Hey,
I will have about $600 extra dollars by the end of June and I was wondering what I should get. I currently have all my gear (well I am still waiting for my Halcyon Bc to come in) and I have enough money to take cources. If you had $600 extra dollars would you get a Halcyon Proteus 6 HID 10w or a set of Luxfer 80 dubbles with manifold? Just wondering.
Thanks
Tekkie
Wendy
March 10th, 2003, 05:20 PM
I vote for getting tanks. You won't need a light on every dive, but you will need tanks.
SPEEDSTER
March 10th, 2003, 05:30 PM
what are you doing for tanks now?
O-ring
March 10th, 2003, 05:35 PM
What are you using for tanks now? (like Speedster asked) Where are you going to be doing most of your diving, what type of exposure protection are you going to be wearing, and what depths are we talking here..?
Tekkie
March 10th, 2003, 06:26 PM
Currently,
I am working on my Advanced OW acticually at Millbrook Quarry ( I might see you there o-ring ) I am not going to start on my TDI Tec cources like Advanced Nitrox and Decompression until late this year or early next. I am kind of leaning toward the light because I will be heading down to NC to do some wreck diving this summer. I don't have a dry suit so no steels. Thats why I was leaning toward the Aluminum Dubble 80's maby 100's.:confused:
Thanks
Tekkie
SPEEDSTER
March 10th, 2003, 06:28 PM
Go with the light. I get a lot more enjoyment out of my hid than my tanks, especially if you aren't diving doubles yet, or will be soon.
M
Uncle Pug
March 10th, 2003, 06:32 PM
on the light... communication is the key to successful buddy diving and the passive communication that HIDs afford really makes a difference.
A lot of my stuff would go out the door before the HID would go... including the doubles.
dmdalton
March 10th, 2003, 07:07 PM
Amen on the light first. Rental tanks provide the best bang for your buck and (almost) no one rents lights and if they did they would be pricey.
Dave D
O-ring
March 10th, 2003, 07:25 PM
Tekkie once bubbled...
Currently,
I am working on my Advanced OW acticually at Millbrook Quarry ( I might see you there o-ring ) I am not going to start on my TDI Tec cources like Advanced Nitrox and Decompression until late this year or early next. I am kind of leaning toward the light because I will be heading down to NC to do some wreck diving this summer. I don't have a dry suit so no steels. Thats why I was leaning toward the Aluminum Dubble 80's maby 100's.:confused:
Thanks
Tekkie
Who are you doing your AOW with? Dave, did you see that he was going to Millbrook?
JeffAustin
March 10th, 2003, 08:31 PM
Do the light, you will enjoy it on every dive, I do.(unless it leaks,ARRRGH!!)
DIR Tec Diver
March 11th, 2003, 03:56 PM
I have both the Helios 9 10w HID and the 9 18w HID. If you do any cave diving, you will need the 18w, if you don't do cave but only wreck then the 10w will be sufficient.
MikeFerrara
March 11th, 2003, 04:54 PM
DIR Tec Diver once bubbled...
I have both the Helios 9 10w HID and the 9 18w HID. If you do any cave diving, you will need the 18w, if you don't do cave but only wreck then the 10w will be sufficient.
You don't think a 10W hid is sufficient for cave diving? I see alot of them in caves.
Aquamaniac
March 11th, 2003, 05:01 PM
DIR Tec Diver once bubbled...
I have both the Helios 9 10w HID and the 9 18w HID. If you do any cave diving, you will need the 18w, if you don't do cave but only wreck then the 10w will be sufficient.
WHAT??????????
dmdalton
March 11th, 2003, 06:19 PM
DIR Tec Diver once bubbled...
I have both the Helios 9 10w HID and the 9 18w HID. If you do any cave diving, you will need the 18w, if you don't do cave but only wreck then the 10w will be sufficient.
Trolling, trolling, trolling, keep them doggies trolling, keep them doggies trolling RAWHIIIIIIIIIIIIDE!
The 50W halogen was the best thing since sliced bread prior to the HID. Side by side the 10 W HID does much better than the 50 W halogen. There will always be something bigger and better, I understand that aircraft landing lights are real bright too but nobody (except O-Ring) wants a 747 strapped to their waist.
Nothing wrong with a 10 W HID. You will love it.
Dave D
DocRCH
March 12th, 2003, 02:17 PM
I would vote on a light. You might also look at the Abysmal and Sartek lights.
Robert:doctor:
runvus4
March 13th, 2003, 12:51 AM
Unless you have specific tank requirements that are not easy to fufill renting, get the light before the tanks. You reach a break even point for buying a dive light over renting one far faster than buying a tank vs renting a tank.
Also consider what the benefits are for owning a tank... It's really easy to rent tanks. Most of the time, the additional cost of a tank rental is usually only a few dollars more than an air fill of your own tank anyway. If you don't have a fill station, then you still have to go to your LDS to get the fills, which might actually be slightly less convenienf then just picking up a rental tank if the LDS has a slow fill station. If you don't fill your own tanks, then the best reason to buy a tank is so that you can have an H valve or doubles, both of which can be very hard to find a place that rents them. If you can fill tanks at will, especially custom mixes of gas, then buying a tank becomes much more attractive for convenience/cost reasons.
What are the benefits of owning a cannister light? Well, it's hella hard to find a place that rents cannister lghts, and the ones that do rent cannister lights have such a low rental rate for lights that they usually charge a bundle to rent so that they can still recoup investment/make some semblance of profit within the expected service lifetime of the light, counting maintanence/repair costs for the light.
Quest
March 13th, 2003, 05:55 PM
When you have a choice between something that will allow you to dive more often versus something that will just enhance a type of dive.
Well i choose the tanks...
GearHead
March 13th, 2003, 06:31 PM
After reading this thread I think I've noticed a recurring theme from the Florida divers (i.e. You and Wendy) - that a light isn't a tool that's used on all dives. Well, I haven't dove in New England, where Tekkie is from, but I'm guessing his Vis is probably closer to the soup we have up here in the PNW, than the Martini-style water that you guys dive in down south. ;)
For conditions like ours where the visibility is less than 15', you pretty much want a light at all times, and the brighter the better. BTW, Runvus makes a very good point regarding canister lights and availability.
Just my $.02
divegary
March 13th, 2003, 07:24 PM
For what it is worth, buy the tanks, and I have never found the idea of doubled aluminum tanks reasonable. Take a look at the E7 series Pressed Steel Tanks.
Quest
March 14th, 2003, 12:28 PM
GearHead once bubbled...
After reading this thread I think I've noticed a recurring theme from the Florida divers (i.e. You and Wendy) - that a light isn't a tool that's used on all dives. Well, I haven't dove in New England, where Tekkie is from, but I'm guessing his Vis is probably closer to the soup we have up here in the PNW, than the Martini-style water that you guys dive in down south. ;)
For conditions like ours where the visibility is less than 15', you pretty much want a light at all times, and the brighter the better. BTW, Runvus makes a very good point regarding canister lights and availability.
Just my $.02
Dont get me wrong, there are wonderful uses for a light. And for all we know his type of diving could very well be "cave diving".
And so the style of diving could very well change the importance of one item over another.
And sure florida has fantastic vis. But, im a new england diver where i once thought 20ft vis was an awesome dive and 5ft vis was sometimes to often.
But, 5ft vis even though not ideal for most styles of diving is still manageable without a light. But, if you have no tank then you pretty much have no dive.
JeffAustin
March 14th, 2003, 12:47 PM
Really, get the light. You live where a drysuit would be really nice, I'm guessing. So, when you get one( a drysuit), your al 80 doubles won't be ideal, you might be wishing you got steel tanks then. If you have no tank at all, then I would get some singles to start. In northern waters, if the sun is out and I am shallower than 20 ', then I will stow the light, any other time and that baby is blazing away!! Diving with a powerful light is cool for signaling/communication with your buddies, and you are now equiped to do night diving (with the proper training).
runvus4
March 14th, 2003, 01:57 PM
Well, even if he owns tanks, he still needs to visit the LDS to get them filled, unless he has his own fill station. Renting a tank vs owning a tank and taking it in to get filled isn't much more inconvenient. I'm going with cost/break even scenarios. I'm also assuming that more often than not, for North East dives, a dive light will be used more often than not:
Just going from the only LDS near me that rents both doubles and cannister lights:
Single tank rental Alum 80, LP 95 (DIN or yoke) hp 100, 120 with H valve $15.00
Double tank rental (lp 80s, 95s 104s or alum 80s with gas fill) $30.00
Cannister light rental $50.00
Cost savings per dive for owning your double vs renting - $30.00 if he really needs double al 80's, ro 15 if he can get by with a HP120 with an H valve.
Cost of doubles with manifold : 600.00 (Assumption since that's what he has to spend, can be more or less depending on new/used/exact tank/manifold)
Dives to break even - 20 for manifold doubles, 40 for single with H valve
Cost savings per dive for owning Cannister light vs renting - $30.00
Cost of cannister light : 600.00 (Again, assumption since that's what he has to spend, can be mroe or less epending on new/used/model/make of cannister light)
Dives to break even - 12
Mathmatics may differ for your LDS' prices.
Quest
March 14th, 2003, 05:06 PM
runvus4 once bubbled...
Excellent breakdown!
So i guess if your planning to dive with your canister light more than 12 times a year then its worth it to buy one. Then again if your planning to dive with tanks more than 20 times a year then its worth getting tanks.
As for me i do about 20 dives a week. Renting tanks is just way to expensive for me. and i have gotten more use out of having several sets of tanks then having my canister light.
The convenience is having a filled tank ready to go when you decide to go diving and no dive shops are open. Often is my case living so close to the beach.
Just as i will be doing in an hour, got my gear in the car and i will be stopping at the beach to do a 1hr beach dive on my way home from work. Now if i had to rent i would have to find a diveshop open after 5pm on a friday and waste time getting it filled or filling out paperwork that uses up the daylight hours.
JeffAustin
March 14th, 2003, 05:49 PM
20 dives a week, huh? If you are doing your 20 dives a week in Florida, then you really don't need a light, do you? I live close enough to the water to be diving every day, and I'd still choose a light over extra tanks(assuming you already have two or three tanks). You wouldn't be starting many dives at 5pm up north during the winter without a light; it's dark at 5:30pm. We dive all winter long, but you better have a light!! So, like Gearhead said, and by your own admission, you are diving in gin clear water during daylight hours ; your need for a light in those conditions is minimal. Oh, by the way, what if you get delayed in getting to the beach and it's dusk by the time you get there?
