Light Monkey 32W VF or 20W fixed

[lostsheep]

I'm gonna be buying one of these two LM heads and I am torn. I don't really care about the variable focus and I don't like the extra seals required for the knob. That said, I do like the extra brightness the 32W VF offers.

Anyone have either of these light heads and have any feelings one way or the other? Any problems with the focus knob?

10.300.934-32w VF LED Slug with Goodman Handle

10.300.920-20w Variable LED Slug with Goodman Handle

 

[Norwegian Cave Diver]

I have the 32 watt VF - super happy with it. Turn it down if I'm following someone - turn it up if I'm leading.

 

[Jimchris]

I know two people with the 32vf, both love the light. I have yet to see the 20w. My only comparison is my herd of salvo 21 & 35w hids. the 32vf (to me) seems comparable to a 35w hid in beam pattern and output.

 

[halocline]

I can offer an opinion here, as I had a LM 21W HID light, and then after a ballast failure (the light was several years old) they replaced it with the 20W LED light head at a discount. I then used that on a couple of trips then sold it. It was brighter than my HID but for whatever reason I never really liked the character of the light. It's not that it isn't focused; it is, but lacks the real center hot spot of the HID. It is, though, a very nice compact light head, easy to helmet mount, which I found to be a real advantage. And the burn time is excellent.

I have never dove with the 32W variable focus, but I did dive quite a bit with a buddy who has the halcyon focus (not sure which model) and my LM 20W was quite a bit better than that light IMO. Just way more powerful and better color.

I would be interested in trying the 32W variable focus, but what I ended up doing was just going for a cheap cordless light (big blue 4800) as a temporary fix until I can find another long burning canister light that I really want. FWIW, none of these lights are as nice to look at or as good at penetrating less-than-ideal water clarity as my HID was.

The search for the perfect light continues!

 

[lostsheep]

I have the 32 watt VF - super happy with it. Turn it down if I'm following someone - turn it up if I'm leading.

I know lumens aren’t the final say but I don’t see any other reputable lights claiming 8000+ lumens, it almost sounds excessively awesome and would give me bragging rights over my current buddies (you know who you are)

I can offer an opinion here, as I had a LM 21W HID light, and then after a ballast failure (the light was several years old) they replaced it with the 20W LED light head at a discount. I then used that on a couple of trips then sold it. It was brighter than my HID but for whatever reason I never really liked the character of the light. It's not that it isn't focused; it is, but lacks the real center hot spot of the HID. It is, though, a very nice compact light head, easy to helmet mount, which I found to be a real advantage. And the burn time is excellent.

I have never dove with the 32W variable focus, but I did dive quite a bit with a buddy who has the halcyon focus (not sure which model) and my LM 20W was quite a bit better than that light IMO. Just way more powerful and better color.

I would be interested in trying the 32W variable focus, but what I ended up doing was just going for a cheap cordless light (big blue 4800) as a temporary fix until I can find another long burning canister light that I really want. FWIW, none of these lights are as nice to look at or as good at penetrating less-than-ideal water clarity as my HID was.

The search for the perfect light continues!

The smaller light does have a slimmer profile and is desirable, I really need a scooter loop and not sure how the adjuster would interfere.

 

[halocline]

As a comparison, my HID light was rated at 1500 lumens, and the 20W LED 4800 or something like. There is no way you could say that the LED is 'three times as bright'. I would take the lumen rating with a grain of salt. Ultimately what matters is how much you like the light in the water while diving with it.

I would really be curious about the 32W variable focus and I hope I can try one sometime, but I'm through spending real money on any light before trying it.

 

[lostsheep]

They are not making this any easier lol!

 

[Jimchris]

The smaller light does have a slimmer profile and is desirable, I really need a scooter loop and not sure how the adjuster would interfere.

One of my friends with the 32vf has the scooter loop and gigantic hands with no issues. The loop is offset from the handle so there should not be a clearance issue.

 

[halocline]

I've never seen LM have a sale like that, so maybe it would be a good time to try one. They do have decent resale value, I got most of my money back when I sold mine. If you spent $1200 on the 32W vf, and didn't like it after a trip or two, you could probably sell it for $1000 or maybe even a bit more.

 

[lostsheep]

I've never seen LM have a sale like that, so maybe it would be a good time to try one. They do have decent resale value, I got most of my money back when I sold mine. If you spent $1200 on the 32W vf, and didn't like it after a trip or two, you could probably sell it for $1000 or maybe even a bit more.

It looks like they might do it once a year or so. They have good timing cause it made me get off the fence and order the 32w head with EO. $800 to my door is about as good as I can do from my LDS with calling in favors.