M**K
Okay item, but not for the price.
This review is going to be updated - but preliminarily, I'm probably going to return this item and cannot recommend it with my experience so far.The light itself does feel like a quality light and finish looks nice. It is compact - I would consider it as a backup if it were cheaper.The beam does not seem to be a true 700 lumens of output, and the beam's dispersion doesn't seem great. My baseline is a Light & Motion Sola 500 , discontinued Sola 600 (500 and 600 lumens) and an Intova Supernova Plus (1000 lumens). I have no affiliation with the companies- but these lights are leaps and bounds ahead of this one and I would highly suggest spending the extra money.The handstrap is very cheap on the Nocturnal, and the light doesn't secure in it very well. The light just slides in a sock/tube and you're expected to use a lanyard to keep it from falling out. It actually has 2 slots, so you could run two of these lights, or a wide and narrow beam. However, this sock doesn't control the light from spinning, so it's not easy to turn the light on and off since it twists on/off versus a magnetic slide or pushbutton switch. The velcro strap is very cheap, and the lanyard is bulky and looks like an afterthought.The packaging is basically a couple ziplock bags. Very disappointing for a $200 light. No box, no storage bag, etc. Just some basic instructions and a card from the seller.There's no Nocturnal rechargeable battery kit on Amazon that I saw - but either way, any batteries should work since it's not proprietary. I ordered the UltraFire 18650 4000mAh batteries to go with it, which have a 4 star review (this is what I need to further test). I don't want to blame the light yet, but the first two dives with this light it died shortly into the dive, first with Kits: Tenergy's 750mAh CR123 Rechargeable and second with the Ultrafires. I want to try regular CR123's before I return the light just to see, but I refuse to use CR123's in a light this expensive, as my lights get so much use rechargeable is a must. It did come with 2x CR123's, which will be test #3.The function is twist on (100%)-> off -> on (40%) -> off. Initial feedback is that there wasn't a huge difference from hi to low, and it's hard to tell which mode you're in. This isn't a big deal for night dives (except if it kills the batteries as fast as it seems to), but for daytime or cave use, it's a little irritating. Quality lights in my opinion should have a magnetic switch.The light seems to be overrated for output, poorly designed for a handstrap, and seems to be a battery hog. I don't expect battery life to get better, which really concerns me. I hate to sound so negative, but I researched this product a bit before suggesting it to a friend, and I've been embarrassed and he's been rather frustrated with it. My light and motions are over a year old, and the Intova is older than that. These lights all hold their charge and have been phenomenally reliable, but this light is not at the caliber of a primary dive light.
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