2017 MetalSub Lights June 27, 2017 by lukesheppard

For 2017 MetalSub have upgraded their KL1242 CableLight Packages to include a smart storage box and an upgrade to one of their battery tanks.  This is all good news but their specs and names can be confusion so I thought I’d run you through them all so you know which to go for.

Cable lights or umbilical torches allow you to have much longer burn times or brighter lights without having to hold a big bulky torch in your hand.  The separate batterytank is fixed to your cylinder or waistband and the umbilical connects the two.

The main bodies of the torches and batteries are made from Anodized aluminium in accordance with American Military Standard MIL-A-8625-E type 3 class 2 and the coating is impregnated with Teflon for a lightweight but tough and corrosion resistant torch.

Both parts are pressure tested to 25bar and they are guaranteed to 100m so as long as you maintain the seals and look after your torch it should be able to follow you anywhere. 

 KL1242

This is the main light and cable that you then connect to a separate battery attached somewhere on you.  By itself it does very little without a battery but when connected can produce up to 5100 lumens.  There are two versions of the KL1242, the 50watt/5100lumen and the 22watt/2400lumen but both are LED and are the same size and weight.

The KL1242 has a simple rotating ring control with a locking mechanism so it doesn’t turn on or off accidentally. Rotate the ring to adjust the power setting, from 30-100%, and just behind it is a small LED that tells you how much battery life is remaining with colour coded signals.

Most primary lights sit in the 700-2000 lumen range so both of these torches are super powerful compared to most other torches on the market.  While the 2400 lumen version is plenty of light for most divers, if you need to see and be seen in poor visibility without question then the 5100 lumen is the brightest torch we offer right now.

BATTERY TANKS

While the torch controls the brightness of the light the batterytank controls how long it runs for.  While there are two tanks for the KL1242, the 1204 & 1210, you have two options for each FX or PR.  Both batteries are NiMH, Nickel-Metal Hydride, which makes travelling with them easier and they have similar dimensions except for their length and weight.

FX Vs. PR

FX means fixed and PR Pony Release, FX batteries have fixed attachment points that you can fit a 2″ band through or permanently fix it to a cylinder.  The PR batteries have a two part connection so you can leave one half attached to your cylinder or webbing strap and disconnect the battery to charge it.  The benefit is obvious and mainly for charging so you don’t have to un-thread the strap or carry the cylinder to a charging station.

1204 VS. 1210

The 12 just stands for 12 Volts but the last two numbers are the most important as they designate the Ampere Hour of the battery which is basically the amount of storage the battery has, either 4Ah or 10Ah.  The 1204 has a weight of 1kg in the water and measures 23cm long whereas the larger 1210 is about 1.7kg and 34cm long.

The upgrade can be best seen in burn times, with the same conditions the 1210 will run almost three times longer than the 1204 but it allows for a sensible burn time for the more powerful 5100 lumen version but remember you can lower the power which will extend the burn time.  

FX1204  |  2400 Lumens  |  90 minutes  |  Fixed Mount

PR1204  |  2400 Lumens  |  90 minutes  |  Quick Mount

FX1210  |  5100 Lumens  |  110 minutes  |  Fixed Mount

PR1210  |  5100 Lumens  |  110 minutes  |  Quick Mount