The virtues of the Nemo Max Planck 6000 have long been lauded on this blog – it’s an exemplary dive light in a class of its own. But the latest version just launched, and it’s blowing our previous favorite dive light right out of the water.

The Max Planck 8000 has a lot of the same features as its predecessor: 3 intensity settings so you can control the brightness; blue light, static red light, and flashing red light modes; an aircraft-grade anodized aluminum body tough enough to withstand even the cloudiest, murkiest, roughest waters; and a wide 120-degree beam angle perfect for illuminating a large area.

Now with 8,000 lumens versus the original’s 6,000, the Max Planck V2 is even more adept at giving commercial and recreational divers, as well as videographers and photographers, the high illumination they need to get to work, enjoy their dip, and capture every stunning moment on camera. And while some light models bump up the lumen rating on new versions without upgrading the battery, this beauty still gives users up to an hour of burn time on the highest intensity setting. Bonus – the battery goes from dead to fully charged within 2 hours.

Outfitted with 6 large CREE LEDs, the reliability, brightness level, and user control features simply cannot be beat. Drop this beast down to the lowest setting and it still thoroughly illuminates the area; bump it up to the highest setting, and you can easily see every wave of seaweed, lurking creature, and the intricate texture in underwater cave walls as if you were standing in broad daylight with 20/20 vision.

As of right now, there is simply no dive light out there that compares to this one, and it’s officially Dive Light Blog’s recommendation for 2017. If you’re a regular recreational diver, work in commercial diving, or want to take the best possible underwater photos and videos, this is the light you need.