UK Sunlight C4 for a Primary?

[tappakeggadae]

My wife and I are what most would classify as warm-water vacation divers. We typically take 1 dive vacation per year - diving anywhere between 6 and 20 times per vacation. In 6 weeks we are spending a week in Roatan at CocoView and plan on doing between 5 & 7 night dives. We currently do not have our own lights and the trip has already "stretched" our original vacation budget - and thus we don't want to spend much more on new equipment that will only get used 1 week per year.

The diveshop at Cocoview rents dive lights for $36/ea a week. I found that I can get a UK Sunlight C4 for about the same amount with shipping from LeisurePro. I would rather spend my money on something I can use again in the future than give it to the dive shop for letting me use their equipment for a week... I just don't know if the C4 will have output to be used as a primary for warm water (high vis) dives. I know that the C8 is only $15 more and it would work... however, I think it will be a much tougher sell on my wife to spend the extra $30 at this time + the cost extra batteries!

Let me know your thoughts...

Thanks,

TKD

 

[jonnythan]

I've used the C4 in murky-ish water and it's fine.. but the C8 is definitely worth the extra $$ if you ask me.

 

[nazgul810]

I use a uk c4 as my primary in murky waters all the time. I can't say that I've used the c8 but it seems like the c4 should be adequate for the kind of diving that you will be doing.

 

[Damselfish]

I think a C4 light is fine someplace like Roatan, and if you're really going to dive every night it certainly makes more sense to buy than rent. (It's always amazed me how much many places charge to rent lights, as a percentage of their cost - compared to regs and BCs for instance. Maybe it's the cost of batteries in remote places?)

Another thought - although many people don't, I think it's good to have a backup light, or at least one between you. If you decided to spend the extra money that might be another consideration.

 

[tappakeggadae]

Thanks all... Based upon the input of everyone, I decided to buy 2 C4s and also bought 1 Q40 as a backup. The price I got on the 3 lights was pretty much identical to buying 2 C8s and it was only $15 more than I would have paid for 2 rentals.

 

[pwraudio1]

C4 and Q40 should be fine for yout dives.... I just got the C8 & Q40 eLED...

Have fun and be safe...