Test Report on our WARP 10 Ultimate

Following a test report from Professor Tanja Pietrass, Virginia. You can contact Professor Tanja Pietrass under http://www.tillytec-shop.com/images/...prof-email.png


WARP 10 Ultimate™ 9 LiFe LED

Pros: high quality workmanship; robust design; excellent beam quality; responsive customer service
Cons: price (offset by high quality and warranty); company not quite adapted to US customers (minor issue, expected to be corrected soon)
Overall: highly recommended

After switching to rebreather diving, I was in the market for a new light with longer burn time. I was looking for a burn time on the order of 10 hours, in order to provide sufficient back-up for 5+ hour dives, and to allow for diving in remote locations without having to recharge in between dives. My previous light is a DiveRite with slim line canister that I like for its small size. I do not, however, like the shock-sensitivity of the HID bulb. So aside from long burn time, I was also looking for a robust light equipped with LEDs. It quickly became clear that for this burn time, I would have to accept a larger diameter canister, and that the cost would be at least in the $1,300 to $1,400 range.

After some research, I came across the Warp-10. In addition to the information provided on the website, I had multiple additional questions that were expediently answered by Tillytec's US representative, Ralf Werner. There was some confusing information on the US Tillytec website that led me to believe that the Warp-10 had a shorter burn time than the TT3 battery coupled with the 1000-S2 head. Ralf updated the website and was very helpful in explaining the differences between the two light systems. With the equivalent burn time and the advantage of having a light that is focusable up to a depth of 150 m (according to Ralf; the test report on the German website says 60 m), I settled on the Warp-10 with the new lithium iron phosphate battery. Note that this is the ‘luxury’ model, hence the higher than average price. I liked that the three LEDs in the light head are independent of each other, meaning that when one fails, one still has a working light.

An issue arose in terms of shipping time - all Warp-10s were on backorder. Nevertheless, Ralf promised me my new light for the departure date of my next cave diving trip to Florida (about 3 weeks from the date of ordering). There were some delivery problems but Ralf kept me in the loop and sent the light directly and via express to Florida. The light arrived on time as promised.

When unwrapping the light, the extremely high quality of workmanship became immediately obvious. All parts on the light are machined, and the compartments are sealed off with a large number of smaller bolts. The seals are so well done that they remind me of ultra-high vacuum equipment. I also like the light switch which is large and easy to operate. The enclosure around the switch (to avoid accidental turning on and off) is large enough to easily accommodate gloved fingers. The cable is very well reinforced to prevent breaks at the light head and canister. Although the light head looked large on the photographs on the Tillytec website, the dimensions proved accurate and the head has a convenient size, even for someone with small hands.

There were, however, two slight dampers to my excitement: there was no manual included, and the wall plug for the charger matched the German wall outlets and cannot be used in the US as provided. Later I found out that the missing manual was due to miscommunication – Ralf figured that I’d be ok with the German version (as a native German speaker), and Tillytec Germany relied on Ralf to send me the English version. This issue is unlikely to arise for other customers. Once I notified Ralf of the missing manual, he immediately emailed it to me. The charger is compatible with 110 V and 220 V, so no problem here. I needed an adapter that I was not able to find at my diving location. However, a quick trip to the hardware store, a pair of pliers and a screwdriver, and a new US plug was connected to the charger. In addition, according to the German website, a clip as an alternative mounting option is included. I did not receive this clip, and Ralf verified that it was not supposed to be included. Note that the US website does not mention this clip – I gleaned information from both websites.

For my first dive, I had to figure out how to focus the light without having a manual on hand. A first inspection did not reveal any movable parts. I went online and searched around and finally found a test report on the German Tillytec website that included a description on how the ring at the back end of the light head can be used for focusing. It takes quite some effort to rotate this ring, and its role was hence not immediately obvious.

Further, I was not too impressed with the Goodman handle. The edges are too sharp, and the gap between the side mounting bracket and the light head itself might snag a line. My dive partner knotted a piece of bungee cord in place that spans from one mounting bracket over the light head to the mounting bracket on the opposite side, thus preventing any snagging. We cushioned the inside of the handle with sheets of rubber held in place with duct tape, to make it more comfortable on the hand, and also to prevent the handle from sliding. We were using scooters, and the hand holding the light head needs to be available for equalizing ears and controlling buoyancy. After these modifications, it was comfortable and snug. The slots on the side mounting brackets allow a very fine and easy adjustment of the gap accommodating the hand.

Having a smaller built and finite room on my waist belt, I removed the belt-mount from the canister and replaced it with double sided snaps. I mounted the canister the same way as my slim-line; behind my right shoulder and in front of the wings. Even though I have the oxygen tank for my rebreather mounted in the same area (behind the wings), this worked well for me. Under water, I could wiggle the canister into a position that let me forget it was even there. Even from the shoulder mount position, the cable is long enough to reach my left hand when scootering, and one or two wraps around my arm take care of the extra length when holding it in the right hand.

I charged the light up over night. No heat build-up was detected on the battery during charging. Charging actually presented a small problem. When connecting the light to the charger after completion of the first dive, the indicator light on the charger immediately turned green. As this was deemed impossible, we finally realized that the light switch needed to be in the 'on' position to close the charging circuit. It is obvious once you think about it, but I was used to a light where the battery is removed from the canister for charging. At this point, I did not yet have the manual on hand, and I had turned the light off after the dive. When the light was shipped, the switch was in the ‘on’ position so I did not become aware of this detail until the second charging cycle.

Before my first dive with the Warp-10, I tried a burn test with the light head immersed in water. After 10.5 hours, the last of us went to sleep, and the light was still going strong. So the only thing I can say at this point is that the burn time is longer than 10.5 hours - more than satisfactorily, given the specifications. On the US website, a customer reports a burn time of 13 hours! Unlike with HID lights, the light head does not heat up significantly. Ralf’s advice on the issue was to immerse the head in water if it felt hot to the touch. To avoid complications, I did so from the beginning of the test and did not notice any heat build-up.

Under water, the light performed extremely well. The beam is very bright, but not too bright. Two years ago, one of my dive partners test-dove a Tillytec 75 W and 100 W equivalent as back-up light, and actually opted for the 75 W option as he found the 100 W light too bright. This is not an issue with the Warp-10. On my first dive, I used the light in Jackson Blue that had good visibility (60+ ft) but particulates in the water. Scattering was not a problem, the beam is sufficiently disperse. My team mates commented that the light was not too bright, easy to see, and clear when used for communication. Deeper into the cave, the particulate density increased greatly and still, the beam illuminated the cave extremely well. Diving with buddies, I used the light in the most focused position. When overlaying my beam in the cave with that of my partner, his beam virtually disappeared. I also used the light on a solo dive where I experimented with the least focused position. The difference did not appear to be too great, but at 90 ft the focusing ring is expected to have greater resistance to rotation, and I may not have reached the fully unfocused position.

Later in the week, I used the light in two caves with poorer visibility and lots of particulates in the water. Scattering was not an issue, communication was easy, and the illumination of the cave superb. Attached are two pictures of the cave entrance to Jackson Blue, photographed from a distance of about 60 ft. On one of the pictures, I used the Warp-10 to illuminate the cave, the other one is illuminated by natural light only. The pictures were taken with a simple point-and-shoot camera and are thus not well focused but very nicely show the superb beam quality and illumination power of the Warp-10.


http://www.tillytec-shop.com/images/...2671_small.jpg http://www.tillytec-shop.com/images/...2672_small.jpg
Entrance to Jackson Blue, FL, from about 60 ft into the cave: left, with Warp-10 illumination; right, without.

The bottom line is that I am extremely satisfied with my new light. The peace of mind of having a bright, reliable light for many hours is very comforting especially on solo dives. Despite its high price tag, I assume that the lithium iron phosphate battery will outlast equivalent nickel metal hydride batteries by a factor of three to four in terms of charging cycles (as described on the Tillytec website), without significant decrease in performance. Time will tell. This brings me to the last point – the 10-year warranty. I am confident that the light will live up to the expectations that such an extended warranty promises. If it does, it is well worth the few hundred dollars extra when compared to competitors’ lights.