Dive light

[PeterNBiddle]

+1 for the DRIS lights, although for actual night dives they can be too bright. I carry the 1K DRIS all the time and add a lower power light for night dives.


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[Lorenzoid]

. . . One more that falls in your range are the Dorcy lights, they're 220 lumens, CREE C4, take AAA batteries (6) and you can get two for under $100. Metal and it twists on/off so there's no switch to fail/leak. They'll also easily fit in most pockets - I carry an extra. Piranha usually has the best deal ($42) unless Dorcy is offering some percentage off on their website - these are both the same light:
Penetrater 220
Dive Lights | LED Dive Lights | 41-0467

My wife and I do tropical reef night dives (Roatan, Cozumel, etc.) and have four of these--we each carry our second one as a backup on night dives--and they give us all the light we want at a price that's hard to beat. They use six ordinary AAA batteries, which can be found anywhere in the world. Simple, time-tested twist-on/off actuation. But most importantly, the light is not so bright that it scares off the marine life. As LED and battery technology continues to evolve, it is now too easy/affordable/tempting to buy too powerful a light for tropical reef night dives. Yet, the Dorcy 220 is still more than powerful enough. You will not feel like it's a wimpy light by any means.

 

[Jax]

MAYBE the DRIS 1k shorty!!

DRIS Dive Gear 1000 Lumen Dive Light | Dive Right In Scuba - Plainfield, IL - Dive Right in Scuba

My favorite bang for the buck light is the 1000 lumen DRIS light. Uses 3-"C" cell batteries. This can be used as a primary or a backup light dependent on where your at. Personally I like the 1000 lumen lights, and I have a 3-position can light that I have dove at Coco View, and usually keep it on the 1K, or 2 K setting, and just use the 3K when Im really trying to get someones attention.

+1 for the DRIS lights, although for actual night dives they can be too bright. I carry the 1K DRIS all the time and add a lower power light for night dives.


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Sorry, guys, I was a big fan of the DRIS lights, but they do not stand up to lots of use in salt water.

In spite of careful rinsing and silicone grease service after and during trips, the DRIS housings collected some kind of electrolysis binding onto any part of its surface that had a ding. I used it for about two weeks, and then it seized up and would not turn on for me. I had to use a vice, and a BA plumber's wrench to get it unscrewed.

It will be relegated to a household flashlight.

 

[AdivingBel]

I use a Dorcy 220 for daytime tropical dives and it is my backup for night dives. The narrow beam is great for looking up under shelves and in holes etc.. I have a Bigblue AL350W for tropical night dives. I prefer the 40 degree beam for a nice broad glow rather than the tighter beam of the Dorcy. It's also quite small, easy to pocket and uses just 3 AAAs (same batteries as the Dorcy only fewer). Some folks like more light, but on clear, warm water dives, IMHO a bit less is more.

 

[PeterNBiddle]

Sorry, guys, I was a big fan of the DRIS lights, but they do not stand up to lots of use in salt water.

In spite of careful rinsing and silicone grease service after and during trips, the DRIS housings collected some kind of electrolysis binding onto any part of its surface that had a ding. I used it for about two weeks, and then it seized up and would not turn on for me. I had to use a vice, and a BA plumber's wrench to get it unscrewed.

It will be relegated to a household flashlight.

View attachment 214437 View attachment 214438

That's not good! Have you shown these pics to DRIS? Maybe they had a bad batch of anodizing. Mine have been on 4+ dive trips and still look fine.


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[Damselfish]

has anyone tried this one - Tovatec SportTac 2000, 220 Lumens Video Light ST2000. Rechargeable with 2 light levels and adjustable width beam sound interesting, but for the features and price wondering how well made it is.

 

[Jax]

Sorry, guys, I was a big fan of the DRIS lights, but they do not stand up to lots of use in salt water.

In spite of careful rinsing and silicone grease service after and during trips, the DRIS housings collected some kind of electrolysis binding onto any part of its surface that had a ding. I used it for about two weeks, and then it seized up and would not turn on for me. I had to use a vice, and a BA plumber's wrench to get it unscrewed.

It will be relegated to a household flashlight.

View attachment 214437 View attachment 214438

That's not good! Have you shown these pics to DRIS? Maybe they had a bad batch of anodizing. Mine have been on 4+ dive trips and still look fine.


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Hey, guys, let me put some perspective on this -- I was one of the original adopters of the DRIS 500 and 1000 back in 2011. You are looking at some good usage in both fresh and salt water over the past three+ years. Just saying, they do not stand up well in salt water. This also had the issue that when you turn it off underwater, there would still be a faint glow from the LED. (Cave buddy calls it cheating, when I used it as a backup.)

 

[FinnMom]

Also buy a backup light. Even some hardware stores have $20 lights rated to 100ft. you don't want to have no light and with a backup that is unlikely. Check both lights before every dive.

 

[PeterNBiddle]

Hey, guys, let me put some perspective on this -- I was one of the original adopters of the DRIS 500 and 1000 back in 2011. You are looking at some good usage in both fresh and salt water over the past three+ years. Just saying, they do not stand up well in salt water. This also had the issue that when you turn it off underwater, there would still be a faint glow from the LED. (Cave buddy calls it cheating, when I used it as a backup.)

You said "after two weeks" and so I assumed that was wrt how long you dove with it. My bad. 3 years seems far more reasonable for the price. (I've had mine since the beginning as well, but they look much better than yours.)


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[Midge907]

Sorry, guys, I was a big fan of the DRIS lights, but they do not stand up to lots of use in salt water. In spite of careful rinsing and silicone grease service after and during trips, the DRIS housings collected some kind of electrolysis binding onto any part of its surface that had a ding. I used it for about two weeks, and then it seized up and would not turn on for me. I had to use a vice, and a BA plumber's wrench to get it unscrewed.It will be relegated to a household flashlight. View attachment 214437 View attachment 214438

Holy smokes, that looks like crap. I will say that my current DRIS 1000 light has about 40 hours in Salt water, carry it on every dive, and it still looks great. I did have to replace my original one, as I left the batteries in it while flying and some how it turned on and burned up the bulb, DRIS replaced it at no charge even though it was over a year old. Definatly some better lights out there, but most lights cost more then $69.