Canister Lights!! Which one and Why???

[LakeCountyDiver]

I dont want to spend $2000-$3000 on a light but if that is what you recommend then still put it down. I am wanting a good can light that will last min 4hr on high. I am posting in this forum because can lights are used widely in the tech field.

Which one and why??? Please be specific on why you chose yours things like:
Beam
Price
Weight
Make
Lumin
Battery Life

Thank you all

 

[a22shady]

Light Type: 21 Watt HID 9ah 4 hour Burn Time Why: It's bright enough to do any dives I do now or would be doing in the Future, Powerfull enough to cut through murky waters and awesome for signaling. The light is focusable so it's able to be used in a wide variety os situations.

Company: Halcyon (Own) or Light Monkey, why? Both companies offer a Great product that would be hard to rival. Each company offers beyond exceptional customer service/support for there product should you have any Issues. Just search for examples.

When comparing both there are only slight very slight differnce's. Halcyon lights use Nimh batteries where as Light Monkey has Switched to Li-ion. Li-ion batteries are lighter Smaller and can generate same or more power in equal lesser size to the Nimh batteries. Downside is when you have to replace they are more expensive. Nimh are reliable have been around for a while and offer a great value. Personally I like the Li-ion batteries more than Nimh But I still bought the Halcyon Light with Nimh Batteries Why Because at that Time I got a better deal. And from what I can see that would be the only reason IMO to choose one over the other for this light.

Also for this light it will be less than $2000.00 especially if you shop around and get a good deal.

 

[tbone1004]

12w LED from 350xfire
Lipo battery
Kick ass light, although he's not making these like this anymore. Comparable one is the ones from Light Monkey
I didn't need a huge high powered HID for the stuff I was doing. It works fine in the caves and good enough in the quarries. I wouldn't take it to the Great Lakes or anywhere that was really dark and murky as it won't cut quite like an HID. I paid $600 I think for it, and the Light Monkeys are well under your 2k budget. The new Intova Ultranova's are what I'm taking for most of my stuff now as they're almost as bright. Won't last the 4 hours though...

 

[tstormdiver]

I have the Light Monkey 10-21 HID & have been very pleased with it! The light retails in the $1500 range. Focusable white beam. Very sharp beam that really penetrates. It is a 21 watt light with a lithium ion battery that lasts about 5hrs. I have used it all day diving & never ran it all the way down. Have never had it not strike. The canister IS that battery. The ballast is in lid, not the light head. I have only had mine a few months. My instructor has had his about 1 1/2 yrs & never had a bit of problem. Light Monkey's customer service is outstanding. They will even service other HID lights & batteries, if they can. The weight of the unit is 5.8 lbs & is -2.5 lbs in the water. it is manufactured here in the US in Lake City, FL by technical/ cave divers. Here is Light Monkey's page on that light: Primary Lights - Light Monkey Enterprises LLC . Hope this helps.

 

[kydaka]

I bought a Metalsub KL1242 LED Cablelight Package from simply scuba out of the UK and had it shipped to me here in Vancouver Canada without a problem. The light is rated at 140 minutes at 100% which isn't 4 hours but you can crank it down to 30% which should give you plenty of light time. extraordinarily well built and a light saber as well. check it out if you like here's the link Metalsub KL1242 LED Cablelight Package | Underwater Lights,Umbilical Torches | Simply Scuba UK

 

[kydaka]

I should also tell you about my other light which is from edgedivetech.com. it has a 3 hour rating at 2000 lumens, it has 5 cree leds..... I swear it will fry fish underwater

 

[Sas]

I have a Light Monkey 12wt LED and am happy with it. It doesn't weigh much, the light is enough for the diving I do, it was a good price ($780) and the battery time that I have gotten out of it is about seven hours. The first one I got flooded half way through a dive soon after I got it (not sure why... no one else I know has had issues though I spoke to a guy who sells them and says a small portion have had the wrong o-ring size which causes slow leak so perhaps that was it?) and it was replaced for free very quickly so the service was very good also! Replacement has been working fine.

 

[TSandM]

It really depends on the kind of water in which you dive. For Puget Sound, with its typical low visibility, you really need something with power and punch, and very focused. I have four 21W HID lights, all Salvo (the predecessor of Light Monkey). Two use a LiIon battery and have over a 5 hour burn time. I have been very happy with these lights, and on the rare occasions that they need service (and all lights eventually do) LM has had customer service truly beyond compare.

If I were looking for a pure cave diving light, or a night diving light, I would definitely be looking at the newer LED lights. And at the moment, I'd probably hold off on buying anything new until Dive X-tras has their light in production -- it looks really promising (although expensive).

 

[HenrikBP]

LED lights are getting better all the time, and due to the electronics driving them are able to maintain their brightness throughout most of their run time. Most LED lights also have a significant run-time in "survival" mode.

HID lights are great and punchy, but the "adjustability" of the beam IMO is lacking. Think Maglite: when you dial to "wide" you get a dark spot in the center.

Henrik

 

[DwayneJ]

I took the middle of the road and went with the Hollis 16W Led. It uses a single high intensity emitter and has a tight beam. LiPo battery canister lasting more than 4 hours.

16W LED with 1000+ Lumen light output @5600°K
Lithium-ion Polymer Battery with 4 hour burn time
Dry Weight = 4 lbs, Bouyancy = - 2 lbs
Delrin canister body with aluminum head
Goodman handle standard with option elastic grip handle
Canister Length: 9 inches and Diameter: 2.75 inches
Light Head Length: 5 inches and Diameter: 2 inches
Max Operating depth 500ft./152m.

http://www.divegearexpress.com/lights/hollis16w.shtml

About $900.

Dwayne