Basic Beginner Light for Low Vis

[FaithC]

Hello,
Im researching dive lights and I see a vast difference in specs and price and I am getting a little overwhelmed. So I just need some general guidance.

I will not be going on night dives anytime soon. I want a small light to use in low viz or murky water. I will also use to see into crevices and cracks to look for reef critters.

So I don't need anything fancy or big. Can anyone provide some ballpark specs that would suit my purposes?

Thanks!
Faith

 

[buddhasummer]

You want a narrow beam light 6-8 degrees would be ideal. Intova narrow would probably suit, around 220 lumens from memory, only issue is they do run on the more expensive CR123 batteries. It's a cheap light and can be used as a back up when/if you buy a dedicated bigger night light. The poorer the vis the brighter the light you need with a narrow beam otherwise the light will bounce back and not actually penetrate. Good luck.

PS what is your budget?

 

[eelnoraa]

For day time, low vis, peek under rocks and stuff, you want a light with narrow beam and as bright as possible. My current favorite is DRIS 1K shorty. It uses 3xAAA bartteries. It will go for at least 2 recreational dives before light level drops. You can use rechargeable too. Not expansive to run at all. If you need a longer run time, DRIS1000 3C is also a good choice. For the money, DRIS lights are hard to beat for both performance and customer supports.

 

[FaithC]

I'm looking to keep it in the $40 - $60 range, hoping to find a sale or deal.

Thank you for the help. I can take a look at the specs on these products and go from there.

-Faith

 

[decompression]

+1 for the DRIS shorty, a bit more than what you'd like to spend but comes awful close to $400-500 lights for when you decide you'd like a bit more out of your light.

 

[Dhboner]

Hollis makes an amazing back-up light. My two sons have them and it blows my Heser away. They were under $100.00 Canadian.

 

[drrich2]

Not getting into specific models, when buying dive lights, I get LED versions. Lower power usage makes batteries last long, they seem durable, and some halogen bulb-based lights may get too hot if used out of water, which I like having the option to do.

Don't know whether this would be an issue with the type you're looking for, but it might help narrow things down a bit.

Best of luck with your search.

Richard.

 

[buddhasummer]

Not getting into specific models, when buying dive lights, I get LED versions. Lower power usage makes batteries last long, they seem durable, and some halogen bulb-based lights may get too hot if used out of water, which I like having the option to do.

Don't know whether this would be an issue with the type you're looking for, but it might help narrow things down a bit.

Best of luck with your search.

Richard.

Agree, luckily in recent years LED lights are becoming the majority.

 

[The_Aviator_1]

My favorite is the uk sl4 eled. It has an 8 degree beam and is very bright. It's size makes it easy to stow in a bc pocket or it has a good size hole on the back for attaching a clip to hang wherever you wish. It runs on 4 c batteries so you can change it pretty much anywhere in the world and it only rings in at 85$. I'm sure if you search around you could find one on sale or used close to your price range. I have three as back ups or to loan to friends on dives and everyone has loved them.



400 lumens and 10 hours of burn time

 

[00wabbit]

DRIS 1000 or 1k shorty. Easy decision. Runs on normal batteries/ very bright.