All purpose light?

[MarineMammal]

I'm looking for a rugged light for day/night diving, spearfishing, lobster hunting, freediving in California.

During the day I'll be using the light to look into crevices and caves for quarry and interesting species. Since this is close range a wide angle and compact device would be nice.

For night I'd like it to be high powered with medium angle for distance but some peripheral diffuse coverage. Since I might do up to three dives in a night it would be nice if the battery life were around 6hrs or better.

Not sure if I need 1000 lumens, although bright is nice.....

I'm looking at:

Princeton Tec Torrent, a lower end light at 330 lumens but 30 hr battery life (had one before, not bright but reliable as ****) https://tinyurl.com/yc79yoku

Big Blue CF450 with 4hrs burn time and adjustable beam Bigblue CF450 450 Lumens Focusable LED Light

Scubapro Nova 700, decent 10hr burn time but narrow beam.... Scubapro Nova 700

All these however have their drawbacks in one area or another and none completely fulfill my requirements.... Ideally I'd want 1000 lumens, 10-20 hr burn time, adjustable focus in a reliable package

Any good suggestions?

(I've bought two big blue CF1000, and CF1200 before, one started leaking after first dive and second one would not return to full brightness after charging the battery so not wasting any more money on these)


Help please!!!!

 

[tbone1004]

adjustable focus isn't really necessary unless you are doing video. In the day time it means that the lux is very low so you won't have any penetrating power, and at night you'll likely get a lot of backscatter. Most of the small backup lights have a "medium" beam angle already.

 

[Rustydiver]

I've had this light for 2 years now and use it all the time. I've had it on 100 ft. plus dives and use it for night walks and working on my car.
Waterproof 5000Lumen XM-L2 LED Underwater 100m Scuba Diving Flashlight Torch | eBay

 

[MarineMammal]

adjustable focus isn't really necessary unless you are doing video. In the day time it means that the lux is very low so you won't have any penetrating power, and at night you'll likely get a lot of backscatter. Most of the small backup lights have a "medium" beam angle already.

Thank, I'll take that into consideration. The main reason a wide beam would be nice is because while freediving checking a crevice for prey with a narrow beam requires precious extra seconds to sweep whereas with the wide beam the short range coverage saves time and energy, both in short supply when breathholding at 50 feet.

 

[tbone1004]

Thank, I'll take that into consideration. The main reason a wide beam would be nice is because while freediving checking a crevice for prey with a narrow beam requires precious extra seconds to sweep whereas with the wide beam the short range coverage saves time and energy, both in short supply when breathholding at 50 feet.

so that is a lux issue. Lux is the "intensity" of light and as the beams get wider, the lux reading falls off. Without enough lux, you can't see into somewhere. To make that work, you have to get a more powerful light.

You can see two different beam patterns in this video. The Explorer "spot" version looks similar to the second larger beam light pattern from the 3w vs. the small beam pattern from the 2w

 

[stuartv]

Check out the Tovatec Fusion 1000.

"1000" lumens. Beam angle adjustable from 12 to 100 degrees.

I really like my Xtar D26 lights. They are awesome. But, I really want to get one of these Tovatecs to try. I think the adjustable beam could be pretty handy for night dives and for things like lighting up a whole room in a wreck during a swimthrough. At least, as compared to what my "spot" lights do.

A good 5500mAh 26650 battery in the Tovatec should give you over 2 hours (easily) on high. Maybe 3. If you find a light that bright that will last 6 hours on high, it will be too big to want to carry it.

Swapping out a battery between dives is no big deal. But, a 26650 in my Xtar lights usually lasts me through 2 dives, no problem.

 

[stuartv]

Tovatec Fusion 1000 Light

 

[tbone1004]

slide switches make me nervous...

 

[stuartv]

slide switches make me nervous...

Me, too. I'm still willing to try one of these out. They're "only" $130 and I already have the right batteries....

 

[scubadada]

I have several older Tovatec lights with slide switches. Periodically, they get turned on in my suitcase or dive bag and drain the battery. I am not fond of slide switches either. I'm not particularly fond of screw down either. I like my DGX push button button light DGX PUSH Handheld Light Kit - Spot Beam very bright, never turns on accidentally, perfect for day exploring or night use, inexpensive.