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The LD-34 LED Diving Torch is a 4 LED flashlight which
runs on 4 AA alkaline cells. It is intended for general
use, outdoor use, and is dive rated to 100 feet.
The body of the light is squarish in profile,
made of fluorescent yellow polymer plastic, and has a rubber
textured panel on one side for better grip.
Quality is generally good and output is also good,
but I'd wager that it's a bit dim for actual diving
use. The entire light is quite durable, withstanding
the standard drops and tosses. The rubber bezel cover
provides a certain amount of protection from shock and
the polymer body absorbs the force of impacts. A rubber
grip on one side assists with retention. The tail of
the light is flat and can be carefully stood on its
end. There is also a lanyard hole molded into the end
of the light. A lanyard and batteries are included in
the package.
 
Bezel/Reflector/Bulb: The bezel is a polycarbonate
housing covered by a
rubbery material. Grooves in the rubber cover
improve gripping the bezel for removing
the bezel to replace the batteries and for switching the
light on and off.
Inside is a module
with 4 white 5mm LEDs in a silver plastic reflector. The
reflector directs some of the side-spill light forward. By
nature, 5mm LEDs produce a flood of light in the direction
they are pointed and are not designed to focus to a pinpoint
spot for long distance use. Therefore the bezel does not have
the ability to change the focus of the beam. LEDs do not "blow"
like ordinary bulbs and should never need to be changed
during the lifetime of the light. Inside the module you
will also find platinum catalyst pellets to help remove
any hydrogen which may form inside the sealed light.
Output description: Beam quality is good, and fairly
typical of white LEDs. The beam was a bluish white flood
of light in the direction the torch is pointed. The
center of the beam is brighter and has a slightly more
bluish tint than the rest of the beam. The reflector creates
some weird artifacts in the spillbeam that look like 4 stripes
pointing straight out from the center. Overall, good for close
to medium range tasks. The packaging indicates that you
will get "Over 50 hours" of bright light from a new set
of batteries. Of course over time the light output dims,
but does not turn yellow like incandescent lights.
Beam at one meter at target center
Runtime Plot: Runtime is advertised on the packaging
as 50 hours. I stopped the runtime test at 10 hours
but left the torch runing on my desk. 50 hours later
it is still "running", if you can call it
that. Another fine example of misleading marketing tactics.
The graph below reveals some numbers you can REALLY
use instead of believing the marketers who just want
you to buy it without any of that pesky "thinking"
going on... Expect about 4½ hours to 50%, about
9 hours to 25% starting output. Make no mistake, it
does have good runtime, but nothing like the packaging
designers want you to believe.
Runtime
completed with included Panasonic "Extra Heavy
Duty" batteries. More information on runtime plots
is available HERE.
Switch: The light is turned on and off by twisting
the bezel, but it is the reverse of many similar lights.
Tighten it to turn it off, loosen to turn it on. The
bezel is not easy to twist due to the tight fit provided
by the O-ring. It needs to be tightly gripped to twist
on and off. It cannot be turned on and off with one
hand. To help with this operation, and with maintaining
the integrity of the seal, a small tube of silicone
grease is included with the light which should be used
to lubricate the O-ring every few months.
Seals: Water resistance is very good, being advertised
as waterproof to 30 meters. The head of the
light is sealed with a substantial O-ring.
Submersion in a bucket of water revealed no
leaks.
Ergonomics: It's small enough to be comfortable in most
hands and the rubber panel on one side does help with grip.
The light requires 2 hands to turn on and off due to the
tight fit of the O-ring seal in the head. The rubber bezel
cover provides good grip for turning the light on and off.
Size compared to a common 2AA aluminum light
Batteries: The LD-34 LED Diving Torch takes 4-AA cell batteries. To
change the batteries remove the bezel, remove the LED
module and drop out the depleted batteries. Replace with
4 new AA batteries. Two are inserted negative first, two
inserted positive first as indicated by a polarity sticker
inside the light. The rear of the LED module has polarity
protection to prevent the light from operating if the batteries
are inserted incorrectly. Since the LED module is separate
from the bezel, care should be taken when changing the
batteries that the module is not dropped and broken. The
module is shaped so that it can only be inserted into
the body of the light one way. Replace the module and
the bezel cover and you are ready to go!
Accessories: A nylon wrist lanyard is included.
What I Liked: Waterproof, Impact
resistant, Good battery life, Good output, Easy battery
change, Smaller than many other 4AA lights.
What I Didn't Like: n/a
Other Things I Noticed: n/a
Conclusions: Another great example
of a simple, dependable, durable, rough-outdoor-use
LED flashlight. Use it camping, on your boat, in your
toolbox, for rummaging around in the kitchen cabinets...
just about anywhere a broad soft flood of light will
help out. The long runtime, waterproofing, and use of
inexpensive AA cells makes it a great addition to a
disaster kit.
UPDATE: A reader reports that Titanium
brand 2300 NiMH batteries do not fit in this light.
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