another question on that gift for hubby

[donnad]

what is available in a "kick-butt" type light that is small enough for BC pocket, not necisarrily for primary light, but for illuminating things to see their true color, for looking under ledges, etc. i haven't asked husband if he wants it for his primary light on a night dive, i just know he wants to be able to shine it on stuff to see its true color on day/night dives, etc. and might not want something big. i don't really want to ask him, cause i want to surprise him, but might have to ask him some questions. anyway, what about small but very powerful? thanks,donna

 

[Diver0001]

[edited : details...]

tough one.

None of the backup lights are the "kick butt" type and none are HID, that I know of.

What you're left with are Halogen, Xeon and LED bulbs. The LED ones might give you the best colour to work with and long battery life. You'll probably be looking at about the 30 lumen range for a small one one with one LED (about as bright as a largish maglite) and maybe up to 200-odd for one with 3 large LED's in it, which is more like what you need for a primary light, but the package is also like a primary light ...

R..

 

[CarlS]

If you would like, Sartek has a 4 watt LED flashlight that uses 3 disposable alkaline c cells (EBL4000C), which will power it for days. It produces a white light right up to the end of the battery life. It has a lifetime warrantee, virtually indestructable, 1000' rating, 120,000 hour lamp life, now has a 100 lumen output and if your husband doesn't want it......send it back for a full refund. We have a number of customers that use this light as a primary, particularly when they are on vacation and have a weight restriction. Please contact me if you have any questions.

 

[Manta]

what is available in a "kick-butt" type light that is small enough for BC pocket, not necisarrily for primary light, but for illuminating things to see their true color, for looking under ledges, etc. i haven't asked husband if he wants it for his primary light on a night dive, i just know he wants to be able to shine it on stuff to see its true color on day/night dives, etc. and might not want something big. i don't really want to ask him, cause i want to surprise him, but might have to ask him some questions. anyway, what about small but very powerful? thanks,donna

Hey Donnad,

Take a look at our Diamond back up light, www.mantaindustries.com. It is powered by 2-3volt lithium batteries and will give you a 6 hour burn time. It is very small, 6" and extremely bright. It is a 3 watt LED with a bulb life of 100,000 hours. It will provide a very bright white light.

If you have any question, let me know.

Thanks - Greg

 

[donnad]

well, after reading alot on here, and checking out several websites suggested, i think i will go with the Sartek 4watt LED. sounds like a great light for nooks and crannies and can even be a primary if you want. but yet, won't light up the whole reef at night, and isn't too big. thanks so much everyone for helping me! will order it later this month. husbands birthday is in May. thanks again, and have a great day!

 

[Rev. Blade]

Ikelight makes a pocket light that burns 6 AA batteries in series. It has a tighter and brighter beam than my Underwater Kinetics SL4. The downside of course, is that it eats batteries in a hurry. I made 14 dives with B&B SCUBA (on Maui) last week. The Ikelight was what all the employees carried. For daytime diving in 60 foot vis water, it seemed to be a very capable light. Good for pointing out fish, lobsters and eels that I might have missed. (I think they had the PCA http://www.scubatoys.com/store/Scuba_Lights.asp?PAGE=2 )

Then again, I didn't change my C cells all week, and my light already had 10 or 12 daytime (and one night dive) before I started in Hawaii. My SL4 is still fresh enough that I'm not changing the batteries. I'm sure I saw my dive buddy change her AAs during the week, and think she actually changed them twice.

C cells cost about twice as much as AAs, but they last a good deal longer. Count in the cost of batteries in your light plans.

The Manta mentioned above should be rechargable. I've had enough lights flood that I don't expect most lights to outlast a set of batteries. My Shockwave LED may be the first LED light that outlasts it's batteries. Combine the 9 watt power usage with a leak resistant design... equals batteries that eventually fail. I'd be interested to hear what all the Manta warranty covers (if it floods)... bulb, battery, switches, etc....

 

[aquaoren]

OMS makes an interesting hand held HID :Item # L10wFL 10w HID Flashlight
http://www.omsdive.com/phantom.html
It's a neat small light but doesn't have a rechargeable battery. It's powered by lithium batteries that have to be replaced.

They also have a good looking LED light: Item # L191
http://www.omsdive.com/lights.html

 

[Rev. Blade]

OMS makes an interesting hand held HID :Item # L10wFL 10w HID Flashlight
http://www.omsdive.com/phantom.html
It's a neat small light but doesn't have a rechargeable battery.

Did you find the OMS light for less than $1700? http://www.bluedivers.ch/downloads/oms/OMS2006 It seems a bit pricey for a non-rechargable, non-canister, fixed focus light.

 

[donnad]

lol, wow, a bit out of my price range!

 

[Doc]

lol, wow, a bit out of my price range!

Since you are still here, I'll throw this in....

I like LED lights, but no way are they of much value for the specific task you mention. I am a great fan of using a small light on day time dives. A lot of critters "hide in the shadows", and a decent small light is the way to spot them.

The only time these lights should be in the BC pocket is after a dive. They should be lanyard looped to your wrist or to a snaplink on the BC. Some folks use retractable reels. Gotta have it out and accessable.

I would appreciate any gift from my , but price isn't the determining factor. I would be thrilled with a small 4c cell light, like the UK. Maybe $29

The LED lights simply do not have the penetrating power or range- they are a diffuse light and most are quite a different color than sunlight... bluish.

Go incandescent and spend a few bucks on a nice Trident brand retractor thingie. Sounds like the kind of guy that might like a magnifying glass, as well.