Newbie with a light question

[vf84pc]

The bad thing about the Shockwave rechargeable is they supply NiCad batteries. These batteries develope a memory. The level of charge they hold will decrease over time and eventually they will require replacement. You can buy Nickle-Metal Hidride (NI-MH) batteries at Target department store C-cell type (The brand I use is Everready) and a charger for about $60.00 these will not suffer from the memory effect and will last for hundreds of charge cycles.
Both my Pelican Stealth recoil and my Princeton Tec Shockwave LED work great with these batteries. As for LED vs HID vs Halogen my type of diving tropical wrecks minimum penetration (so far) the LED lights have been great robust, no bulb replacement, etc.
This has been in tropical waters. I have never dove a wreck in Lake Erie or Ontario even though I live in Rochester NY. I would suggest consulting a local club and if you dive with them you can check out the different types of lights the members use. You can't go wrong with the LED lights but I know the serious wreck and Tec divers have different requirements.

 

[jagfish]

Maybe members that have a financial stake in a particular company should restrict their posts to the Manufacturers forum ? If I was in the market for a light I would prefer to hear opinions from Joe Average Diver rather than a manufacturer.

It's perfectly within the TOS of Scuba Board for manufactures and dealers to post relevant responses to questions and discussions in the general forums. There are several manufacturers that post regularly and provide levels of expertise and insights that casual users like most of us will never achieve.

Consider this input an added resource that you can take or leave when deciding on equipment.

If said members post ads and promotions in the general forum that are not relevant to the question posed, they will attact moderation.

This has not been the case in this thread.

 

[Manta]

I'm looking to buy a dive light to use on dives in the carribean and other warm water locations. Pretty much all clear water and wreck diving (not technical). Here's what I'm looking. I'd appreciate your thoughts and reason why not toget or get one.

Princeton Tec Shockwave II
7.5 - 15 Watts / 100 - 205 Lumens
1 Dual-Filament Xenon Bulb (focused wide beam)
Burn time 4-10hrs


Princeton Tec Shockwave Rechargeable
12 - 20 Watts / 205 - 389 Lumens
1 Halogen Bulb (focused wide Beam)
Burn time 1-3 hours

Greenforce Flexi funstar
3 watt LED/ No lumen listed/ 8 AA alkaline
8-16 hour burn time


Shockwave LED
9 Watts / 170 Lumens
3 Max Bright 3 Watt LEDs
Burn time 12-20 hours
8 C alkaline


I'm leaning toward the Halogen one because I think it will provide more light and cut through any bad viz. But the LEDs are attractive because of the longer burn time. I don't need more thatn 1-4 hours hours.

What's the pecking order for light bulbs? I know HID is top of the heap, but what's next? Halogen or Xenon

Thanks

Hi DiverDown23,

Thanks for your interest in the Green Force FunStar. One of several of the advantages with this light is its versatility. As your needs and diving change, you can easily switch the FunStar into the smallest and lightest canister light on the market by adding the umbilical. PLUS you can add the 10 watt HID head and get 2 hours of burn time! You will not get that versatility with any other light mentioned here within. Ten if you ever wanted to upgrade to a rechargeable battery.....ALL the components will work.

Feel free to contact me with any questions

Thanks - Greg

 

[diveprof]

I am not a believer in "the more light the better". I find that too much light at night sometimes means less marine life (or at least some marine life that move away before you have a chance to see it: lobster, eels). I also prefer not to have to wave around the block of a 57 Chevy. Given this, hear are some of my low cost, smaller favorites:

Princeton Tec "Tec 40" 4 watt light (4 AA batteries) - lot of light for the very small size
twist on/off - believe it or not $9.95 on-line, I use rechargable AAs.
Ikelite PC lite (4 C cells) or PCa (AAs)
Princeton Tec Surge (AAs) 115 lumens if I'm correct, reasonable price, adjustable to tight or wide beam

I believe in carrying back-up lights.

However, I do not agree that you must carry a heavy 5"X10" hunk of light to enjoy a dive, particularly a large light with a pistol grip. I might recommend the Shockwave LED if it came in the lantern grip (curved handle on top which to me is much more comfortable in a larger light than a pistol grip). If you must have a larger beam light for recreational diving, I would recommend moving into the rechargeable lights with separate light heads (Dive Rite, Halcyon, etc) before going to the large hand held designs. Of course that is just me.