Okay, now you're just screwing with me. =p
Are Salvo Lights as Good as Light Monkey?
- Thread starter Locus
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Hmm, if only there were some way to waterproof it...
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Those black flecks aren't on the bulb, they're on the inside of the tube that encases the bulb, and they're not a problem. You can remove the tube (it simply pulls off over a couple of o-rings that hold it in place) and clean out the inside of the tube with a q-tip. Blow some air in there afterward to remove any flecks of cotton from the q-tip or you'll end up with more black flecks. Push the cover back on and replace the hood and you're good to go.
I've owned one of these lights for almost 10 years now ... since Barry (the former owner or Salvo) first came out with the 21W version. Mine also has the clear cover. It's an amazingly durable light ... I have probably 2000 dives on mine. It just went back to Light Monkey for service because I flooded it on a dive trip ... but I tend to use my equipment hard. It's on its second battery and second bulb ... and probably its fourth cable. But it takes a licking and keeps on ticking.
Typical burn test consists of turning on the light and dropping the light head into a bucket of water, then timing how long it takes for the light to go out.
... Bob (Grateful Diver)
I appreciate the info, Bob. I'll take the cover off and give it a wipe.
I understand the basics of a burn test, but as it isn't practical to do one on a light I don't already own, I wanted to know if there was another way to confirm the health of the battery before the sale. I ended up taking the seller's word for it.
I bought the light and I like it so far. It has more punch than any LED I've used. I love the highly focused spot and its lightsaber effect through particulate. Burn test puts the battery life at around 3 hours 40 minutes.
I've been trying to talk to Light Monkey about overhauling/upgrading it, but Corey is on the road somewhere and so far his replies have been sporadic.
scuba5150
Contributor
Well, my Salvo light is dead. Either the bulb went, or it was accidentally activated at the surface and it burned out. I'm not sore about it; I knew this was a risk when I bought it. It's on its way to Light Monkey for evaluation.
How much should I be willing to spend refitting it before it makes more sense to cut my losses and invest in a different light? I see a lot of reasonably priced HID's in the marketplace.
Scubaboard has taught me many things, chief among them that virtually nothing really is as simple as some guy on the internet tells you it is.
How much should I be willing to spend refitting it before it makes more sense to cut my losses and invest in a different light? I see a lot of reasonably priced HID's in the marketplace.
Scubaboard has taught me many things, chief among them that virtually nothing really is as simple as some guy on the internet tells you it is.
You might have had the Welch-Allyn 18W bulb -- those were EXTREMELY fragile. I bought an old Terkel light years back and got two or three dives off it before the bulb went. The good news is that the battery and canister, lid and switch represent a significant part of the cost of a light; almost ANY repair you put into it will leave you with almost the equivalent of a brand-new light at a much lower cost. I would certainly be willing to spend up to $500 to refurbish and modernize your light, especially with a battery burn time as good as what you are reporting.
Thanks for the advice. Turns out the ballast was shot. I had been noticing that the colour of the beam had been shifting from cool blue to pink and back, which it turns out is an indication that the ballast is going.
Light Monkey was a bit frustrating to communicate with by email, but very attentive over the phone. They set me up with a new ballast for $160, then threw in a new chord, switch boot, chord protectors, burn test, pressure test, and some general TLC like spinning the ballast case on a lathe to make it look new again. I spent about CA$220 with shipping and exchange.
On Tuesday I picked my light up from my Washington PO box and took it on two excellent dives in Puget Sound, where it performed flawlessly until it flooded in the shallows at the end of the last dive of the day.
Light Monkey was a bit frustrating to communicate with by email, but very attentive over the phone. They set me up with a new ballast for $160, then threw in a new chord, switch boot, chord protectors, burn test, pressure test, and some general TLC like spinning the ballast case on a lathe to make it look new again. I spent about CA$220 with shipping and exchange.
On Tuesday I picked my light up from my Washington PO box and took it on two excellent dives in Puget Sound, where it performed flawlessly until it flooded in the shallows at the end of the last dive of the day.
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Oh, if it weren't for bad luck, you'd have no luck at all!
So it seems. Somehow one of the latches came open between the time when I shut the light off upon reaching the shallows and when I got out of the surf at Brackett's Landing. The only thing I did before getting out was check for neutral buoyancy with a mostly empty tank in very shallow ( ~1.5m) water. The surf nudged me into the bottom a couple of times, so maybe that jostled the latch?
Obviously I was pretty disappointed when taking my kit apart to find the can half open and the battery fizzing its guts out. Is there a way to make these latches more secure? Electrical tape maybe? I love this light and want to use it, but if this happens again I'm afraid I'll sell what parts I can and punt what's left into the sea.
Obviously I was pretty disappointed when taking my kit apart to find the can half open and the battery fizzing its guts out. Is there a way to make these latches more secure? Electrical tape maybe? I love this light and want to use it, but if this happens again I'm afraid I'll sell what parts I can and punt what's left into the sea.
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