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Reviewer's
Impressions:
When you need light, and a lot of it, the UK Sunlight
C8 shows itself to be a top performer. Add in the fact
that it has a textured bezel to produce a smooth beam,
dual lamps for redundancy and safety, runs on common
C cell batteries, and is dive rated to 500 feet and
you've got one serious illumination device for diving,
search/rescue, and a myriad of other applications.
The body of the Sunlight C8 is made of ABS, a high
impact polymer. The body and handle are one piece and
the handle is skeletonized for weight reduction and
ergonomically shaped for improved grip. The plastic
molding process is very well done with no sharp edges
and clean lines.
The bezel is silvered plastic and has an unusual frown-shaped
cutout in the center where you can see 2 lamps. The
switch, which has a safety lock that must be pulled
downward for the switch to move, can be rotated in either
direction to select either one bulb or the other. In
the rechargeable models this would be for high/low beam.
In the alkaline models this allows for the safety of
having a redundant lamp immediately available.
Twisting the switch actually moves the bulb inside
the bezel and places it in the center of the reflector
before it turns on - hence the curved cutout. If you're
in the middle of diving a wreck at 200 ft, or in an
industrial complex performing a rescue and your bulb
blows, a simple twist of the switch turns what could
have become a very dangerous situation into little more
than an inconvenience.
The bezel is textured with a dimpled surface to smooth
out the beam and prevent the appearance of "rings
and holes" that are common with smooth reflectors.
Surrounding the bezel is a rubberized cover to protect
the light from impacts. Inside the light module is a
platinum catalyst pellet to help eliminate any hydrogen
gas that collects in the battery compartment. Hydrogen
is a natural byproduct of batteries when they are used.
Output from the light is very nice. The high pressure
Xenon bulbs emit a brilliant white light. Coupled with
the textured reflector, the lamps illuminate a target
with a smooth, eye-pleasing flood of light.
The Sunlight C8, as its name implies, uses 8 C cell
batteries. Both the front and rear contacts are shaped
such that if the batteries are inserted incorrectly
the light will not work. Battery life is advertised
at 3.5 to 4.5 hours.
The battery compartment is sealed with a large O-ring
that gives the light a 500ft depth rating for diving.
The internal contact plate at the back of the light
will slide out with no additional effort than inverting
the light. This allows easy cleaning of the inside of
the light and the contacts if the light should become
flooded with seawater.
The only downside I see to this light is that it is
necessarily heavy due to the fact that it carries 8
C batteries inside it to run. Too heavy for backpacking
or camping in my opinion, it makes a great light when
working from a vehicular platform such as a car/truck/boat
where you won't have to carry the light on your person
for long distances.
+ + + Pluses: Waterproof 500ft,
Impact resistant, Regulated/long battery life, Bright,
Easy battery change, Dual lamps for safety, Lanyard
included, Great output.
- - - Minuses: Heavy
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