10w 21w

[SCUBADIVINERIK]

I have decided to just go ahead and buy a canister light as I dont have the free time to build one anymore. I cant decide on a 10w or a 21w. How does a 10w Hid compare to a 50w Halogen bulb. I have seen Halogens in caverns but am trying to figure out if the 21w is worth the xtra cost.

 

[Tavi]

From what i've read on 3 different boards, I decided on the 21w HID. I got the Dive-Rite with the slimline cannister, if I was more into caves rather than wrecks, I would have gotten the larger cannister and battery.

I haven't gotten it wet yet, so can't report about in-water use yet.

 

[Diver0001]

I have decided to just go ahead and buy a canister light as I dont have the free time to build one anymore. I cant decide on a 10w or a 21w. How does a 10w Hid compare to a 50w Halogen bulb. I have seen Halogens in caverns but am trying to figure out if the 21w is worth the xtra cost.

Depends on what you're doing. I find with a 50w halogen light (comparable to a 10w HID I've heard) that some of the animals flee. Crabs flee with such determination that I can only assume that it's hurting them. Lobsters also crawl deep into their holes and various other animals like free swimming fishes, are difficult to approach with so much light. If you had a 21w HID light you can pretty much assume that you'll be stuck looking at oysters while your buddies with the comparitively dim lights will see the neat stuff.... For animal watching I would think a 10w HID is more than enough and a nice balance between having enough light and not scaring the animals away.

R..

 

[lamont]

get a 21W.

10W's are dimmer, yellower and inferior.

 

[Jason B]

In caverns and caves 10 watters kick butt. I see your from NC....come dive with us sometime!

EDIT - get a focusable head!

Jason

 

[mempilot]

I borrowed and used both a 10w and 18w Halcyon and Dive Rite 10w HID, prior to buying my 10w Sartek. I didn't see a significant difference between the two to justify the cost difference. I'm assuming the 21w would be enough of a difference to make it viable, but my 10w does a fine job inside wrecks. As for the comment about 10w HID lights being yellow, that is false - at least with every 10w I've seen. HID's produce a very white light vs Halogen which can be yellowish.

A 10w HID is a very good investment for the money and easy to sell when it's time for an upgrade. 21w may be too much light depending on your intentions.

 

[jagfish]

Kinda depends on what your predominant intended use is...

In my opinion, if using mostly at night, 10w may fit the bill.

For daytime signalling use, like in a GUE tech 1 course where you will have to contact your buddy every so often for a manifold failure, mask loss or other emergent event, I'd go for the 21w, since I feel 18s will soon be obsolete, and the 10w just does not cut the mustard. I feel sure that you need more than a 10w for daytime signalling use.

The 50w is nice (I dive with someone who uses it now and then), but you can't get the same burn times.

Dive with a few folks that have these lights and see the differnce...

 

[Tom Winters]

I had an AUL WKPP-model 50-watt light that I used for about a year of ocean night diving. The light output was pretty comparable to the 10-watt HID's that other people were using - mine might have been a little brighter but that is purely a subjective opinion. All the lights put out a blindingly-white light. Because I had a focusing head on it, I could rack the light head back to flood and not not blind anyone on the ascents. The non-focusing HID's had one setting - maximum blindness.
The second time I got blinded by someone else's HID was the last time I surfaced near any of them.
My AUL had the older SLA battery pack, and towards the end of a second dive when the battery started to weaken, the light color would gradually become more yellow. Plus the whole rig was heavy - nothing like the HID canisters with the NiMH battery packs.
The cave people all seem love the extra output of the 21-watt bulb - everything is enclosed down there after all - while a lot of ocean divers can't really tell the difference in output since anything past your immediate viewing area just wants more and more light.
So if you're going to be doing some serious caving, maybe pop for the 21-watt. Ocean-wise, the 10-watt will light up anything you're going to be able to see. Whatever light you do get, try not to go blinding the critters and your buddies though. Some of the guys I used to dive with used their HID's to jacklight lobsters - just overwhelmed whatever passed for a crustacean optic nerve. That just didn't seem right to me and they don't dive with me anymore.

 

[OE2X]

I think Jagfish is right.
I have a 10W that I use all the time. It works well except when the vis is really good. Most of my buddies and I have become very dependent on our lights to keep track of our buddies. A 10w just doesn't cut it when it's bright.

As to frying fish - well it will happen with either light. When looking at something we either cover the light and let a ray or two come out between our fingers, or we shine it off to the side. This is a pretty friendly way of doing it.

If I were you - I would go with the 21W.

 

[H2Andy]

i only have a 10w HID (Dive Rite), adjustable focus, and it is very good in
caves. i figure more watts can only be better, right?

like Jag and OE2X, i find that it is not as visible in bright environments when
you are using it for team communications.