oxycheq led light

[spacemanspiff1974]

I've been trying to find info on this light.
http://oxycheq.com/Oxycheq/torchbackup/4A4057D0-8039-4194-83E5-A2E901922084.html

Right now I carry my SL6 on my single piece harness and it just seems too big. This light seems interesting. Claims to be as bright as a 10w HID with an insane depth rating.

Any info?

 

[DutchDown]

It's this one:

http://www.ssp.ie/prod_BACKUP.htm

I haven't used one, but I've been emailing with Kevin Jury at Solus about one of the primary lights and he's taken an enormous amount of time to answer my questions. I'll be ordering a primary from him as soon as I save the money.

Hope this helps,

Phil

 

[robzr]

I bought two of the Oxycheq/Solus backup lights when they first came out (last month). I've been using them for a while, and am planning on posting a more detailed review with pictures in comparison with a few other lights. My first impressions are, the build quality is very nice - SOLID. Double o-ring seal of course, the on-off switch appears to be a magnetic proximity switch (fully sealed). Advantage would be reliability, the disadvantage is that, there is no detent, so it's a free floating collar that moves a bit easy for my liking - could accidentally get turned on. The beam is very bright, but is a bit wide for signalling. Used next to a buddys scout, his was better for signalling, but there was no comparison for illumination.

I plan on getting some pictures and posting a better review, hopefully after this Saturday.

regards

Rob

 

[buddhasummer]

Hey Rob,

Any further with that review? really keen to read..am interested in buying this torch, but wow its expensive....look forward to your review....cheers

 

[Tom Winters]

I spent some time at DEMA with one of the Irish guys who build the things back in Dublin. Pretty cool light. The machining was top notch, and the little light is openable for TSA inspection unlike the larger ones that are totally sealed. For a backup light, --->unreal.
If you have $225 to spend on one awesome light, do it and you will never regret it. The lithium CR-123 batteries aren't too bad bought in quantity.
I can't get into the arguments of the Photon Torpedo, Salvo Rat, Solus whichoneisbetter. They're all nice, and each one would make me royally po'ed when I lost it, which I have done from time to time.
Still...it is $225.

 

[TSandM]

I wonder how this compares in brightness to the Rat Jr? It also uses the CR 123s, and has an LED bulb. But it's a LOT cheaper.

 

[Tom Winters]

I know that LED technolgy has a little ways to go, but the relative output of the little light was amazing. Yes, it was a Solus demonstration at DEMA in a convention hall and not underwater, but it was a pretty good dog-and-pony show. If you get tired of the light, you can always pound nails with it and the bulb will still work. A shame though since the aluminum machining and design would suffer so.
Also, since you're already in Woodinville, sign on at Seattle Grace with the Grey's Anatomy people, do a couple of procedures with appropriate turgid underlying dramas and buy a great dive boat from Kvichak in Ballard and a Solus backup light.

 

[robzr]

I went to the quarry a few times with the intention of photographing the Oxycheq backup light with some other lights for comparison. Unfortunately it never panned out, the vis has been horrible, and one day the vis was good but the camera batteries died right as we were setting the lights up. Here's my feelings on the light.

The construction is very solid, it's a very well made light. The aluminum is thick in the right places, the LED module is fully potted and permanently attached, it's a very confidence inspiring light - just what you want for a backup. The size is perfect. It's comfortable to hold on with your hand, but small enough to tuck them away on your shoulder straps and not notice they are there.

I'm not a big fan of the power switch. Its a rotating collar, with no detents. The collar is right around where the innertube on my harness holds onto the light. I don't like the odds of it rotating slighty (all it takes is 1/3 turn or so), and the light will go on. It is a sealed switch, but I think they should have added detents.

On both of my lights, the finish has some runs. The lights are anodized, it may have been a run with the dye (though they look like natural finish to me), not sure, it's only an aesthetic issue. For the money they cost, a perfect finish would have been nice however.

The holes where I tied the snaps on look like they were chamfered by hand after they were drilled to knock off the sharp edge so the cave line wasn't cut, but it did get cut and the snap fell off after a few dives. I don't think I overtightened the knot, but it could have been my fault. Either way I'm going to smooth it out a bit more so I don't risk losing a light.

I think the lithium CR123 is the perfect battery for a backup. Has a 10 year shelf life, they are small yet very energy-dense. You can buy them online for cheap - under $1 each now, and you can find them at most stores. The voltage curve is very flat, and they function well throughout a variety of temperatures. The battery life is nice, rated at 2.0 hours/full, 3 more with decreasing output. I have used them on and off on a number of dives, only gone through one change when they were getting dim, I can't give an accurate estimate of how long I used them for, but I was happy with the battery life. Unless I was doing long cave dives (I'm not), I would think it's more than sufficient for a backup, and if I were using it as a primary on vacation, I would have no problems either. CR123s are cheap and small enough, so theres no issue with changing them every few dives.

As far as light output equalling a 10w HID, I've used it next to both a 10w welch-allyn non-focusable (dive rite hand held), and a 10w brightstar (sea-elite aka salvo canister) non-focusable. Both HIDs were focused significantly tighter, and the hot-spots were significantly brighter than that of the Oxycheq. Because the hot spots are focused differently, it is hard to make a statement about brightness, but my gut feeling was that the HIDs had overall significantly more light output. Because of the wide beam, the range for signalling is very short. A buddys old-school (non led) scout was much better for signalling, as it's focused very tight. Overall light output was not even close though, the Oxycheq throws far more light than the scout, but not as far.

The Oxycheq backups won't replace a canister 10w HID, or even a handheld HID for a primary IMO, but thats not really their purpose. As far as I'm concerned, LED + Lithium is the perfect combo for a backup light, and the Oxycheqs are the best ones I've seen.

I also purchased a couple OMS aluminum backups. Next to the Oxycheqs, these things seem very cheaply made. Thinner walls, and the spring mechanism that holds the batteries is just goofy. There is a spring on either side of the batteries, and not a whole lot of tension. So if you shake the light, it will go on. If the springs are stretched too much or too little, the light won't turn on. I can't imagine what the OMS engineers were thinking.

If I were buying them again, I'd also consider the Salvo Rat. The Rat Jr. looks a bit smaller than the Oxycheq (maybe too small) and has only a 2w LED, while the Rat is 3xC so it's quite a bit larger than the Oxycheq (it looks like). But if it had a nice focused beam, it could be nice.

One of these days I'm going to hook the Oxycheqs up to a multimeter and figure out how much draw those LEDs are taking.

Rob

 

[buddhasummer]

cool, thanks for the review, sounds like all things considered a pretty good backup save the cost...How much more bright is it compared to the wee OMS Vega would you say...?

PS out of 10 how would you rate it?

 

[robzr]

Somewhere around 7. I'd rather the focus was tighter, and the rotating collar had detents or a lock of some sort to prevent accidental power-on. The light output is good, the battery choice is good, the size is nice, and the construction quality seems high and design is simple (re: reliable I would think, but with time will ultimately be the judge).

Someone mentioned the Salvo Rat Jr.'s use Mini Q-40 eLED heads - thats what I thought based on the picture. (2w, 4x AA = ~6v; so with 2x CR123 = 7.4 ish volts, the Rat Jrs. are perhaps overdriven a bit). I have a few Mini Q-40 eLED Plus lights, and the Oxycheqs are definitely brighter. The Q-40s have an almost square focus, the beam is not tight and there isn't really a hotspot in the center, but it drops off pretty quick aroudn the edges. Well compared to that, the Oxycheqs have more of a hotspot in the center, but more of a slow fade around the hot spot, similar size beam overall. That may help someone w/ a Q-40 eLED Plus visualize the Oxycheq output.

I have 3 Mini Q40 eLED Plus, and all three are quite a bit different in color temperature and brightness. The two Oxycheqs I have are closer in brightness, but one is a little brighter than the other. I guess thats the nature of LEDs. That might be something to keep in mind when reading internet reviews of LED lights.

Finally, if anyone is still reading, I'm not sure it's a good idea to spend a lot on an LED light. LED technology is progressing pretty quickly, in a year or two there will LEDs that are much brighter with less power draw.

Rob