My $900 dive torch died on a night job, could've been bad

Picked up a budget LED torch last spring for a harbor inspection in Seattle. First 10 night dives it was fine. Then it flickered and shut off at 40 feet in zero visibility. Cost me the shift and a scare with a mooring line. Spent $1,600 on a new sealed unit from a proper shop. Anyone else learned the hard way that cheap lights aren't worth the risk? What brand do you run for deep work?

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river_adams2520d ago

Man, that story hits close to home. My first "budget" light died mid-wreck penetration and I spent ten minutes trying to figure out if the glow stick on my tank was enough to find my way back out. Spoiler alert, it wasn't. Ended up doing the whole exit with one hand on the line and the other feeling for my buddy's fins. The kicker is I was so cheap I'd even bragged about the deal to the dive shop guy, and he just gave me this look. That look still haunts me. So yeah, learned that lesson the expensive and scary way, twice actually. These days I treat primary lights like insurance, I buy the boring, overpriced, proven one and never think about it again.