Shockwave LED - Max Bright LED:
Manufacturer Specs:
Bulb 3 Max Bright LEDs - 400 Lumens
Burn Time 20 hours (Low Power) / 12 hours (High Power)
Dimensions 6 1/2" L x 7 1/2" W w/ handle
Depth Rating 100 meters / 328 feet
Weight 1078g / 2.4lbs
Battery 8 C Alkaline Batteries
Initial Impressions: Typical pistol type construction nice lanyard with solid locking clip. In this model Princeton Tec uses a locking swivel on/off switch. The light uses a single "O" ring to to seal the battery compartment. The batteries are installed by removing the light head (see pictures below). A quick initial above water test to see how far the light's beam would shine was amazing. I shined the light from the ground to the top of a roughly 60 foot tree and clearly illuminated the entire area where I shined the light, plus shot a beam of light up into the air like a spotlight.
Above-water Tests: Since the current was so strong at Jackson Blue I had to measure the width of the of the "spot" and "halo" produced by the light above water. All lights were tested from a distance of 37'.
In-water Tests: We traveled to Jackson Blue Spring located in Merrit's Mill Pond. We entered the cave ~100ft. to a depth of 40+/- feet. The visibility was around 100 - 150' (meaning that I could see the light from cave divers that far away, as only a bright point of light). We laid out a tape reel stretching another 75' into the cave. The tests were conducted by two divers making their own separate notes. Diver1 stayed at a fixed point (lights out) and Diver2 swam away from Diver1 following the tape reel. Diver2 would check to see how far they could get from Diver1 and still be able to "clearly" tell that Diver1 was a diver and not a boulder or a shadow. After the tests were completed the diver roles were switched and tests were conducted again. When all the tests were over the notes were compared and found to be within 1-2' of each other. The lights were also reviewed making note of how easy they were to turn "on" and "off".
Results: The Shockwave LED was measured to have an in-water light penetration distance of 45 feet, which was better than the other lights excluding the lights from Nocturnal Lights. This means that up to 45' we were able to distinguish that there was a diver lurking in the dark. However, the light traveled to roughly 55' - 60' but at that distance we were unable to locate the diver in the dark. This light uses a "lockable" on/off switch located on the back end of the light housing. The locking on/off switch allows the user to lock the light in either the "on" or "off" position. We found the light to be easy to turn on and off using either bare hands or gloves with grip (3mm Neosport and Akona Adventure Gloves were tested). Note: The light is slightly negatively buoyant, so if dropped it will slowly sink to the bottom. The light was easy to handle produced tons of light, I'd feel comfortable using this as a primary light for all open water dives including mild wreck penetrations but would require something more powerful for cave dives.
Pros: I like the fact that the light uses the commonly available C batteries. Long burn time which allows for multiple dives to be conducted on the same set of batteries.
Cons: When switching the light on a diver can easily miss the "low" power setting and go directly to "high" power; producing the most light but causing the batteries to last only a couple hours before slowly dimming for the next 8-10 hours. The use of 8 C batteries can be costly, especially if you put a new set in every other dive based on light use. I would suggest purchasing 2500MA rechargable batteries though Princeton Tec specs the light for Alkaline.
Warranty: Princeton Tec offers a LIFE TIME warranty on workmen ship, as long as the light is purchased from an authorized dealer and includes the Max Bright LEDs
