Dive light from E-Bay -- Great buy!!!

[stuartv]

I'd also recommend going with the kit as opposed to just the light itself. For just another $20, you get a plastic carrying case (cheap and definitely not waterproof but it does keep things organized), an XTAR single-cell charger, and an XTAR branded 5000mAh 26650 battery.

Or you can use that $20 for a Soshine battery (<$8), a plastic bin to keep all your lights in (maybe with some layers of foam, if so inclined - will the D26 still fit in the Xtar case after you affix a bolt snap to it?), and put the change towards a good multi-cell charger....

 

[stuartv]

The only thing I'm not crazy about with this light is the locking switch - it's a little difficult to rotate into and out of locking position, especially underwater. I think it'd be nearly impossible with any kind of gloves on. If the switch was just a little taller, it'd be ideal. Of course, the fact that it has a locking position at all is still a big positive.

I hear you. I don't have any issues with it in my dry gloves, but I could see it maybe being difficult with my 3mm neoprene gloves. If I were worried about it, I would probably just leave it unlocked for the whole dive. The main benefit, in my mind, to the lock is being able to lock it to ensure it stays off when it's, say, stuffed into my dive bag on the way to the dive site. When it's clipped to my harness, if I found that it was getting turned on by accident, I think it might work to just clip it to a chest D-ring and secure it through a rubber band and turn it to make sure the button is pointed away from me.

 

[TulsaTime]

will the D26 still fit in the Xtar case after you affix a bolt snap to it?

Yep! And if you remove the extra foam block (to the left of the case in the picture below) there's even room for a spare 26650 (two if you don't need the 18650 adapter and remove that also).

XTAR D26 XM-L2 LED Diving Flashlight Set

• TulsaTime
• Aug 31, 2016

 

[stuartv]

Yep! And if you remove the extra foam block (to the left of the case in the picture below) there's even room for a spare 26650 (two if you don't need the 18650 adapter and remove that also).

You put a long tail on that bolt snap. I attach mine as close as I can to the butt of the light. When it's clipped to my chest D-ring, I want the light right there, just below the D-ring. Not sure if that would work inside that case.

Regardless, I have, uhh, "several" lights that go with me on a dive trip (if I'm driving). A case like that for each one would take up way too much room. I have one plastic bin that holds them all, plus all the batteries, a charger, some spare O-rings, etc.. And if I'm flying, there is definitely no way I'd carry my one or two lights (for a fly-dive trip) in separate cases like that. Again, too much room.

Side note on the D26: When I received mine, I did my usual job of attaching a bolt snap to it using cave line. A couple of weeks later, I took it out on a boat to try it out underwater for the first time. When I took it out and clipped it to my D-ring, the bolt snap pulled right off. The cave line was still tied to the bolt snap. A sharp edge in the lanyard hole on the light must have cut the cave line. I previously lost a cheap Chinese light for the same reason, except that it cut through the cave line while I was on a dive and I didn't notice it falling off.

So, word to the wise. If you attach a bolt snap to your light with cave line or bungee or anything that could cut easily on a sharp metal edge, you better check it often. I re-attached my bolt snap using 2 small zip ties, one over the other. If one breaks or gets cut, the other should keep the bolt snap attached long enough for me to notice and fix it. I hope.

 

[TulsaTime]

You put a long tail on that bolt snap. I attach mine as close as I can to the butt of the light. When it's clipped to my chest D-ring, I want the light right there, just below the D-ring. Not sure if that would work inside that case.

Yes, you're right, of course. I forgot that tech-minded and some other divers attach the bolt snap directly to the attachment point. In that case, no it will not fit in the case.

I dive a Zeagle Stiletto and keep my light in the right pocket. I use the leash to also bolt-snap it to a D-ring while pocketed so it doesn't fall out, either inadvertently or while I'm retrieving it.

Like you, I don't plan to use the case for traveling. As you've said, it takes up too much room. It's just a convenient place to keep everything related to the light together during non-diving times. The two things that actually drove me to the kit instead of the bare light were:

1. The 26650's I was looking at (and subsequently bought) were $14 so even if I valued the included 5000 mAh battery at $10 that was half the extra cost right there.
2. The kit included a charger with a car adapter. Not something that I necessarily needed but I didn't have a backup 26650 charger and having the option to charge from a cigarette lighter plug was worth a couple of extra bucks.

Also, one of the reasons that I went with the KeepPowers instead of the Shoshines (which I did also look at) was that the reviewer that I linked to previously found a bit of variance in the Shoshines he tested whereas the KeepPowers were pretty consistent. With a single-battery flashlight that's probably not a big deal but I decided to take the quicker and "safer" (and more costly) route.

 

[Jondjames]

Thanks for the heads up on the sale over at xtar. I went ahead and bought a D26 kit. I suppose it will be my primary dive light but I'm just aexcited about the eBay light Thanks again everyone.

 

[Jondjames]

Just returned from my annual family reunion delighted to find 2 packages on my porch. One being the cheap eBay light that I ordered at first and then the second being the xtar d26 that I ordered after finding out about their sale a few days ago. Soshines haven't arrived yet but I did charge the included battery from the d26 package to check them out and I must say although the only thing I have to compare them to are ordinary household flashlights these things are pretty damn bright lol. Craftsmanship seems better with the xtar and it even seems slightly brighter (I could be wrong about that since I only have one battery and I couldn't compare them side by side). I really like the locking mechanism on the xtar and the standard tripod screw hole along with its smaller size compared to the eBay light. I don't at all regret buying either of them yet( let me take them on a couple dives lol) but I think the xtar priced at $79 (on sale) with the extras it comes with (warranty, carrying case, battery (valued at $20), charger, o rings and wrist lanyard) is the better bang for my buck personally. I can't wait to test them both out. I'll be in Gilboa 2 weeks from now! Woot woot

 

[bkilleen]

Just received mine. Still waiting on the batteries and charger.

Looks good, and the build quality appears to be quite good. It's heavier, and a bit larger than expected, but that's not a bad thing.

One thing that I did notice is the end spring in the battery compartment; the one that connects/contacts the battery cover is loose inside. I don't think that this is a problem though as once the battery is in it should stay in place. Worst case scenario is that I have to twist the spring a bit to get it to fit back into the recess of the battery cover.

Anyone else have a loose spring in theirs?

 

[stuartv]

Anyone else have a loose spring in theirs?

Mine was loose and I had to mess around with it to twist it and get it to fit down in the recessed spot in the tail cap.

I haven't actually had mine in the water yet.

 

[Doby45]

Thanks for the props, fmerkel.

For the record, I absolutely do not consider myself an expert on these things. But, I do know enough to feel like my Opus charger/tester (which I do recommend to anyone as a good 4-battery charger) is giving me reasonably accurate and useful info.

And it is my understanding (not being an expert) that fmerkel is exactly correct. Dive lights like these definitely do not need a high drain battery.

And, @Jondjames, to directly answer your question: Yes, a higher mAh battery will keep the light on for longer. But, as has been noted, you can't judge a battery's capacity by the rating on the label. To last longer, it needs to actually BE higher mAh capacity, not just say it is on the label.

Related to that, I will point out that if you're going to have rechargeable batteries, you need a charger. As with the batteries, chargers range from cheap single-cell chargers that are practically worthless, to multi-cell chargers and even testers.

I have enough lights, strobes, etc. that I have a 4-cell tester/charger now and I think I'm going to buy another one. Some days, being able to only charge 4 batteries (or 2 x 26650) at a time is very inconvenient. Anyway.... if you're going to invest in a decent charger, you may as well buy once, cry once, as they say, and get a 4-cell charger that also has a decent Refresh program and the ability to test cells.

I have used my Opus to test cells that tested very low, compared to their original capacity, and then used the Refresh program to restore them to very close to their original capacity.

And, even good quality batteries go bad eventually. Being able to test your good batteries periodically, so that you can know when it's time to replace them could easily save a dive for you.

So, if you're going to invest in rechargeable batteries for dive lights, I definitely would suggest to consider getting something like the Opus BT-C3400 to charge/maintain/test your batteries. $55 or so is not THAT expensive for what you are getting.

https://www.amazon.com/BT-C3400-Universal-Analyzer-rechargeable-batteries/dp/B00NR77SL2/ref=sr_1_1

Just for the record, you can use this unit with 4 different types of batteries in it and have each one on a different program (i.e. 1 on Charge, 1 on Refresh, 1 on Discharge/Test, 1 on Discharge) simultaneously. And it has options for how much current to use when charging or discharging, from 500mA to 2000mA. So, if you're in a hurry, you can bump it up to charge at 2A. Or if you have all night, you can let it go at 500mA (which I think is better for battery life in the long term).

Well THANKS @stuartv because of you I went and purchased one of the OPUS chargers yesterday. On my desk I have probably 4 or 5 chargers, some came with lights, some I bought a while ago for specific cells (Powerex AA) but then I saw this beautiful little holy grail of chargers. I will let ya know how it goes when I get it. Thanks!