2024: view for primary/backup torches, and dive knife

[mr_v]

Folks, I just realized that the op, @L2m, is in China. While LM, Halcyon, Diverite, and the likes are popular in NA market, if I lived in China, I'd be OrcaTorch or XTRA or something local. It is simple - like it or not, a lot of our gear comes from South East Asia. We benefit from local brands due to support and their investment in local diving, like SE FL. The OP can probably find Asian LM/Halcyon equivalents.

 

[crofrog]

Folks, I just realized that the op, @L2m, is in China. While LM, Halcyon, Diverite, and the likes are popular in NA market, if I lived in China, I'd be OrcaTorch or XTRA or something local. It is simple - like it or not, a lot of our gear comes from South East Asia. We benefit from local brands due to support and their investment in local diving, like SE FL. The OP can probably find Asian LM/Halcyon equivalents.

He asked about halcyon. You know they can get stuff shipped there just like we can…

 

[DiveLikeAMuppet]

One more vote for Ammonite.

OrcaTorch is “alright”. I had D630, it survived about 200 abuses dives until the battery started randomly discharging. The cable is just a bit too long, the switch is a bit awkward in drygloves, can turn on by accident, doesn’t work well at depth and the light is strangely unfocused - but for the price it’s a really nice torch.

On a sample of few - I have seen one broken Halcyon (something burned out that wasn’t worth fixing) and person moaning about the switch not working well in the ocean.

 

[Wibble]

Yeah not so sure I could carry around something that looks like it came out of my wifes drawer instead of mine

You find some strange things in your wife's drawers!

(Brits might notice a pun there)

 

[Matan]

Halcyon focus 1.0
have it since it came out.
1. once the knob locking the handle fell off - Halcyon just sent a new one and that was it.
2. the light once got stuck on the medium light setting - was battery related I just opened the battery --> unthreaded the bolt to one of the poles --> re-threaded --> works fine

beyond the above zero issues and I just throw it in a box after dives

adjustable handle is nice since I do summer no suit and winter drysuit + gloves.
light battery with long enough burn time is nice when diving no suit compared to the heavy older NiMH batteries (and don't get started with older batteries weighting).


I did see the shark dive canister light which is much more powerful than my focus - but again it has a "heavier" battery.


Matan.

 

[PfcAJ]

The focus 2 on a regular metal Goodman handle is really good *except* for that goofy switch. They almost nailed it.

 

[xan]

The focus 2 on a regular metal Goodman handle is really good *except* for that goofy switch. They almost nailed it.

Halcyon recently released a v2 of the switch that's supposed to address the issues that have come up; I'm waiting for mine to deliver and can provide feedback once it's arrived. My experience has been that the light had problems sometimes turning on to full power, due to magnet strength/alignment/corrosion. I'm told the v2 switch (part number 20.001.338) should address these small, lingering problems (and yes, I've usually kept spares.)

My replacement switch magnet is on the way, but I'll need to do a few dives before the issue would manifest (though I'm really hopeful they did, in fact, nail it by now)

Or did you have other issues with the switch?

 

[L2m]

Alkaline batteries are common and cheap. Lights relying on alkaline batteries will usually not provide constant output as light becomes dim over time. However, the tech is super reliable. Heser, Halcyon, and Light Monkey make very good alkaline battery powered lights, if that's your game.

wow that surprises me! I was kept being told alkaline provided more stable output over battery lifetime and it was Li that did the opposite - and my dive hasn't been long and aggressive enough for me to test the difference myself. Is there any reliable source I could refer to and learn this myself?

 

[L2m]

Anything in open water an Orca torch will meet or exceed your requirements.

Anything going into a cave might be best to have a higher quality and cost primary, but could still clip off an Orca as a backup.

I'm in between - I'm very likely to dive in the UK for the next couple of years, so I expect low visibility, silts kicked everywhere, periodic wreck of various levels of penetration - and you know the water might be just as dark as a well-lit cave even on daytime. but I'm not a cave fan yet. I might continue diving with my current torches for a couple more years and gain a bit more experience about which one to throw away?

 

[L2m]

The halcyon focus2 style switch works pretty and locks in place. Occasionally the magnet has issues but they’re user replaceable.

thank you and one other source for mentioning the problem with focus 2.0's switches - I kept thinking it is completely mechanical and henceforth shall be 100% safe.

The halcyon multi-tool is cool I’ve watched someone fix a regulator in a cave with it. I don’t like how big it’s personally. So I carry the explorer knife and then carry tools in my wet notes.

thanks, will definitely consider it - so do you mean you carry three cutting tools - line cutter, explorer knife and multi tool? I have considered this configuration seriously myself and only wonder if I've overlooked into this.