nicer features for a little extra money.

The D26 has a push button on/off with multiple intensities and strobe mode. It uses 1 X 26650 battery, so it lasts longer than a DGX 600, even on High the whole time. The on/off button will twist to lock it to prevent accidental on/off. Being only 1 battery means it's nice and compact (though bigger than a DGX 600). And it has a colored LED to indicate battery status. It even has a threaded hole on the bottom for a tripod mount-type screw.

And the D26 is less than $60 on eBay.

 

[tbone1004]

I do not like rotating magnetic switches. They are thoroughly disappointing and are truly a deal breaker for me when it comes to purchasing a light, so are 26650 batteries since you can't really find high quality 26650's....

 

[stuartv]

I do not like rotating magnetic switches. They are thoroughly disappointing and are truly a deal breaker for me when it comes to purchasing a light, so are 26650 batteries since you can't really find high quality 26650's....

I'm assuming this is a response to my last post.

The D26 does not have a rotating magnetic switch. It's a small push button, which you can twist 1/4 turn to prevent pressing it.

I got some crap 26650 batteries from eBay. They claimed 5000 mAh or something like that and tested at about 2500.

But, then I got a set of Soshine 26650 (from eBay - $26 for 4 batteries) that claim to be 5500 mAh and all 4 test out at nearly that. I haven't used them much yet. What about them do you expect to reveal that they are not high quality? I'd like to know what to be prepared for.

Soshine 4pcs/lot 26650 5500mAh PCB Protected Rechargeable Li-ion Battery B4S2

(They've gone up $1)

 

[stuartv]

Oh, and Xtar now has a charger that will charge 4 x 26650 simultaneously. But, before that was announced, I got a charger from Mountain Electronics that will charge 8 x 26650 simultaneously. It was only $55, I think.

 

[fmerkel]

you can't really find high quality 26650's....

Not a problem if you know where and how to look.
Mountain Electronics
Orbtronic - domestic, and international shipping policy

If you are buying from eBay or China directly you best have your battery mojo together and KNOW what you are doing. Even then you can be burned. They ALL come from Asia, most from China. Even reliable state side suppliers have been burned when making buys for their customers but the good ones will screen out the junk and/or make it right.

 

[stuartv]

If you are buying from eBay or China directly you best have your battery mojo together and KNOW what you are doing. Even then you can be burned. They ALL come from Asia, most from China. Even reliable state side suppliers have been burned when making buys for their customers but the good ones will screen out the junk and/or make it right.

I bought mine through eBay w/PayPal. The first set were junk. But, I have my Opus charger/tester which allowed me to verify they were junk and I got a full refund. Somewhat of a hassle. But, if you have the time and a tester, you can potentially avoid getting truly burned and save some money. Even if I bought them from the most reputable dealer on the planet, I would still want to test them myself.

 

[fmerkel]

But, if you have the time and a tester, you can potentially avoid getting truly burned and save some money. Even if I bought them from the most reputable dealer on the planet, I would still want to test them myself.

+1 Just one of the many excellent reasons for a testing charger.

 

[tcphil]

How tight is the beam on the Xstar compared to the DGX? Halo? Most of my diving is in poor visibility.....

 

[stuartv]

How tight is the beam on the Xstar compared to the DGX? Halo? Most of my diving is in poor visibility.....

If you search, you can find a post from me with pics of the beams side by side between the DGX 600, Xtar D26, and the EDI-T lights.

 

[tcphil]

If you search, you can find a post from me with pics of the beams side by side between the DGX 600, Xtar D26, and the EDI-T lights.

Looked through your posts, found where you compared, but did not find pics. Also search board for the three names in same post. No luck. Darn.