Welcome to ScubaBoard, an online scuba diving forum community where you can join over 185,000 divers from around the world discussing all things related to Scuba Diving. To gain full access to ScubaBoard (and make this large box go away) you must register for a free account. As a registered member you will be able to:
Participate in over 500 dive topic forums and browse from over 5,500,000 posts.
Communicate privately with other divers from around the world.
Post your own photos or view from well over 100,000 user submitted images.
Gain access to our free classifieds marketplace to buy, sell and trade gear, travel and services.
Use the calendar to organize your events and enroll in other members' events.
All this and much more is available to you absolutely free when you register for an account, so sign up today!
If you have any problems with the registration process or your account login, please contact the ScubaBoard Support Team.
I know the backup light question has been asked and I like everyone else I'm similarly looking at a scout (pricey though), Rat (or jr), or Photon Torpedo (I like the name!). However, I'm 5'7" and I was reading various complaints about size of the Torpedo and sometimes even the scout/rat when stowing.
Sooo... I'm wondering, what do people who are my height think is the best backup light to use.
Might as well throw in, which is brighter if you used various ones.
Thanks!
Last edited by Teamcasa; June 12th, 2009 at 02:03 PM.
Reason: Mod Edit
Sorry not a mod anymore but I'll report it so someone will eventually move it.
-----
I am only 5'9" and even a long light like the 500 Lumen DR is not an issue.
There are short 2 cell options like the mini-scout that save a couple inches over the normal 3 C cell lights, but generally you lose either brightness or burn time - there is after all no free ride.
I recently tried the Princton Tec Torrent LED. Lots of light for its size and great burn time. It runs off 8 AA batteries so it is amost in the same lenght class as a 2 "C" battery light and is about 6 3/4" long compared to the 8" or so of a 3 "C" light. It is also well designed in terms of having two o-rings and a solid yet non snagging place to tie a bolt snap on the end.
Like most LED's it is not quite as tightly focused as most halogen lights, but it puts out a lot more light and the quality of the light is much better - blueish white as opposed to yellow. Some divers regard tight focus as being important in a back up light for signalling purposes. But for reliability you have to under volt a halogen bulb so you end up with a tightly focused but very dim light for a given battery capacity.
Personally, I don't think tight focus matters as my buddy is gonna notice the much lower output of my backup either way unless she is asleep. After that the guy with the failed primary normally leads out, or at least does stay in the tail ned position. So I tend to go for the brightest LED I can find in a given size back up light as I have found that more useable light helps more in a backup than just a tightly focused beam. More importantly the latest LED's even if not as tightly focused will have a brighter center spot and a 2 or 3 cell Halogen light anyway so it is pretty much a moot issue anymore. The high reliability of LEDs has pretty much eliminated the need for a highly reliable and undervolted Halogen back up light. And there is a lot to be said for a backup with a 20 hour burn time compared to maybe 60-90 minutes. You can get mini scouts etc, but again there is a cost in terms of burn time and out put.
Nothing against the normal cave diving equipment companies, but they get their LED internals from Princeton Tec or other light companies, which pretty much ensures they are a generation or so behind with less light, less focus and about twice the cost per lumen.
For example the Torrent LED will sell for $70 - less than half the price of comparable Salvo or Halcyon LED back up light.
The thing I do not like about the Torrent LED is the switch as it can come on by itself, unless you are careful in how you stow it. On the other hand it does not twist on or off so you will not accidentally unscrew it too far and flood it and with the burn time, even being on the entire dive would not place you at risk of it burning out.
My "primary" backup light used to be a 500 Lumen DR hand held, but quite frankly the Torrent LED leaves it in the dust in terms of output and it costs $70 to the DR's $300. (A year or so makes a huge difference in LED technology and price) The saving grace of the DR is that you can get it with a cord option and in that regard it can stand in for a primary, but it has already become old tech.
Below is:
1. The DR 500 Lumen handheld (old tech)
2. Pelican Sabre light (really old tech)
3. The Princton Tec Torrent LED
Last edited by DA Aquamaster; June 12th, 2009 at 02:29 PM.
Men are like a fine wine. They start out as grapes, and it's up to women to stomp the crap out of them until they turn into something acceptable to have dinner with.
LinkBack URL
About LinkBacks
Reply With Quote
