Heser LED Backup Light Review

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jagfish

The man behind the fish
ScubaBoard Supporter
Scuba Instructor
Messages
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Location
Kanagawa and Florida
# of dives
2500 - 4999
For the last several weeks, I’ve had the chance to demo the Heser LED backup light. I’ve been very interested in the concept of LED lights, but have been largely disappointed with the lack of brightness and focus. I had read some encouraging testimonials about the Heser and decided to contact the company to inquire. (http://www.heser-backup.de/index_en.html)

The Heser unit is a bit larger and heavier than a scout, and very solidly built. These units are very well constructed and have excellent fit and finish inside and out. The inner heat sink sleeve is an impressive system. The reflective unit is a sturdy piece of hardware.

I did the recommended burn test with a unit, which was for 6 hours in a water bath. The light burned for seemingly the same intensity for the entire duration. After this burn test, I used the light for another 2 hours under water, and it’s still burning bright.

As with most LEDs, the light is a nice white, making normal 3C lights looks yellow and dull in comparison. I was impressed with the Heser’s ability to project a focused beam. It is not quite as tight as a scout, but darn close and certainly tight enough to use for signaling in any of the conditions that a scout can. In addition, the Heser puts out enough light to use as a primary at night.

In summary, I was totally impressed with these lights. The only downside I can see is the price. Originally, my intent was to carry these for resale, but I’ve sadly had to conclude that few if any of my customers would be willing to part with enough cash to cover my considerable costs on these units and turn a profit. That’s really the only negative point I can muster.

If I were diving caves, I'd have two of these on my chest without question.
 
great post jim, i too want to get my hands on these cool toys but unfortunately the price is too steep for my blood. for the kind of diving i do, the cost is not justified.
 
Spoon:
great post jim, i too want to get my hands on these cool toys but unfortunately the price is too steep for my blood. for the kind of diving i do, the cost is not justified.
A couple of guys replaced their Scouts with Hesers... Lucky me, I now have two affordable Scouts. :)
 
Thanks for the review. I think that if I were in the market to pay 200 euro for a backup light, I'd pay a bit more to get the DR 10w HID in backup size. But, stuff in Europe, especially Germany and the UK will often be more expensive.
 
Halthron:
Thanks for the review. I think that if I were in the market to pay 200 euro for a backup light, I'd pay a bit more to get the DR 10w HID in backup size. But, stuff in Europe, especially Germany and the UK will often be more expensive.


Get with Jack @ www.dublinbaydiving.com He's shipping to the US including shipping for 160Euros. The lights are worth every cent. I lent mine to a fellow diver on a night dive in the Red Sea last month. The comments were "light sabre" and "we thought the fish would be cut in half by the light." It is impressive. The longevity of the bulb and burn time give it high marks. Face it HID's are sensitive. LED is the future. The durability is there.
 
rigdiver:
Face it HID's are sensitive.
Two words: Brightstar bulb. Not that the DR backup formfactor HID uses it but any HID bulb you can whack on a table and have still work isn't sensitive.

Too bad the manufacturer doesn't provide light output, it would be nice to see how it compares.
 
Halthron:
Two words: Brightstar bulb. Not that the DR backup formfactor HID uses it but any HID bulb you can whack on a table and have still work isn't sensitive.

Too bad the manufacturer doesn't provide light output, it would be nice to see how it compares.
You got that right.
The Bright star bulbs have been very satisfying, and having the one-year warrantee through Salvo is quite a plus.
 
That's a possibility. I dismissed it because 67-87 lumens would be pretty poor for that price-point. Comparing MSRP to MSRP, Tektite's SeaRay 12 at 240 lumens is only $50 more.
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/teric/

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