Newbie Dive Light Question

[Aquaventurewhitetip]

My primary and back up have always been Green Force lights.

They come in to many variations to list so have a look at there website.

GreenForce - Divelights

I use an FII they call it a Flexi II, an umbilical and a Pro Head Solux.

Great options and as they are all modular so you can start with just a battery pack and a head and then move up as your budget allows.

 

[readysalted]

its LED lights for me, as they have outstanding battery life and are relatively bullet proof !!

 

[Druid]

I have a Tektite Expedition. They are excellent, well made kit that will be ideal for the diving you are doing now, and will make a good backup if you decide to upgrade to an umbilical light in the future. The anodised aluminium body feels as if it will last forever. It is powered by 3 C cells, easily available and makes a nice compact torch.

 

[ptyx]

Halogen is dead.
LED seems to be the most promising technology so far. For a non canister light, it's the best technology on the market.
HID is still slightly ahead for narrow beam canister lights above 10W. Probably not what you're looking for.

For day diving, there isn't such thing as too much power. For night dives on the other hand, you don't want something too powerful as it just scares the life away. A tightly focused beam is great for buddy communication at night. LEDs around 4-5 Watts seems to be the sweet spot for me.

Intova is a very good brand. I've seen the old model underwater, and it's great. I have the new model with two power settings - but it hasn't been in the water yet.
I like UK SL4 led light as well, although I've seen problems with their switches and they're a bit bulky for a backup light.
Ikelite PCa are in the same category, but they're very temperamental and I wouldn't recommend them.

In term of batteries, you can use anything on your main light, but I would recommend non alkaline batteries on your backup: rechargeable batteries don't stay charged very long even when not used.

 

[ChimChim75]

I have used a lot of lights and by far my go to light for night dives is the Intova Wide Beam. Puts out a wide beam that is much brighter than similarly priced D8 and C8 lights. I pick up the batteries for cheap online. The new Intova canister is supposed to be killer, but maybe overkill for what you're looking for.

For a crevasse light, maybe a SL4 or Dorcy.

 

[Brandon]

UK SL4 is very hard to beat for the price- they can be had for $25-35 bucks (for the xenon bulb). Will work as a primary light in good vis if you don't mind a narrow field of view, but really shines as a backup or travel light. If you want LED, you can mod it with a DIY LED module for approx $25, or buy the factory module for around $40.

In the price range of good primary lights (~$200ish), the UK Light Cannon is hard to beat. IMHO, HID cuts through muck a lot better than LED, and if I remember right, the C8 eLED is more expensive. If your diving is mostly in good vis, it's a bit overkill and the C4 may suit your needs better and save you some cash. Used LCs can be found in the classifieds for $100-$125.

I have a Salvo canister light + backups now, but still highly recommend the SL4/LC combo. For ~$250, it's awfully hard to find a better combination of primary/backup lights.

-B

 

[george w]

I agree with others have said. It is hard to just have one light for all diving. My wife and I have several for the type of diving. My wife has a Dark buster for cenotes and for wreck penertration. For that type of diving it is an amazing light. It lights the area like it is daytime. You can see everthing around. For just simple diving down in the carribian than a smaller light works great. If you will do photos than a focus light is best

 

[SCUBASailor]

Lots of interesting recommendations here. I enjoy doing the research and compiling the stats for this kind of purchase. My list to Santa might be kind of long this year.