Light And Motion Gobe Dive Light Review February 7, 2014 by lukesheppard

When I first saw these dive lights I thought they were an absolutely brilliant idea, a compact (measuring just 45 x 122mm) recreational hand held dive light range of interchangeable heads and battery packs. Correct me if I am wrong but I can’t think of any other example of a modular platform like this outside those used for more technical purposes that are typically large, heavy, umbilical and (crucially) for dive use only. Light and Motion are well known for the lights they produce for scuba diving and other sports or activities including bike lights and head torches but the GoBerange is the first light that can be used in all of these situations. Uniquely the GoBe range can be used in water to a depth of 120m but also it can be used in the air thanks to the design of the body which allows the light head to be cooled via vents on the side of the body. If the vents were to be obscured the GoBe range is protected by thermal cut outs to protect the electronics. 

So far we have established that the Light and Motion GoBe is versatile because it is lightweight (160g), compact, hand held and can be used in the air or water but the icing on the cake is that the torch is modular in design, allowing the light head or body to be changed within seconds. Light and Motion have created a total of six different light heads and two bodies at launch that offer a choice of concentrated, spot and wide angle beams, speciality lights such as red and blue lights, 500 or 700 lumen outputs and a 2.2Ah and 3.0Ah battery bodies. What it means is if you want a spot beam for during the day to explore under rocks and in holes then the 20° spot head gives a nice focussed beam to cut through the dark but you also a wide beam for a night dive or a bit of extra light when using a GoPro or similar style camera then, rather than needing to buy two completely separate torches, you can just change the head and away you go. The standard white light models are available in the following pre-packaged configurations:

• GoBe 500 Spot (currently available in two colours) – 2.2Ah battery, 500 lumen, 20° spot beam
• GoBe+ 700 Spot – 3.0Ah battery, 700 lumen, 20° spot beam
• GoBe+ 700 wide – 3.0Ah battery, 700 lumen, 60° wide beam
• GoBe+ 500 Search – 3.0Ah battery, 500 lumen, 8° search beam

A pre-packaged GoBe Nightsea version is also available for those wanting to explore the phosphorescence on a night dive but please be aware they you will need a mask filter to see the response and also a filter for your still or video camera to capture the image. Flat plate and GoPro Hero3 filters are available. There is also the addition of a red light head that is available but not as a pre-built unit.

Each unit has two different modes, light and alternative. The light modes is continuous light with three adjustable outputs. The alternative mode includes an extended burn time mode which allows the light to be on for 24 hours + if fully charged and also an SOS function which, again, can run for over a day from a full charge. Switching is via a smart button on top of the body which uses a combination of push and release or push and hold to choose the right mode. Push and release will enter the light mode whilst push and hold will activate the alternative modes. Once the light is on pushing the button and releasing will change the light function within that mode (switching between output levels for instance). A single LED near the button provides battery status information, changing from green to amber to red. The Light and Motion GoBe Lights are not supplied with a mains charger and instead can be charged via any USB port, whether it be a mains adapter, PC or Mac outlet. The power output of the port will affect how long the battery takes to charge, obviously more power the quicker it will charge. The GoBe body is capable of indicating the current power output of the port to give you some idea of the expected battery charge time. I mentioned about use with a sports camera like the GoPro Hero3 and another great feature of the GoBe range is that not only can it be held in the hand but also mounted in a number of ways. Depending on which packaged model you go for the box will contain one, some or a mix of different mounting options including:

• Wrist Lanyard
• Bar Mount
• Imaging Mount Kit containing ball and Locline mounts
• YS Mount

Most of the packages include the Accessory Kit which has the USB charging cable, the bar mount, a wrist lanyard, a dust cap to cover the head and body ports when not assembled, a small pack of silicone grease and a spare O-ring but the 700 lumen wide model includes the photo ball and Locline mounts as well. All the mounting kits are available separately as well. As time goes on I imagine more mounting options will start to become available as users start to say ‘It would be useful if I can mount it to…’ I’m really impressed with the overall build of these dive lights and I’m interested to hear what everyone else thinks of them.

Is the modular platform useful? Are Light and Motion missing some really obvious? Please tell me what you think.