scubastingray
Contributor
Hey Guys, I took the plunge and got the DIV10 from brinyte as a primary for cave diving. Prior to this, I had been using very cheap (~$20 and under)handheld lights, but wanted to try this out.
Model: Brinyte DIV10, also sold under the archon label. The archon version is slightly different as the switch is on the light head (which is preferable for canister mounting imo).
Price: $165. I paid $165 through ebay, but you can actually get it cheaper now here for $156. This is far cheaper than brinyte would offer me, and I liked that i got the paypal protection. If you find it cheaper feel free to let me know where you found it.
The attraction for this light was the price, and for the money it has delivered. I previously had bought very cheap chinese lights, and they have kept up with their $100+ name brand alternatives, in my opinion this one has as well.
Packaging
Honestly, not much can be said here. The box it came in was cardboard, and had foam padding. The handle had to be assembled, and once assembled it no longer fits in the box. For that reason, I actually pitched the box before I took pictures. Everything came in good condition, and I wasn't worried about damage occurring en route based on how it arrived. It's my understanding the archon version often comes with a hard metal case. For the $150 premium, I think i'll pass on that.
It included a manual with silly instructions that should be self-explanatory, the hard goodman handle, the canister, extra o-rings, and silicon lubricant.
Build quality/Physical Description
The unit seems very well built. I've had two other brinyte lights (the DIV01), and as always I am impressed. One thing I've noticed is that their build quality seems pretty decent, and this is no exception. The o-rings seem very high quality and properly sized (very often the o-rings are too soft or the wrong size and need to be replaced). The light head is very nice, although large. The handle itself is probably a bit oversized also, although it's no problem. The cable and glands seem to be pretty nice, and seem like they could take a bit of abuse.
The canister of the unit holds the switch, and comes with a webbing loop to mount on a belt. It takes 3x 26650 batteries, and is quite long. I wish it were a 2x3 setup, with a thicker shorter canister. My initial impression was it would be too long, but underwater it wasn't that big of a deal. My preference for the 2x3 setup (as opposed to the 3x1) is it would have a longer battery life while being more out of the way. I've thought of mounting on the side of my backplate, but it seems that might impact the ability to toggle the switch. The canister itself is also sort of thin. Unfortunately, the 26650 batteries don't have very well defined specs. In fact, protected cells are taller than non-protected cells. I have 4 ultra fire 26650s, and 2 of them seem to be wrapped an additional time, and barely fit into the canister. The other ones fit perfectly however, so I'm blaming it on the ultra fire cells. I'll be replacing them with kingkong 4000mah cells once they arrive though.
The handle is adjustable from a height perspective, and screws directly into the base of the unit. One pet peeve they could improve on are the screws. The ones that mount the handle to the bottom of the light stick out a bit, and without a glove on your hand they can irritate the top of your hand. I'll be getting new screws and counter sinking the holes. Here's a photo.
Impressions Upon Use
I've had the light for a few weeks now, but wanted to get a few hours of use before I gave any impressions. So far I've taken it on a shore night dive in LBTS, and also to the peacock springs cave system. All I can say is that this sucker is bright! It performed incredibly well, no leaks of course, and no problem lasting the dives. The cave dives were two at about 40-45min a piece. At full power it didn't show any signs of slowing, but I didn't bother with a burn test given I was using trash ultra fire cells. I can update with a better burn time once I have decent cells, but I would estimate the burn time to be close to 2+ hours at full power and much longer at lower settings.
2 hours may not be much for many, but for shorter cave dives it seems it will do quite nicely for me. Additionally, if you plan on doing more diving in a day than that, you can always easily switch out the batteries and run at a lower brightness.
During the night dive, it performed very well, and was quite bright. In the cave we put the canister in the back, and it was damned bright even back there. If you were in front you'd have to run at 50% to be able to see my other "1000 lumen" lights. More on that next.
Light Output Compared
My baseline was a very common LED, which is used in damn near every competitor's light. The light is "1000 lumens" and is nearly identical in output to the DRIS 1Ks, the 1000 lumen dive rite canister, and countless other dive lights.
This canister blows it out of the water. The hotspot is brighter by far, and much larger. It seems an equivalent brightness output would be between the 25-50% setting, which makes sense given it has 3 of the same LED. I took some photos, however keep in mind the exposure isn't locked between them. The light on the left is the single 18650 "1000 lumen" light, and the DIV10 is on the right.
100%
75%
50%
25%
Final Thoughts
Ultimately, the greatest risk is the risk of flooding. While I would hesitate to give an opinion on reliability, it seems every manufacturer has leaks. The build quality and my experience with brinyte thus far inspire me, and at 1/3 the price of the cheapest "name" brand can light I was happy to make the gamble. The brightness and burn time are fantastic. At lower settings you can get a couple days of diving without an issue. My brother will probably be getting one and we will use them both in the florida caves.
With my incredibly limited sample size it is hard for me to make a sound recommendation, but I'd purchase the light again. eBay's buyer protection makes me feel more comfortable, as any DoA or early failure would be covered.
Feel free to ask any questions.
Model: Brinyte DIV10, also sold under the archon label. The archon version is slightly different as the switch is on the light head (which is preferable for canister mounting imo).
Price: $165. I paid $165 through ebay, but you can actually get it cheaper now here for $156. This is far cheaper than brinyte would offer me, and I liked that i got the paypal protection. If you find it cheaper feel free to let me know where you found it.
The attraction for this light was the price, and for the money it has delivered. I previously had bought very cheap chinese lights, and they have kept up with their $100+ name brand alternatives, in my opinion this one has as well.
Packaging
Honestly, not much can be said here. The box it came in was cardboard, and had foam padding. The handle had to be assembled, and once assembled it no longer fits in the box. For that reason, I actually pitched the box before I took pictures. Everything came in good condition, and I wasn't worried about damage occurring en route based on how it arrived. It's my understanding the archon version often comes with a hard metal case. For the $150 premium, I think i'll pass on that.
It included a manual with silly instructions that should be self-explanatory, the hard goodman handle, the canister, extra o-rings, and silicon lubricant.
Build quality/Physical Description
The canister of the unit holds the switch, and comes with a webbing loop to mount on a belt. It takes 3x 26650 batteries, and is quite long. I wish it were a 2x3 setup, with a thicker shorter canister. My initial impression was it would be too long, but underwater it wasn't that big of a deal. My preference for the 2x3 setup (as opposed to the 3x1) is it would have a longer battery life while being more out of the way. I've thought of mounting on the side of my backplate, but it seems that might impact the ability to toggle the switch. The canister itself is also sort of thin. Unfortunately, the 26650 batteries don't have very well defined specs. In fact, protected cells are taller than non-protected cells. I have 4 ultra fire 26650s, and 2 of them seem to be wrapped an additional time, and barely fit into the canister. The other ones fit perfectly however, so I'm blaming it on the ultra fire cells. I'll be replacing them with kingkong 4000mah cells once they arrive though.
The handle is adjustable from a height perspective, and screws directly into the base of the unit. One pet peeve they could improve on are the screws. The ones that mount the handle to the bottom of the light stick out a bit, and without a glove on your hand they can irritate the top of your hand. I'll be getting new screws and counter sinking the holes. Here's a photo.
Impressions Upon Use
I've had the light for a few weeks now, but wanted to get a few hours of use before I gave any impressions. So far I've taken it on a shore night dive in LBTS, and also to the peacock springs cave system. All I can say is that this sucker is bright! It performed incredibly well, no leaks of course, and no problem lasting the dives. The cave dives were two at about 40-45min a piece. At full power it didn't show any signs of slowing, but I didn't bother with a burn test given I was using trash ultra fire cells. I can update with a better burn time once I have decent cells, but I would estimate the burn time to be close to 2+ hours at full power and much longer at lower settings.
2 hours may not be much for many, but for shorter cave dives it seems it will do quite nicely for me. Additionally, if you plan on doing more diving in a day than that, you can always easily switch out the batteries and run at a lower brightness.
During the night dive, it performed very well, and was quite bright. In the cave we put the canister in the back, and it was damned bright even back there. If you were in front you'd have to run at 50% to be able to see my other "1000 lumen" lights. More on that next.
Light Output Compared
My baseline was a very common LED, which is used in damn near every competitor's light. The light is "1000 lumens" and is nearly identical in output to the DRIS 1Ks, the 1000 lumen dive rite canister, and countless other dive lights.
This canister blows it out of the water. The hotspot is brighter by far, and much larger. It seems an equivalent brightness output would be between the 25-50% setting, which makes sense given it has 3 of the same LED. I took some photos, however keep in mind the exposure isn't locked between them. The light on the left is the single 18650 "1000 lumen" light, and the DIV10 is on the right.
100%
75%
50%
25%
Final Thoughts
Ultimately, the greatest risk is the risk of flooding. While I would hesitate to give an opinion on reliability, it seems every manufacturer has leaks. The build quality and my experience with brinyte thus far inspire me, and at 1/3 the price of the cheapest "name" brand can light I was happy to make the gamble. The brightness and burn time are fantastic. At lower settings you can get a couple days of diving without an issue. My brother will probably be getting one and we will use them both in the florida caves.
With my incredibly limited sample size it is hard for me to make a sound recommendation, but I'd purchase the light again. eBay's buyer protection makes me feel more comfortable, as any DoA or early failure would be covered.
Feel free to ask any questions.
i bet you have mounted the handle-baseplate upside down, and thats why the two screws are sticking out/rubbing on your hand... im ref to the ebay pics, as the screws dont stick out like you have on your pic 
