Dive Rite 500 LED

[WA State diver]

Has anyone bought the Dive Rite 500 LED light yet? I have one, and I am quite disappointed with its performance. We purchased them from a DR rep at a show, 4 of us, with all the bells and whistles. Out of the 4 purchased, mine was the only one that ran "correctly" the first dive. 2 went into I guess the hidden, nonadvertised strobe mode. 1 came on for a couple mins, then wouldn't come on again. They run hot, and there is no way they come close to the advertised burn time of 30hrs. I personally have been conducting tests in my kitchen sink with brand-new Coppertops. It ran 2.5hrs before totally dying. Then I ran different tests throughout the day. What it boils down to is it works fine for that initial dive, and that's it. Subsequent dives, it'll last maybe 10mins before going so dim that you're looking to end your dive NOW.
I'm just curious if anyone else is having similar issues...?

[No Misses]

Have you tried contacting DiveRite? They advertise 12 hrs of high powered light and 30 hrs of usable light (whatever that means?). I would think that if you are only getting 2.5 hrs, there is a problem with your light. Let the manufacturer troubleshoot the problem. They may have had a bad batch. Please, re-post when you get a response from DR.

[buddhasummer]

Hmm that sounds very strange and I would say definately something wrong, I own one and have, touch wood, never had a problems as No Misses advises I would certainly contact DR directly if you havent already...please post the outcome...good luck

[tat2d_diver]

Sounds like you have same problems I had. On the first dive it got dim after about 20 minutes. I had NiMH rechargeable batteries in it that had sat around for a couple of weeks, and thought that could be the problem. The next day I used alkaline batteries and got the same 20 minute burn time plus the strobe effect. At home later that day I put in another new set of alkalines and put it in the bathtub. 40 minutes later it was dim and the canister was very hot (I was using the cord adapter). I called the dealer I bought the light from and they recommended that I deal directly with Dive Rite. I got an ra number from Dive Rite and sent it off to Florida (me paying the shipping). Two weeks later I get my light back. They replaced the swivel contact in the cord. I put freshly charged NiMH rechargeable batteries in it and in the bathtub it went. 45 minutes later there is a loud bang from our bathroom. The light is dim, the canister very hot, and the cord has a 2 inch split in it (the source of the bang). This happens 5 minutes after Dive Rite closed for the day. The next morning I call Dive Rite and try to get a new light head. They do not have any to swap so I send it back again for service (me paying shipping again). 2 weeks later I get my light back again. This time they put a new cord on and tell me that I am using the wrong kind of batteries. They recommend Coppertop alkalines, anything else can damage the light. So off to Walmart for batteries and then to the lake. 9 minutes into the dive it starts to strobe. When I got home it went into the bathtub again. 30 minutes later it's dim and hot again. I called the dealer again and they refunded the light (me paying to ship it back for the third time). On Dive Rite's website there is now a short article about batteries. If you look closely in the instructions for the light the batteries in the pictures are the same kind they now tell you not to use. On another note, I replaced the LED-500 with a 12 watt Salvo led and it failed after it's first dive. Salvo at least paid for shipping. I hope to have the Salvo back this week and will see if it works out any better.

[puppet27]

has anybody tried out the Intova Supa Nova yet?

[buddhasummer]

Originally Posted by WA State diver

Has anyone bought the Dive Rite 500 LED light yet? I have one, and I am quite disappointed with its performance. We purchased them from a DR rep at a show, 4 of us, with all the bells and whistles. Out of the 4 purchased, mine was the only one that ran "correctly" the first dive. 2 went into I guess the hidden, nonadvertised strobe mode. 1 came on for a couple mins, then wouldn't come on again. They run hot, and there is no way they come close to the advertised burn time of 30hrs. I personally have been conducting tests in my kitchen sink with brand-new Coppertops. It ran 2.5hrs before totally dying. Then I ran different tests throughout the day. What it boils down to is it works fine for that initial dive, and that's it. Subsequent dives, it'll last maybe 10mins before going so dim that you're looking to end your dive NOW.
I'm just curious if anyone else is having similar issues...?

So...???

[Iceman]

These are some bad experiences. Anybody had good experiences?

[buddhasummer]

Originally Posted by Iceman

These are some bad experiences. Anybody had good experiences?

yep no problems has workd great for almost a year, based on my experience I recommend one.

Be nice to hear from OP again as to what DR did about his light..you there?

[chinacat46]

Since we are talking about this light let me ask a question. It seems DR has come out with a new version of the DR 500 LED. The original is LT6078 and sold for $360 the new one is the LT6078-500 which retails for $450. From my research I've found the original was actually 300 lumens although it claimed 500. The new one claims 500. Anybody know more about this?

[jbanks27]

Originally Posted by WA State diver

Has anyone bought the Dive Rite 500 LED light yet? I have one, and I am quite disappointed with its performance. We purchased them from a DR rep at a show, 4 of us, with all the bells and whistles. Out of the 4 purchased, mine was the only one that ran "correctly" the first dive. 2 went into I guess the hidden, nonadvertised strobe mode. 1 came on for a couple mins, then wouldn't come on again. They run hot, and there is no way they come close to the advertised burn time of 30hrs. I personally have been conducting tests in my kitchen sink with brand-new Coppertops. It ran 2.5hrs before totally dying. Then I ran different tests throughout the day. What it boils down to is it works fine for that initial dive, and that's it. Subsequent dives, it'll last maybe 10mins before going so dim that you're looking to end your dive NOW.
I'm just curious if anyone else is having similar issues...?

I have two of the nice Dive Rite LED 500s. There has been a manufacturing issues discovered with the LED manufacturer where the temperature sensor has a bug in it and thinks that it is overheating. That is where the strobe issue comes from. The second issue that I'm aware of is a assembly issue with the wiring cable that comes from the canister to the led Head and causes the internals to arch and melt the battery case, damage the batteries, etc.

Contact Dive-Rite and speak with them directly. They will take good care of you.