Advice needed on Brightstar 24W HID

[scorpenesub]

I am about to purchase a Brightstar 24W HID dive light. Can anyone having the same equipment share your experience on this light? Drawbacks, kinks, etc.

I don't want to spend US$500 on this equipment and later find it to be problematic. Most literature I have read seems to indicate this is a good piece of equipment... Since LED power hasn't yet produced this brightness, I guess it will serve me well for three to four years and allow LED technology to advance before I need to change.

Please share your opinion. Thanks.

 

[gregorio]

I have the 21W, really happy with it.

Do you have specific question?

 

[scorpenesub]

Hi Gregorio,

Thanks for your response. Just one question: a fellow diver said his friend once flooded the torch in a dive. That was because of a faulty seal in the charger plugin. The torch was a write off...
Have you heard of any similar leaks?

I posed the question to the manufacturer and they said it was most likely human error in which the charger plugin was not screwed tight enough. Could this be acceptable?

 

[gregorio]

Mine and my GF's one are maybe 20 dive old (each) and no problem so far. It's the first model (looks really similar, only cosmetic differences as far as I can see )

The seal in the charger plugin is made of 2 O ring of differente size and a metal screw, looks good to me but I ain't no specialist. I always check mine for hairs or dust before closing it.
The seller (in germany) told me it was not necessary to grease it so I never removed it from their space.

It is a purchase I'm really happy with (knowing I can't afford a cannister...)

Keep us posted if you buy it!

 

[Manuel Sam]

I've had the 24W (same body as the 21W, just different bulb and battery) for about 2 years and am very happy with its performance to date. Mine might be a slightly older version because it only has a single O-ring in the charger terminal plug. No leaks so far, but I do take the O-ring out for cleaning and greasing, and I also clean the O-ring groove and the threads on the plug. It's just a habit that I carry over from dealing with u/w cameras.

Drawbacks/kinks: nothing major. (1) It takes a few seconds for it to reach full brightness. (2) The pistol grip on mine was hard to install - had to hammer it in, whereas normally you would expect the dovetail to slide smoothly into the groove. (3) The lens and outer case are clear plastic and are susceptible to getting scratched and banged up: recommend making a lens protector from a clear plastic sheet (if you do not intend to use the filters) and a neoprene hood/skirt to go over the outer case.

 

[Night Diver]

These are good lights, I've had both the 21W and the 24W (bought up when the 24W came out). The 21W I bought about 3 years ago and it did have a single O-ring, the 24W came with the double rings (they're the same O-ring, just doubled up). The outer of the two O-ring's will wear out over time and the lights they're now shipping include a couple of spares. The light requires a special tool to remove the bezel and gain access to the battery and bulb so it's probably not really user-serviceable.

They're really bright lights, probably your best value for the money given the brightness. Nothing but another high-watt HID can come close for now. I haven't had the battery life come near the advertised values on either light, I can get about 1.5 hours out of my 24W with the 5200 mah battery; I used to get roughly an hour out of the 21W with a 4400 mah battery. I would definitely make sure you get the larger battery. I have heard good things about customer service since ontheedgelighting took over US distribution from others who have had to get service or parts from them but haven't dealt with them myself.

 

[scorpenesub]

Thanks guys for sharing your experience with the Darkbuster. Really useful tips, people. Gracias...

Based on your happy user experiences, I have just confidently ordered a 24W with 5200 mah battery. Will arrive before I travel to dive in Sipadan next month....

 

[DarkbusterDiver]

Hey scorpenesub, Where did you purchase your Darkbuster? I work for On The Edge Lighting, (Brightstar's US Distributer as Night Diver mentioned above) If you or anyone else has any questions about the lights and/or accessories feel free to give me a shout. Ill be happy to help you out.

 

[DarkbusterDiver]

Manuel Sam,

You mentioned

(3) The lens and outer case are clear plastic and are susceptible to getting scratched and banged up: recommend making a lens protector from a clear plastic sheet (if you do not intend to use the filters) and a neoprene hood/skirt to go over the outer case.

I'm not sure where or when you purchased your Darkbuster but all darkbusters now come standard with either an orange or black rubber overmold that slides right on over the lens casing. This is for protection and for better focusing of light. Let me know if you are interested in purchasing this overmold.

 

[scorpenesub]

My Darkbuster has arrived. Love its sturdy casing and lens protector. Will be testing it out in Sipadan next month when i go there for a week...

DarkbusterDiver, I made the purchase through a friend in Taiwan who sourced it from the manufacturer. And just to make sure i got the genuine stuff, I contacted Brightstar in Taiwan to confirm the warranty. This company has got damn good customer service. Replied my email query within one day. I was highly impressed.

Now i have no qualms about Brightstar products. Any problems with this divetorch, they asked me to contact them straight away: BSTW--BRIGHTSTAR.COM.TW.