Vari-angle, 18650, OW lights - BigBlue CF1200P-II, Tovatec Fusion 1050, Kraken NR-900Z/NR-1500Z, or ????? - Feedback requested

[-JD-]

Note: This is an "update" on a 3-year old thread of mine. (Choice of a new "primary" light: Kraken NR-900 Zoom vs. Tovatec Fusion 530/1000?) My aquisition decision 3 years ago was preempted when Scuba Santa brought me an OrcaTorch D620. I appreciated the feedback then, but there are new and brighter choices. tbone's suggestion of a video light is still a good one (and under continued consideration - specifically this: (SecurityIng-Flashlight-Underwater-Photography-Fluorescence ), but it would be another somewhat bulky thing to carry for air travel (maybe if I was planning on diving every-night.


Black Friday is coming and I'm looking for a Vari-angle general purpose handheld (although it may be mounted in a soft or hard goodman at times depending on circumstances) for (most urgently) blue-water travel use. It would probably become my all-dives belt light (I have a SeaSoft retractor-holster) as well when not being used as a primary for a night dive.

I have a couple of different lights currently:

• Orcatorch D620 (nominal 2700lm, 14° angle) canister light for use in the soup locally, but it is a bit much for air travel and the cord is a bit of an annoyance for "fun" dives.
• (2) cheapo Volador branded (nominal 1000lm, 9° angle) handhelds which I bought as starters, but have been bulletproof for me. Night dive backup(s).

I would greatly prefer sticking with single 18650 batteries (as opposed to some of the new larger cells that are proliferating in the latest generation, as all of my other lights (above and below surface). I am specifically looking for a variable beam model to give me flexibility. The tight beam is great for penetrating, signalling, or daylight cracks/crevices - Until at night you are searching for something or need it for a task, and then it is less effective than wider light.

My current options:

• BigBlue CF1200P-II (nominal 1200lm-max, 120lm-min, 7°-37° angle). It has been noted that BB lights tend to be Lumenously "optimistic." Having the lowest "Low" setting is Very Good IMO.
• Tovatec Fusion 1050 (nominal 1050lm-max, 315lm-min, 12°-100° angle). Points off for no built-in tether/lanyard holes!
• Kraken Sports NR-900Z Zoom (nominal 900lm-max, 225lm-min, 10°-45° angle). Discontinued with limited availability.
• Kraken Sports NR-1500Z Zoom (nominal 1500lm-max, 375lm-min, 10°-45° angle). 21700 battery - after-market 18650 adapter is available.

Are there any other comparable units in the <$300ish category that I've missed? (I'm not buying a Halcyon Focus right now ) OrcaTorch and XTAR don't seem to play in this particular sandbox.

Thoughts on zooms:

• I like that the Tovatec can get really wide, but am wondering if the 12° minimum is really tight enough in actual usage.
• The BigBlue can get nice and tight at 7°, but is the max 37° enough?
• The Krakens split the difference on angle.
• And and none of them specify if those ratings are in air or water, and how much is hot spot, vs. main beam, vs. true spill ...

Folks that have used (and maybe even compared) these lights for a while ...praise, raves, gotchas ...

• How easy is it to adjust the beam underwater?
• Are the usable beam angles at all consistent with the specs under the water?
• What haven't I asked that I should be?

ETA: Sorry if anyone was reading - I found a bug, and then found myself in BB code hell for a while.

 

[-JD-]

Well, just to update.

I found a (hopefully) very good BF deal on the Big Blue CF1800P (nominal 1800lm max / 26650 cell version of the CF1200P-II), delivered for less than 1/2 of the $339 MSRP/MAP. Actually only $7 more than the best BF prices I could find for the CF1200P-IIs

This technically "violated" my battery cell requirement, but has an easy work around. Since the 18650 and 26650 cells are the same 65mm length all that is needed is a circumferential spacer to keep the smaller 18650 cells centered and that can be as simple as a couple of properly sized o-rings - so, I can use an 18650 in the light (at less than max setting and obviously shorter runtimes) in a pinch for trivial cost and space.

OTOH, I'll have more punch or longer equivalent runtimes typically.

I'll report back with once I get my hands on it.

 

[Alkas]

Hi, did you get to test Big Blue CF1800P eventually? I'm also considering this model but it's hard to find any reviews...

 

[-JD-]

I have 2 trips with both the BigBlue CF1800P and the Tovatec Fusion 1500 (big brother to the 1050 and made as an impulse purchase when I stumbled across an used/open-box deal for $89). Both are 26650 cell lights.

Light	Beam Angle	Weight	Buoyancy	Length (collapsed)	Diameter (max)	Nominal Lumens	Power Levels (%)	Claimed Runtime
BB CF1800P	7 - 37	10.6oz/301g (w/ Batt.)	- 5.2oz/146g	6.7"/19.9cm	1.4"/3.6cm	1800	100, 50, 25, 10	2 Hours
TF 1500	12-100	17.1oz/484g (w/o Batt.)	?	8.03"/20.4cm	2.1"/5.33cm	1500	100, 50, 30	1.75 Hours

I have not had the opportunity to do a real world beam measurements, but my impression is that the Big Blue numbers are pretty close to true with less hotspot/spill, whereas the Fusion has a big spill intensity that makes it feel way wider than the 12 deg claim when zoomed in. Interesting note: the Big Blue optics are such that when zoomed in you have an very good rendition of the square emitter as your beam (including seeing the intensity difference artifacts of the emitter construction).

Both lights were used on multiple salt (and 2 fresh) water dives on 2 trips with multiple in-water power cycles. The BB was my belt light and spent a livaboard trip with almost no rinsing. Neither light had any operational issues. i did not use the factory chargers, batteries were chaged with my XTAR 2-place charger.


Short, subjective evaluations:

The Tovatec Fusion 1500 was set up on an Apeks hard-goodman handle for my night and Cenote dives. It makes a great bright area light, but I found the low setting to be too bright much of the time - I prefer a very low intensity MOST times as I have good low-light vision still and I'm not looking to turn night into day. There is a mildly-annoying light leak from the holes at the back of the head when it is zoomed out. Also it just doesn't get as tight as I'd like with the high spill. The big problem is that the TF 1500 is BIG and HEAVY (probably close to 2x the weight of the BB with the battery in it.) It feels almost like diving with with a 2 or 3 D-cell MagLight (head-knockers ) In the goodman handle it is really just to much - uncomfortable but not impossible. The claimed run-time is also a joke in my experience. It is possible that the factory battery on mine is not so good and led to the initial return, but after a 1-hour cenote dive the status indicator was showing red and much of that was not on max.

The Big Blue CF1800P is remarkably small and light given that is a zooming 26650 light. It (just) fits in my SeaSoft retractor-holster and lived on my waist-belt for most dives on the trips. Zooming requires a second hand with a firm twist, but it stays put where set. On the goodman handle, it is much easier to hold with vastly less bulk and weight. It is great for signalling or pointing when zoomed out as you can put a highly defined beam way out there. Run time is subjectively better, but I have not done an actual head to head comparison. I also really like the Level I - 10% setting; it gives more than sufficient light for navigation, but without making it impossible to see "outside" the beam area to note what others are doing/finding. Unless some other new contender comes along, I will likely look for a good deal for a 2nd CF1800.

 

[Alkas]

Wow, thanks for sharing your your experiences with those lights, that's really helpful! I guess I will go with the BB CF1800P then

 

[ACHiPo]

I'm looking at a similar choice for a decent powered light for rec

I've "standardized" on 18650 batteries in the house so would prefer to sticking to a light that uses that battery. I'm leaning toward the Tovatec 1050 due to its varying angle/spot size. The Big Blue 1200P-II looks like a decent option as well. I am also considering the Sea Life Dragon 1300 which has a fixed spot as I'm not sure how much use I'll get juggling a light and GoPro at the same time. I realize I'm only going to get ~1000 lumens with the 18650 battery, but I think that's probably plenty for my purpose.

I haven't found much in the way of long term reviews on either the Tovatec, Big Blue, or Sea Life but they seem to have a decent reputation.

I have a Chinese non-diving light that I really like that uses 2 18650 batteries. It only has 1k lumens, but really nice battery life. I wish there was an underwater equivalent. Heck, I wish they hadn't discontinued it!

Nitecore EC4S 2150 Lumen Super Bright LED Flashlight

The Nitecore Explorer EC4S LED Flashlight has a Die-Cast body and uses a Cree XHP50 to produce up to 2150 Lumens of brightness.

www.nitecorestore.com

 

[-JD-]

Since I'd had some DM questions, I forked off a dedicated thread for my report on the BigBlue CF1800P and the Tovatec Fusion 1500: Short Report: BigBlue CF1800P & Tovatec Fusion 1500