Newest Intova-Compact, push button

[CompuDude]

I bought 2 Intova Compact's for my kids and we like them very much: small, light and bright. Run them on NiMh, and a charge lasts over 6-7 dives (not night dives, but hole poking, pointing, etc.).

Sadly, 1 of them flooded on the 8th dive; o-ring seem to be OK, maybe it's the push button. It's a slow leak, and we didn't realize it until dive #9, by then the danage is done.

Interesting. This is the first report of a flood I've seen, I hope it turns out to be an isolated incident. I am guessing Intova will be good about replacing it, at least.

 

[D_B]

I didn't get a chance to take pictures, but I did do a battery test since burn time seems to be what people cared about most.

Total time was right at 2.5 hours.

It's a little hard to know what the usable time was. The discharge curve for a AAA is very different than the CR123. With the Nova Wide, you get fairly constant output until it falls off a cliff at the end.

With the AAA the output was very good through about 1 1/2 hours. Between 1 1/2 and 2 hours I started to see a noticeable decrease in the output, but I would still consider it usable.

At 2 hours, I would say the hot spot was about the same as the brightness of the Nova Wide. Because of the smaller beam, the total light was less.

Between 2 and 2 1/2 hours the output dropped more much more quickly. I would not have wanted to use the light much past the 2 hour point.

For me, this is all the performance I need for a pocket light. This is a replacement for 4AA and 6AA halogen lights, and that was all the time I was getting from them.

I'll get pictures of the beam compared to the Nova Wide when I get back next weeks trip.

I only use rechargeables, and an hour of run time for a backup light is enough to come up in case the primary fails. But a backup light is also an emergency light if something goes wrong and you need a light at the surface that may need to last for some time. For this reason a light powered by 3 AAA batteries just does not cut it.

Adam

Did you read the posts above?

The 3 AAA batteries give a solid 2 hours of burn time, according to burn tests. Not enough for cave diving or serious wreck penetration, but plenty for NDL open water diving. The light would last considerably longer on the lower power setting, and longer still on the strobe setting.

I only use rechargeables as well... except in backup lights. I'll be using Eneloops in this light, but in my primary things-have-gone-REALLY-bad backup, I only use alkalines for 100% reliability.

I think you would be lucky to get a hour of burn time with rechargeable AAA batteries at full power.

Opinions are great but:

Practical testing would suggest otherwise.

Hatul and Divinginn are probably right, if regular aaa batteries last 2 hours, then rechargable aaa would be less than that

You are right about using alkaline batteries in a true backup light , that's the only way you know it will be there when you need it

 

[CompuDude]

You are right about using alkaline batteries in a true backup light , that's the only way you know it will be there when you need it

In a cave, or in a deep penetration wreck or similar overhead environment, yes.

In open water, I have no hesitation about using low self-discharge NiMH rechargeables.

I agree that I would never use regular (non-low self discharge) in a backup light, either way.

There is an advantage to rechargeables in that you can top them off as needed and be pretty sure of a full charge. Again, though, this is a difference between OW and overhead environments.

The point is moot here, however... I don't think this particular light has proven itself well enough to be taken on overhead dives. Those deserve something like a Photon Torpedo, Scout, Rat, Sartek, etc.