Who’s it for? Anyone who sails in the dark. Tested by Matthew Sheahan
Exposure Marine X2 marine torch
Why would you need a marine torch that costs £200, particularly if it needs recharging rather than using batteries? Although I had been impressed with Exposure Marine’s innovative and extremely handy bite torch, which is half the size of a disposable lighter and hangs around your neck, I struggled to see the advantages of this larger brother, the Exposure Marine X2.
Well, I did until I tried one. With its powerful yet dimmable beam, red night-vision beam, light weight and its lit buttons on the knurled alloy casing, the Exposure Marine X2 is impressive. If nothing else, it reveals how heavy and inefficient most domestic torches are – and how poorly suited they are to a night watch offshore.
In addition to a luminous strip around the body to help you find the Exposure Marine X2 at night, I liked the two-second build-up to the full light to help your eyes adapt and avoid blinding other crew if the on switch is pressed accidentally.
Verdict
It does take a while to get used to the two buttons used to activate the various functions. But once you do, it’s clear they operate well – and by this point you’ll probably feel, like me, that the X2 is worth its price-tag