Are Canister Lights fading away...

[TONY CHANEY]

I truly embrace both. I love my Big Blue light but it comes with some complications. i.e. without the cord you cannot route it around your head to use both hands, the cordless lights are hard to hold on to the back of your hand without additional support, lost of the canister to secure your primary reg. hose around. I also think that my 21 watt HID, with the focus head, can penetrate the water better and has a longer burn time. I also enjoy the robust quality of the LED and the fact that it can be used outside the water. The HID can be focused from pin point to flood where the LED can't. OTOH, the LED output can be decreased output to extend life time as well as light matching.

 

[TONY CHANEY]

the big uwld's aren't for the burn time, they're for the 3x the light that the 35 puts out over the lx20, on top of the burn time excessive yes, but for the cost of the LX20, I'd rather get 3-4 backup lights and just switch out because the good backup lights are putting up comparable output to the LX20, good enough burn time, and without the size and expense

I have know Bobby F. for years but I cannot afford his lights.

 

[undrwater]

Curious to see if y'all are putting handles on your non corded lights. Also curious to know how you're routing the long hose.

 

[Superlyte27]

I'd love a non corded light, unfortunately there just isn't enough burn time for most of the dives I did last year.

 

[AJ]

To me it's about burn time, amount of light, but also practicality. If a light with the same burntime and the same amount of light will be introduced with a small size cannister, I will buy it. I don't like a heavy and cumbersome cannister/light on my left hand. I like the low weight light with lots of burn time and amoutn of light a side mount cannister provides.

 

[DevonDiver]

Curious to see if y'all are putting handles on your non corded lights.

I make DIY soft Goodman handles out of weight belt webbing and bungee.

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.701739413171469.1073741835.201817833163632&type=3

 

[Daedalus]

Your primary light is one of the most important pieces of cave diving equipment. Having your primary light tethered to you so it's almost impossible to lose it is one of the big advantages to a canister light. Also why I don't like EO cords.

 

[Capt Jim Wyatt]

Curious to see if y'all are putting handles on your non corded lights. Also curious to know how you're routing the long hose.

I route the long hose under my waist band...its NOT optimal. I do have handles on all of my cordless lights.

I'd love a non corded light, unfortunately there just isn't enough burn time for most of the dives I did last year.

My Dive-Rite cordless has a four hour burn time. Most of my dives are less than that, even on my longer dives a large amount of time is spent on deco and I do not need a big bright light during that phase of the dive.

Having your primary light tethered to you so it's almost impossible to lose it is one of the big advantages to a canister light. Also why I don't like EO cords.

I have considered this and have had other divers express the same concern. Since my light is on a handle I have never dropped it. Since it is always on if I do drop it I can easily locate it. EO cords are a different animal.

 

[oya]

Having your primary light tethered to you so it's almost impossible to lose it is one of the big advantages to a canister light.

I wear a bungee bracelet that my cordless is boltsnapped to.
(When I'm lazy, or forgot the bracelet at the bottom of the milk crate I just boltsnap it to one of my computer bungees)

 

[decompression]

Good topic Jim,

I'm lucky that in recent years my dive profiles are becoming more conservative as my age climbs. This has corresponded well with the advancement of LED/battery technology.

So, the power and burn times of the cordless lights meet my needs nicely. Also, cost. I think the biggest improvement so far is to back ups, lots of light with really long burn times at affordable prices. I now use back ups as primary's for non-overhead dives.

I'll be honest, I've always hated cords, there were some benefits and there still are but not having to spend the extra time with students managing the cord is nice.