What's your favorite dive light brand?

[TSandM]

I bought Salvo lights when that company existed. Some of the folks from Salvo founded Light Monkey. So I have been dealing with these people for nine years now, and although they build very good lights, it isn't the lights themselves that keep me a loyal LM customer. It's the insane customer service you get on the rare occasions when you need it. I've had them come in on weekend days that they don't normally work, in order to get a repaired light to someone who was bringing it home to me. I've had them FedEx me a latch at THEIR expense because one broke just before a big dive trip. They do a lot of stuff for nothing, and when they do charge you for repairs or upgrades, the costs are modest. I love them; they tinker and innovate all the time, and if I could come up with a good reason for another light (we have four of them) I'd buy one of the LEDs with the split canister, to run a light and heater.

 

[PfcAJ]

The problem isn't really the price so much as the lack of performance/quality/service vs. other light manufacturers, but they are spendy. I have heard that Halcyon finally dropped the terrible Welch Allyn bulbs from their HID lights in favor of the superior Brightstar bulbs Salvo/LM had always used, so I guess they're slowly getting better.

They dropped the 18w YEARS ago. And I agree, the 21w is better.

I prefer H's light head design to LM's. I don't like remote ballasts nor do I like the round head. Halcyon might have a better lid design, too.

BUT

Nimh isn't the best. Quality lithium packs are better as the technology has matured.

I got to see the new Focus LED from H this past weekend in some fairly rough conditions. The glowing part is top notch. Keeps up with (but doesn't surpass, imo) a 21w, but it stops there. I'm not a fan of the sputnik style switches and knobs, and that goodman handle HAS to go. They ALMOST made the perfect light, but the doodads ruin it for me.

For me, the best combo out there is a 21w Halcyon lighthead with e/o on the old Helios canister with aftermarket batteries. Its reliable (I've never had or seen a 21w HID fail) and I can replace the cord myself in 15mins if something happens to it, and I can drop in replacement batteries easily.

 

[richied]

I use Halcyon back up lights and have tested the new Primary LEd lights they just released. Both their new cordless lights and the new canister primaries are just awesome.
I just posted about the new lights here: New Halcyon LED Primary Lights

 

[diversteve]

Dorcy

 

[tbone1004]

I use Halcyon back up lights and have tested the new Primary LEd lights they just released. Both their new cordless lights and the new canister primaries are just awesome.
I just posted about the new lights here: New Halcyon LED Primary Lights

so $1400 for a less than 1k lumen light with 6 hours burn time. $500 gets you a HOG Morph 1000 spot, which has 5-6 hours of burn time with 1k lumen. $1k gets you the UWLD 1500 lumen *same output as 21w HID* with 5.5hour burn time with a head that is easily clipped to a helmet and is nice and small to handhold. I'm not seeing any tighter of a beam angle with the H light than any of the other lights out there. The focus feature I guess is nice, but I still prefer a little laser beam handheld for signalling in murky water than have my primary have focus features. If it was $1k in line with the other 1k lumen lights out there I could see it, but $1500 is a big price to pay for less than 1k lumens and that little burn time this day in age....

 

[JohnN]

Andrewy 's travel DIR light

 

[buddhasummer]

Mb-sub. Great lights, great service and zero issues over the years. Only downside they are a little spendy.

 

[bamafan]

Underwater Light Dude followed by Light Monkey

 

[VA_Divers]

For pistol grips versus canisters, I love my Princeton Tec lights. Wide bright beam.

Shockwave LED is my primary and Torrent LED is backup/daytime light.

 

[kelemvor]

Edge (Edge Morph 1000 system)