Sola Dive 2000 S/F

Beware of the 2yr limited warranty. After 2 1/2 years and over 300 dives, I have 2 out of the 6 LEDs on the outer ring that have burned out. The first one burned out prior to the 2 year point and the second one burned out just past the 2 year point. If I had it serviced prior to the 2 year point, it is possible that some of the repair costs could have been covered, but I truly don't know. As it stands, because it has been more than 2 years since purchase, the repair costs are $165 plus shipping, so most likely over $200, which is half the cost of a new light. So probably not worth getting repaired. I think a 2 year limited warranty is inadequate for a $400 light.

That being said, I have enjoyed the light. Being able to switch between spot and flood with 3 different power settings each has been very helpful for underwater photography, especially at night. A typical dive light only has spot capability, and when pointed directly at your subject, causes a complete white burnout in the center of the picture or video. The flood light is the perfect solution for this.

I've read the review from Bruce Lynn and I truly don't understand what he is talking about. Yes, the operation of the single slide switch takes a little bit of getting used to, but it really isn't that hard to figure out. The lights are pretty straight forward. My manual was more than 1 page and was adequate. I haven't had any of the problems he talked about. The only time I was confused by the lights and operation is when I accidentally put it in the travel lockout mode, which that manual helped me fix.

I purchased this light to complete my Night Dive & Low Visibility training/dives. The controls are easy to operate, and it's really bright on flood or spot settings. The mount fits in my hand perfectly with or without gloves. A big step up from my UK torch. Highly recommend.

Purchased two Sola Dive2000 S/F's for our October 2021 trip to Cozumel. The light mount on our hands was perfect. allowed hands free operation and what a light! Brighter than anyone else's on the trip. Have a 1200 that I had been using for several years and it still works great. My experience with the 1200 led me to upgrade to the Sola Dive 2000 S/F.

L&M's customer service asked me to "write a review" about their product after the latest bout of support to dealing which the most frustrating piece of electronics that I have ever owned. So here goes...

Here is a catalogue of its problems:

• To “wake” the light, you tap the power chord prongs on their fittings. What? It this the 1900s where you are using sparks to make things work.
• Another way to “wake” from sleep mode is to completely and carefully disassemble the internal electronics (to detach the battery) and put them back together perfectly. ???
• If the light won’t charge, try whacking it (actually, this step worked, but didn't fill me with confidence about the technology)

The "Manual is one page the size of a post-it notes (not much help to decipher the esoteric set of "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" flashing LEDs it uses for status indicators). the L&M website is sparse at best (go to the "Manual" for the light and you get a picture of the light. That's it...a picture).

Seriously, the worst designed piece of electronics that I have ever come across. So many special dive moments lost when the light messed up during or just before a dive.

This is as close as you can get to the power of a canister light, but without the encumbrance of same. I have used this light on a couple of night dives, one to about 100' fsw, and it really is quite brilliant. My dive buddy compared it to a car headlight, and I had to be especially mindful where I pointed it during our safety stop. For a while, I needed to use it to signal to some other divers below us, and they could see it clearly from well over 100' away, horizontally. It provided a great beacon to get them back to our ascent line. In beam mode it is average, but in floodlight mode is where this light really shines. Instead of only illuminating a narrow part of the reef or wreck, it illuminates large swathes in semi-daylight vividness. This light has really increased my night-diving enjoyment.