Novae - Dive SST-50 Flashlight 1200LM (100M) + MORE!

[gcbryan]

I thought my MC-E light bezel was tight enough above water but as soon as I went down to 60+ fsw, it was very loose -- about a couple of turns. Luckily it didn't flood.

At first I was also contemplating buying another light but then decided to dive right in and bought one because it had a higher lumen and it's new. Ok, I don't have a real good excuse.. I just like LED lights. My SST-50 light is still in transit so I hope to get it sometime this week. Bad part is my drysuit is in repairs so I won't be able to get any beam shots underwater.

From CyprusSeb's review, it looks it's marginally bigger lengthwise and bigger in diameter. The hotspot seems to be a bit bigger too but from the looks of the picture, he's only about half a foot (or less) away from the wall.

We're comparing 900lm vs 1200lm and I have to agree that I don't think it's going to be substantially brighter -- at least in human eyes. But if it will give me a bigger hotspot with a less doughnut, then it'll be a plus in my book. I'm also concerned about the duration of the SST-50. The SST-50 isn't as efficient as the MC-E. Then again, I'd ok with it if it can last a couple of night dives.

Let me know if you dive up here in BC. I can show you the lights first hand.

I'll be interested in your review of the two after you get the new light. I'm like you...I may eventually buy it just because...

The MC-E bezel loosened at depth because the pressure could move the glass because it wasn't completely seated against the o-ring because the spring was too long and prevented this. In my case, I clipped the spring and it solved the problem.

If the spring isn't too long in the SST-50 light then the bezel won't become loose during the dive if it was tight before the dive.

I'm not sure if I want a bigger hotspot. It depends on the spill. After I've illuminated what I'm looking at anything else in limited viz waters may just be creating backscatter.

I am interested in direct comparisons in our limited viz waters.

 

[beekeeper5]

Have you tried out jjblomquist's UK SL4 to Cree R2 LED conversion modules? That R2 conversion kit has a very tight beam with very little flood. In a bad viz dive, I felt like I was a Jedi with a light saber!

I'm also interested in Novae's Farka 360 light. Partly because I like the name. If my buddy asked me if my light is bright, I can say it's Farka bright! Or, if my buddy asks me if it's a Farka light, my response will be "FARKA YES!!"

 

[gcbryan]

Have you tried out jjblomquist's UK SL4 to Cree R2 LED conversion modules? That R2 conversion kit has a very tight beam with very little flood. In a bad viz dive, I felt like I was a Jedi with a light saber!

I'm also interested in Novae's Farka 360 light. Partly because I like the name. If my buddy asked me if my light is bright, I can say it's Farka bright! Or, if my buddy asks me if it's a Farka light, my response will be "FARKA YES!!"

My backup light is the Ultrafire W200 from DX. It uses a Cree XR-E (it's a Q5 rather than a R2) and it does have a very tight beam. The MC-E penetrates just as far and has a more useful (to me) beam in general. For a backup the W200 is great however.

 

[beekeeper5]

The Ultrafire W200 from DX looks nice too since it's small.

I received the Photic 1200 SST-50 lights from Novae this morning.

The light packaging is the same as the Photic 900 MC-E but a bit bigger. In all the SST-50 lights I received, the batteries were scratched up and peeling off. Novae said that’s odd and the batteries may have been scratched due to it scraping up against the light or the charging barrel during shipment. The foam were the (huge) batteries were located were ripped. I may put some electric tape around it but barrel where the batteries go in is very snug. I'll probably leave it alone for now since it’s just cosmetic. Novae did pack it nicely with foam and newspaper but I guess when the outside box says "fragile", it really means "not fragile and be very rough with it". I didn't think of taking a picture of the outside box but it looked beat up and one of the packing slip was wet. Novae did a great job in protecting the light packaging as much as they could though. Anymore protection and packaging tape, then Novae themselves will need to deliver the package personally.

Overall, the Photic 1200 SST-50 is bigger than its little brother Photic 900 and heavier. That being said, it feels a lot sturdier and the magnetic ring is less loose so no more accidentally turning on the light in your gear bag. I especially like the battery tester where it will blink x amount of times depending on the battery power level. I compared both lights with about 50% battery power indoors under fluorescent lights. The MC-E had a doughnut hole while the SST-50 didn't. The SST-50 did have a nice full hotspot though. I'm charging the batteries now and will do some land shots tomorrow. According to the instructions, it should only take about 3.5-4 hours. It’s been 5 hours now and the red light hasn’t turned green yet.

The lanyard is a nice touch. I’ll probably replace it with a snap bolt though since I think it’ll be a tight squeeze to get around my SiTech dry glove rings. The tail cap takes less turns than the Photic 900 which is also nice. The bezel is also less “tactical” and the fins are wider than the Photic 900. I’ll be building a “gcbryan” goodman handle using PVC this weekend to compliment the new light.

Here are some pictures that may be of interest in addition to CyprusSeb’s pictures.

 

[beekeeper5]

The batteries finally finished charging.

Here are some land beam shots. Left is the Photic 1200 SST-50 and the right is Photic 900 MC-E.

Overall, the SST-50 has a somewhat yellowish white bigger hotspot with more spill than the cool blueish white MC-E. One thing I noticed is that the lights get hot pretty quickly. The entire light is warm to touch with the bezel warmer than the body. The SST-50 is suppose to have an automatic shutdown when it gets too hot. I'll probably let someone test this as I read another review that someone left their MC-E light on too long and it burnt the magnetic ring.

Shot from a white wall, 10 feet away, 1/8 s, f/11, ISO 400, 0.00 eV, auto white balance, focal length 31mm.

Rference shot:


Low:


Medium:


High:

 

[gcbryan]

Thanks for posted pics. Be sure to take both lights on a dive...even if you don't get comparison pics I'd still like your impression of both together on an actual dive.

Once you get the materials together for the PVC handle I'm sure you'll be able to modify things to your liking. If you want any feedback just ask. As I mentioned (I think) I modified my handle after those pics were posted to use two pieces of PVC with one fitted around the light body.

The SST-50 light is even bigger so you might also need to use some epoxy to keep the two pieces together to provide some more stability. The materials are cheap enough that it's easy to play around and make several versions.

 

[Randy g]

SST50 DIY Goodman handle complete. Made out of 2-1.5" aluminum angle, 3/4 aluminum strap, 3/4 copper pipe for the handle with mini bungie and a Maglight wall holder.

I am going to build another one today but attempt to weld the seam instead of pop riveting a strap to hold both halves togather.

Mcree P7 holder is next.

 

[beekeeper5]

Randy, now that's what I call a goodman. Wow.. no fooling around with you. I would hate to be the unlucky 6-gills to be crossing your path.

Keep us posted on the MC-E/P7 goodman.

 

[Randy g]

Yeah I built another one alittle smaller.

Heres the thread with the cree and remodeled SST50 handles.

http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/making-your-own-gear/358814-cree-mc-e-p7-goodman-handle.html

 

[Lorenzo Rangali]

Do you guys have any idea for how long the SST-50 can be used in the dry before it overheats?
I think it has a protection, but better be safe than sorry...