El Speleo Light

[Trooly74]

Don't know for sure, but probably in month or two

[VRcaver]

The best way to answer most of the posts in this forum is for you to play with one of these in person!

I just finished boxing up 15 El Speleo 1600s to send to the NSS Convention. Check them out at the Inner Mountain Outfitters both if you are at convention next week. There are 14 cool whites and 1 natural white available, along with some info sheets and reflective stickers.

Unfortunately I am unable to make it to convention and will be caving in the Marbles in California the following week, but will be ready to field questions starting the week of July 8th.

It was noted earlier in this thread, but the http://elspeleo.com site is now updated and current with all the available information on this light. I have worked with Jeja (who designed and builds the El Speleos) to make sure everything is complete and accurate.

Lots more to come with El Speleo, so keep posted!

[Trooly74]

:big grin: Nora!

Maybe. But El Speleo was on market more than a year before Nora. Just to mention.
Not that I favorize El Speleo, but it is simple, and it's doing the job very well.
Would like to play with Nora some day.

[Mava]

Hi, my lamp arrived Works great !

[BrianFrank]

Light looks beautiful. Like it and I love the specs of brightness and battery life. I want to buy one. But, before I make the purchase, I have a concern that I need answered.

Sometimes I'm in a cave more hours than the specs show this light can handle. So, how difficult will it be to change the battery in a cave? At first it seems that it would be difficult as compared to a battery case that has a couple clamps/snap hooks and a hinge that opens, to change batteries. This light has screws that come through the back of the inside of the helment and two screw on knobs to a sealed battery case. In a battery change I would be afraid that the knobs could get dropped, not to speak of the fact of the inside of the helment getting mud on it from messing with detaching and re-attaching a new battery.

Can anyone answer with experience?

[Trooly74]

Hi Brian,
Battery change is simple and fast. In fact on my experience faster and simpler than on Scurion. Yes you have to remove hole battery from helmet and to screw a new one. If you are afraid that you will drop screw knobs don't worry. They will drop in helmet. Just came back from four day trip underground, and didn't have any problem with battery change, as many times before.
All details about burn time is on http://www.elspeleo.com/.
Trooly

[BrianFrank]

Hi Brian, Battery change is simple and fast. In fact on my experience faster and simpler than on Scurion. Yes you have to remove hole battery from helmet and to screw a new one. If you are afraid that you will drop screw knobs don't worry. They will drop in helmet. Just came back from four day trip underground, and didn't have any problem with battery change, as many times before.
Trooly

Thanks for the answer. On a 4 day trip how many extra battery packs did you take for the light? Just interested to gauge what I would need for a 12 and 20 hour hour trip. I realize the specs are on the website, just seeing how it worked out for you.

Another question. I see that at the bottom of the battery pack there are a couple of very small philip screws. Is this so you can replace the batteries in the battery pack when they start losing their life? Or is the battery pack sealed to the point that you have to throw the pack away and order an entirely new battery pack when it is time to replace the batteries?

.

[Trooly74]

I have two 7600mAh battery packs. On my experience that is enough for at least five days underground. Last year I was four days and a morning underground with just one 9600mAh battery pack. It all depends on how much light you need. I use most of the time first mode that is around 100 lumen on my lamp, more light I use just for photography and when there is need to see what is around you in large halls or large passages. For 12 to 20 hour trip you need just one battery if you don't need stadium light. If you need it then you will need at least one more.
BATTERY:
It is designed in that way that when you have to change the battery, you change hole pack. So you have to unscrew screw knobs in inside of the helmet, detach connector, remove battery, put new one, screw it and connect it to the lamp. It is weary simple and safe procedure. And yes battery pack is sealed. So you change complete black box on back of your helmet.
Trooly

[BrianFrank]

Thanks for the reply.

I apologize but I did not explain myself more clearly on the battery pack. I understand that you have to replace the entire battery pack when the battery gets low while caving. But, I see that there are 2 small philips screws on the bottom of the battery pack. Is that so when the batteries start losing their ability to keep their charge you can replace the batteries inside the pack? Or, is the battery case sealed to the point you just throw that one away and order a new pack?

[Trooly74]

The philips screws are for holding metal plate on top of the pack for protection. Inside of the battery pack is filled with some sort of epoxy or similar, so if you want to replace parts, you have to dig all that stuff out, put new parts in, fill with that black epoxy or what ever it is again.
The battery case is sealed to the point you just throw that one away and order a new pack. At least here in Europe.
Doug is manufacturing batteries in US, and I don't know is there something different in design. He can give you that answer.
Trooly

[BrianFrank]

Ok, now I understand! Thanks.

[gindling]

Brian, the batteries are rechargeable. There is no throwing away the pack until many years down the road when it wont hold a charge anymore. The batteries are completely sealed in a black epoxy resin for weatherproofing. Im sure you could make a simple battery pack that would allow you to use double AAs or something so you could easily change them. You just need to find the same connector cord to splice onto it.

I just made an aluminum battery holder that attaches to the back of my helmet with two screws, and some industrial 2" wide velcro is used to attach the battery to the holder. No fiddly screws, no added weight really (ill measure the grams of the holder), and very easy to replace. Ill post some pictures soon, im working on a tilt mechanism for the light now. I find the one that comes with the light loosens a bit as you move it around, and im a tinkerer, so I cant help but to modify things.

I also noticed the two screws that hold the bracket on the light are magnetic, which I think is the only steel on the lamp itself. I was wondering if anyone over the Pond has had any issues with these messing with the compass while surveying? Just to make sure I got some stainless bolts to replace them with, but I have a question for the manufacturer. Since this is made in Croatia im guessing its all metric right? BTW, I love the light.

[Trooly74]

There is no influence to the compass by the lamp.
Trooly

[BrianFrank]

Gindling:
Keep us informed on the upgrades you are working on....and send us lots of pictures (we love pics of new lights). This topic has more than 2,350 views so there are lots of people following all the news on the El Speleo!

[Scott McCrea]

I was able to touch, feel and play with this light in IMO's shop at convention this week. It is impressive. Very bright and study. I like the simple settings. Things I didn't like were the bracket. It has two thumb screws that you tighten or loosen to adjust how easy it will tilt. If I set it just right and then tilted it up and down a few times, it would loosen up. The bracket doesn't seem like it received the thoughtful treatment and planning the rest of the light did. Also, a personal peeve I have is with blocky batteries. I like a small, streamlined battery. This battery is definitely blocky. And, the screws used for mounting stick straight out, which won't marry to the round helmet neatly. The switch is also small, which might be good or bad. They didn't have it mounted to a helmet, so I couldn't tell if it would be hard to reach. Overall, I liked the light. I think the electronics, light output and burly-ness are superb. But, the little details that can prove to be very annoying kept me from plopping down the $400.

IMO, did sell four of them by the time left on Tuesday evening.

I also got to play with a Scurion. Also a nice light. The switch is burly and easy to operate. The battery is blocky, but is slightly better than the El Speleo because it curves like a clamshell to fit a helmet a little better. The Scurion head is a bit bigger than El—maybe a half inch in diameter. The bracket is slightly better than the El, but is clearly lacking the design attention that the rest of the light got.