Salvo vs Halcyon Light

[lamont]

i was studting my options as well and was choosing between the H and the Salvo. in the end i chose a salvo 21w li-ion. i have first hand experience on both lights and i liked the color output of the salvo better than the H. i guess this was attributed to the brightstar bulbs. also salvos seem more robust and better designed. halcyon has local reps /servicing, salvo has none.thats coming from someone from the Philippines with no access to parts or servicing, says a lot about my confidence in the product.

First thing I did with my Salvo 18W head was jury-rig a snap with a double-ender and a zip-tie (because that's what I had at the divesite after forgetting to do something proper first) and it promptly slipped off the double ender from my chest and smacked bulb-first into the concrete, no worries, though... I've witnessed the exact same maneuver take out W/A bulbs...

 

[Spoon]

First thing I did with my Salvo 18W head was jury-rig a snap with a double-ender and a zip-tie (because that's what I had at the divesite after forgetting to do something proper first) and it promptly slipped off the double ender from my chest and smacked bulb-first into the concrete, no worries, though... I've witnessed the exact same maneuver take out W/A bulbs...

these are the stories i like hearing reinforces my confidence in my chosen light. i even know of people banging their lightheads on cement to make a point, personally i wouldnt do that to mine. even though my new toy is tough, i treat it like a baby.

 

[TSandM]

I'm with you, Spoon -- I carry mine around as though breathing on it hard will ruin it!

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

i even know of people banging their lightheads on cement to make a point, personally i wouldnt do that to mine.

I would never do that to my Salvo ... I might do it to Lamont's, though ... :browsmile

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[lamont]

I would never do that to my Salvo ... I might do it to Lamont's, though ... :browsmile

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

I already tested it.... you stay away from my light... =)

 

[Manta]

I'm been doing some research on canister lights (even entertained making my own ... have all the parts but not the time) in order to evaluate which one to buy. I had narrowed it down to Halcyon or DiveRite but a friend just turned me on to Salvo's, a brand I hadn't heard of. He had just gotten back from a dive in the DR (Dominican Rep.) and used a salvo. Several other divers had Halcyon but the Salvo outshone them (excuse the pun).

So after doing some searches on this board, I think I'm familiar with their equipment and, as a bonus, read all the disputes, lawsuits (criminal) ... et al, between Salvo and Halcyon.

I went to my local LDS who had carries Halcyon and asked for Salvo lights. He said that Halcyon will not sell to him if he carried Salvo lights as well. Has anyone heard of this from other dealers? I didn't think the lawsuit had any "non-compete" settlements attached but I could be mistaken. Does this mean I'll have to buy it on-line (e.g., direct or through LP) or through a dealer that doesn't sell Halcyon?

Has anyone had a chance to evaluate Salvo's lights (or other products) versus Halcyon or, for that matter, other manufacturers? What's your take on their quality?

Hey DiveGolfSki

I encourage you to take a look at Green Force, www.mantaindustries.com We don't sell dive lights, we sell lighting systems. We offer 6 features our competitors don't 1) completely modular, any battery fits any light head (HID, LED or halogen) 2) sealed batteries; no external clips to pop open, charge direct into the battery OR thru the umbilical 3) twist contact switches, no rubber coated boot switches 4) triple O-ring sealed 5) rated to 900 feet 6) ISO quality control certification, no other dive light holds this certification.

If you have any questions please feel free to contact me.

Thanks - Greg

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

Hey DiveGolfSki

I encourage you to take a look at Green Force, www.mantaindustries.com We don't sell dive lights, we sell lighting systems. We offer 6 features our competitors don't 1) completely modular, any battery fits any light head (HID, LED or halogen) 2) sealed batteries; no external clips to pop open, charge direct into the battery OR thru the umbilical 3) twist contact switches, no rubber coated boot switches 4) triple O-ring sealed 5) rated to 900 feet 6) ISO quality control certification, no other dive light holds this certification.

If you have any questions please feel free to contact me.

Thanks - Greg

I know that Green Force lights are a great product ... but in truth, NiteRider offers many of those features on their lights. So perhaps you don't consider them a competitor ???

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[jonnythan]

The original poster asked about two specific product lines. Let's try to keep the discussion along those lines

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

The original poster asked about two specific product lines. Let's try to keep the discussion along those lines

Actually, I was getting to that ...

Has anyone had a chance to evaluate Salvo's lights (or other products) versus Halcyon or, for that matter, other manufacturers? What's your take on their quality?

As a matter of fact, I have ... in a nutshell, my experience with the Halcyon Helios 9 was not good. The light spent more time getting repaired than it spent underwater with me. By the time I sold it, I had replaced everything in the light except the delrin. By comparison, I have yet to miss a dive with the Salvo.

Comparing service ... when I initially flooded my Helios 9, I sent an e-mail to Halcyon inquiring about repairs. I never heard from them ... despite the fact that I also posted an inquiry on The Deco Stop (and I can tell you for a certainty that Halcyon employees read that board). I did get responses from several Halcyon dealers ... they wanted $400 for a replacement battery that I ended up getting from a third-party for $150. Several weeks after I got the light repaired by a third-party (Howard Sandroff), I finally got a response from Halcyon ... apparently, my e-mail inquiry had gotten lost in their spam filter.

Compare that to Salvo ... when I took my new light on its first dive, I noticed a slight flicker in the bulb. So I called Barry the next day to ask about it. He suggested I reseat the bulb, and told me he was shipping me a new bulb "just in case". Two days later, a replacement bulb was delivered to my doorstep. In the interim, I had reseated the original took it diving, and it performed flawlessly ... and it has worked flawlessly ever since. When the new bulb arrived I called Barry and told him it was just a loose connection or something and he said "well, now you have a spare bulb". I said "No way, dude ... you've got a business to run. How much do I owe you". He said send him a check for $100 and we'll call it even.

In my experience ... Salvo makes a higher quality product, provides better service, and charges more reasonable prices.

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[DiveGolfSki]

Actually, I was getting to that ...


As a matter of fact, I have ... in a nutshell, my experience with the Halcyon Helios 9 was not good. The light spent more time getting repaired than it spent underwater with me. By the time I sold it, I had replaced everything in the light except the delrin. By comparison, I have yet to miss a dive with the Salvo.

Comparing service ... when I initially flooded my Helios 9, I sent an e-mail to Halcyon inquiring about repairs. I never heard from them ... despite the fact that I also posted an inquiry on The Deco Stop (and I can tell you for a certainty that Halcyon employees read that board). I did get responses from several Halcyon dealers ... they wanted $400 for a replacement battery that I ended up getting from a third-party for $150. Several weeks after I got the light repaired by a third-party (Howard Sandroff), I finally got a response from Halcyon ... apparently, my e-mail inquiry had gotten lost in their spam filter.

Compare that to Salvo ... when I took my new light on its first dive, I noticed a slight flicker in the bulb. So I called Barry the next day to ask about it. He suggested I reseat the bulb, and told me he was shipping me a new bulb "just in case". Two days later, a replacement bulb was delivered to my doorstep. In the interim, I had reseated the original took it diving, and it performed flawlessly ... and it has worked flawlessly ever since. When the new bulb arrived I called Barry and told him it was just a loose connection or something and he said "well, now you have a spare bulb". I said "No way, dude ... you've got a business to run. How much do I owe you". He said send him a check for $100 and we'll call it even.

In my experience ... Salvo makes a higher quality product, provides better service, and charges more reasonable prices.

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

You called and got Barry Miller? Who's going to answer the phone once he reports to jail ...

Just kidding, thanks Bob, add one more for Salvo. I'm going to do more research and will check out Manta's link. Fortunately, I think I can get try my friend's Salvo for some "hands on" evaluation.

Spoon, if you ever need a Salvo part, I always know someone going to the RP who can bring it. Mabuhay.