Repost from the review I put on txcavers.com (http://www.txcavers.com/showthread.php?p=1383#post1383)
You can find pics of the light here: http://picasaweb.google.com/mdavis332/Sartek21WHIDPics?authkey=tzJBmHEo3rQ
Blurb from Sartek's website (http://www.sarind.com/acatalog/complete_lighting_systems.html):
I ordered the light directly from Sartek (no wetmate version) and Carl (the CEO) was a super nice fella that took really good care of me. I also had some help in email exchange from someone there named Jennifer who was great as well.
The light arrived, packaged neatly and with plenty of protection as you can tell from the pictures. Each component was protected by an individual cardboard box, bubble wrap, or both - then the entire box was filled with styrofoam peanuts on top of that.
Contents included:
(3) car cigarette adaptors
(3) 110v electric socket adaptors
(3) converter boxes
(1) 21/13w HID system (including 15.6 AH Li-Ion battery and bulb).
The converter boxes have female ports for the adaptors to plug into (like the back of your laptop), and the adaptors use male versions of those ports to plug into the converter (like the laptop chargers - okay, except you macbook folks).
Although the batteries came almost (if not) fully charged, after some discharging, it seems they take about 2 hours to charge completely again.
The sartek website (www.sarind.com) lists the light as having about a 7.5 hour run-time and that's probably just about spot on from my tests with the light.
Overall, the construction and mechanics of the light seem very solid and robust. Nothing seems over-engineered, which I like. They took simple, reliable features and adapted them to work in their light (like the on/off switch on the can light top).
There is also an additional rotary switch on the ballast/head unit that has off/21w/13w positions that control the light if the rotary switch on the can top if on as well.
While I don't know how I feel about needing 3 separate chargers to charge the light, it works. I'm also not sure if there are ways around this (read: cost effective ways).
This is my first HID to have purchased or seen first hand and I really appreciate the design and construction. For all I know, every other HID is made in the same durable manner, or at least I hope so. I used the light in my most recent Intro/Basic cave training in Cozumel and would use the 13w setting when I lead or was middle (because my other team mates had 10w dive-rites) and the 21w setting when I was last. It did seem to make a huge difference in the water and gave me, what I thought, was further penetration distance of the beam as well as more illumination of an area. Out of water, I can't honestly say I notice the difference that much with the naked idea b/w the 21 and 13w settings.
You can find pics of the light here: http://picasaweb.google.com/mdavis332/Sartek21WHIDPics?authkey=tzJBmHEo3rQ
Blurb from Sartek's website (http://www.sarind.com/acatalog/complete_lighting_systems.html):
I ordered the light directly from Sartek (no wetmate version) and Carl (the CEO) was a super nice fella that took really good care of me. I also had some help in email exchange from someone there named Jennifer who was great as well.
The light arrived, packaged neatly and with plenty of protection as you can tell from the pictures. Each component was protected by an individual cardboard box, bubble wrap, or both - then the entire box was filled with styrofoam peanuts on top of that.
Contents included:
(3) car cigarette adaptors
(3) 110v electric socket adaptors
(3) converter boxes
(1) 21/13w HID system (including 15.6 AH Li-Ion battery and bulb).
The converter boxes have female ports for the adaptors to plug into (like the back of your laptop), and the adaptors use male versions of those ports to plug into the converter (like the laptop chargers - okay, except you macbook folks).
Although the batteries came almost (if not) fully charged, after some discharging, it seems they take about 2 hours to charge completely again.
The sartek website (www.sarind.com) lists the light as having about a 7.5 hour run-time and that's probably just about spot on from my tests with the light.
Overall, the construction and mechanics of the light seem very solid and robust. Nothing seems over-engineered, which I like. They took simple, reliable features and adapted them to work in their light (like the on/off switch on the can light top).
There is also an additional rotary switch on the ballast/head unit that has off/21w/13w positions that control the light if the rotary switch on the can top if on as well.
While I don't know how I feel about needing 3 separate chargers to charge the light, it works. I'm also not sure if there are ways around this (read: cost effective ways).
This is my first HID to have purchased or seen first hand and I really appreciate the design and construction. For all I know, every other HID is made in the same durable manner, or at least I hope so. I used the light in my most recent Intro/Basic cave training in Cozumel and would use the 13w setting when I lead or was middle (because my other team mates had 10w dive-rites) and the 21w setting when I was last. It did seem to make a huge difference in the water and gave me, what I thought, was further penetration distance of the beam as well as more illumination of an area. Out of water, I can't honestly say I notice the difference that much with the naked idea b/w the 21 and 13w settings.
