Oxycheq Back-up light . . . . WOW!

[mangrovejack]

I posted this same message on the scubaboard forum, so I thought I'd post here too:

I received two of the new (black) Oxycheq 3 Watt LED torches (uses 3 AA batteries) as my backup torches, and I thought I'd post my thoughts.

They seem well constructed, nice and solid in feel. A bit bigger than I expected, but for me that's a good thing as I like to hold a solid torch as I have large hands. I like the double o-ring seal as well. The light output was beyond what I expected too, very bright and perfect for my use as a backup when I use my HID canister torch or as a primary when I don't need the canister.

I have a few issues though for Patrick to possibly look at:
1) The outside even though it has finger "holds", can still be slightly slippery. Knurling would fix this easily.
2) Where the front glass is bonded to the aluminium looks a little untidy and unfinished to me. A little more of the silicon sealant (sikaflex?) would make this look a little nicer. This is only a cosmetic thing, I don't think it will impact usage in the real world though.
3) One of the torches wouldn't turn on when I received it. I swapped the battery harness with the other one that did work to ensure it wasn't the batteries or harness that was at fault, but it still refused to turn on. I did further checking and it appears the solder "blob" that the battery terminal presses against was not large enough and was slightly off-centre which didn't allow the battery terminal to fully press into it. I haven't returned it (shipping it from Australia to scubatoys in the USA will cost more than its worth I think), but I'm thinking of adding more solder to allow a decent connection. Perhaps this can be fixed in future by soldering a brass battery spring terminal or something similar instead of relying on the solder blob which looks like over time would wear out rather quickly?
4) The hole in the end for the lanyard or in my case the cave line to bolt snap connection is a little rough. It needs to be deburred otherwise I can see the cave line slowly getting chaffed to the point of cutting the line. Not sure how long this would take realistically, but the edges are rather sharp and protruding. I'm thinking of getting a small jewelers file and deburring it myself and then coating the raw aluminium with some black paint to seal it up again.

Anyway, sorry for the long-winded post, but I thought people would be interested in hearing this.

[BSea]

Originally Posted by CompuDude

Oh, gotcha, sorry, I hadn't realized Salvo moved the RAT to a 3watt LED. They're definitely not using the CREE emitter, though, which makes a huge difference. They're using the OSTAR emitter in their new HID-level LED can lights... it's a shame Barry has said he doesn't have any plans to update the backups anytime soon.

I'm guessing he's more interested in the amount of time rather than the amount of light. But the main reason I'm keeping my Rat light is in case Salvo or someone else makes a drop in upgrade down the road.

[buddhasummer]

How many lumens is it?

[BSea]

Originally Posted by mangrovejack

I posted this same message on the scubaboard forum, so I thought I'd post here too:

I received two of the new (black) Oxycheq 3 Watt LED torches (uses 3 AA batteries) as my backup torches, and I thought I'd post my thoughts.

They seem well constructed, nice and solid in feel. A bit bigger than I expected, but for me that's a good thing as I like to hold a solid torch as I have large hands. I like the double o-ring seal as well. The light output was beyond what I expected too, very bright and perfect for my use as a backup when I use my HID canister torch or as a primary when I don't need the canister.

I have a few issues though for Patrick to possibly look at:
1) The outside even though it has finger "holds", can still be slightly slippery. Knurling would fix this easily.
2) Where the front glass is bonded to the aluminium looks a little untidy and unfinished to me. A little more of the silicon sealant (sikaflex?) would make this look a little nicer. This is only a cosmetic thing, I don't think it will impact usage in the real world though.
3) One of the torches wouldn't turn on when I received it. I swapped the battery harness with the other one that did work to ensure it wasn't the batteries or harness that was at fault, but it still refused to turn on. I did further checking and it appears the solder "blob" that the battery terminal presses against was not large enough and was slightly off-centre which didn't allow the battery terminal to fully press into it. I haven't returned it (shipping it from Australia to scubatoys in the USA will cost more than its worth I think), but I'm thinking of adding more solder to allow a decent connection. Perhaps this can be fixed in future by soldering a brass battery spring terminal or something similar instead of relying on the solder blob which looks like over time would wear out rather quickly?
4) The hole in the end for the lanyard or in my case the cave line to bolt snap connection is a little rough. It needs to be deburred otherwise I can see the cave line slowly getting chaffed to the point of cutting the line. Not sure how long this would take realistically, but the edges are rather sharp and protruding. I'm thinking of getting a small jewelers file and deburring it myself and then coating the raw aluminium with some black paint to seal it up again.

Anyway, sorry for the long-winded post, but I thought people would be interested in hearing this.

Sorry to hear you had a problem with yours. I actually tried mine out before I bought it, so I knew it worked. I also agree with your points 1 & 4. It does seem like it will be slippery, but on this kind of light, I keep it on my right d-ring and rarely unclip it. When I use it, I remove it from the rubber band & just keep my hand close to my chest to point the light. This way I never have to worry about losing it. And you are right about the lanyard hole being sharp. I'm going to use my dremmel tool to soften the edges also.

Originally Posted by buddhasummer

How many lumens is it?

I really don't know the lumens, and I haven't been able to find any specs on that. But my WAG is about 120.

[BSea]

Here's a video comparison someone made of the light.

YouTube - OxyCheq 3W LED Backup Light

[rox@ucf11]

how much does it cost?

[BSea]

Originally Posted by rox@ucf11

how much does it cost?

$58.45 after your 10% discount.

[ChrisA]

Originally Posted by cmburch

I have cracked and flooded a UK light and they warrantied it. What type of warranty and how would the Oxycheq be in a salt water environment?

I have had good service from UK also but a UK light is not in the same class as these backup lights. The lights' he is talking about are for diving in caves where if you loose a light you are in a bad way. Good warenty service hardly matters when you are way back inside a dark cave with no light. What you want is for the unit to be four time over enginerred so it just does not fail.

[CompuDude]

Looks like Patrick is planning to update the light at some point, adding the knurling that a number of people have requested.

Once he does, they have a sale. I'm not going to give up the crazy burn time of my Photon Torpedo, but the smaller size definitely appeals to me for us on my right side backup light, which will help avoid interference with my can light. As a third light source, the shorter battery life matters less. I'm looking forward to it!

[buddhasummer]

Originally Posted by CompuDude

Looks like Patrick is planning to update the light at some point, adding the knurling that a number of people have requested.

Once he does, they have a sale. I'm not going to give up the crazy burn time of my Photon Torpedo, but the smaller size definitely appeals to me for us on my right side backup light, which will help avoid interference with my can light. As a third light source, the shorter battery life matters less. I'm looking forward to it!

Next time youre talking with Patrick can you ask him what the lumen rating is...I know its not everything but Im just curious how it compares to the Tillytec, or Barbolight(SP?) or Solus back up....thanks if you can/do