Canister lights.....!!!!

[Icarusflies]

Hell All;

I am getting my first canister light but am confused about all the choices.

I have Fill Express (diverite express) 30 min form where I live so I tend to buy a lot of Dive Rite stuff however I am open to other brands.

I ll be diving mostly open water but looking to do tec classed and maybe cave soon.

I have heard good things about Salvo lights but how about Dive Rite, are they as good? Would 10W be enough or is it worth it to pay the extra $$$ for a 21W . How about fixed focus or adjustable focus???....I am not in photography.

HELP!!!!!;

 

[Mark Vlahos]

Hell All;

I am getting my first canister light but am confused about all the choices.

I have Fill Express (diverite express) 30 min form where I live so I tend to buy a lot of Dive Rite stuff however I am open to other brands.

I ll be diving mostly open water but looking to do tec classed and maybe cave soon.

I have heard good things about Salvo lights but how about Dive Rite, are they as good? Would 10W be enough or is it worth it to pay the extra $$$ for a 21W . How about fixed focus or adjustable focus???....I am not in photography.

HELP!!!!!;

OK a cannister light is a pretty expensive item, but it sounds like you are ready to take the plunge.

I have a Sartek and am quite happy with it. My needs are different than most however. For me the single most important consideration was how well it would survive the journey to the water. I needed somthing that was extremely rugged, light output while important was not at the top of my list. Sartek has introduced some really interesting lights since I got mine a few years ago, and now the light output issues may be resolved.

I also liked the screw on style end cap rather than the large external clips that most other manufacturers use on the battery compartment.

Mine is an adjustable focus. In open water on a night dive my 10 watt light is adequate and I usually adjust the beam pattern to a more diffuse angle. I have been on dives in California with others who had 21 watt lights and they put my light to shame. In a cave however with my 10 watt set to a tight beam I could not be happier. The light head is small compared to the monsters with the higher wattage lamps.

The choices are yours, but consider all of the options and try to get the right one first time around, these things are just too expensive to have several in your closet.

Mark Vlahos

 

[TSandM]

Icarusflies, you need to do a quick sweep through the archives of the "lights" forum . . . This is a common topic!

I'll make a stab at a consensus: If your budget is severely constrained, a good 10W HID is a reasonable compromise. Most people have found that they go on to buy a 21W anyway, and advise to skip the 10W step unless you like having a spare light around for buddies (or when the primary goes in to the shop).

All of the brands have their fans, but there's a huge Salvo crowd on SB, and we're happy with the lights AND the customer service.

 

[Warren_L]

A canister light is a great piece of kit, regardless of whether you plan on doing any tech diving in the future or not. For me, it needs to be focusable and have decent burn time. As for photography, I wouldn't use it for that either - I only mention this since you said you were not into photography.

A big consideration regarding the output of the light is the quality of water you'll be diving in. If you're not in crystal clear 100 ft+ vis, I would lean towards a more powerful light. Where I dive, visibility is generally in the 0 to 25 ft range and my Salvo 21W HID has served me well since I picked it up a few years ago. One thing about the Salvo that I have - it uses a brightstar bulb, which I've found to be more robust than the WA bulbs I've had in prior lights. Not that I try to bang my lighthead around, but I have dropped it on occasion without any ill effect.

 

[Rainer]

Around the waters here (MA) and in CA (the other place I dive), a 21W makes much more sense than a 10W. I've dived up here with buddies using a 10W, and it's much less bright than my 21W. In fact, I didn't think the 10W was that much brighter than a Light Cannon.

My light is focusable, but in all honesty, I always leave it at the tightest setting. This allows for the best communication. If it saves you money, you'd probably be fine buying a fixed narrow width reflector.

 

[Jordan]

If you're looking for the higher wattage light, go with a 24, instead of a 21. Most 21's out there use bulbs/ballasts from Brightstar. We have found these are inferior to our 24 watt light. They are much more likely to flicker and have color temperature changes when the light head is rotated, not to mention the fact that they oftentimes just crap out for whatever reason. What's in the 24 comes from Germany and is a much whiter, more stable and brighter bulb/ballast. Photographers and especially videographers really notice the differences.

Cheers

 

[xiSkiGuy]

I started with a Sartec 10w HID. It was a great beginner can light at a reasonable price. The bulb crapped out after a year of heavy use and I bought a Salvo 21w remote head Li-Ion. Much, much nicer!

 

[TeddyDiver]

If you're looking for the higher wattage light, go with a 24, instead of a 21. Most 21's out there use bulbs/ballasts from Brightstar. We have found these are inferior to our 24 watt light. They are much more likely to flicker and have color temperature changes when the light head is rotated, not to mention the fact that they oftentimes just crap out for whatever reason. What's in the 24 comes from Germany and is a much whiter, more stable and brighter bulb/ballast. Photographers and especially videographers really notice the differences.

Cheers

So how's the 10w in this regard compared to 24w? I'm lookin for a videolight setup with different outputs (mainlight/filllight).

 

[hunter991]

I am a Salvo and a Dive Rite Dealer. They are both good lights with different features. If I can help you with questions about either please let me know.

Brent

 

[Icarusflies]

Thank you guys. I was just fill up my tanks and I saw a Dive Rite 10 W, is nice and small. I see other brands and make a choice but since I ll be taking it with me in all dives it is important to have a small light head....(well you know what I mean...