Dive light help

[Bond ScubaBond]

OK, my wife and i are once a year divers that dive in the warm waters of the carribean. we will be going to roatan and will actually be doing a couple of night dives. i have a few questions pertaining to lights. after all the research and reading the threads and reviews, I've come to maybe a couple of conclusions. apparently LED is the way to go, but what is eLED? Underwater Kinetics makes a better product than Princeton tec. can or should these lights be used above water? IE. camping, hiking, etc... for a little as we dive, i can't see spending a whole lot on lights, but i don't want to buy a piece of junk either. i understand that we each should have 1 main and 1 backup, so do you think that the eLED Pak from UK would be sufficient for the both of us? (buying 1 package not 2) I've heard a lot about the Q being used for main and backup, so would buying 4 be stupid or wasteful? if i could get any kind of feedback i would greatly appreciate it, and please tell me "the why" to your suggestions. also, and ideas on tank markers. i know that most places are getting away from allowing the glow sticks, so i will be in the need for a couple of those as well. thanks for all the help.

 

[llqwyd]

i would definetely recommend UK. we have several UK lights in service and have had much better luck with them than the Princetons. a Q40 is a good size and very handy for day dives where you might need a quick peek under a ledge. The SL4 makes a good all-around light and are the ones that we use the most (eLED). obviously the bigger the light, the bigger the light pattern. however, the bigger the light, the more batteries, the more weight, etc... So if you are budget minded and a light travler, the Q40 and the SL4 should be sufficient. However, you could use the SL4 for back-up and step up to a larger primary. if so, i would not go with the C4. i would use the C8 plus as it is great for above and below water.

hope this helps

 

[Lee Taylor]

I have used the SL4 for 12 years. It is small, ergonomic, powerful, and rugged. The LED (light emitting diode) produces a "white" looking light. The "regular" bulb produces a "yellow" looking light. The difference is very obvious in total darkness. You can use the regular bulb as a backup to conserve funds. Bring a second set of fresh batteries for your LED primary, and use it on both dives. The regular bulb can be used out of water. I don't know whether the LED can be used out of water. The concern is most likely heat and fire.

 

[Hatul]

My Ikelite PCm users guide specifically says it's fine for above water use. Which makes sense because the LED makes much less heat.

Adam

 

[RJP]

Remember this adage about dive gear redundancy, which holds particularly true for lights:

"Two is one, and one is none."

You should each have TWO lights on a night dive. This way, if a light fails you would each have a backup on which you could COMPLETE the dive. (Note the difference between the word COMPLETE and the word END.)

With only ONE light each, if one of you has a light failure not only will you need to END the dive on one light between the two of you, but it may get scary pretty quickly. (Do you want your wife to end a dive, ascending without a light, not being able to check her computer, etc?)

At a bare minimum, I would suggest that you guys dive with at least THREE lights between you on a night dive. This way, if one of you happens to have a light failure there's at least ONE backup available with which to END the dive. (Again, END vs COMPLETE.)

Of course the absolute right answer is that you should each have TWO lights, so that if one of you has a light failure, you can switch to your backup light and COMPLETE the dive (Do the whole dive you planned, instead of ENDING the dive at the point of light failure) because you will still have ONE MORE backup available to the two of you.

You and your wife should get the SAME primary light. Don't cheap out on trying to use a "primary" light for one of you and a "backup" light for the other. The one with the backup light will really hate the fact that their light is less bright/effective than the other. It will literally make it hard for the backup user to see as their light will be overwhelmed by the other. Also, the one with the primary light will have a harder time seeing the backup light - remember a light is also your primary signalling device on a night dive. If your light is brighter than your wife's (or vice-versa) you will have a much harder time seeing her beam if she is trying to signal you. (I know you may say "but we stay right together all the time and always look at the same things so we don't really need to worry about this..." but if something goes wrong, the extra $10 or so will be a non-issue.)

Also note as llqwyd points out above, a light is very usefull on day dives as well. A good handheld light is great to peek under a ledge or behind coral or whatever - you'll see plenty of stuff you will have missed otherwise!

As to which lights to get, UK and Princeton Tec are both great. You cant go wrong with comparable products from either. Comparing the Princeton Tec Torrent to the UK SL4 (LED or Xenon for either) I prefer the size/shape of the Princeton Tec, as its traditional "round" flashlight shape is more comfortable to hold than the UK, which is sort of flat/wide. I also find the switch on the Princeton Tec to be less prone to being accidentaly switched on or off - either during a dive or even in your gear bag.

I also have an affinity for Princeton Tec based on customer service I've personally received. I had a Princeton Tec Surge that died after about 100 or so dives. Opened it up and there was a bit of corrosion on one of the contacts. Likely "user error" on my part in terms of poor maintenance. Took it back to my LDS. They told me PT would repair or replace no problem, I just needed to send it back for them to take a look at. They called PT who told my LDS to simply replace it on the spot out of the shop's inventory and they would send the shop a replacement. No wait, no cost or hassle associated with shipping, I just walked out with a brand new light. In fact the light had been upgraded to the newer version (the Torrent) since I bought mine, so I got the newer one. And since they come with batteries I got a fresh set with the new light as well. You might say that the light crapping out on me was a pretty good thing.

The Princeton Tec Torrent LED is a great light at $59:

Princeton Tec Torrent LED at www.DiveSeekers.com

If cost is a factor in your decision, save on the LED and get the Xenon version, available for $39:

Princeton Tec Torrent Xenon at www.DiveSeekers.com

Either way, get a Torrent for each of you, and then get at least ONE Princeton Tec Tec 40 Xenon as a backup for $17:

Princeton Tec Tec-40 at www.DiveSeekers.com

I can highly recommend www.DiveSeekers.com as an authorized Princeton Tec dealer. If you email or call them (888-728-2247) I'm sure they'll be happy to discuss your needs further to make sure you get exactly what you need, and perhaps even put a "package" price together for you. Ask for Wayne or Jay - the owners - and tell them I sent you. They'll treat you right!

 

[Jorgy]

I second the Princeton Tec customer service.....I had a Surge that flooded when the switch broke off (after 3 years), they replaced with a new Torrent.......

I was impressed, I did not even realize the Surge had been discontinued before I sent it in©å

M

 

[The Chairman]

There was a concern about the LED lights creating heat... there's no need to fear on that. LEDs run, much MUCH cooler than their incandescent predecessors by several orders of magnitude. You can use them above or below the surface as you need them.

When you are traveling, smaller is best. Both Printon Tek's and UK's light are great in that department. I have to admit as to never trying the Princeton Tek, so I have to admit that my money stays on the SL4. I would bite the bullet and by FOUR of them: two for each of you. Leave off the handy dandy wrist straps and zip-tie a single SS clip to the end. You can then clip this to your upper D-Ring on either side of your BC and then use a cut up bicycle tire to secure the bulb end (no danglies!). When you need it at night or even during the day, simply pop the light out of the inner tube and use it while it's still clipped to your BC. If you have to "let go", you won't lose your light, and you won't have that wrist band getting snagged on stuff! It works for me!

 

[Hatul]

Another light to consider is the Ikelite PCm LED. It's a 4 AA light with a 5 watt LED and 3-5 hour burn time. This is the one I just got but have not tried on a dive yet. The burn time is not that important if you use MH-Ni rechargeable batteries and charge them before diving.

http://www.ikelite.com/web_pages/3pc_led.html

This light had a good review in Scuba Divng Mag and has the same brightness and beam as larger lights with more/larger cells.

Adam

 

[Bond ScubaBond]

I agree with you, about finishing the dive as opposed to ending the dive. With that in mind, I now think I'll get 2 Torrents as back ups. I was originally thinking of getting the mini Q40 eled plus from UK, but I like the idea of having a brighter light so I can finish my dive. I'm still leaning toward the SL4 as a primary. I was at my lds yesterday, and I seem to like the brightness and the light pattern better. What's your opinion on the Eco Flare? I like the idea of it taking the AAA batteries instead of the watch style kind. Thanks again for your help.

 

[Hatul]

I agree with you, about finishing the dive as opposed to ending the dive. With that in mind, I now think I'll get 2 Torrents as back ups. I was originally thinking of getting the mini Q40 eled plus from UK, but I like the idea of having a brighter light so I can finish my dive. I'm still leaning toward the SL4 as a primary. I was at my lds yesterday, and I seem to like the brightness and the light pattern better. What's your opinion on the Eco Flare? I like the idea of it taking the AAA batteries instead of the watch style kind. Thanks again for your help.

I have lot of exprience with MH-Ni batteries and the AA cells not only hold more than twice as much energy as AAA but are more robust and less prone to failure. For diving I'd stick with AA cells and definitely avoid the watch batteries and all the odd shaped ones.

Adam