$2k HID lights - what is so magical about them?

[RJP]

No thanks, why collect something I don't use unless I am divng , hmmm...now where did I put that Spare Air?

My wife made me give up watch collecting once I started diving - something about only being allowed ONE ridiculously expensive hobby at a time.

Good news is that selling one "regular" Lange 1 was able to finance all of my scuba gear and courses, from OW through full tech training.

Just as well, the damn thing wasn't even water resistant!

 

[Thalassamania]

Yes, I sold my DOXA and that helped finish the house.

 

[vinegarbiscuit]

I've been trawling the gear sales board on The Deco Stop and saw some great deals on canister lights (and other stuff). I'm glad there are folk who have the means to upgrade their equipment every so often, as it gives me the opportunity to acquire their gently-used gear. Trawl the boards, if you haven't already...you'd be surprised at what you can find. I'm glad my fiance is cave certified...that way, I don't have to explain myself to him when I want to spend $500 on a "flashlight". My mother, on the other hand...

 

[Teamcasa]

Yes, I sold my DOXA and that helped finish the house.

I sold one transmission just to buy a wedding ring and a down payment on my house.

 

[Matt S.]

The cost of HID lights is especially irritating when you learn that the parts themselves are so affordable. I just repaired a 10W HID by replacing the dead ballast & bulb with 14W parts that produce 2x as much light. Cost of the parts? $75 at retail. That doesn't include the enclosures and battery, but you get the idea.

Thal covered it... no economy of scale for this stuff.

 

[scubafanatic]

That's what we keep hearing, but have yet to see. LED technology has improved by leaps and bounds, but still doesn't come close to HID in a Watt to Lumen comparison. All the LED canister lights I've used were far too diffuse. They need a better way to focus the beam on LED than with optical culmination.

.....realistically...the ONLY category in which HIDs remain superior to LEDs (at least for the time being) is pure raw firepower on the top end of the scale......which for most applications outside cave/wreck diving is like using a 16" naval cannon to duck hunt!

LED's are competitive/superior on the low to mid range lighting firepower......the light 'quality' is superior, the bulb durability is VASTLY superior...and if you've ever had to replace an HID cannister bulb you'll know those things run $200 a pop !, they easily accomodate variable/diver adjustable light output, the burn times are superior, you can 'cycle' an LED on-off at will/just try that with an HID and see what happens! ....and for most divers doing things like diving reefs at night...using a high powered HID is like spreading toxic waste as far as the night critters are concerned.....they're completely blinded/harmed by getting zapped by an HID beam.....or they fled in terror LONG before you got anywhere near them, so it will appear like you're diving a 'ghost' (deserted) reef...everything's gone!

...interesting observation...if you check out the DiveRiteExpress WWW sight, they've already declared HID 'dead' an obsolete technology that's on the way out.

...I'm actually in the market this winter for some primary and back up lights......probably somewhere in the area of $ 2500 - $ 3000 worth total of lights, and they will ALL be LEDs !

(and yeah, I've got a 10W DR HID can light...so I've been there, done that.)

 

[fppf]

Let me just correct a few things.
HID bulbs are no where near $200 a pop, and the new bright LEDs are not cheap either.
You can dim HID bulbs, no one in the dive industry can get a ballast that will do that, yet
I don't cycle my light, however, again, you can cycle an HID. But again the dive industry is not using ballasts that can "hot strike" the bulbs. But it can be done.

If HID is dead why are automotive companies still progressing with them?

 

[Teamcasa]

If HID is dead why are automotive companies still progressing with them?

Every auto manufacturer is headed that way right now. It's only a matter of time before all automotive lamps will be LED.

Cadillac beats Lexus with first full-LED headlights - AutoSpies Auto News

 

[D_B]

because of the watts per light output .. HID's draw less power than incandescent lights, and less power means more gas mileage , heck, they already turn off the alternator when it's not needed just to eek out a bit more... you can bet when they make LED's that can be used as a headlight, they will

Edit: Thanks Dave

 

[scubafanatic]

Let me just correct a few things.
HID bulbs are no where near $200 a pop, and the new bright LEDs are not cheap either.
You can dim HID bulbs, no one in the dive industry can get a ballast that will do that, yet
I don't cycle my light, however, again, you can cycle an HID. But again the dive industry is not using ballasts that can "hot strike" the bulbs. But it can be done.

If HID is dead why are automotive companies still progressing with them?

...OK, today, over on DiveRiteExpress :

LT6505 HID Bulb, 24W $176.40

..also here's DiveRiteExpresses viewpoint:

"LED vs HID Technology
Heraclitus, a Greek philosopher (about 500 BC), wrote "Nothing endures but change."

LED technology has advanced to the point where the LED brightness of 1000+ lumens is now greater than 10W HID and 15W HID. Although LED is much lower cost with a better color temperature, HID does still offer some higher light output solutions. While the laboratory meter reading of the 21W or 24W HID bulb is 1200 to 1500 lumens, in use underwater there is very little apparent difference in brightness between these and 1000+ lumen LEDs. LEDs aren't going to catch up to the 2500 to 3500 lumen outputs of 35W or 50W HID anytime soon, but they are used almost exclusively to light professional video. The HID bulb and reflector can create super tight 4-degree focus beams and also provides beam width adjustability. However, LED is catching up and the latest generation of LEDs are now able to provide 6-degree beams. The adjustable beam width feature has not proven important, in practice few divers actually use it (again mostly photographers).

The cost and hassle of bulb replacement for HID compared to the long life, robust nature and extremely low failure rate of the LED means that HID has reached end-of-life for dive light applications. There are certainly still HID lights around and plenty of long time divers will swear by the HID lights they own. But when considering the purchase of a new light, the reality is that for exploration diving the incredibly bright and low cost LED lights are a terrific value. As LED technology is continuing to advance rapidly, the demand for HID underwater light systems has dropped to the point where we no longer stock HID style lights. When shopping for LED lights, don't pay too much attention to the wattage ratings of the LED, it's not a good indicator of the light output as were HID wattage ratings. Our best advice right now is to compare lumen ratings and burn times.