2 Bar
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I see my choice in watts for a flashlight ranges from 2 to 21 and over. What wattage makes a strong light? I'm trying to figure out how strong of a light I want and a price-watt ratio. Thanks.
Flashlight watts question
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Charlie99
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and also tight spot vs. wide beam are the other things you will have to sort out.
Tight beams are best for lights used during the daytime to look into nooks and crannies. Wide beams are good for primary night lights. A smaller, less powerful backup light on a night dive is better at signalling if it concentrates its light into a tight beam.
There is a wide difference in the amount of light per watt. HID lights are HIDeously expensive, but put out the most light per watt. Hard overdriven Xenon bulbs (such as are common in the Underwater Kinetics line) give out much more light than underdriven bulbs, but at the expense of bulb life. A hard overdriven bulb is great as a daytime light, but isn't a good choice as a backup for a cave dive.
Your first step is to determine the type of use you intend for the light(s). Then you should just go down to a dive shop and try them out.
Tight beams are best for lights used during the daytime to look into nooks and crannies. Wide beams are good for primary night lights. A smaller, less powerful backup light on a night dive is better at signalling if it concentrates its light into a tight beam.
There is a wide difference in the amount of light per watt. HID lights are HIDeously expensive, but put out the most light per watt. Hard overdriven Xenon bulbs (such as are common in the Underwater Kinetics line) give out much more light than underdriven bulbs, but at the expense of bulb life. A hard overdriven bulb is great as a daytime light, but isn't a good choice as a backup for a cave dive.
Your first step is to determine the type of use you intend for the light(s). Then you should just go down to a dive shop and try them out.
As an example, you can stare at a 40W fluorescent tube without any problems, but if you try to stare at a 40W Halogen diving flashlight... :wacko: I think it makes clear that the luminous intensity is a more appropiate measure for a good diving flashlight. Also, simply measuring the power output of a flashlight (in watts) using some sort of photodetector doesn't mean that all the power measured is in the visible spectrum- lots of power is "wasted" in wavelengths that we cannot see or are absorbed very fast in the water...
Beam quality is also a factor- suppose you have a flashlight that has a 2cm extremely bright hotspot, and the rest of the light is distributed unevenly, with an ugly beam..
Here is a nice example of a Light Cannon's beam measurement:
http://ledmuseum.home.att.net/lc100.htm
Beam quality is also a factor- suppose you have a flashlight that has a 2cm extremely bright hotspot, and the rest of the light is distributed unevenly, with an ugly beam..
Here is a nice example of a Light Cannon's beam measurement:
http://ledmuseum.home.att.net/lc100.htm
OP
2 Bar
Guest
Great post. Thanks. That's a good light and a lot of info. However, I am not that hard core into light and don't really see myself doing lots of night dives. I am in the $25 - $50 market. But the info you gave is still usefull in picking from that range.
Stay metal.
:bang:
Stay metal.
:bang:
More watts also means shorter battery life and that is something else to consider.
A 3 C cell UK 300 or a Pelican Saber Light or a 4 C cell Ikelite Mini C lite makes a good day light or backup light .
You should also be able to find a 6-8 D cell hand held light in that price range. I used to use a Ikelite Modular H lite and with a halogen bulb it worked great for night diving.
A 3 C cell UK 300 or a Pelican Saber Light or a 4 C cell Ikelite Mini C lite makes a good day light or backup light .
You should also be able to find a 6-8 D cell hand held light in that price range. I used to use a Ikelite Modular H lite and with a halogen bulb it worked great for night diving.
ScubaRon
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Here are some guidelines:
For night dives you need a:
- primary light: 7.5-20W Xenon flood type
- backup light: any Xenon or LED light of at least 1 W
For daytime dives you need a Xenon spot light of at least 4W. This light should be easy to carry in or attached to your BC. It can also function as your backup light for night dives.
ScubaRon
For night dives you need a:
- primary light: 7.5-20W Xenon flood type
- backup light: any Xenon or LED light of at least 1 W
For daytime dives you need a Xenon spot light of at least 4W. This light should be easy to carry in or attached to your BC. It can also function as your backup light for night dives.
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