Cavechat.org

The Stenlight has one big drawback (for me, at least): its magnetic switch that throws-off my compass by several degrees. This is the only reason I don't own one.

The Scurion does not have that problem, but I don't think that you can mount another light below or above it on a helmet. (And mounting lights on the sides is a no-no for small caves.) As good as the Scurion might be, I still insist on having two sources of light permanently mounted on my helmet.

Does this light have a magnetic switch (please say no!)? How does it compare to the Scurion in terms of space required on the helmet?

Sorry to say that it does have a magnetic switch. I thought this through beforehand, and decided that the magnetic switch would be the most durable way to go. I've been unable to find ANY light (aside from carbide) that doesn't throw my compass off a degree or two, so I didn't see any point in trying to find some other kind of waterproof switch to avoid that problem. Maybe that will be future project, somehow shield the wiring and controller and try to make a truely non-magnetic light.

Chris Chenier wrote:The Stenlight has one big drawback (for me, at least): its magnetic switch that throws-off my compass by several degrees. This is the only reason I don't own one.

i thought most of the Sten users that do cave survey and need to read instruments are in the habit of taking the head unit out of the bracket and flipping it over their shoulder so it doesn't affect the compass...

can anyone who caves with a Sten and does survey work confirm this?

I just undo the strap on my helmet, hold the helmet out at arms length, and use the light to illuminate the instrument. Even when I use carbide, I'll usually take the lamp off the hook and use it to illuminate the instrument. I'm quite skeptical about the non-magnetic characteristics of the scurion, the simple fact that there is a current flowing creates a magnetic field, and I'm convinced that's why my Myo XP and the plethora of other lights I've tried all mess up the compass reading.