sofirnSD09L Diving Torch 6800 Lumen LED Torch, Extremely Bright Diving Torch, 100 m Underwater LED with 3 x SST40, IPX8 Professional Waterproof with Rechargeable Batteries

I usually only comment on low cost flash-lights as the better quality lights are reviewed by hobbyists with much better expertise, test equipment and knowledge than me but the SD09L does not seem to have many reviews out there. For any divers reading this there is a good video on YouTube from “Abyss Tec” which gives an idea of the underwater capabilities of this light and the one from the excellent “Flashlights UK” channel shows this lights capabilities on land.As I think this light is really something I had to give my opinion as well.This is a diving light but don't let that put you off. It works very well out of water and I was surprised how bright it is despite knowing of the 6800 lumens advertised claim. It is big and it is heavy but well balanced and easy to hold. The simple interface has an auto lock that is easy to get out of with two quick clicks and ,once on, a single click moves through low/medium/high modes. Double click for strobe. Low, as advertised at 500 lumens, may be possibly too high though for those who like or need less light in a start up mode whilst on camping trips.The manual shows the run time on high as 3 hours yet turbo is down as 5. Odd! Is this a misprint? Could it be anything to do with the water cooling effect whilst immersed affecting the light output times but if so why does this favour turbo?Out of water it ramps down quickly from turbo but maintains high for a fair while. Considering that a lot of top end lights soon ramp down to a lower level equal to or below the low of this light and for shorter run times and if the 500 lumens for 20 hours is correct, this is potentially a better run time for quite a high output than an awful lot of lights out there costing many times as much.I have a few other lights where around the 100 lumens level meets a 20 hour battery life but normally beyond 20 hours we are in the realms of very low luminescence outputs.Two 21700 5000mah Sofirn batteries are provided so there is plenty of power available( only 4000 mah is advertised on Amazon so a good bonus here!)My own limited test equipment seems to support the 500lm claim of Sofirn ( though my top end results differ from that of the manufacturer by a fair margin; though of course high lumens at source do not necessarily translate into brightness. A run time test in support of the 20 hour claim will be interesting when I can get one organised.Should the 20 hour claim prove true then this will be my go to torch if I want good brightness for a long period of time.Two good batteries, a neat dual battery charger, a heavy duty lanyard , spare O rings and a charging lead completes the full package. It is also IPX8 rated, can be immersed down to 100 m (so I think we can take it for granted that it is waterproof) and it can be dropped from1 meter so you will hopefully understand that for £39.99 I believe this is a real bargain.

I've now used this torch on a few dives and I ove it. The variable brightness is great and the ingredients handle (to house two batteries) is ideal for tucking into your weight or BCD belt. Batteries take overnight to charge in the supplied charger. I would recommend the torch.