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Small, light and very bright - these were the first impressions I had of the Kowalksi 620 torch when asked to use it on trial. As a photographer, my hands are normally full of cameras, strobes etc. so my prerequisite for a dive light is that it must be able to be helmet mounted and the control switches need to be readily accessible.

The 620 is only 200mm long but the power that is emitted from this little torch and its 26w bulb is the equivalent of much bulkier and heavier lanterns. The body is made from anodised aluminium and came with a handy neoprene cover that stopped the neat paint finish from being scratched. The lens is made from specially toughened mineralised glass which allows the unit to be used safely in and out of water.

After a modification to the handle, the Kowalski was easily helmet mounted under a couple of rubber knife straps and with two UK SL4 lights fitted for back-up the helmet felt well balanced. With the unit used as a hand-held lantern it is negatively buoyant and with its small profile can be clipped into a harness or BC and will lie unobtrusively out of the way until required.
Recharging the unit is simplicity itself. Two easy to use jack plugs are inserted into the rear of the lamp (it doesn't even matter which plug is plugged into which hole as the unit automatically works out the polarity). By having the lamp charged externally, there is no need to open the lamp - the main cause of failures in other torches. The lamp and charger can then be left overnight as the automatic charging system stops batteries from being over-charged.

Prior to the dive a simple locking switch prevents the lamp from being accidentally switched on. The unit proved itself to be exceptionally easy to use. With the locking switch disengaged the main power switch can be easily reached and all the functions can be operated with one hand, from off to full power and the very useful 50% setting, it is all just the turn of a switch.

I found that I spent most of my time with the unit switched to the 50% setting which was more than bright enough for most applications, it also gave me the benefit of allowing me to look at my buddy without blinding him whilst increasing my burn time. This setting also gave the best penetration through silty and milky visibility.

For the sake of overall balance I've tried to find something negative to say about the unit but with a very reasonable price you can't even find fault with the cost!

Review by John Lee