Which HID now

[wetman]

Ok, so the canister will be bought shortly - but which one. For all you guys who've had some experience with the new set of them, what are your likes and dislikes? I've been leaning towards the new halcyon 10 watter, but haven't heard any rave reviews of it here and am a bit curious as to why. So talk to me!

steve

 

[JamieZ]

I think the Stealth canister is the best one out there right now. Solid delrin no acrylic, no pvc and has a quality switch. On top of that the battery is fused.

As for light heads, there is no perfect one out there yet. The most reliable light heads out there right now are the non-focusable ones because of the way they are put together. The bulb plugs directly into the ballast which makes for a solid connection with no chance of arking plus the bulb is being protected by 2 lenses. The focusable versions have 2 regular wires about an 1 and a half inches long soldered to the posts of the bulb then the other ends are just pushed into the ballast sockets. Which tends not to make a tight connection between the 2.

The focusable ones are the most preferred though, because of the nice tight beam they can produce which makes them great for signaling.

The non-focusable light heads can be purchased with 2 different reflector type's. 1 is the 6 degree reflector and the other is the 12 degree reflector. 6 being the tighter beam but even the 6 degree will not be as tight of a beam as a focusable light head.

So far no one has perfected the HID light head but their getting there.

 

[cadet diver]

I spent a good amount of time researching the same thing. I ended up buying a Dive Rite MR11 with a wreck 1 canister. I am not doing any cave diving at the moment so I do not need a 10 hour burn time or anything rediculous like that. The canister is a good size. I really do not notice its there, and it doesnt weigh anything. The canister is made out of PVC, but if you see one in person they are really solid. PVC vs Delrin is just the cost of the canister. I have never heard of or seen a PVC canister implode or crack or whatever. Delrin is nicer looking, but performance wise I dont think there is a difference.

The MR11 head is solid and reliable but not focusable. I have the 6 degree bulb so it works great for signaling. The halcyons have had a lot of light head problems, but apparently have good customer service. I didnt want to have to worry about that. The Dive Rite head is sort of stupid in how it attaches, but I just use a bungee to keep it onto my goodman handle. If i were gonna go with a focusable one I would get a sartek.

Just my 2 cents.

 

[ColdH20diving]

I bought a dive rite wreck 1 HID light, for the diving I do, it works great and has been a real work horse. I'm sure there's better HID units out there but I've been very pleased with mine.

 

[DNAXdiver]

both the the new hal and the satek put the bulb right on the ballast so this is no longer a prob only the diverite still uses ext wires but they dont seem to have any ttrouble with it doing the noah thing

you got a little more chance of leakage on the new style focusables like the hal and sar because something has to move and that makes a possible leakage point but thats the manufacturers problem not yours if you pick one that stands behind their lites

i still like the test tube style 10 watts the bigger reflector seems to put out more lite there are some great closeouts going on on diverite 10ws for you bargain hunters too lazy to built your own

scubanarc once bubbled...
As for light heads, there is no perfect one out there yet. The most reliable light heads out there right now are the non-focusable ones because of the way they are put together. The bulb plugs directly into the ballast which makes for a solid connection with no chance of arking plus the bulb is being protected by 2 lenses. The focusable versions have 2 regular wires about an 1 and a half inches long soldered to the posts of the bulb then the other ends are just pushed into the ballast sockets. Which tends not to make a tight connection between the 2.

The focusable ones are the most preferred though, because of the nice tight beam they can produce which makes them great for signaling.

The non-focusable light heads can be purchased with 2 different reflector type's. 1 is the 6 degree reflector and the other is the 12 degree reflector. 6 being the tighter beam but even the 6 degree will not be as tight of a beam as a focusable light head.

So far no one has perfected the HID light head but their getting there.