Newbie Dive Light Question

[SCUBASailor]

Next on my list of equipment to buy is a dive light. With LED lights available, is there any benefit to the older (halogen, I believe) technology? I see they are still being sold, so it makes me wonder.

Also, I want to keep the bulk of the flashlight to a minimum. Of course, that means I have to balance light output with bulk. What lumen output do most divers find minimally acceptable for simple OW daytime diving versus night diving?

I am doing basic OW diving now, and I hope to do some night diving and spearfishing next spring.

Thanks for your input.
BTW, ScubaBoard is great!

 

[Sias]

I recently purchased an Intova Dive light as my backup. After using it, and comparing it to my buddies LED Canister Light, I am making it my new primary. This is a great light at a low cost (around $60.00 at my LDS).


Edit: The whiter the light, the better it will pierce the silt and other micro-particles in the water. LED is a much whiter light than halogen. If you get a chance to compare the two, you will see Halogen is extremely yellow compared to LED

 

[parzdiver]

LED's are great for their white light and increased battery life. They are great in dark conditions, night dives and caverns. However, they tend to wash out more quickly in dim settings. Searching under ledges and within reefs with high available light, halogen lights seem to work much better.

 

[fnfalman]

All I know is that my old halogen bulbs kept getting broken all the time while the LED bulbs take a licking and keep on ticking.

 

[Hoomi]

I just did my first night dive with an eLed C8 from Underwater Kinetics. It's not the most compact, as this model uses 8 C-cell batteries for power, but the white LED's put out a tremendous amount of light for the power consumption. The older model C8s are being discontinued, and I picked mine up for about $75, which is about half the normal price for such a dive light.

Based on what I've read here and other places online, the UK lights have a good reputation for reliability as well.

The eLed C4 uses the same reflector/LED assembly, but on a smaller housing utilizing only 4 C cell batteries.

 

[Jax]

I recently purchased an Intova Dive light as my backup. After using it, and comparing it to my buddies LED Canister Light, I am making it my new primary. This is a great light at a low cost (around $60.00 at my LDS).

Great review! Now, how does one find authorized dealers? :depressed: No list online.

 

[gcbryan]

Next on my list of equipment to buy is a dive light. With LED lights available, is there any benefit to the older (halogen, I believe) technology? I see they are still being sold, so it makes me wonder.

Also, I want to keep the bulk of the flashlight to a minimum. Of course, that means I have to balance light output with bulk. What lumen output do most divers find minimally acceptable for simple OW daytime diving versus night diving?

I am doing basic OW diving now, and I hope to do some night diving and spearfishing next spring.

Thanks for your input.
BTW, ScubaBoard is great!

It's a bit hard to answer your question since there are so many variables. In some parts of the country it makes little difference if you are diving in the daytime or at night. If you need a light when it is quite light underwater then you need a brighter light than you would need at night just for it to be seen. Especially if you use it for signaling.

I see little need for a halogen light these days...yellow light output and greater power consumption in general.

If you are just talking about pulling out a light to look under a ledge then a smaller white led light works. This type of light works well as a backup light at night too. Batteries usually last a long time with this type of light.

For more light something like a HID is good (UK Light Cannon) and now I see there is the UK Sunaqua which has twice the lumens of a Light Cannon but does require rechargeable batteries and does use two leds.

If you want a bright light to use for under ledges a small 4 AA battery white led type of light works well or as a backup for night diving to check your gauges.

For a primary light at night you will have to deal with more bulk in general.

 

[highlandfarmwv]

I personally like the halogen bulbs just because the coral colors look prettier than with the harsh light of the LEDs--just my preference

 

[diver 85]

For Toledo Bend & the Flower Gardens(don't have to fly there), I use this one(above)

For the Caribbean, I use this one--easy to travel with overseas....

What part of Louisiana you in??.....

 

[SCUBASailor]

I took a look at the Intova, and I see it's in an aluminum housing. All my diving will be salt water. It seems like aluminum would be too subject to corrosion for me. Wouldn't plastic be a necessity for salt water diving?