I am Matt's roommate and having used this light I think it is well worth the
money. It is certainly over powered for smaller caves but it worked great for
the giant passages in Bustamante, which is a beautiful cave and a wonderful
experience altogether. I used this light as a secondary light to my Apex. The
Apex for navigation and the sun for stopping to enjoying the gorgeous
formation that are ever-present. I was worried I'd run the battery down on the
magicshine that's one reason I decided to do things that way. I didn't want to
not be able to really light something up when I wanted to. Used in this manner
battery life becomes less of an issue.
Another issue with this light is the weight. The light itself a bit heavier
then most plastic cases LEDs but it's not bad. The battery however is heavy.
The set comes with a 1 meter extension; I recommend using this and carrying the
battery on a belt. I forgot the extension at home and was forced to rig the
battery on my helmet. I got used to it after a time but would have much rather
have had in on my belt.
I just order on of my own. All in all it is a great buy, especially if you are
also a bicycler like I am. I plan to keep this light on my bike and take it
off when I'm going to a big cave.
Matt Zaldivar
--- On Tue, 6/1/10, Matt Turner kat...@yahoo.com wrote:
From: Matt Turner kat...@yahoo.com
Subject: [Texascavers] Magicshine 900
To: texascavers@texascavers.com
List-Post: texascavers@texascavers.com
Date: Tuesday, June 1, 2010, 7:01 AM
So after reading about the MagicShine 900
(http://www.geomangear.com/index.php?main_page=product_infocPath=4_41products_id=180zenid=07m9r6ahmcdmactccdojt8jos1)
on CaveTex, I had to buy one.
It got in last thursday, just in time for my roommate to take it with him to
Bustamante.
I will say this light is not 900 lumens. It's probably 500-600, but for the
$90(+12 or so for the head strap) I spent on it; it has to be the best
lumen/dollar deal out there. It has a short battery life of 3hrs at full blast
and even at the lowest setting of around 120lumens it only lasts 10hrs. That
said the nickname for the light on the trip was the sun. It's bright enough
that looking directly at the wall it's hitting at 15ft is slightly
discomforting.
I don't know how water proof and everything it is, but it's fully aluminum, so
i'm betting with some silicone I could make this very water resistant. though
much like the sten's the batter connection point would be the weakest link in
water resistance. This all said caving isn't what this light was intended for,
it's a biking light.
So, my recommendation on this light is: If you're looking for a really bright
light for big caves this is probably the best buy you will find. If you're only
doing central texas caves this light will burn out your retinas.
Matt Turner
It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without
accepting it. - Aristotle
Empty pockets never held anyone back.Only empty heads and empty hearts can do
that.- Norman Vincent Peale
