Which Can Light?

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reubencahn

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So I'm finally convinced that spending hundreds of dollars on a flashlight sort of makes sense. But what do I buy? 18w or 10w? Halcyon, DR or one of the other brands? Do I suck it up and buy new or do I risk Ebay? And if so, how much should I pay? My diving is primarily Florida, ocean only. Vis can be lousy but this certainly isn't black water. Summers are blue water. I night dive only occasionally. Mostly interested in the light as a communication device. I'm also interested in the possibility of using the light with one of the special reflectors for digital still photography. I've seen both the Halcyon 18w and Halcyon 10w in action but nothing else. Last, price is an issue. I have a wife and son whose safety is at least as important as mine, so any purchase gets multiplied by 3. Any advice appreciated.
 
Snowbear:
Read 'em already. Should have said that. Not really interested in the HID vs. halogen debate or the SLA vs. NiMH. I want small, light and bright so will go with HID and NiMH. I'm really interested in the differences in brands and whether the 18w is worth the dollars over the 10 in light of the diving I'm doing.'
 
Snowbear:
OK - most of them have several posts regarding opinions and experiences with specific brands. Specifically - Terkel, DiveRite, Halcyon and a couple others as well as DIY. What others do you want info on?

p.s. - there are also posts about 10W v 18W preferences.

Well, I guess I read a lot of posts from people who had just switched over from halogen to HID or had just gotten their first can light and loved it. Didn't see a great deal of info on long term use. Didn't see too many comments on 18 vs 10 in different conditions. Saw little on use of the lights for still photography. (Maybe it's a bad idea, don't know.) Maybe just hoping for an updated sense of what's good, what's reliable, what's worth the money once the gee whiz factor wears off. If you think this ought to be combined with one of the earlier threads, feel free.
 
I have a 10watt DR light, I havea bout 100+dives with and it's worked great, but, it's not focusable, so it's not DIR. In terms of 10watt vs 18watt, I wish I had an 18watt and that's what my next light would be. If you have the cash I'd say go for the 18watt, everyone I know that has ones LOVES it.
 
I've got a 10 wt Sartek HID light and have been reasonably happy with it. There was no guard on the switch which caused problems but the company added one and now I'm fine. It's been deep on many occasions and has held it's charge well, the light is bright and can be focused and seems pretty knock-proof. The 18 wt's throw a lot more candles which might be great for caving but are hard on the fishies. If you're going to doing photography, I think they even make a 50 wt HID.

Worth checking out, anyway: http://www.sarind.com/acatalog/Dive_Products.html
 
Our dive team needs lights so I’m asking myself the same question. I’m adamant that we need HID’s but I’m hesitant to recommend any specific light given the price.

One small problem looking for dive light reviews is that HID’s are so flippin’ expensive not many people can afford to do a comparison. Consequently, what you end up with is a lot of testimonials. Besides, after blowing that much cash on a flashlight, it’s hard to conclude the one you bough isn’t top notch.

That said, I dive a Sartek 18W and my wife dives an EE 10W. We like them both (big help huh?). I’ve heard several complaints regarding the reliability of the EE light but haven’t had any trouble myself and EE’s support is supposed to be quite good. The EE 10W also seems much brighter that several other 10W’s I’ve seen (nothing scientific here… if my light blots out your light, mines brighter). At times the 18W seems almost too bright (a diving oxymoron I know). I never knew anemones could sense light before I got my Sartek.

I had an AUL WKPP style canister (single o-ring) that flooded on the first dive. AUL said it was probably operator error. They were probably right but they replaced the canister anyway. My wife’s EE is on an AUL canister with two o-rings and has never had a problem. My conclusion: be anal about your o-rings but use a canister with two o-rings anyway. Focusable head and Goodman handle are a must. I’ve also just ordered a canister and NiMH pack from stealth, I’ll let you know what I think when it arrives.

There are a lot of people making lights now so the prices are coming down. Sartek, AUL and EE are tried and true but some of the newcomers (Terkle and Stealth for instance) have some good looking kits. Since no ones going to send you a loaner, try to pay attention to what others are diving and compare the spots (maybe you can goad them into a my light’s brighter than yours contest.)
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/perdix-ai/
http://cavediveflorida.com/Rum_House.htm

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