Test Extra

Mark Evans: For 2021, Apeks Diving Equipment is making inroads into several new sectors, including torches. Along with the Luna Mini tested here, there is also the Luna, which is designed as a primary torch, and the Luna Pro, which is aimed at technical and advanced divers wanting ultimate brightness and power. However, let’s concentrate on the Luna Mini, as I can see this being the best seller for Apeks. Everyone should have a back-up torch with them, whether they dive in this country or when they go on a diving holiday. A back-up torch can live in your BCD or drysuit pocket, or the pocket on your Tech shorts, and then it is there when you need it, be that for poking around under an overhang or ledge, peeking into nooks and crannies, or looking inside a shipwreck. It is also handy to have it with you for emergencies - there have been several high-profile incidents where divers were drifting for hours after getting separated from their dive boat and they were discovered because one or more of the group had a dive light with them. The Luna actually has an SOS strobe function. A small dive light like the Luna Mini is also ideal for night diving in the tropics. It still astounds me that people use monster primary lights designed for use in deep or

murky waters as their light source when on a night dive in warm water locations such as the Caribbean, the Red Sea or the Maldives. These simply obliterate the darkness and anything out and about as a night-time denizen will either scarper sharpish or be fried in the brightness. It is much better to use a small back-up torch on a night dive in these locations, as it provides more than enough illumination so you can see where you are going, but the beam is not wide and bright enough to bother the marine life. The Luna Mini is absolutely perfect as a tropical night-dive light. The Luna Mini is made from marine-grade aluminium and comes in four eye-catching colours - well, three vibrant colours (orange, green and purple) and grey, for the shrinking violets. It has an XPL2 white LED, which has a spot beam angle of 16 degrees and at maximum power, puts out 1,000 lumens. It may be small, but it sits nicely in a gloved hand, and the button on the back to turn it on and off is easy to operate even when you have got thick neoprene or drygloves on. This button is also used to cycle through the three power settings. At full power you get a run time of about one and a half hours, on medium about three hours, and on low power setting, about six hours. It takes approximately four hours to recharge. It is a fully sealed unit, so there are no O-rings to worry about, and to charge the lithium-ion battery, you simply attach a charging cable to the butt. The Luna Mini is also equipped with ITM (Intelligent Thermal Management), which is patented circuitry within the light that reduces the power to the LEDs if they go beyond the optimum temperature, keeping the light as efficient as possible to maximise output and battery capacity. It comes in a nifty zippered and padded case, which keeps the torch itself and the charging cable safe and in one place. So that all sounds amazing, right? There has to be a downside. Well, there is, and it is that price. $650 for a back-up torch is a lot of money for most people, however, it has to be said that the Mini Luna is exceptionally well made, robust and bright. And who doesn’t want to put a little colour back into their (dive)life? If you can afford to. www.apeksdiving.com/au