Cenotes
Registered
Here are your answers:
CX3:
The CX3 is nicely updated with the magnetic charging port where no access cap need be unscrewed. The soft case it comes in is poorly designed in that, while it fits Dive Rite's QRM "striker," it does not easily accommodate a bolt snap affixed to the light without slightly contorting the shape of the case. The Luminous SST-40 beam angle has a hot center, and has plenty of spill. Overall, the light seems nicely made, although it is wider in diameter than it needs to be to simply accommodate a 21700 battery. Runtimes are allegedly as follows, which I do not believe based upon simple math calculations shown below the runtimes:
High (1900 lumens): 3 hours
Medium (50%): 980 lumens, 5.5 hours
Low (25%): 500 lumens, 11 hours
Very low (5%): 90 lumens, 28 hours
Strobe (10% duty cycle): 12 hours
Dive Rite's published runtimes, however, do not appear realistic. Consider the following runtime estimate for the SST-40 emitter using a 21700, 5000 mAh lithium-ion battery, consuming approximately 1 watt per 100 lumens (and typical efficacy of the SST-40 can range from 100 to 200 lumens per watt depending on the driving current and thermal management):
Energy=5Ah×3.7V=18.5Wh
Power Consumption (W)=1900 lumens/100=19W
Runtime=18.5Wh/19W=0.974 hours
Normal conditions dictate about a one-hour runtime. At best, where the battery consumes half of that energy, runtime is still barely two hours. Thus, it is inconceivable that a single 21700, 5000 mAh lithium-ion battery could power the CX3 for three hours at 1900 lumens, unless the emitter hypothetically and immediately dropped to 67% output after one second of operation, or alternatively dropped to some random, lowered output based upon time and remaining energy in order to make the equation of three hours still work.
Unfortunately, there is no hardware or software button lock; this is unbelievable. But, the button is very small, pretty flush, slightly protected by the light body, and very firm to the push, so that I don't see it being easily activated in a gear bag. One nice function is that, after the beam is on for more than five seconds, a second press turns it off rather than going through lower levels of light and having to activate the last function which is the strobe. The holes to mount a bolt snap are at 90-degree angles, very sharp, and are not rounded at all; I wonder if one will have to watch more carefully the cave line securing a bolt snap to this light as compared to others (and, i.e., proactively replace the line more often than as compared to normal wear), for fear of gradual disconnection via movement of the line over those two sharp surfaces where the line connects to the bolt snap. Quality control is acceptable and the lights are gorgeous; however, one of the two lights I have, arrived with two perfectly parallel nicks that appear to have been made in China by some tool during construction. Maybe the biggest downside is that its diameter is much wider than it has to be. It should have been made to accept a 26650 battery, given that its diameter could easily accommodate.
FX40:
Dive Rite claims 2400 constant lumens for 1.5 hours using four 21700 batteries that the user cannot replace. When the batteries die or their lives become too short to accommodate the user, the light must be packed up and sent to Dive Rite to have a battery swap. Come on, Lamar . . . .
Other runtimes: 5 hours medium, 16 hours low. Strobe: unknown, but likely still going when your body is recovered. How does it tell you when battery is running low? How do you know how much charge you have left with your battery pack? Answer: you don't. Well, in a way, you do when it gets late in the game; you hopefully notice when it steps down when it gets to a 10% charge. Unfortunately, there is no LED of different colors indicating battery life like the CX3 has on its on/off button. The only indicator of battery life is during charging, when the charger will show colors of red, blue, and green (10-30, 30-60, 60-99%). I'm hoping it uses the Cree XHP70.2 emitter, but the minion who answered my questions did not know and never called me back as promised. Upon information and belief, the HP50 had the Cree XHP50.2. So, there is an expectation of at least a similar and hopefully a better and more efficient emitter with the FX40.
Another problem: no magnetic charging or easy charging without unscrewing anything. While onboard charging necessarily adds slight additional heft, its removal of a failure point of the necessity of constantly unscrewing and screwing back the cap which will have an O-ring is arguably desirable. The FX40 has a thumbwheel cap which the user must remove to charge via USB. It sounds like the switch lock incorporated via software by a two-tap routine on the piezo switch will work without accidental activations, but only time will tell. A smooth reflector and 4-degree beam should work fine.
I thought by now Lamar would have perfected the cordless dive light. But, we unbelievably still have a ways to go. Lamar's minion said that when the user sends in his unit to get a new battery pack, there might be options by then for upgrades made available to it (i.e., both software and hardware). Still, it could be a great light, particularly using 21700 batteries and with the light head being the same diameter of the body. Both of those features are great. However, it's not the perfect light; that does not yet exist.
CX3:
The CX3 is nicely updated with the magnetic charging port where no access cap need be unscrewed. The soft case it comes in is poorly designed in that, while it fits Dive Rite's QRM "striker," it does not easily accommodate a bolt snap affixed to the light without slightly contorting the shape of the case. The Luminous SST-40 beam angle has a hot center, and has plenty of spill. Overall, the light seems nicely made, although it is wider in diameter than it needs to be to simply accommodate a 21700 battery. Runtimes are allegedly as follows, which I do not believe based upon simple math calculations shown below the runtimes:
High (1900 lumens): 3 hours
Medium (50%): 980 lumens, 5.5 hours
Low (25%): 500 lumens, 11 hours
Very low (5%): 90 lumens, 28 hours
Strobe (10% duty cycle): 12 hours
Dive Rite's published runtimes, however, do not appear realistic. Consider the following runtime estimate for the SST-40 emitter using a 21700, 5000 mAh lithium-ion battery, consuming approximately 1 watt per 100 lumens (and typical efficacy of the SST-40 can range from 100 to 200 lumens per watt depending on the driving current and thermal management):
Energy=5Ah×3.7V=18.5Wh
Power Consumption (W)=1900 lumens/100=19W
Runtime=18.5Wh/19W=0.974 hours
Normal conditions dictate about a one-hour runtime. At best, where the battery consumes half of that energy, runtime is still barely two hours. Thus, it is inconceivable that a single 21700, 5000 mAh lithium-ion battery could power the CX3 for three hours at 1900 lumens, unless the emitter hypothetically and immediately dropped to 67% output after one second of operation, or alternatively dropped to some random, lowered output based upon time and remaining energy in order to make the equation of three hours still work.
Unfortunately, there is no hardware or software button lock; this is unbelievable. But, the button is very small, pretty flush, slightly protected by the light body, and very firm to the push, so that I don't see it being easily activated in a gear bag. One nice function is that, after the beam is on for more than five seconds, a second press turns it off rather than going through lower levels of light and having to activate the last function which is the strobe. The holes to mount a bolt snap are at 90-degree angles, very sharp, and are not rounded at all; I wonder if one will have to watch more carefully the cave line securing a bolt snap to this light as compared to others (and, i.e., proactively replace the line more often than as compared to normal wear), for fear of gradual disconnection via movement of the line over those two sharp surfaces where the line connects to the bolt snap. Quality control is acceptable and the lights are gorgeous; however, one of the two lights I have, arrived with two perfectly parallel nicks that appear to have been made in China by some tool during construction. Maybe the biggest downside is that its diameter is much wider than it has to be. It should have been made to accept a 26650 battery, given that its diameter could easily accommodate.
FX40:
Dive Rite claims 2400 constant lumens for 1.5 hours using four 21700 batteries that the user cannot replace. When the batteries die or their lives become too short to accommodate the user, the light must be packed up and sent to Dive Rite to have a battery swap. Come on, Lamar . . . .
Other runtimes: 5 hours medium, 16 hours low. Strobe: unknown, but likely still going when your body is recovered. How does it tell you when battery is running low? How do you know how much charge you have left with your battery pack? Answer: you don't. Well, in a way, you do when it gets late in the game; you hopefully notice when it steps down when it gets to a 10% charge. Unfortunately, there is no LED of different colors indicating battery life like the CX3 has on its on/off button. The only indicator of battery life is during charging, when the charger will show colors of red, blue, and green (10-30, 30-60, 60-99%). I'm hoping it uses the Cree XHP70.2 emitter, but the minion who answered my questions did not know and never called me back as promised. Upon information and belief, the HP50 had the Cree XHP50.2. So, there is an expectation of at least a similar and hopefully a better and more efficient emitter with the FX40.
Another problem: no magnetic charging or easy charging without unscrewing anything. While onboard charging necessarily adds slight additional heft, its removal of a failure point of the necessity of constantly unscrewing and screwing back the cap which will have an O-ring is arguably desirable. The FX40 has a thumbwheel cap which the user must remove to charge via USB. It sounds like the switch lock incorporated via software by a two-tap routine on the piezo switch will work without accidental activations, but only time will tell. A smooth reflector and 4-degree beam should work fine.
I thought by now Lamar would have perfected the cordless dive light. But, we unbelievably still have a ways to go. Lamar's minion said that when the user sends in his unit to get a new battery pack, there might be options by then for upgrades made available to it (i.e., both software and hardware). Still, it could be a great light, particularly using 21700 batteries and with the light head being the same diameter of the body. Both of those features are great. However, it's not the perfect light; that does not yet exist.
)
