Caveeagle
Contributor
I have seen plenty of threads and reviews of the latest and greatest cutting edge canister lights that rival the landing lights on a 747. A recent post on a FB group had me thinking about how far Dive lighting has evolved even for the entry level lights. Both primary and backup lights.
Just as a primer.. here is the exact lights Used for my initial cavern/cave training in 1991. (Left).. next to the new Dive Rite CX1 and a pair of BX1 backup lights.
View media item 206928
As much as I liked those early lights.. they are relics of a bygone era. It is pretty fantastic how far lighting as come.
So now, to my point, focusing on the new Dive Rite CX1. I was particularly intersted in getting my hands on this new light, because of the kind of diving I do, which is mostly fresh water springs and caves. A $500 - $1500 primary canister light is often NOT the right tool for the job, and even if you have the budget, most Cavern or Tech diving students are still at least a year away from needing the power and burn time of the Too Gun lights.
I’ve had this light in the water twice now, and have been very impressed. I have been looking for a push Button light that could work well as an OW/Cavern/Intro light, but also be small enough to be a backup light for longer cave dives. Don’t get me wrong, the BX1 is a great backup and will still be on many more dives with me, but something that’s a little more up to “primary” role, and has button, for one handed on/off selection was what I wanted.
I tried a Hollis LED3, but its bulky, and did not run on a 26650/18650 rechargeable, which is now what I am set on for all my non-can lights. In the water It’s a nice light with a tight spot and a decent flood, considering the small size of the reflector.
My last dive was 84 minute run time, and reg 5,200mAh 26650 battery burned 56% on high setting for all but the last 3 minutes of the dive.
View media item 206936When side-by-side with my LX20, it showed a little tighter beam, but not quite as much flood.
Around Wayne,s campfire, we did the “shine at the tree” test, and it convinced the crowd on hand of its superiority to a BX2 and a DGX?(1k Lumen) BU light.
Here it’s size compared to three other lights:
Hollis LED3, DR BX1, *DR CX1, and LX20
View media item 206935View media item 206933It has an optional mount sleeve w hand strap, but I also tried it with the soft QRM mount and adapter pad. For me this made sense, because I already have a few lights set up for the QRM
View media item 206934View media item 206932View media item 206931
I like the Button feature and the multiple power settings. We had a little debate about how useful the strobe was, but we finally seeemd to agree that it could be useful for lost buddy scenario, or strobe markers for wreck penetration.
I won’t be retiring my LX20 anytime soon, however this light is right in the sweet spot for open water, cavern, or even Intro-Cave Primary. As well as high end back-up for longer dives.
For divers looking for a strong Primary light that can get you through AOW, Cavern, and even Intro to Cave without needing to sell a kidney, this is a great new option.
Just as a primer.. here is the exact lights Used for my initial cavern/cave training in 1991. (Left).. next to the new Dive Rite CX1 and a pair of BX1 backup lights.
View media item 206928
As much as I liked those early lights.. they are relics of a bygone era. It is pretty fantastic how far lighting as come.
So now, to my point, focusing on the new Dive Rite CX1. I was particularly intersted in getting my hands on this new light, because of the kind of diving I do, which is mostly fresh water springs and caves. A $500 - $1500 primary canister light is often NOT the right tool for the job, and even if you have the budget, most Cavern or Tech diving students are still at least a year away from needing the power and burn time of the Too Gun lights.
I’ve had this light in the water twice now, and have been very impressed. I have been looking for a push Button light that could work well as an OW/Cavern/Intro light, but also be small enough to be a backup light for longer cave dives. Don’t get me wrong, the BX1 is a great backup and will still be on many more dives with me, but something that’s a little more up to “primary” role, and has button, for one handed on/off selection was what I wanted.
I tried a Hollis LED3, but its bulky, and did not run on a 26650/18650 rechargeable, which is now what I am set on for all my non-can lights. In the water It’s a nice light with a tight spot and a decent flood, considering the small size of the reflector.
My last dive was 84 minute run time, and reg 5,200mAh 26650 battery burned 56% on high setting for all but the last 3 minutes of the dive.
View media item 206936When side-by-side with my LX20, it showed a little tighter beam, but not quite as much flood.
Around Wayne,s campfire, we did the “shine at the tree” test, and it convinced the crowd on hand of its superiority to a BX2 and a DGX?(1k Lumen) BU light.
Here it’s size compared to three other lights:
Hollis LED3, DR BX1, *DR CX1, and LX20
View media item 206935View media item 206933It has an optional mount sleeve w hand strap, but I also tried it with the soft QRM mount and adapter pad. For me this made sense, because I already have a few lights set up for the QRM
View media item 206934View media item 206932View media item 206931
I like the Button feature and the multiple power settings. We had a little debate about how useful the strobe was, but we finally seeemd to agree that it could be useful for lost buddy scenario, or strobe markers for wreck penetration.
I won’t be retiring my LX20 anytime soon, however this light is right in the sweet spot for open water, cavern, or even Intro-Cave Primary. As well as high end back-up for longer dives.
For divers looking for a strong Primary light that can get you through AOW, Cavern, and even Intro to Cave without needing to sell a kidney, this is a great new option.
