rmssetc
Contributor
Here are my first impressions, before diving with the light.
Well packaged, comes with 3 spare o-rings.
I like that the battery can be charged from USB (why not USB-C?), and has a prominent LED indicator of the charge.
The printed manual is way too small to read without a magnifying glass! It would be great if it was larger or if Orcatorch skipped the manual and just included a QR code in the box that links to a downloadable manual.
Nice that the 1yr warranty is doubled if the product is registered w. Orcatorch.
Physical Design:
+ size
+ comfortable to hold
+ flat milled surfaces -- would be easy to use a hose clamp to attach the light to something, but it would have been much (much!) better if the flat surface opposite the switch was tapped with a 1/4-20 hole, to attach tripod accessories, a GoPro mount, etc.
More detail about the on/off switch:
+ the button is easy to press, has a good throw and positive "click" -- it is hard to accidentally press
+ nice that is has a battery life indicator on the switch, with bonus for being on constantly, rather then just a few seconds after pressing the button
+ no extraneous "modes" (strobe, SOS, etc) -- they always seem more annoying than useful, particularly if you need to cycle through all of them to switch a light off
+ good that is is easy to enable the "safe lock" function, to prevent it from being accidentally turned on
-- however, it is extremely hard to turn the light back on after being locked! It seems to take 2 very (very!) short presses -- the switch has enough resistance (o-ring? spring?) that it is difficult to press quickly enough. I can only imagine it would be more difficult while wearing heavy gloves.
I really like the design of the electrical contacts. The negative electrical connection between the barrel of the light and the circuitry is done via two metal (brass? copper?) strips, not just through the screw threads -- this seems like a much better design than some of my other dive lights, where a thin film of silicone o-ring lubricant is often enough to prevent the electrical circuit.
The light beam is very clean, with a distinct hot-spot & wider area of dimmer light.
I'll update this review after diving.
[Conflict of Interest Statement]
I have purchased (and happily used) Orcatorch lights in the past, with no compensation or communication with Orcatorch.
I responded to the recent solicitation from Orcatorch here on SB for reviewers.
There was no request from them for a positive review and no suggested content of any kind, other than requesting that I include photos/video in the review.
I purchased the light, and was then reimbursed by Orcatorch.
I did not share the review content with Orcatorch in advance of publication (and they did not request the content).
I was reimbursed before making the review public on Amazon or here.
Read less
Well packaged, comes with 3 spare o-rings.
I like that the battery can be charged from USB (why not USB-C?), and has a prominent LED indicator of the charge.
The printed manual is way too small to read without a magnifying glass! It would be great if it was larger or if Orcatorch skipped the manual and just included a QR code in the box that links to a downloadable manual.
Nice that the 1yr warranty is doubled if the product is registered w. Orcatorch.
Physical Design:
+ size
+ comfortable to hold
+ flat milled surfaces -- would be easy to use a hose clamp to attach the light to something, but it would have been much (much!) better if the flat surface opposite the switch was tapped with a 1/4-20 hole, to attach tripod accessories, a GoPro mount, etc.
More detail about the on/off switch:
+ the button is easy to press, has a good throw and positive "click" -- it is hard to accidentally press
+ nice that is has a battery life indicator on the switch, with bonus for being on constantly, rather then just a few seconds after pressing the button
+ no extraneous "modes" (strobe, SOS, etc) -- they always seem more annoying than useful, particularly if you need to cycle through all of them to switch a light off
+ good that is is easy to enable the "safe lock" function, to prevent it from being accidentally turned on
-- however, it is extremely hard to turn the light back on after being locked! It seems to take 2 very (very!) short presses -- the switch has enough resistance (o-ring? spring?) that it is difficult to press quickly enough. I can only imagine it would be more difficult while wearing heavy gloves.
I really like the design of the electrical contacts. The negative electrical connection between the barrel of the light and the circuitry is done via two metal (brass? copper?) strips, not just through the screw threads -- this seems like a much better design than some of my other dive lights, where a thin film of silicone o-ring lubricant is often enough to prevent the electrical circuit.
The light beam is very clean, with a distinct hot-spot & wider area of dimmer light.
I'll update this review after diving.
[Conflict of Interest Statement]
I have purchased (and happily used) Orcatorch lights in the past, with no compensation or communication with Orcatorch.
I responded to the recent solicitation from Orcatorch here on SB for reviewers.
There was no request from them for a positive review and no suggested content of any kind, other than requesting that I include photos/video in the review.
I purchased the light, and was then reimbursed by Orcatorch.
I did not share the review content with Orcatorch in advance of publication (and they did not request the content).
I was reimbursed before making the review public on Amazon or here.
Read less