DIR- Generic What are people using for backup lights now?

[Adobo]

Are there any good alternatives to scout lights?

 

[tbone1004]

there are tons of good alternatives to scout lights. What you have to wrap your head around is that ALL backup lights have electronics in them these days, anything with an LED has a driver, so there is no reason to spend the idiotic amount of money on backup lights from Light Monkey or Halcyon because the cheap ones from DGX are just as good.
This one is roughly the same length as the 3x c-cell lights. Buy a high quality charge/tester and send them through a test cycle before every big trip to make sure their capacity is still good.
DGX Gears 800 Handheld Light
I don't like the length of those and prefer shorter ones, so I use the DGX600 style and they have them in the twisty and push button options

 

[Ulfhedinn]

I think as it relates to the "dir" push is bad but twisty is good... Correct?


DGX Gears 600 TWIST Handheld Light

 

[rjack321]

no buttons, twisty is far more reliable

 

[tbone1004]

no buttons, twisty is far more reliable

not with the modern buttons, I haven't had any of them fail and use them regularly. The advantage of the twisties is that they don't usually come on when you don't want them to which is what the buttons are bad about. I use twisties on my harness for that reason

 

[rjack321]

not with the modern buttons, I haven't had any of them fail and use them regularly. The advantage of the twisties is that they don't usually come on when you don't want them to which is what the buttons are bad about. I use twisties on my harness for that reason

Turning on when you don't want them to is effectively a failure mode for buttons.

 

[Adobo]

Turning on when you don't want them to is effectively a failure mode for buttons.

Maybe its me but my scout lights used to turn themselves on all the time. Based on that experience, I am under the impression that twisties are not immune to this problem either.

 

[rjack321]

Maybe its me but my scout lights used to turn themselves on all the time. Based on that experience, I am under the impression that twisties are not immune to this problem either.

You have to push on them every time to check that compression wont turn them on. It used to be part of GUEEDGE but seems to have been pushed aside (at least around here) for way too much yammering about hoods and gloves - if you forgot those its pretty immediately obvious and not exactly life threatening either. I have no idea why that stuff gets any attention at all.

 

[mc42]

Maybe its me but my scout lights used to turn themselves on all the time.

My buddies appreciated this "feature" when following me in bad viz and thought I did it deliberately. After this happening a few times, I now make sure to do a quick push check on the surface. I don't remember being taught this as part of the GUE EDGE though.

One thing I do like about the Scouts is the front lens housing rubberized surface and/or the shape seems to work quite well to keep the lights secured on the harness using the elastic bands without riding up or down. I had an aluminum Scubapro light that kept slipping out and dangling from the D-ring.

 

[Jack Hammer]

Pressing the light head was taught in Fundies as part of how to setup and check gear. GUE-EDGE is a simple checklist, not an in-depth set of directions for each procedure.