REVIEW: CREE MC-E Diving Light

[mksmith713]

Mine finally shipped after waiting 3 weeks.
Anxiously awaiting its arrival.

 

[gcbryan]

I received mine today. I just went on a night dive last night so it will probably be a few days before I can try it out underwater.

It is bright! I briefly compared to to my Light Cannon. At first glance I thought it was brighter than the LC. I think the hot spot of the LC is still brighter and this light is a little warmer than the LC.

I'll have to get them both underwater to see how they compare. It's nice to have the 3 power settings. The light appears to be very well made. I have no concerns regarding the rotating magnetic ring...it's smooth and doesn't move unless you want it to.

I've read that some people don't like the looks. I think it's fine. It would be better if it had a more traditional look I suppose. The bezel would be better to be black rather than chrome and to have the standard rounded shape. The rotating ring is chrome as well. It might look better in black but it's easy to see in another color. The ribbing between the head and body is unusual. I understand it's part of the heat sinking required for the led. It would be better if it had a completely radial design if a heat sink is needed here.

If this was a $600 light I would want the looks to be more traditional. For $95 a well made light that is a little different looking is no problem!

It comes with a charger for the lithium-ion 18650 batteries. There is a red led on the charger for each battery for discharge. When that turns to green the batteries are fully charged.

The light works well with the Oxycheq soft sock as well although it would be nice to have a regular metal Goodman Handle.

My light got here from DealExtreme exactly 1 week after shipment in HK. It took about 2 weeks from the time I ordered it until it shipped due to the way they work (they don't carry inventory).

I'll post a follow up after I have the opportunity to dive with both it and the Light Cannon side by side.

 

[mksmith713]

Do keep us posted.
Mine shipped 2 days ago so I'm hoping to get it early next week in time to play with it a bit before my regular weekend dives.

 

[gcbryan]

I should add that it has 4 modes-100% power,50%,20% and flashing which is really a rather disconcerting strobe. I've only gotten it in that mode once which is probably just as well!

To get into that mode you have to go directly from 20% to 100% in less than one second.

Current plans are to dive Friday night so I'll post a review later that night.

 

[RonFrank]

I purchased on of these lights from Hong Kong. It works fine topside, and down to 20' or so. At that point the light goes dim, and by 30' stops working. I am bummed as the Supplier seem reluctant to replace the light. They suggested I get it fixed locally, and send them a bill... :depressed:

It *could* be the rear spring is not making solid contact under pressure, but I think more likely it is a switch issue, or maybe some other problem with the light, or connection.

Any thoughts? It WOULD be a great UW light.. if it actually worked below 20'.

 

[DennisKW]

I purchased on of these lights from Hong Kong. It works fine topside, and down to 20' or so. At that point the light goes dim, and by 30' stops working. I am bummed as the Supplier seem reluctant to replace the light. They suggested I get it fixed locally, and send them a bill... :depressed:

It *could* be the rear spring is not making solid contact under pressure, but I think more likely it is a switch issue, or maybe some other problem with the light, or connection.

Any thoughts? It WOULD be a great UW light.. if it actually worked below 20'.

That sucks... We had three of them down to 40' last weekend with no issues. However, I have no problems believing their QC may be hit and miss as that is the general consensus with products from DX. It's always a risk to order from overseas, I pretty much assume AS IS when I do but these lights were just too tempting since there doesn't seem to be anything else available like them regardless of price. It seems that this light is made by a reputable manufacturer who does many other quality lights, so I think there is a chance you can fix it.

Have you taken it completely apart to diagnose the issue? It is pretty simple, the only issue is aligning the LED bulb/electronics to the outside power markings when you screw it all back together, although that's not totally necessary for function. Clean all the contacts, check and lube the Orings, and screw it all back together tight. I don't understand the dimming, you should either have power or not. My first guess would be the magnet inside the rotating switch is being moved or overcome by another magnet somewhere? I used a tiny magnet on the top of non-button top battery in mine so it could make contact and that made it turn on HIGH only.

I have had a couple apart now, and have lots of other flashlights I've worked on as have many on this board. Let me know if you need any help.

Dennis.

 

[DennisKW]

Oh, in reference to an earlier post I made about about the head being loc-tited on, I just found a way to loosen it without a strap wrench.

I did a runtime test in the open air for about 1.5hrs and the light got pretty hot, although you could hold the head for a few seconds before letting go. After this was done the top of the light would move when twisted somewhat hard, the Chinese loctite must have been defeated by the heat.

I think I am going to disassemble them completely, upgrade the O rings, and then use REAL loctite to reassemble them.

However, I always have that little voice in my head that says I should leave well enough alone!

Dennis.

 

[Venus]

Oh, in reference to an earlier post I made about about the head being loc-tited on, I just found a way to loosen it without a strap wrench.

my skinny little friend, who obviously has some hidden inner strenght
... sorry, but that is the best way to describe you!
opened mine with no problems
now, I can't turn it on unless the head is not completely screwed in

I think I am going to disassemble them completely, upgrade the O rings, and then use REAL loctite to reassemble them.

do you mean SuperGlue?
or is there something special that you are going to use
I don't think SuperGlue is water tight?

 

[mksmith713]

my skinny little friend, who obviously has some hidden inner strenght
... sorry, but that is the best way to describe you!
opened mine with no problems
now, I can't turn it on unless the head is not completely screwed in




do you mean SuperGlue?
or is there something special that you are going to use
I don't think SuperGlue is water tight?

I don't think he meany super glue.
Loc-tite is afancy badge for nail polish.
They're pretty much the same thing.

 

[DennisKW]

I don't think he meany super glue.
Loc-tite is afancy badge for nail polish.
They're pretty much the same thing.

Nail polish is a long used home remedy, but it is really meant for much lower strength applications than loctite, especially on tiny screws. Plus some nail polishes can melt plastics, which might be bad for O-rings... Do yourself a favor and spend the $6 for a small bottle which will last you a long time.

Spec sheet for basic Red Loctite for semi-permanent thread locking. Definitely NOT nail polish.
http://tds.loctite.com/tds5/docs/271-EN.PDF

However Loctite Blue (Medium strength) is probably the way to go.
Loctite® Blue Threadlocker Stick - Medium Strength (Automotive Aftermarket Only) - Product - Henkel
Loctite® 242® Threadlocker - Product - Henkel

I don't think it's absolutely necessary to loctite the head above the switch, although there is no real reason to open it up so maybe use some medium loctite/blue there to keep it from disassembling when not wanted. However, you should definitely loctite the silver bezel, medium blue is probably best for that as well. (Only use red if you have the right tools and experience to use heat to disassemble.)

Dennis.