TESTCENTRE

Substance over size

Varilux Zoom 1000 Lumen Rechargeable Dive Torch

COMPANY : NORTHERN DIVER TEL : 01257254444 PRICE : £ 70 WEB : WWW . NDIVER . COM

It ’ s diving torch time again here at the Test

Centre and this time around it ’ s the turn of Northern Diver ’ s sexy-looking ‘ Black and Gold ’ Varilux Zoom . Manufactured from anodized aircraft aluminium – aren ’ t they all – this 1000 Lumen rechargeable model is a lightweight 350g with a depth rating of 100 metres . Its 16cm , cylindrical shell contains a sealedin Samsung 18650 / 2600mAh battery with charging access by way of its gold-coloured end cap . Unscrew , plug in the supplied mains charger and about three hours later you ’ ll have a fully charged unit . An illuminated , magnetic push-button switch on the end cap toggles between on , off and strobe mode . Blue in normal circumstances , it switches to red when the battery nears exhaustion . At the business end , a single CREE XPL LED sits behind the unit ’ s flared , chunky-looking convex lens . This can be zoomed from a piercing , narrow spot beam by anything up to 800 % where it provides an even , circular flood at its widest . Unlike similar zoom torches that utilise a ‘ push-pull ’ mechanism , the Varilux ’ s head is simply gripped and twisted while holding the body to achieve the required effect . Supplied in a hard plastic carry case containing charger , spare O-rings and some silicone grease , the torch itself features a nice lantern-style handle that tucked nicely into my BC ’ s cummerbund for immediate access . Removing a single Allen bolt quickly converts it to standard torch configuration if preferred . While 1000 Lumens isn ’ t particularly powerful when compared with some of the technological marvels that are virtually capable of illuminating the entirety of your local wreck , this was actually a plus point for me . Output isn ’ t everything it ’ s cracked up to be , you see . Among the assortment of high-power video lights I own , none of them perform that well in poor visibility , in which their wide beam lights up

detritus like a snowstorm . The Varilux , on the other hand will pick out subjects in spot mode without affecting the entirety of the water column . If I found something larger of interest , then I just twisted the light head to widen the field of view . I also had good results shooting close-up video with the light attached to my camera setup . For compact or action camera users too , its lightweight shape and form make it easily mountable . While burn time as stated is two hours ( up to ten in strobe mode ) I found that once the red warning light came on , I still had sufficient power for a further 30 minutes or so before it finally extinguished . NH

SCUBA SAYS

They say size doesn ’ t matter and the same could be said of Northern Diver ’ s Varilux torch . Its lightweight and compact form , coupled with a morethan-adequate 1000 Lumen output , make this variable zoom a great allrounder and a value-for-money buy .

EarolSwim with

Tea Tree Oil

Company : CPS Partnership

TEL : 01424 442663 PRICE : £ 9.25 WEB : WWW . CPSPARTNERSHIP . CO . UK

Touch wood - I haven ’ t suffered an ear

infection since childhood so I pretty much leave my ears to their own devices . However , during lockdown ’ s limited diving opportunities I ’ ve taken to regular swimming / snorkelling sessions at my local beach . As logic tells me that surface swimming without the protection of a hood probably exposes the ears to more potential causes of infection - what better time to try EarolSwim ? Consisting of a mix of olive oil and tea tree oil , EarolSwim ’ s clinically-proven formula

is a natural anti-fungal , anti-viral and anti-bacterial , water repelling barrier that is applied to the ears via a 50mcl mistspraying actuator . You get 200 doses for your money and each application lasts around six hours , continuing to repel water long after your swim or dive is complete . Does it work ? It certainly didn ’ t do me any harm and my ears have remained infection-free . NH