10w 21w

[WaterDawg]

Had a chance to see an H 18W, and I think it was alot nicer (bigger beam, brighter) than a 10W. My buddy who was also diving w/ us had a UK light cannon (10W HID WIDE beam) and he thought his light went dead or something (he even looked straight at the bulb) as compared to the focused 18W it was nothing.

Alot of folks told me to get the 18W as for wrecks and day diving it would be great...but alot of folks dont help me pay for it so I ended up getting the 10W, I guess I could in the future upgrade the head.

I think that w/ everyone upgrading to the 21 you might find great deals on 10W's

 

[Jason B]

I think that w/ everyone upgrading to the 21 you might find great deals on 10W's

Yep, that's how I got mine....thanks Dryglove

Jason

 

[SCUBADIVINERIK]

Waterdawg,
Thats a 10 watter you have been using? I meant to ask this weekend and forgot to?

Jason, I will be back up that way about the end of may. Back to NC wrecks!! yipee. Until then I will continue to enjoy the caverns and springs I have come to love in FL. I'd love to dive with ya''ll when I get back.

 

[jfoutz]

I dive caves with a 10w. I sometimes dive with people using the 50w halogens, and I took my Intro Cave course with one. I think the 10w HID is quite a bit brighter than the 50w halogen. The 10w HID is bright enough, though sometimes I wish my light was just a little brighter to really punch through to the other side of a really big room. But if I were to start over, I couldn’t justify the extra 3 lbs and $374 – just not worth the money in my opinion.

 

[WaterDawg]

Yeah 10W. I was all about the adjustable head, until on day I realized...Hey I NEVER use it in anything other than a tight beam. And my buds who had an MR-11 6 degree fixed beams looked very nice and the heads smaller.

Of course if you get an H or Salvo it dosent matter.

 

[SCUBADIVINERIK]

BTW Jason,
I havent been able to get on the wreckmaniac site and my password must be getting sent to a old work account because its not going to the two I currently use so I am stuck.

One of the lights I have seen was a 10w Hid and I didnt realize it. Its a bright light. I am looking at three manufactures webpages as we speak.(type)

 

[SCUBADIVINERIK]

Yeah the salvo is looking nice but dive rites prices are a bit better. I will wait until after this weekend.

 

[lamont]

maybe you guys diving in gin clear caves don't notice much of a difference between the 18W and the 10W, but around here its noticable. its also extremely noticable for me in the color difference. around here there's enough crud in the water that everything is green, but hitting it with the 18W really restores the color compared to illuminating the same thing with a 10W. i haven't been able to make much of a case between the different 18W heads or a 21W, but the difference between an 18/21W and a 10W is pretty large.

apparently YMMV.

 

[Warren_L]

It is certainly nice to have a 21W HID in low viz water. I've only been using it for a few weeks now, but the viz around these parts can be pretty bad at times. The 10W, which has been relegated to backup duty, work well, but nothing like the 21W.

 

[Mark Vlahos]

In a cave try to use a light that is the same wattage or relative performance as the other members of your team. Your eyes will adjust in the otherwise dark environment to the light you provide. I use a Sartek 10w adjustable and am quite happy with it. It did not have as nice a beam as the DiveRite, but I travel and it sure looks more rugged for the time it spends packed with the rest of the dive gear. I also liked the strain relief and the screw on method of sealing the battery in so these things were a factor.

The amount of light that comes out the end is certainly an important factor, but don't forget about the other things like quality and method of construction as well as price in making your decision. You have to live with the entire system, not just the beam of light.

Mark Vlahos