noob askin' for advice

[SteveFass]

After reading the board, Flashlight Reviews.com, and manuf. websites I'm more confused than ever, so I'd be grateful to get your opinions. I use a light so far just for night dives in the warm tropics.

I have now a Tektite Trek 6000 (xenon, 7.7 watts, 6 C cell batteries, detachable pistol grip) and it's too dim for my tastes so I'm thinking of upgrading in time for a trip to Utila on Saturday where the night diving is supposedly as much fun as the daytime diving. I like the idea of a whiter light, and I don't like pistol grips (though I've never tried a lantern grip). I tend to lose or break my toys so I'm not looking to spend a bunch. Small size is appealing. Because I won't use it often, rechargeables are not a plus.

So far I'm considering the Princeton Tec Shockwave LED (pistol grip, 9 watts) and the UK D4 with the kit (w/18 watt bulb) and optional lantern handle. I have no idea which one throws more light. Do you??

Neither one is exactly what I want. Should I wait a year to see what else comes on the market? Will the improvement over what I have be significant?

Thanks much for your thoughts.
Steve

 

[gcg]

my 2cents....i would say wait. if it's not what you want then dont get it. also if your really into diving where additional light is required, consider going to a canister style light. they can be purchased via ebay for relitivly cheap. im not saying jump to an HID but a 50watt halogen would be a considerable step up. some of advantages of halogen are.. replacement bulbs and parts are dirt cheap and readily availible. i found a used slimline style canister and batt and hooked it up to my mr11 lighthead and love it. i get 2+hours of bright as hell light. i think i have a totall of $160 invested and bullbs from lowes are 3 for $10.
i just figure if your going to spend like 80-90 on a light might as well spend another 50 and have one that will surpass your needs and last a lifetime with cheap maintnence.

 

[Rev. Blade]

I like to carry a light for day or night diving... at least one.

For daytime diving, I prefer a tight beam. I'm primarily using the light to bring attention to (or view) a specific single thing. Lately I've been using my Underwater Kinetics SL4. (I'd rented one on a dive vacation for a night dive, and was pretty satisfied.) If I don't think I'll be using it, it goes in a BC pocket... but since I usually get out a light, it often just stays in my hand.

For night dives in clear water, I love LED lights. Usually one set of batteries will last for a dozen dives, since I tend to have my lights on and off during the dive. LEDs normally throw a somewhat wide beam, which is good for not blinding fish... and also illuminating a larger portion of the reef. My Shockwave LED uses 3 of the 3 watt LEDs, and is quite bright. (I've had divers ask how my HID bulb goes on so fast.) If you think you don't need a light, a 1 watt Princeton Tec XL LED light is a decent performer that is supposed to last 70 hours on 4 AA batteries. I have 20 dives on my first set of batteries, and they seem fine.

If you want a bright light for reasonable cost (and plan to keep it on all through your dives) a UK Light Cannon is a great "bang for your buck" light. I just got mine back from their warranty dept. (flooded, but fixed for free). Side by side to my Shockwave LED... you can't see the LED is on or not. 10 watt HID kicks the 9 watt LED.

However... for night dives, I prefer the LED. It's bright enough. (Yes, there is such a thing.) LED are on instantly. HID takes almost 30 seconds to warm up. I like to dive part of my dive with just a very small light. (It seems more like a night dive.) On and off is not a good plan for HIB bulbs... you can press it against your chest to hide the light, but you're still using your batteries. I think UK says the Light Cannon runs about 4 hours on the set of 8 batteries.

I haven't used any lights from Ikelight, but the dive leaders from B&B SCUBA (on Maui) use a little light that looks like it runs 6 AA batteries. The whole thing fits in a big fist, and throws a tight BRIGHT beam. It blew away my SL4 for light, on daytime diving.... Then again, I saw them changing batteries twice in a week. I have about 20 day dives, and a couple night dives on my current set of C batteries.

Asking here about lights is a good idea, but look at other divers lights when you get to a dive site. Talk to people who carry lights. Ignore the lights they leave home, or on the boat.