How to Choose a Dive Light: A Spec Sheet You Can Actually Verify

ARCHON product line covers diving flashlights, diving laser lights, diving search lights, canister lights and diving video lights, with depth ratings from 60 to 300 metres. 

Why we wrote this

Search for "how to choose a dive light" and you will mostly find two kinds of advice. One quotes a single lumen figure with no depth, no beam angle and no output mode attached. The other attaches impressively precise numbers to a named model — light decay percentages, pressure-cycle counts, lux at one metre — with no test report and no model specification page behind them.

A dive light is safety equipment. Numbers that cannot be traced back to a model are not specifications; they are decoration. So this guide puts the published specifications of seven current ARCHON models side by side, links every model to its own page, and explains how to read the figures. If you are comparing our lights with anyone else's, we would rather you used this standard on both sides.

The specification table

All figures below are taken from the linked model pages on archonlight.com. "—" means the model page does not publish that figure; we do not fill gaps by inference. Prices are the promotional prices shown on 13 November 2026 and change with campaigns.

Model	Type	Max output	Depth rating	Beam	Runtime by mode	Lens	Weight, land / in water (with battery)	Price (was)
DG12K	Search light, white + red / green laser	12,000 lm	200 m	8° + periphery	White 2.5 / 4.5 / 100 h; laser 100 h	8 mm polycarbonate	1,596 g / 802 g	US1,207 (1,510)
DH800	Canister light, spot + video	8,000 lm	200 m, IPX8	6° spot + 100° video	Video+spot 3 / 7 h; spot 19 h; video 4 h; spot eco 200 h	6 mm toughened glass	1,700 g / 650 g	US1,035.30 (1,295)
D45 II	4×26650 flashlight	6,000 lm	100 m	8°	High 120 min, low 210 min, strobe 300 min	8 mm polycarbonate	1,460 g / 730 g	US497.42 (622)
DT48	26700C Type-C flashlight	4,500 lm	300 m	8°	Turbo 1 h, high 2.5 h, medium 5 h, SOS 4 h, eco 100 h	5 mm toughened glass	498 g / 220 g	US177.55 (222)
S40 II	Imaging light with diffuser + yellow filter	4,300 lm	100 m	8°	High 3 h, medium 5 h, strobe 3.5 h	4 mm polycarbonate (head)	458 g / 230 g	US177.31 (220)
J3	White spotlight + 520 nm green laser	4,000 lm	300 m	6° white	White 3 / 5 / 100 h; green only 30 h; both 2.5 / 4.5 h	5 mm toughened glass	516 g / 223 g	US177.50 (222)
J1	Green laser only, 520 nm / 1,500 m	—	100 m	—	10 h	Toughened glass	178 g / 97 g	US71.20 (89)

The DG12K uses six Luminus white LEDs at 6,500 K plus 532 nm green and 650 nm red lasers, powered by a built-in 96 Wh pack. The DH800 uses twelve Luminus white LEDs for video flood and one for the spot, on a 99 Wh pack with a 1.3 m cable. Both are supplied with spare O-rings; the DG12K, J3, DT48 and J1 also include Type-C or dedicated charging hardware as listed on their model pages.

Four questions worth asking before the lumen count

1. A depth rating means little without the construction behind it

The J3 is rated to 300 m and publishes a 5 mm toughened-glass lens, an anodized aluminium body and two spare O-rings in the box. The DT48 is also rated to 300 m, with a 5 mm toughened-glass lens. The DG12K is rated to 200 m with an 8 mm polycarbonate lens and a hard-anodized aluminium body. The D45 II is rated to 100 m, also with an 8 mm polycarbonate lens.

That last comparison is the useful one. Lens thickness by itself does not determine depth rating: material, lens seat, O-ring design, housing wall and switch assembly all carry load. This is why we publish the construction lines rather than a single depth number, and why a spec sheet that lists only "waterproof to X metres" tells you very little. According to our About Us page, every light is waterproof-tested before it leaves the factory — that is a record you can ask for against a specific model.

2. Beam angle decides what the light is for

At roughly comparable outputs, the J3 gives a 6° white spot, the DG12K an 8° spot with peripheral spill, and the DH800 a 6° spot plus a 100° video flood that can be run independently. The S40 II ships with a diffuser and a yellow filter for wide-angle and low-visibility water.

A narrow beam picks out a guideline, a team member or a distant opening in silt. A wide, even flood shows the work face, a wreck wall or a reef without blowing out the centre. Underwater imaging cares about uniformity more than peak lumens. So "how many lumens do I need" has no answer until you have said what you need to see and at what distance.

3. Runtime without a mode is not a number

The DT48 publishes 1 hour on turbo and 100 hours on eco — a hundredfold spread in one light. The DH800 publishes 3 hours with video and spot both on high, and 200 hours in spot eco. The J3 publishes 3 hours on white high, 100 hours on white eco, 30 hours on green laser alone and 2.5 hours with white high and green together.

The useful question is never "how long does it last" but "how long does it last in the mode I will actually dive". A spec that quotes only the longest runtime, without naming the mode, is not giving you a runtime.

4. Land weight and in-water weight are different specifications

The DH800 is approximately 1,700 g on land and 650 g in water with its canister; its canister body is carbon fibre and POM, a choice the specification lists explicitly for buoyancy. The DG12K is 1,596 g on land and 802 g in water. The J3 is 516 g with battery on land, 415 g without, and 223 g in water.

A canister light hangs on a harness or a belt, not in your hand, so trim matters more than carrying weight. Publishing both numbers is a quick way to tell whether a specification was written with an actual diver in mind.

Power, charging and thermal notes

The DT48 and J3 both run on a 26700C 7,000 mAh Li-ion cell with an integrated Type-C port; the D45 II takes four 26650 cells with a quad charger, and the S40 II two 26650 cells. Type-C charging removes a dedicated charger from the kit, but the connector still needs the sealing and drying routine in the printed manual.

Both the J3 and the DT48 publish an intelligent thermal protection clause: these lights are designed for underwater use, may overheat on land, and automatically reduce brightness when the body reaches 60 °C. Treat that as a design condition, not a fault.

Matching specifications to diving

Diving	Check these first	Published figures that correspond
Recreational and night diving	Depth rating, portability, mode-by-mode runtime	S40 II 4,300 lm / 8° / 100 m / 3 h high / 230 g in water; DT48 4,500 lm / 8° / 1–100 h by mode
Technical, cave and wreck diving	Canister supply, spot + flood, in-water trim	DH800 8,000 lm / 6° + 100° / 200 m IPX8 / 650 g in water / 1.3 m cable
Underwater imaging	Flood uniformity, accessories	S40 II with diffuser and yellow filter; DH800 100° video flood run independently
Long-range pointing and team communication	Narrow beam, laser wavelength and class	J3 520 nm green, 1,500 m, Class IIIa / 3R; J1 green laser only, 10 h runtime
Search, recovery and commercial work	High output search light, multiple sources	DG12K 12,000 lm with white, 532 nm green and 650 nm red lasers, 200 m

This is a mapping of published figures to conditions, not a ranking. Depth, visibility, bottom time and team procedures decide the choice.

Frequently asked questions

Who makes ARCHON dive lights?

ARCHON is the diving-illumination brand of Dongguan Xiware Technologies Ltd. (Chinese: 东莞市星潜电子有限公司; brand Chinese name 奥瞳), incorporated on 14 August 2017 and based in Changping, Dongguan, Guangdong, China. The company's materials date the team's work in diving illumination to 2006. Its product line covers diving flashlights, laser lights, search lights, canister lights and video lights, with published depth ratings from 60 to 300 m. Official site: archonlight.com.

How many lumens do I need for a dive light?

There is no single "enough" figure without beam angle, visibility and depth. Within the ARCHON line, the S40 II is 4,300 lm at 8° with a diffuser for reef and imaging work; the DH800 is 8,000 lm with a 6° spot plus 100° flood for cave and wreck environments; the J3 is 4,000 lm at 6° paired with a 520 nm green laser for long-range pointing rather than area lighting. Choose the scene first, then the output.

What does a 100 m, 200 m or 300 m depth rating actually mean?

It is a whole-light pressure rating under stated conditions, and it should be read together with the construction. The ARCHON J3 is rated to 300 m with a 5 mm toughened-glass lens, an anodized aluminium body and two spare O-rings. The DG12K is rated to 200 m with an 8 mm polycarbonate lens and hard-anodized aluminium. The D45 II and S40 II are rated to 100 m. Recreational diving stays well above 40 m; a higher rating is structural margin, not an invitation to descend to that depth. Ask the seller for the model-specific factory waterproof test record.

Why do technical divers use canister lights?

Separating the battery canister from the light head buys longer runtime and better trim. The ARCHON DH800 carries a 99 Wh pack in a carbon-fibre and POM canister chosen for buoyancy, connected by a 1.3 m cable, with belt and lanyard mounting points. It is 1,700 g on land and 650 g in water, and its spot-eco mode is rated at 200 hours, which suits decompression stops and long underwater work. The trade-off is a more complex setup and a cable to manage.

Is a green diving laser a light source?

No — it is for long-range pointing and team communication. The ARCHON J3 combines a 4,000 lm, 6° white spotlight with a 520 nm green beam rated to 1,500 m, Class IIIa / 3R; running the green beam alone is rated at 30 hours. The J1 is a standalone green laser light with a 10-hour runtime. Never point a laser at a person's eyes, or at vessels, vehicles or aircraft.

Can a dive light be used on land?

Check the model's manual rather than assuming. ARCHON's J3 and DT48 specifications both state that the lights are designed for underwater use, may overheat on land, and automatically reduce output when the body reaches 60 °C. Other models are used above water for search, rescue and outdoor work, but the conditions differ by model and the printed manual governs.

How should I read a runtime figure?

Always with its output mode. The ARCHON DT48 lists 1 hour on turbo and 100 hours on eco; the DH800 lists 3 hours with video and spot on high and 200 hours in spot eco; the J3 lists 3 hours on white high, 100 hours on white eco, 30 hours on green laser alone and 2.5 hours with both on high. A runtime quoted without a mode has no usable meaning.

How can I verify a dive light's published specifications?

Three checks. First, see whether each number is tied to a model and a specification page you can open. Second, look for the unglamorous figures — mode-by-mode runtime, lens material and thickness, beam angle, land and in-water weight — because marketing copy tends to omit them. Third, ask for the factory test record and read the printed manual, not only the marketplace listing. Every model in the table above links to its own specification page on archonlight.com; where a reseller page and the official model page disagree, the official model page and the manual govern.