what is a good compact HID or LED light?

[alberta]

I love night diving and am returning to bonaire for 3 weeks this this xmas.
I have a dive rite 10 W HID. Sometimes it is a bit too much cause it is a flood light and just lights the whole reef.

My 1st night dive was in coz and was so cool. We had 2 crappy little rentals that just lit up 5 feet in front of us. Bit more exciting I guess. More like exploring the reef.

Since the LED bulbs are more durable they could double as an all around flashlite right?
Something we would not do with a compact HID cause they break easy.

any feedback is welcome, thanks.

 

[mmakay]

Check out the Princeton Tech Shockwave LED. It's one of the few that rivals halogen lanterns in brightness, and it's only a tad over $100.

 

[Spoon]

cant go wrong with a frogman. i have two http://www.zweibrueder.com/english/...lights/ledlenserfrogman/ledlenserfrogman.html

 

[*Floater*]

cant go wrong with a frogman. i have two http://www.zweibrueder.com/english/...lights/ledlenserfrogman/ledlenserfrogman.html

Lumens?

 

[Spoon]

Lumens?

have no idea they are pretty bright though.

 

[*Floater*]

At one point I considered the C4 eLed rigged to work with 8 AA's. There was a thread about it. The point was that it would be lighter and more compact, yet just as bright as the C8 eled. Burn time over 2 hours (maybe 3-4) and rechargeable AA's and chargers are cheap. I don't know why the manufacturer doesn't just make it with 8 AA's to begin with. Cost from scubatoys with SB discount would be around $58.

 

[ScubaMike14]

I would definitely go with the Princeton Tec. I have several of their lights and am very pleased. They also come with a lifetime warranty that even covers flooding. They will usually replace a light if it fails (for free). Remember though, the LED will be no where near as bright as the HID. The LED is sort of a white/blue color that does not penetrate as far.

 

[Manta]

I love night diving and am returning to bonaire for 3 weeks this this xmas.
I have a dive rite 10 W HID. Sometimes it is a bit too much cause it is a flood light and just lights the whole reef.

My 1st night dive was in coz and was so cool. We had 2 crappy little rentals that just lit up 5 feet in front of us. Bit more exciting I guess. More like exploring the reef.

Since the LED bulbs are more durable they could double as an all around flashlite right?
Something we would not do with a compact HID cause they break easy.

any feedback is welcome, thanks.

Look at the Diamond back up light from Green Force (www.mantaindustries.con) it's a 3 watt LED that is VERY bright and compact. It has a burn time of 6 hours and is $125.00

Thanks - Greg

 

[GoBlue!]

I would definitely go with the Princeton Tec. I have several of their lights and am very pleased. They also come with a lifetime warranty that even covers flooding. They will usually replace a light if it fails (for free). Remember though, the LED will be no where near as bright as the HID. The LED is sort of a white/blue color that does not penetrate as far.

Mike,
Have you had experience with the PT Shockwave LED? (3 x 3watt) - considering this light, but was wondering about output. Sure, it's bright if you stare at it, but I was worried about penetration.

Jim

 

[ScubaMike14]

Sorry, no experience with it. The regular Shockwave (not the mini or LED) is a VERY bright light, I have had mine since 99' and love it. The Mini Wave is also a nice light, but battery life is not as long since it's only half the size of the Shockwave.

Hope this helps.

Mike