DIVE LOG AUSTRALASIA FEB 2025 ISSUE 410

OrcaTorch D920 Cordless Primary Light OrcaTorch have released their all new D920 Cordless Primary Light, similar in perform ance to their D630 Cannister light, the D920 has the battery pack built into the light and comes with both a Goodman handle & a handheld grip option.

The light has a massive 5,000 lumens output that can be switch down to 2,400, 850 or 350 lumens to increase the runtime to a maximum of 35 hours. The body is a stocky 62mm diameter by 167mm long weighing 725g (excluding the handle) & has a titanium alloy switch, magnetic charging port and a battery indicator LED at the rear of the light. Currently there are cordless primary lights available on the market, but they all seem to be approx. half the power of the OcraTorch D920. Dive Rite have the FX40 but its maximum output is only 2,400 lumens. Halcyon have the flare EXP, but don’t cite their output in lumens, but rather in Lux, making it hard to compare, but I would guess it would be similar to the Dive Rite FX40 output given the size of the battery. In early 2024, I saw Gus from “Dive Talk” on the “Blue World” YouTube channel and he had an OrcaTorch cordless primary light on a Goodman handle, I asked OrcaTorch about it & they told me they were currently testing & refining their design and the product would be released soon. Just prior to Christmas, OrcaTorch sent me a pre-production D920 to test & review, The following are my thoughts & opinion on the new light they will release in February of 2025. You can find the review of the D920 as well as other torches I have reviewed in the past on my YouTube channel www.youtube.com/@MDTV3 When I first opened the box & felt the weight of the light, I was surprised at how heavy it was and its girth. However, on my first dive I was pleasantly surprised that the weight was not an issue diving underwater, it felt like any other decent size light & was not tiresome to hold. The size of the torch did interfere with my Shearwater dive computer, so I found that I had to slide the computer further up my arm to give the light some clearance, I did not notice any issues using my computer in its new position. On my first dive, it was hard to describe how much power the beam put out, even in broad daylight, this light illuminates for a long distance. I have been using the OrcaTorch D511 for 5 years and it has an output of 2,200 lumens, so I am already accustomed to a bright powerful light, but the D920 is definitely the next level. Over the Christmas break I have been diving a lot & I took the D920 with me each time, getting more comfortable with the Goodman handle, deploying & stowing the light. My background is as a recreational diver, I am not a diving professional, I am certified to 40m with well over 600 dives, on wrecks & reef and enjoy hunting for Southern Rock lobsters. I am currently undergoing TDI Advanced Nitrox & Decompression Procedure training. A year ago, I changed

from Backmount to Sidemount configuration to allow better access to Lobsters & allow the carrying of multiple cylinders. I have no desires to be a cave diver or to dive much further than 45m, so I am probably situated halfway between a recreational diver and a Tech diver. Some people find managing the cord on a cannister light to be just another task & would gladly consider removing this by using a cordless primary light. I am fully aware that to the DIR purists, this might sound like heresy & there will be some dogma around the good old tried & true cannister lights, which will have its validity. However, for me, this fits into my current situation & definitely has more than I will ever need in a light, even for the advanced diving I am doing. In Summary, the pros are the light is cordless, has 5,000 lumens of powerful light, more than sufficient runtime and the magnetic charging is easy & quick. The cons are the weight & the size of the unit, I think if you get a chance to dive this light you will adapt to it quickly. OrcaTorch are advising the approx. MSRP for the D920 to be AU$694.95 and sits in value between the D620 & D630 cannister lights. Learn more info about D920 at the OrcaTorch website www.orcatorch.com or Dean at service@orcatorch.com

Dean: service@orcatorch.com

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DIVE LOG Australasia #410 - February 25

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