Best backup cave/wreck light?

[Sea-Jay]

Is there anything bad about the halcyon scout as a backup?

Cory

 

[do it easy]

Is there anything bad about the halcyon scout as a backup?

Cory

I'd start with the price.

The Photon Torpedos and the Scouts are similar in size, they can drive the same lamps, but the PT is much cheaper. $138 vs $202 for the LED versions!!! The PT has a double o-ring seal, although I'm not sure what the Scout has.

 

[rjack321]

Is there anything bad about the halcyon scout as a backup?

Cory

Lots:
1) price, the scout LED is insane
2) the scout halogen has a pathetic dim yellow bulb. in a cave next to either of my LED lights its like it wasn't even on. really their halogen bulb is like feeble candle.
3) the scout LED is a 1W module, the Torpedo and Hesers are 3W LEDs, at least twice as bright
4) the scout has one o-ring. they really only need one o-ring, but the second is nice to help keep the first clean.
5) the scout's o-ring is poorly positioned so the lens threads are engaging exactly when the o-ring is starting to compress - so its a pita to tell if you're cross-threading the lens

All in all, the scout needs a major redesign and price shift to be competitive with other lights.

 

[ArcticDiver]

Is there anything bad about the halcyon scout as a backup?

Cory

Quality and Price.

Pricing according to what the market will bear is a valid business strategy. Apparently that is what was used to price the Scout.

A side by side comparison between the Torpedo and the Scout leaves no doubt which is the better designed and constructed light.

My only reservation is with the use of LED in any place where there may be obscuration such as I mentoned before. If you are only going to dive in clean water a LED would work fine. If not then the LED is far less than ideal.

Also, if you need one backup light you actually need two. If your primary fails you thumb the dive. But, if you only have one backup you are now in a single light situation. Well, you can see where that leads.

But for the second backup I'm more interested in Some Light than I am in Adequate Light.

 

[rookers]

I carry both the Green Force LED and the Scout LED. I like them both, both bulletproof, long lived. The Scout has a slightly more continuously linear discharge curve (no sudden wink-out), but the Green Force is way more compact as the energy density of its Lithium cells is higher.

Battery discussion:
http://www.sierracmp.com/batteries.pdf

Why are there two nearly identical threads on this?

 

[rjack321]

have you tried a Heser or PT LED?

 

[do it easy]

Have you seen the 3W LEDs? They are screaming bright. Rjack estimated it as the equivalent to a 7W HID- I would have to agree.

I was burn testing mine in a bucket of ice water and I got over 7 hours out of it before I stopped the test. And that is with NiHM batteries, which have a lower voltage than the light was designed for. After 7 hours the beam was dimmer, but still bright.

 

[PacketSniffer]

Actually its DAYS (I tried testing and got bored).

Yeh, I know. I was trying not to over-promise and under-deliver.

I actually left mine on for three days. Now THAT'S a backup light when your life depends on it. Too bad the RB scrubber won't last that long. Some day though...

 

[SteveFass]

here's some more conversation on the topic:

http://thedecostop.com/forums/showthread.php?t=20928&page=2

 

[H2Andy]

I have one of Salvo's backup lights.

http://www.salvodiving.com/inc/pdetail?v=1&pid=1543
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7.5 watts for $40. The main thing I like is how neatly it tucks away on my shoulder strap. It is also nice that it uses off the shelf batteries.

i second this one too.... bang for the buck is great, and they are not battery hogs

the on/off switch is nice, and it prevents accidentally turning the light on