REVIEW: CREE MC-E Diving Light

[nwflyboy]

I hope you are right. I still haven't had an opportunity to take mine for a dive. I ran the batteries all the way and the light got so hot that I couldn't handle it with bare hands. Nonetheless, the bezel was still very tight and I couldn't tighten it further or release it.

I guess that while diving, the water will conduct away the heat, so it shouldn't be a real issue.

How long does it take for the heat to build up to the point where it becomes uncomfortable to hold?

If it takes an hour of continuous power, that's one thing (to me, not much of a concern, unless you leave it on by mistake). OTOH if you want to use it as a flashlight but it gets too hot to hold after just 20 seconds, that's different.

 

[nwflyboy]

I've dealt with DX on quite a few occasions. To sum it up you can just forget about any customer service. I've had a few, ~5, cheap lights that broke down and I only got a replacement for 1 of those lights. Even then it took 2.5 months to be replaced.

How about the other guys - Tactical HID? Anyone had experience with them in the event of a problem with the light?

 

[Matt S.]

I've not used them but they are here on SB and I am pretty sure I have read posts by other people who had good experiences with them.

 

[Adgie]

I got mine from tacticalhid (aka Novae) and they are very responsive. I had a nick in my lens and he told me to send it back - no prob. They are local (So. Cal) so it is fast and easy to ship it back - if I ever needed to. DX has great variety and is fun for the DIY geek, but I think you want to go through a domestic distributor like Tactical/Novae. I've heard returns through DX are problematic. I'm also looking to buy the bike-light version they make. I recommend them to all my biking and diving buddies.

Tactical HID Dive LED

Here is a link to the Novae (aka Tactical HID) post here on SB:
http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/cl...dive-led-cree-mc-e-dive-light-900-lumens.html

How about the other guys - Tactical HID? Anyone had experience with them in the event of a problem with the light?

 

[nwflyboy]

Two Crees as video lights:

A video using them. The beams are too bright and need a diffuser but I like em so far: YouTube - coldwatervintage's Channel

This is very intriguing. I'm on the verge of buying two of these lights for use as primary lights on tropical night dives. As luck would have it, I'm also looking for ways to add a light (or maybe two...) to my UW video cam.

It would be pretty sweet to be able to use these lights for both purposes....

Anything I end up with needs to be reasonably compact for international travel - which is one reason I like these lights (they're small). If I could find a way to rig them as camera lights (day use only - I won't be shooting at night), that would be great (assuming the rig wasn't excessively awkward).

Hmmmm.....


Have you managed a diffuser? They definitely need one?

 

[nwflyboy]

I got mine from tacticalhid (aka Novae) and they are very responsive. I had a nick in my lens and he told me to send it back - no prob. They are local (So. Cal) so it is fast and easy to ship it back - if I ever needed to. DX has great variety and is fun for the DIY geek, but I think you want to go through a domestic distributor like Tactical/Novae. I've heard returns through DX are problematic. I'm also looking to buy the bike-light version they make. I recommend them to all my biking and diving buddies.

Tactical HID Dive LED

Here is a link to the Novae (aka Tactical HID) post here on SB:
http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/cl...dive-led-cree-mc-e-dive-light-900-lumens.html

Thanks for the link - that's reassuring. I think I'm likely to get one of these (two, actually). Now things are a bit more complicated that I see he has a couple of new P7 lights, too - but they don't seem superior in any way to this one. Hmmm.

 

[cram]

I've not used them but they are here on SB and I am pretty sure I have read posts by other people who had good experiences with them.

Yep, as I posted above somewhere the service at TactialHID has been great. Replacements have been sent wit no questions asked and very speedy responses, especially considering the border crossing.

 

[nwflyboy]

I finally took the plunge and ordered two of these lights today. I had briefly entertained fantasies of using the same lights for shooting video, but ultimately decided that would be more trouble than it's worth, so I went with a separate video light, and will just use these as our primary dive lights (for me and the mrs) on our upcoming trip.

Now it's time to pick up some extra batteries. So a couple of questions about those...

The lights come with a pair of 2200mAH 18650 batteries. I see that there are 2500 and 2600 mAH 18650 batteries available online - maybe even 3000 mAH.

All other things being equal, I assume that greater mAH translates into longer burntimes - is this not generally true? The price differential between lower capacity/no-name batteries and (allegedly) higher capacity batteries with a (perhaps) more well-known name on the outside seems pretty insignificant, so I'm interested in getting "the best" - whatever that is.

I emailed the flashlight's vendor to ask about that and he said he saw no reason to use anything other than the 2200 mAH batteries - but maybe he just wants to sell his own.

Can anyone recommend the optimal batteries for this light - and a good source to order them?

Thanks.

 

[Matt S.]

I'm about to buy a pair of these too so I am also interested in what you find out.

Please post when you get yours and let us know if they come with the US spec plug or not. Reports seem to be mixed.

 

[Matt S.]

Hmm, now I see that Tactical HID will soon have a 1200 lumen light.
http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/cl...-dive-sst-50-flashlight-1200lm-100m-more.html

Also, while looking for goodman handle options, I found this guy:

Lights - Goodman Handles and Light Accessories - Big Blue Goodman Handle - Northeast Scuba Supply

Can anyone with one of these lights provide the barrel diameter?

Or has anyone tried one with a Raider light sock?