Waterproof vs. Water-Resistant

Published 04 Feb 2020

• Featured in Jan/Feb Edition of Hazardous Engineering Solutions - Article By Nightstick

A common misconception is that waterproof and water resistance have the same meaning, but this is far from true. Even though some companies use them interchangeably, they do not represent the same thing, and not knowing the difference can ruin your device.

You can tell precisely how waterproof something is if you know its IP rating. The IP rating scale is a standard set by the International Electrotechnical Commission. It specifies how resistant a device is to freshwater, dirt, dust, or sand and typically appears on the product’s packaging or in the instruction manual technical specifications. Here are the IP ratings from lowest to highest.

IPX0: No protection against.
IPX1: Protected against vertically dripping water for a short amount of time at normal orientation.
IPX2: Protected against vertically dripping water when tilted up to 15° from normal orientation.
IPX3: Protected against water falling as spray rotated up to 60° from normal orientation.

Water-Resistant

IPX4: Protected against a splash of water from any direction.
IPX5: Protected against a stream of water from any direction.
IPX6: Protected against strong stream of water from any direction.

Waterproof

IPX7: Protected when submerged up to a 1-meter depth. (Often listed with a time duration.)
IPX8: Object suitable for continuous immersion in water at a depth of more than 1 meter. (Often listed with a time duration.)

Nightstick’s new MagMateTM charging technology provides users a waterproof method to recharge their portable LED lighting. Simply hold the magnetic connector close to the hermetically sealed charging port; the coupler will automatically snap into place.

With no port to open or rubber cap to get torn off, the possibility of water entering the product while recharging has been eliminated. Nightstick has over 50 waterproof intrinsically safe portable lighting products.

NIGHTSTICK^® – Performance, Quality and Value

Nightstick, designed and manufactured by Bayco Products, Inc., is a global brand of professional lighting products including flashlights, headlamps and Intrinsically Safe lighting solutions that exceed the industry standards in performance, quality, user-safety and value.

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