FIXXERVI6:
I'm looking at getting a canister light, seams the big market right now is 10W but I want BRIGHT light, right now I have a light cannon, they say its a 10W HID
How does the halcyon 10W HID canister light compare to a UK 10W light cannon in terms of brightness?
is the 18W really that much brighter then the 10W to justify the cost?
Take it from a guy who moved from the Light Cannon to the Halcyon 10W HID.
Completely different animals.
First of all, the Light Cannon's purpose is to bathe the scene with light - making it pretty effective for night diving when you need to illuminate a large space (if that's your intent) but for a focused beam for signaling, daylight diving, hole peeping, etc. its not much good.
Next, the Light Cannon is expensive to opperate, with all those disposable batteries.
The Light Cannon is big and heavy in your hand. It doesn't stow well - clipping it off means you now have this heavy brick swinging around you...
The net result is (for me, anyway) I often found myself leaving it on the boat or in the dive bag - so on a lot of dives, I was all "man, I wish I brought my light...."
With a Can light, it becomes part of your rig. You wear the thing. So in addition to being on every dive, its also lighter in your hand, stows safely and efficiently when not in use, is cheaper to own (long term), etc.
Design-wise, it makes a great daylight light, as its tight beam is much easier to see. Your buddy will be able to keep track of you better as you keep the spot in his/her line of sight, and if you need to get their attention, its a no brainer.
When you need a flood light, simply adjust the beam.
I can go on and on. The bottom line, for me, is my light has been the best equipment investment in my diving that I've made. Its not even a race. I'd sell everything else to keep my light. The measure of safety it's added, and the huge measure of enjoyment its added (looking into stuff, etc.) just makes it a must keep item.
As to cost - they're not cheap. I remember when I first coinsidered them, I laughed... like I'm gonna pay $400 - $800 for a "flashlight...."
I got my Halcyon 10W HID with the wetmate cord for $675 new off of eBay. After selling my light cannon for about $145, my new was about $530... more reasonable, but still expensive. I just bought an essentially new Sartek 10w HID off of ScubaBoard for $400. Deals are out there.
I'll soon be posting a comparison between the Sartek and the Halcyon. They are completely different. Both have some good qualities, and both have room for improvement. But you won't go wrong with either. There are others out there worthy of consideration, too.
I highly recommend one. Do a search with Mo2vation as the poster, and Canister Light... I chronicled my search pretty thoroughly...
Now, as to the 18w v. 10w... others will need to chime in (and will) as I only have the 10W.
Enjoy the research.
K
