OrcaTorch D520

As an instructor I feel a good dive light is, perhaps, one of the most vital and underrated pieces of equipment that a diver can carry with them, even on daytime dives. That said, most of the time size and weight are a primary concern. I've been diving with this light for about two weeks so far and I am extremely impressed! Bottom line, this little light is absolutely worth the price as it's construction and performance are better than every other light in this price range I've had experience with. This light comes with a charger, TWO 18650 batteries, a spare set of o-rings, and the light itself. The light is extremely slim and light, but that is no indication of the light level that this thing produces. It is very bright! I compared it to a 600 lumen light I usually dive with and it is noticeably brighter than that, so I believe the 1000 lumen claim. The specs say that the light color is supposed to be 5000K, I find that it is a bit cooler - maybe 3500-4000K, yet I find that more beneficial in water that has some particulate (less backscatter and better penetration). Battery life is fine, we typically do one hour dives from the boat, and the battery lasts at least that long. It's my standard procedure to change the battery in my lights during surface interval, so I haven't tried to push the battery life to it's limits. In truth, the battery is mostly responsible for battery life, and the power drain from the LED allows for at least a full hour of "on" time. The construction of this light is very solid. Water tightness is secured by a triple o-ring system (they did not arrive with any silicone grease on them - put some on before you dive with it) that works very well. The body of the light is metal and solid, this is NOT a cheap plastic product. The light is turned on by a twist, and is a very solid switching system. This light does not flicker, it's definitely on or off. I was taking pictures of it's performance underwater, for this review in particular because I've been so impressed with it. Unfortunately my camera flooded (it wasn't as water tight as this light), so I will update this review with pictures at a later time. I am so impressed with this light that I am purchasing a second one and will also look to purchase the push button light from the same company. I highly recommend this light for any diver looking for a good quality light at a fair price.

Just tried out my new Orcatorch. First let me say I am pretty much a flashlight freak and own many good ones. This one blows them all away. Best construction I have seen in a light this size or any size for that matter. I have a large 1000 lumen light that requires 4-D cell batteries. This one is much smaller and just as bright. Batteries, charger and light all show quality in there construction. I am taking it on a week long dive trip to Cozumel soon and will use it on a night dive with a large group. I am already convinced that I will have the best light on the dive. Has plenty of flood type beam with a nicely focused center to boot. Very, very impressed! Highest recommendation I could possibly give an online purchase. I'm a believer! Update: used both of them that we purchased on our night dive and on a dive we did on a rainy, overcast day. Both performed flawlessly and we recieved many compliments on their performance. They were as good or better than all of the more expensive lights that the other divers were using. We were able to get good GoPro footage with them also.

Trying out the orcatorch for the first time opened up a whole new way of diving for me. This is the first good quality light I have purchased and I have been extremely impressed. The wide angle on the light is great, it gives me the ability to light up everything I need to see making it perfect for photography or to see small creatures. This light brings out the colors in all the sea life bringing a whole new light (no pun intended) to diving for me. Even when I was using it on a recent dive with buddy's who spent hundreds on their lights that couldn't even get close to the quality of the orcatorch. It comes with two batteries which is perfect to be able to switch out between dives, although I found myself not having to due to the 2 hour battery life. The three O ring design on the light makes me confident that this light is not going to flood or break any time soon. I would highly recommend this light to anyone looking for a good quality light that they can trust for a good affordable price.

I Just tested the OrcaTorch D520 Dive Light at Paradise Spring, Florida. For serious recreational and technical divers- Check it out, Its a great recreational dive light and can serve as a solid tech back-up light. It has a rugged aluminum body, rated up to 1000 lumen, a depth of 150 meters, and has a run-time up to two hours. I really liked the tight tight beam in dark overhead environments and the rotary off/on switch. Its a great value for the price at ~$75 when most lights of this quality start at $125 to $150. You get two batteries (Li Ion 18650s) and a recharger included. Of note, the light only needs one battery to function! This is a bonus you will not see with other dive light packages. I highly recommend this rugged light as a primary light for recreational divers and a solid back-up for technical divers. For more information check out my video below.

This is a nice small simple light. I bought myself and my wife each one as backup lights. It ended up becoming my primary on my last trip after an Energizer c-cell battery leaked and scrapped my primary light while I was in Mexico. (To be perfectly honest air wasn’t entirely upset that old nasty UK SL3 flashlight but the dust. I replaced it with a D710.) It’s bright enough to looking holes during the daylight if you’re close to them, but would be perfect for night. One thing you’ll have to figure out for yourself, and the main reason I took off a star is that it’s hard to figure out how FSR to unscrew the light so it doesn’t come on when you descend. There’s enough water pressure it compressed and came on several times during the different dives when I was still using it as a backup. It was generally when we were deeper than 45 feet. Now, the good news is that you do have three o-rings backing you up, so there shouldn’t be any real problems if you maintain the o-rings properly. I’d buy another.

Excellent little primary light or backup light. The nice thing about this light is there is no button to fail simple twist on twist off, no power settings to fail either, on or off. It keeps it as simple and durable as possible.

For SCUBA divers, lights are not only a tool you use at night to be able to see all the things underwater, but it's primarily a safety device. Even if it is bright-as-day out, I will still bring multiple lights because lights make communicating with your buddy so much easier. But especially at night, a simple light failure could turn out to be a big issue if you don't have another to rely on for both communicating and getting safely back to the shore or boat. Construction This light is quite small. It's about an inch shorter than a dollar bill, and the thickness of a quarter. I see this as a feature because it can stow so nicely under your D-ring on your harness. I've had larger lights sit there, and it's not nearly as comfortable (see the DRIS 1k light. About the same length, but much thicker, this is very hard to manage on a D-ring because of its thickness). It feels very sturdy. There are no plastic pieces on the light at all, and the aluminum does not have any give or play in it, even without the battery. The clip on top has plenty of material, and I don't have any concerns about the stability of that. The glass feels very hard. I tried scratching it with a knife made of VG-10 steel, and it did not scratch at all. The inside is also coated with a corrosion-resistant brass that helps protect the light if you end up with any seawater in the light. With it being all metal, there are no buttons (no matter how magnetic) to fail. The only way to activate the light is with the (very comfortable) rotary switch. So because of that, it's easy to rinse because there are not many nooks and crannies for salt to hide in. Rotary Switch This has to be one of the best rotary switches I have ever used. I was first concerned about how easy it would be to activate this light because of how small it was, but because of how far the rotary switch extends on the light, it makes it easy to find and activate the switch. This is especially important as a backup light because you don't want to be hunting for a button or something small to turn it on. Batteries I cannot praise Orcatorch and Outdoor Equipment Experts enough for making this light run on one 18650 battery, and including a two-battery charger. 18650s are one of the best batteries made today, and they are very easy and cheap to find. Most of my other lights run on them, so I have them in excess, and I only need to take one type of battery with me on my dive. This is one of those things that you don't really think about until you have already bought the light, but are very important. Beam The beam angle is very appropriate for a backup light. As a backup light, I want something that has a small enough beam angle to cut through any silt to signal to my buddy. This light fits that bill. Conclusion I would highly recommend this light as a backup light or a recreational primary. It's very simple to use, as there is only one mode (no more accidentally putting your light into strobe mode). It's compact so it can be worn comfortably on your harness compared to other lights. It's also very durable, so I'm not worried about throwing it around on a boat, at a beach, or in the bucket full of the rest of my dive gear. This is the simplest and most convenient light I have ever used because of the rotary lock and the common battery, and I would have no hesitation recommending this light to anybody, regardless of their diving aspirations.

A little disappointed though it's partly my fault for not reading the detail about not turning it on or off underwater. I bought this as a backup light for night diving. As some reviewers have said they have turned it on or off underwater without any problems I'll use it as backup for my night diving course this coming weekend and see how it goes. With the three o-ring seal I don't see it leaking from a quarter turn. Also, mine arrived without a lanyard. Luckily I have one that will work but that still irritates me. The light is very bright but is a little yellow compared to my primary light which costs three times as much and very fancy. I'll test it this weekend and if it works fine I'll bump it up to four stars. If it leaks (which I don't expect) it'll go down to one star. The takeaway for me is to always read the description carefully. "Buyer beware" goes double when purchasing on-line. Update- I very much appreciate the sending of the lanyard along with a cute keychain and water bottle. Also the light has performed well and can be turned on and off while underwater. We just have to be careful not to move the turn switch too far either way. Too far in results in the light coming on as depth increases. Too far out could result in a flood. Character counts.

You will not receive an orca torch. You will get a cheap no brand torch.