Solus SU 1250 LED torch on test

Mark Chase · 5th February 2008, 14:45

Last September Kevin from SSP contacted me and asked me to have a go with a second generation SU 1250 LED main torch and pass on my thoughts. I jumped at the chance and soon the lovely new SU1250 landed on my door mat.

Before I start with my review a quick reminder that I don’t work for Solus and I am in no way sponsored by them. My current torch is a 9amp 21W Salvo HID and I have a 10W Halcyon Proteus 3 that I use as a spare. Previously I have owned a Greenforce and Custom Divers Halogen units and I have used the Greenforce TriStar LED Fi-May and Metlesub torches on occasion.

I just love doing stuff like kit testing and I do it without allegiance to any one. I try my best to avoid bias but no doubt personal prejudice creeps in.

SOLUS SU 1250 ON TEST

DESIGN

I tested the Solus 1000 last year and I liked it. Yes, it was mega bright and gave off a very white light, which seems to be the must have for today’s dive torches, but that wasn’t it. I liked it most because it felt unbreakable and that means a lot to me.

But I didn’t like it enough to actually buy one. It had a few bits that put me off. The size, the weight the lack of a decent Goodman’s handle. In fact when people asked me, I recommended the less powerful but more compact S500. It would definitly have been my first choice.

Now the second generation SU1250 torch is available and it replaces the S500 and arguably also replaces the S1000.

SOLUS SU-1250 beside the SALVO 21wHID

At first glance the SU1250 is a vast improvement on the old S1000. The canister is now much smaller and at 3.3Kg dry weight and 1.8kg wet weight, it’s significantly lighter too.

Mounting is via a snug fitting and well made pouch that has plastic mini D rings for bolt snaps and it has a webbing loop for cam band or waste belt mounting. I back mounted my one on a cam band. I found no problems in use in the dozen or so dives I have done so far.

The significant change is the introduction of a top quality Goodman’s handle that works and is a dammed site prettier than the old S1000 effort. Goodman’s handles an optional 50 euro extra (£38 $76). This is to reduce the overall cost to those who dont require one.

Adjustment of the handle its self is via two hex key (Alan Key) pan head bolts. Whilst this screams quality Id prefer simple slotted screw for use in the field as the edge of a knife is always available and an Alan key isn’t. That said they have thought to make the hex slot the right size to fit a key on a standard scuba tool. That is a very smart move and it at least means someone on the boat is likely to have one.

Little ridges on the torch body meant it was easy for me to secure my dive knife on the back of the torch. I had to glue a Velcro pad on my Salvo to stop the knife slipping off but no such problems on the Solus

As before the Solus has a head mounted rotary switch offering full power and half power settings. On full power there is a claimed 2.5 hour burn time and on half power 5.0hours with a claimed 60% of the maximum light output still available.

With the torch back mounted, the rotary switch is a joy to use over the often difficult to reach canister mounted Salvo switch. Whilst not an issue for hip mounted canister torches I much prefer back mounting and have to invert the torch to allow access to the switch. If I incorrectly mount the Salvo I can have problems reaching the switch. Also having the torch inverted means any leakage will definitely affect the electronics.

The Solus has a solid state approach. The on off switch is a magnetic proximity type and doesn’t penetrate the case. No need to worry about damaging the rubber switch cover. Also there is no need to separate the torch to charge the batteries. The old S1000 battery charging base has been replaced with a pair of shrouded pins that plug directly into the base of the canister. The intelligent charger has thermal protection and battery protection built in so no possibility of over cooking the expensive 10ah NiMh battery pack. Just remember a couple of paper backs to wedge the canister and stop it rolling around on the boat when charging.

So in terms of day to day living with the SU1250 I was much happier than I was with the S1000. I don’t have any specific areas of improvement apart from the afore mentioned issue with the use of hex bolts.

PERFORMANCE

The new second generation Solus LED torches claim to be twice as powerful as previous models. The SU 1250 boasts 1250 lumens with a colour temperature of 6000k. This is suggested as being comparable to the output of a 150w halogen or a 35W HID

Impressive stats, but I remember reading similar claims from other LED heads and somehow the actual performance didn’t even come close to making you believe the numbers.

As with the S1000 I carried out the tests with a side by side comparison to the Salvo 21W 9.5AH HID. This is my 2004 example with the updated (whiter) bulb fitted in 2006.

Test 1

I set up the ping pong table at a distance of 10.5m from the torch heads and took photos without flash. As a result low levels of peripheral light were lost. In reality there was more peripheral light with both torches, it just doesn’t show in the pic’s.

Solus 1250 10.5m

Salvo 21W 10.5m

TEST 2

I set up both torches to focus on a point 3m ahead and 1.5m down to get the sort of spot I would normally use to keep torch contact with my buddy during a dive.

Solus 1250 3m out from a height of 1.5m

Salvo 21W HID 3m out from a height of 1.5m

Finally I set up a shot in my pond. The pond is 4.5m across. The torches were on the 500mm deep ledge which is the widest part. I was trying to show the spread of the beam as it left the torch head.

Solus SU 1250 on the right Salvo 21w HID on the left

In terms of actual dives I have carried out four dives in the 40-70m zone and several in the 20 -40m zone.

I found the torch easy to use in all ways but especially the afore mentioned head mounted switching. The power output was much more than adequate I would say it definitly a lot brighter and more focused than the old SU500 but despite the claims made for the output, I didn’t see it as being more powerful than the old SU1000. If it is it’s not noticeably so.

For deep dark dives it was fantastic. I had no issue with signalling power and in terms of illuminating the wreck I found it gave a better field of view that the Salvo. What was lost would be long range emergency signalling power. By which I mean an obvious hot spot at 10M+ distance to signal another diver of a problem. The Solus just wasn’t in the same league as the Salvo in this respect..

This is something we have got used to with the modern HID torches. Back when I had a Custom Divers 50W halogen it never crossed my mind as being an issue. However now it seems to be a prime concern. Surprisingly divers weren’t dropping like flies as a result of this lack of signalling power but times have changed and so has our demands as divers.

The issue of power output comparison don’t really hit home till your diving in good conditions with high levels of ambient light. The Salvo can still punch out a good 5m+ of signalling power but the Solus feels a bit lacking and washed out.

Sadly three attempts to shoot video on a decent wreck met with failure. One dive was the conditions on the day were a tad challenging so I decided not to take in the video and the next conditions were perfect but the video decided to lock its focus on a scratch on the camera housing and pretty much the whole shoot was out of focus. Finally I snatched a couple mins footage on an unknown out of Brighton but I think we missed slack as I had to abandon any video work shortly after getting down to the wreck.

In the end I resorted to Stony Cove to guarantee some footage. This highlighted the good and bad points with the Solus. In the bright conditions the torch looks week but once inside the Stangarth its true performance can be seen.

CONCLUSIONS

It’s a great torch. Its light output is more than I need and it still has enough signalling capability to make it suitable for my sort of wreck diving. If I am more than 3-5m away from my buddy there is something very wrong. I really like the way it lights up the wreck. The softer hot spot makes spidge spotting easier as it doesn’t just obliterate the centre with white light. I tended to use the edge of the Salvo beam to hunt for trinkets as the centre beam was too hot.

I think it takes over from where the S1000 left off but it’s not a step forward in performance to the S1. I am sure had I been comparing the SU1250 with the S500 Id be impressed with the step up. But to take a significant step up from the S1000 I think you need to look at the SU2500.

What the SU1250 is, is a step forward in terms of design. The Goodman’s handle and compact canister and head in a LED torch, with this level of punch, makes it a very desirable piece of kit. So much so, I bought it.

To answer the question why I bought it, Id say because next week I am off cave diving in Mexico. I want to be 150% sure my torch is not going to fail and the solid state nature of the Solus 1250 fills me with confidence. Confidence it’s not going to fail in the arse end of some cave and confidence that I won’t be without a primary torch on this mega expensive multi day dive trip.

My back up lights (Solus single LED and a Barbolite triple) are all LED and this seems to be the norm now. I think the market for the Solus LED primary torches is for people who specifically want LED and in divers that have suffered a lot of failures using a HID system. I discussed with Kevin the issue of long range signalling. The present torch has a 7.5 degree beam angle and I am told it is possible to tighten this right down to give the light sabre type effect we see with the Salvo. Kevin feels this is a limited market and the beam angle from the Solus is better suited to a wider audience. Personally I disagree and I think if he at least offered a torch with a tighter beam angle it would increase sales.

The cost of the Solus units can not be ignored. At $1755 from Golum gear its $555 more expensive than the equivalent Salvo 4.5ah 21W salvo and $355 more than the six hour burn time 9ah Li-iron Salvo. You pay quite a premium for the ruggedness of the LED head and I can only assume the manufacturing costs are significantly higher. Again I am sure if the pricing were on par it would be a straight choice between the Signalling power of the Salvo HID and the bullet proof nature of the solid state LED Solus

For now it will remain the choice of the dedicated LED crowd and I for one am very pleased that I have an LED torch when I get into this new cave diving lark.

ATB

Mark Chase

Solus 1000 test:

http://www.rebreatherworld.com/rebre...h-on-test.html

SSP Web site

SOLUS Submersible Products - Home Page

Golem site for costing

Golem Gear, Inc. - Lights

NOTE: I have edited the information on the good mans handle as I have been told it an optional extra. I am also informed that in the US market the torch is sold with a 100% and 50% power setting which is the example I tested. For the EU Market the torch is sold with a 100% and a 25% setting that offers 10 hours burn time on the low setting.

Ben Field · 5th February 2008, 16:13

Great report, very interesting reading for a HID (currently broken again) user. Thanks Mark.

(I was very impressed by the depth of your fish pond! How did you get the torches to and from the 500m deep ledge?

)

Mark Chase · 5th February 2008, 16:48

Quote: (Originally Posted by Ben Field)

Great report, very interesting reading for a HID (currently broken again) user. Thanks Mark.

(I was very impressed by the depth of your fish pond! How did you get the torches to and from the 500m deep ledge?

)

I checked the depth with my Hammer Head

Thanks for pointing out the error

ATB

Mark

windymiller · 5th February 2008, 17:40

Great report,

I have a SU 500, do you reckon its worth sending back to be upgraded to the SU 1250? They can do this for about 300 euros.

Mark Chase · 5th February 2008, 18:04

Quote: (Originally Posted by windymiller)

Great report,

I have a SU 500, do you reckon its worth sending back to be upgraded to the SU 1250? They can do this for about 300 euros.

Do you feel the 500 is inadequate for your needs? If so then I would. I mean the S500 is a good torch but the SU1250 is definitely a step up.

When I went from a 10W Halcyon to a 21W Salvo I didn't need to for reasons of power. It was more a burn time / battery recharge time issue on multi day gigs. It was as cheep to sell the 10w and upgrade to the 21 as it was to replace the battery pac. However i am not denying it was fun to have the extra power.

I ended up keeping the 10W as a spare so i never did save any money

ATB

Mark

windymiller · 5th February 2008, 19:56

well, brighter is always better!

**Gill Envy** · 5th February 2008, 20:52

Mark, great write up! good to see that the LED's are coming along...much, much more reliable. I can't tell you how many folks I've dived with over the years who have had nothing but problems, particularly with bulb burn out due to what seemed like a normal level of bumping around. they never suited my needs so i steered clear but have never enjoyed a comparable beam strength.

You mentioned the green force, any opinion about the tri-star?

g

Mark Chase · 5th February 2008, 21:08

Quote: (Originally Posted by Gill Envy)

Mark, great write up! good to see that the LED's are coming along...much, much more reliable. I can't tell you how many folks I've dived with over the years who have had nothing but problems, particularly with bulb burn out due to what seemed like a normal level of bumping around. they never suited my needs so i steered clear but have never enjoyed a comparable beam strength.

You mentioned the green force, any opinion about the tri-star?

g

Andyp my dive buddy had a Tristar in 2003 and i had a Custom divers 50W Halogen. We both agreed the Custom Divers was a better torch in terms of usable light. I flooded my CD for the forth time and gave up rebuilding it. I replaced it with a 10W Proteus 3 HID. Andyp was so impressed with this he got rid of the Tristar and bought the Halcyon 10W hid as well.

I don't know if they have improved on the design since then but the one he had was only good in term's of its comparitivly long burn time and excellent Arrow battery pac. The Tristar head was a claimed 50W equivalent so similar to the 10W HID. However, as in this test, it didn't really appear as powerful in actual use as the 10W HID or the 50W Halogen.

That said the Tristar was totally reliable and it cost a damed site less than the Solus. So if you want LED and your on a budget it makes good sense.

ATB

Mark

mik · 6th February 2008, 06:20

Good write up Mark. Almost makes me want to spend the €300 on upgrade...almost.

Regarding the price difference, it is worth factoring-in the price of an HID bulb to help lessen the pain.

Mark Chase · 6th February 2008, 07:17

Quote: (Originally Posted by mik)

Good write up Mark. Amost makes me want to spend the €300 on upgrade...almost.

Regarding the price difference, it is worth factoring-in the price of an HID bulb to help lessen the pain.

HID bulbs are about £90 hear or $180. Because i used a 21W HID I had to get a spare bulb just in case. SO yes you could add that to the cost of running a HID. However i must say The bulbs in the Salvo seem to be pretty tough. I have not had one fail yet but did upgrade for the whiter than white one.

ATB

Mark

5th February 2008, 14:45	#1 (permalink)
Mark Chase I go down for ages Current Rebreather/s: Classic Kiss Other Rebreather/s: Inspiration Classic Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Kent Posts: 2,700	Solus SU 1250 LED torch on test Last September Kevin from SSP contacted me and asked me to have a go with a second generation SU 1250 LED main torch and pass on my thoughts. I jumped at the chance and soon the lovely new SU1250 landed on my door mat. Before I start with my review a quick reminder that I don’t work for Solus and I am in no way sponsored by them. My current torch is a 9amp 21W Salvo HID and I have a 10W Halcyon Proteus 3 that I use as a spare. Previously I have owned a Greenforce and Custom Divers Halogen units and I have used the Greenforce TriStar LED Fi-May and Metlesub torches on occasion. I just love doing stuff like kit testing and I do it without allegiance to any one. I try my best to avoid bias but no doubt personal prejudice creeps in. SOLUS SU 1250 ON TEST DESIGN I tested the Solus 1000 last year and I liked it. Yes, it was mega bright and gave off a very white light, which seems to be the must have for today’s dive torches, but that wasn’t it. I liked it most because it felt unbreakable and that means a lot to me. But I didn’t like it enough to actually buy one. It had a few bits that put me off. The size, the weight the lack of a decent Goodman’s handle. In fact when people asked me, I recommended the less powerful but more compact S500. It would definitly have been my first choice. Now the second generation SU1250 torch is available and it replaces the S500 and arguably also replaces the S1000. SOLUS SU-1250 beside the SALVO 21wHID At first glance the SU1250 is a vast improvement on the old S1000. The canister is now much smaller and at 3.3Kg dry weight and 1.8kg wet weight, it’s significantly lighter too. Mounting is via a snug fitting and well made pouch that has plastic mini D rings for bolt snaps and it has a webbing loop for cam band or waste belt mounting. I back mounted my one on a cam band. I found no problems in use in the dozen or so dives I have done so far. The significant change is the introduction of a top quality Goodman’s handle that works and is a dammed site prettier than the old S1000 effort. Goodman’s handles an optional 50 euro extra (£38 $76). This is to reduce the overall cost to those who dont require one. Adjustment of the handle its self is via two hex key (Alan Key) pan head bolts. Whilst this screams quality Id prefer simple slotted screw for use in the field as the edge of a knife is always available and an Alan key isn’t. That said they have thought to make the hex slot the right size to fit a key on a standard scuba tool. That is a very smart move and it at least means someone on the boat is likely to have one. Little ridges on the torch body meant it was easy for me to secure my dive knife on the back of the torch. I had to glue a Velcro pad on my Salvo to stop the knife slipping off but no such problems on the Solus As before the Solus has a head mounted rotary switch offering full power and half power settings. On full power there is a claimed 2.5 hour burn time and on half power 5.0hours with a claimed 60% of the maximum light output still available. With the torch back mounted, the rotary switch is a joy to use over the often difficult to reach canister mounted Salvo switch. Whilst not an issue for hip mounted canister torches I much prefer back mounting and have to invert the torch to allow access to the switch. If I incorrectly mount the Salvo I can have problems reaching the switch. Also having the torch inverted means any leakage will definitely affect the electronics. The Solus has a solid state approach. The on off switch is a magnetic proximity type and doesn’t penetrate the case. No need to worry about damaging the rubber switch cover. Also there is no need to separate the torch to charge the batteries. The old S1000 battery charging base has been replaced with a pair of shrouded pins that plug directly into the base of the canister. The intelligent charger has thermal protection and battery protection built in so no possibility of over cooking the expensive 10ah NiMh battery pack. Just remember a couple of paper backs to wedge the canister and stop it rolling around on the boat when charging. So in terms of day to day living with the SU1250 I was much happier than I was with the S1000. I don’t have any specific areas of improvement apart from the afore mentioned issue with the use of hex bolts. PERFORMANCE The new second generation Solus LED torches claim to be twice as powerful as previous models. The SU 1250 boasts 1250 lumens with a colour temperature of 6000k. This is suggested as being comparable to the output of a 150w halogen or a 35W HID Impressive stats, but I remember reading similar claims from other LED heads and somehow the actual performance didn’t even come close to making you believe the numbers. As with the S1000 I carried out the tests with a side by side comparison to the Salvo 21W 9.5AH HID. This is my 2004 example with the updated (whiter) bulb fitted in 2006. Test 1 I set up the ping pong table at a distance of 10.5m from the torch heads and took photos without flash. As a result low levels of peripheral light were lost. In reality there was more peripheral light with both torches, it just doesn’t show in the pic’s. Solus 1250 10.5m Salvo 21W 10.5m TEST 2 I set up both torches to focus on a point 3m ahead and 1.5m down to get the sort of spot I would normally use to keep torch contact with my buddy during a dive. Solus 1250 3m out from a height of 1.5m Salvo 21W HID 3m out from a height of 1.5m Finally I set up a shot in my pond. The pond is 4.5m across. The torches were on the 500mm deep ledge which is the widest part. I was trying to show the spread of the beam as it left the torch head. Solus SU 1250 on the right Salvo 21w HID on the left In terms of actual dives I have carried out four dives in the 40-70m zone and several in the 20 -40m zone. I found the torch easy to use in all ways but especially the afore mentioned head mounted switching. The power output was much more than adequate I would say it definitly a lot brighter and more focused than the old SU500 but despite the claims made for the output, I didn’t see it as being more powerful than the old SU1000. If it is it’s not noticeably so. For deep dark dives it was fantastic. I had no issue with signalling power and in terms of illuminating the wreck I found it gave a better field of view that the Salvo. What was lost would be long range emergency signalling power. By which I mean an obvious hot spot at 10M+ distance to signal another diver of a problem. The Solus just wasn’t in the same league as the Salvo in this respect.. This is something we have got used to with the modern HID torches. Back when I had a Custom Divers 50W halogen it never crossed my mind as being an issue. However now it seems to be a prime concern. Surprisingly divers weren’t dropping like flies as a result of this lack of signalling power but times have changed and so has our demands as divers. The issue of power output comparison don’t really hit home till your diving in good conditions with high levels of ambient light. The Salvo can still punch out a good 5m+ of signalling power but the Solus feels a bit lacking and washed out. Sadly three attempts to shoot video on a decent wreck met with failure. One dive was the conditions on the day were a tad challenging so I decided not to take in the video and the next conditions were perfect but the video decided to lock its focus on a scratch on the camera housing and pretty much the whole shoot was out of focus. Finally I snatched a couple mins footage on an unknown out of Brighton but I think we missed slack as I had to abandon any video work shortly after getting down to the wreck. In the end I resorted to Stony Cove to guarantee some footage. This highlighted the good and bad points with the Solus. In the bright conditions the torch looks week but once inside the Stangarth its true performance can be seen. CONCLUSIONS It’s a great torch. Its light output is more than I need and it still has enough signalling capability to make it suitable for my sort of wreck diving. If I am more than 3-5m away from my buddy there is something very wrong. I really like the way it lights up the wreck. The softer hot spot makes spidge spotting easier as it doesn’t just obliterate the centre with white light. I tended to use the edge of the Salvo beam to hunt for trinkets as the centre beam was too hot. I think it takes over from where the S1000 left off but it’s not a step forward in performance to the S1. I am sure had I been comparing the SU1250 with the S500 Id be impressed with the step up. But to take a significant step up from the S1000 I think you need to look at the SU2500. What the SU1250 is, is a step forward in terms of design. The Goodman’s handle and compact canister and head in a LED torch, with this level of punch, makes it a very desirable piece of kit. So much so, I bought it. To answer the question why I bought it, Id say because next week I am off cave diving in Mexico. I want to be 150% sure my torch is not going to fail and the solid state nature of the Solus 1250 fills me with confidence. Confidence it’s not going to fail in the arse end of some cave and confidence that I won’t be without a primary torch on this mega expensive multi day dive trip. My back up lights (Solus single LED and a Barbolite triple) are all LED and this seems to be the norm now. I think the market for the Solus LED primary torches is for people who specifically want LED and in divers that have suffered a lot of failures using a HID system. I discussed with Kevin the issue of long range signalling. The present torch has a 7.5 degree beam angle and I am told it is possible to tighten this right down to give the light sabre type effect we see with the Salvo. Kevin feels this is a limited market and the beam angle from the Solus is better suited to a wider audience. Personally I disagree and I think if he at least offered a torch with a tighter beam angle it would increase sales. The cost of the Solus units can not be ignored. At $1755 from Golum gear its $555 more expensive than the equivalent Salvo 4.5ah 21W salvo and $355 more than the six hour burn time 9ah Li-iron Salvo. You pay quite a premium for the ruggedness of the LED head and I can only assume the manufacturing costs are significantly higher. Again I am sure if the pricing were on par it would be a straight choice between the Signalling power of the Salvo HID and the bullet proof nature of the solid state LED Solus For now it will remain the choice of the dedicated LED crowd and I for one am very pleased that I have an LED torch when I get into this new cave diving lark. ATB Mark Chase Solus 1000 test: http://www.rebreatherworld.com/rebre...h-on-test.html SSP Web site SOLUS Submersible Products - Home Page Golem site for costing Golem Gear, Inc. - Lights NOTE: I have edited the information on the good mans handle as I have been told it an optional extra. I am also informed that in the US market the torch is sold with a 100% and 50% power setting which is the example I tested. For the EU Market the torch is sold with a 100% and a 25% setting that offers 10 hours burn time on the low setting. __________________ Is it supposed to make that noise ? I took my unit to the dive shop and demanded they bolt on every thing that would fit. Join my elite diving teem and get a Tshirt "Doing It Chasey"Hammerhead Eccr Advanced Diving System Last edited by Mark Chase : 7th February 2008 at 03:27.
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5th February 2008, 16:13	#2 (permalink)
Ben Field CK+Shearwater Current Rebreather/s: Classic Kiss Other Rebreather/s: Sport Kiss Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: London, England Posts: 1,621	Re: Solus SU 1250 LED torch on test Great report, very interesting reading for a HID (currently broken again) user. Thanks Mark. (I was very impressed by the depth of your fish pond! How did you get the torches to and from the 500m deep ledge? ) __________________ Know your PPO2, Pre-breath, Use checklists, Validate cells at 6mtrs, Use pure O2 at or near surface, Use a BOV, Don't dive Solo, Change Slime and Cells as recommended by Manufacturer and RTFM! Beware Fridge Suck! www.hugsac.org.uk
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5th February 2008, 16:48	#3 (permalink)
Mark Chase I go down for ages Current Rebreather/s: Classic Kiss Other Rebreather/s: Inspiration Classic Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Kent Posts: 2,700	Re: Solus SU 1250 LED torch on test Quote: (Originally Posted by Ben Field) Great report, very interesting reading for a HID (currently broken again) user. Thanks Mark. (I was very impressed by the depth of your fish pond! How did you get the torches to and from the 500m deep ledge? ) I checked the depth with my Hammer Head Thanks for pointing out the error ATB Mark __________________ Is it supposed to make that noise ? I took my unit to the dive shop and demanded they bolt on every thing that would fit. Join my elite diving teem and get a Tshirt "Doing It Chasey"Hammerhead Eccr Advanced Diving System
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5th February 2008, 17:40	#4 (permalink)
windymiller All The Gear, No Idea Current Rebreather/s: Inspiration Classic Evolution Megalodon Other Rebreather/s: Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: england Posts: 274	Re: Solus SU 1250 LED torch on test Great report, I have a SU 500, do you reckon its worth sending back to be upgraded to the SU 1250? They can do this for about 300 euros.
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5th February 2008, 18:04	#5 (permalink)
Mark Chase I go down for ages Current Rebreather/s: Classic Kiss Other Rebreather/s: Inspiration Classic Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Kent Posts: 2,700	Re: Solus SU 1250 LED torch on test Quote: (Originally Posted by windymiller) Great report, I have a SU 500, do you reckon its worth sending back to be upgraded to the SU 1250? They can do this for about 300 euros. Do you feel the 500 is inadequate for your needs? If so then I would. I mean the S500 is a good torch but the SU1250 is definitely a step up. When I went from a 10W Halcyon to a 21W Salvo I didn't need to for reasons of power. It was more a burn time / battery recharge time issue on multi day gigs. It was as cheep to sell the 10w and upgrade to the 21 as it was to replace the battery pac. However i am not denying it was fun to have the extra power. I ended up keeping the 10W as a spare so i never did save any money ATB Mark __________________ Is it supposed to make that noise ? I took my unit to the dive shop and demanded they bolt on every thing that would fit. Join my elite diving teem and get a Tshirt "Doing It Chasey"Hammerhead Eccr Advanced Diving System Last edited by Mark Chase : 5th February 2008 at 18:21.
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5th February 2008, 19:56	#6 (permalink)
windymiller All The Gear, No Idea Current Rebreather/s: Inspiration Classic Evolution Megalodon Other Rebreather/s: Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: england Posts: 274	Re: Solus SU 1250 LED torch on test well, brighter is always better!
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5th February 2008, 20:52	#7 (permalink)
Gill Envy Shearwater Copis Divers Current Rebreather/s: Other CCR Other Rebreather/s: Evolution Other CCR Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: seattle Posts: 1,314	Re: Solus SU 1250 LED torch on test Mark, great write up! good to see that the LED's are coming along...much, much more reliable. I can't tell you how many folks I've dived with over the years who have had nothing but problems, particularly with bulb burn out due to what seemed like a normal level of bumping around. they never suited my needs so i steered clear but have never enjoyed a comparable beam strength. You mentioned the green force, any opinion about the tri-star? g __________________ Gill Envy ...Because I wasn't born with gills! ><(°>><(°>><(°>><(°>><(°>><(°>><(°>><(°>
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5th February 2008, 21:08	#8 (permalink)
Mark Chase I go down for ages Current Rebreather/s: Classic Kiss Other Rebreather/s: Inspiration Classic Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Kent Posts: 2,700	Re: Solus SU 1250 LED torch on test Quote: (Originally Posted by Gill Envy) Mark, great write up! good to see that the LED's are coming along...much, much more reliable. I can't tell you how many folks I've dived with over the years who have had nothing but problems, particularly with bulb burn out due to what seemed like a normal level of bumping around. they never suited my needs so i steered clear but have never enjoyed a comparable beam strength. You mentioned the green force, any opinion about the tri-star? g Andyp my dive buddy had a Tristar in 2003 and i had a Custom divers 50W Halogen. We both agreed the Custom Divers was a better torch in terms of usable light. I flooded my CD for the forth time and gave up rebuilding it. I replaced it with a 10W Proteus 3 HID. Andyp was so impressed with this he got rid of the Tristar and bought the Halcyon 10W hid as well. I don't know if they have improved on the design since then but the one he had was only good in term's of its comparitivly long burn time and excellent Arrow battery pac. The Tristar head was a claimed 50W equivalent so similar to the 10W HID. However, as in this test, it didn't really appear as powerful in actual use as the 10W HID or the 50W Halogen. That said the Tristar was totally reliable and it cost a damed site less than the Solus. So if you want LED and your on a budget it makes good sense. ATB Mark __________________ Is it supposed to make that noise ? I took my unit to the dive shop and demanded they bolt on every thing that would fit. Join my elite diving teem and get a Tshirt "Doing It Chasey"Hammerhead Eccr Advanced Diving System Last edited by Mark Chase : 5th February 2008 at 21:10.
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6th February 2008, 06:20	#9 (permalink)
mik New Member Current Rebreather/s: Inspiration Vision Other Rebreather/s: Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Sydney North Posts: 75	Re: Solus SU 1250 LED torch on test Good write up Mark. Almost makes me want to spend the €300 on upgrade...almost. Regarding the price difference, it is worth factoring-in the price of an HID bulb to help lessen the pain. __________________ It just fell apart in my hands, Chief! Last edited by mik : 6th February 2008 at 08:45.
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6th February 2008, 07:17	#10 (permalink)
Mark Chase I go down for ages Current Rebreather/s: Classic Kiss Other Rebreather/s: Inspiration Classic Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Kent Posts: 2,700	Re: Solus SU 1250 LED torch on test Quote: (Originally Posted by mik) Good write up Mark. Amost makes me want to spend the €300 on upgrade...almost. Regarding the price difference, it is worth factoring-in the price of an HID bulb to help lessen the pain. HID bulbs are about £90 hear or $180. Because i used a 21W HID I had to get a spare bulb just in case. SO yes you could add that to the cost of running a HID. However i must say The bulbs in the Salvo seem to be pretty tough. I have not had one fail yet but did upgrade for the whiter than white one. ATB Mark __________________ Is it supposed to make that noise ? I took my unit to the dive shop and demanded they bolt on every thing that would fit. Join my elite diving teem and get a Tshirt "Doing It Chasey"Hammerhead Eccr Advanced Diving System
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