Handheld light recommendations

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mcg2015

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Location
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Hello, I'm wondering what handheld lights people are using for cave and/or wreck diving? I have no intention of cutting the cord and will keep using my LM canister as my primary primary light but would like to get a handheld as a backup primary for cave diving or to use in the ocean fro wrecks when I don't need long burn times. I see a lot of people seem to be using the Dive Rite LX20 and the Big Blue TL4800. I also see Light Monkey and Halcyon have offerings. What are your recommendations for a good handheld (the ones I've mentioned or any others I'm not aware of) that can be used as a primary when needed, recognizing the burn time limitations?
 
I would avoid Big Blue for a myriad of reasons, most importantly several recent SEVERE safety issues with someone almost dying when a battery exploded
LX20 is great. QRM is nice, the universal 18650's makes travel easy and battery swaps easy as well
Halcyon is great, but wicked expensive and a little big IMO to use as a backup. I used a Flare last weekend and it was REALLY big. I have an Eos Mini Handheld that is good, but not made anymore. The bottom of the Halcyon battery packs also have an issue where they corrode during the dive so every time you have clean the contacts which is annoying.
Light Monkey is twist on which I'm not a huge fan of, but more importantly the goodman handle is fixed so you can't pocket it or helmet mount it.

Of the lot, I'd get the LX20
 
I enjoy my Big Blue TL3500 Supreme. It’s got tons of battery life at high output. Only problem is a proprietary battery :( but for the lumens per a dollar it’s a great deal.
 
I enjoy my Big Blue TL3500 Supreme. It’s got tons of battery life at high output. Only problem is a proprietary battery :( but for the lumens per a dollar it’s a great deal.

just don't believe their lumen claims, it's a lot less great of a deal when you see their actual output
 
3hr burn on max
6hr burn on med

Those are pretty good numbers for a cavern/intro/full class and at $350 he is not out a whole load while he really learns what he likes/dislikes.

I am by no means claiming they are better han an UWLD or other high end lights, but bang for the buck they are amazing deals for aspiring tech and cave divers who haven’t had the opportunity to see everything else.

Edit: original numbers were off see below for mfg numbers from site.

“350 lumens (Level I), 875 lumens (Level II), 1750 lumens (Level III), and 3500 lumens (Level IV). Lights burn times are 3-hours (Level IV), 6-hours (Level III), 12-hours (Level II), and 30 hours (Level I)”
 
@Asheron the lumen numbers they claim are theoretical and FAR from actual lumen output. The lumen output is ~1/2 of what they claim.

TL4000. Max output is only around 3500, and in 30 minutes it drops to 1200
We Test Lights | TL4000P Test and Review
TL2800. Max output around 2200 and tapers down to 1200
We Test Lights | TL2800P Test and Review

The drivers have not changed, the batteries have not changed.

At $350 it's a good deal, but when you compare it to other lights, compare it to 1200-1500 lumen, not 3500 lumen lights. Sola 1200 is $300 and is unlikely to explode when you charge it. LX20 is $500 but is 1200 constant.
 
The older LM 12w handhelds are great. I have one that I carry on all my open water dives, and if I’m doing a rec cavern dive with friends I’ll take it instead of a big guy. The hard Goodman handle uses one of those clips instead of being directly attached so you can stash it in a pocket, helmet mount it’s etc. Twist-on handheld for the win. This is the OLD handheld. I don’t have any experience with their new one.

Avoid the LX20. We had a couple st work and they were a nightmare to maintain. The common 18650 batteries are nice, but they flooded in a consistent basis, the battery carriage needed to be shimmed to make contact, the switch would stick. Overall a horrible experience with them.

The Big Blue lumen claims are BS, but I haven’t had any issues with their lights.
 
The Halcyon lights are nice, so are the Dive Rite. If I need a handheld though, I just use my DRIS 3C cell backup. Its 1,000 lumens (claimed) and I find it plenty bright for overheads.
 
The Big Blue 4500 / 4800 can't be beat for 2 to 3 hour dives. The Big Blue light that exploded was their can light version and the cord has to be screwed on and off to charge it. There is always moisture in the connection after a dive. The handhelds you remove the battery from the light to charge it. Sure the lumen output decreases on the Big Blue to get the burn times but for less than $400 you can buy a few batteries if you feel that you want to swap them out between dives. Honestly if I was a high end light manufacturer I would seriously be looking to diversify as the Chinese / Tiawanese lights are more than adequate for the majority of divers. The Big Blue video lights are probably the most popular video lights in Cave Country. The KUR guys are even using them.
 
I've got a pair of Northern Light Scuba 1250s that I use as backup lights. Get several hours of burntime out of them and they are at least as bright and tightly focused as the old Halcyon 18W (Welch Allyn) HID Primary lights. At 249 Euros a piece they are not cheap but well worth the price, and so far I haven't found anything better.

Michael
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/swift/
http://cavediveflorida.com/Rum_House.htm

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