Kryssa's post is from last April. She's probably squared away on lights by now.
For posterity, at the time of the OP I only really knew of one common LED emitter that was being used in all the "good" cordless lights. The Cree XM-L2. It comes in different binnings (i.e. quality levels, if you will) but they are all in the rough vicinity of 1050 lumens, max output rating.
To me, that is too bright for ideal night diving use. So, I would want a light that bright to have an option for lower brightness levels (which the DGX does not have).
The latest news, though, is that Cree came out with a newer LED emitter that is significantly better than the XM-L2 (IMO, for dive light usage). It is the Cree XHP35. It is rated for about 1600 lumens. And, it is physically smaller than the XM-L2. 3.5mm vs 5mm. That means that it is a lot brighter and it is easier for a manufacturer to get a tighter beam out of the light.
There is one new light out that uses this new LED (that I know of - there could be more): The Xtar D26 1600. I have one and it is significantly brighter than the lights I have with an XM-L2 LED in them (which includes the DGX 600). And it has a tighter beam than any of those, also. Unfortunately, the first production run of the 1600 has a couple of electronics issues that make it not really acceptable for use in almost any capacity. BUT, the good news is that Xtar is aware of the issues and has supposedly fixed them in their subsequent production. I have a new one on the way and I am keeping my fingers crossed that it has the problems resolved.
So, to anyone looking at this thread, if you are looking for a good cordless light for night diving, day diving, or any other diving that doesn't require a canister light, stay tuned. If the D26 1600 is fixed, I think it will be the best light, by far, of all the lights mentioned in this thread so far. Really, it could be the best <$300 light on the market and it is less than $100. Maybe the best overall cordless light you can buy, save possibly for some REALLY expensive lights like the Dive Rite HP50 and the Halycon Focus 2.0 (or whatever their cordless version of that is called). Both of which are over $900, I think.
For posterity, at the time of the OP I only really knew of one common LED emitter that was being used in all the "good" cordless lights. The Cree XM-L2. It comes in different binnings (i.e. quality levels, if you will) but they are all in the rough vicinity of 1050 lumens, max output rating.
To me, that is too bright for ideal night diving use. So, I would want a light that bright to have an option for lower brightness levels (which the DGX does not have).
The latest news, though, is that Cree came out with a newer LED emitter that is significantly better than the XM-L2 (IMO, for dive light usage). It is the Cree XHP35. It is rated for about 1600 lumens. And, it is physically smaller than the XM-L2. 3.5mm vs 5mm. That means that it is a lot brighter and it is easier for a manufacturer to get a tighter beam out of the light.
There is one new light out that uses this new LED (that I know of - there could be more): The Xtar D26 1600. I have one and it is significantly brighter than the lights I have with an XM-L2 LED in them (which includes the DGX 600). And it has a tighter beam than any of those, also. Unfortunately, the first production run of the 1600 has a couple of electronics issues that make it not really acceptable for use in almost any capacity. BUT, the good news is that Xtar is aware of the issues and has supposedly fixed them in their subsequent production. I have a new one on the way and I am keeping my fingers crossed that it has the problems resolved.
So, to anyone looking at this thread, if you are looking for a good cordless light for night diving, day diving, or any other diving that doesn't require a canister light, stay tuned. If the D26 1600 is fixed, I think it will be the best light, by far, of all the lights mentioned in this thread so far. Really, it could be the best <$300 light on the market and it is less than $100. Maybe the best overall cordless light you can buy, save possibly for some REALLY expensive lights like the Dive Rite HP50 and the Halycon Focus 2.0 (or whatever their cordless version of that is called). Both of which are over $900, I think.