C4 eLED or C8 eLED Plus?

[judestudio]

I'm trying to get a primary light. I've read through MANY reviews and past posts, and are now down to 2 choices:

- UK C4 eLED
- UK C8 eLED Plus

With the C4 eLED, I can get it in a package with backup lights and will be considerably cheaper than the C8 eLED Plus alone. But I want a GOOD light, and since it's gonna be a once off purchase (with the brilliant UK warranty scheme), I don't mind paying a bit more if the C8-Plus is significantly better (brighter, more efficient..etc) than the C4-eLED.

Which one would you pick?

PS. Initially, I'm going to get the UK HID cannon, but considering it's fragility and cost to replace bulbs, it's now out of the question.

Thanks in advance!

 

[Matt_NJ]

I dont know about either of those 2 but I recently went through all the evals etc on lights and purchased the "Princeton Tek LED Lightpack" which has a primary, backup, locator and a couple of Lanyards to hook it all up with. I think I made a great buy considering the price I paid and the fact that I love the lights.

If you are not fixated on UK lights you may want to take a look at these. ScubaToys has that package for 169.99 and a 10% discount for SB members....

 

[TxHockeyGuy]

I have the C8 eLED plus and my last night dive buddie was diving with the Princeton Tec LED. His Princeton Tec seemed to have a tighter beam and at the very beginning of the dive appeared brighter. By the end of the dive mine appeared brighter but his was still more focused.

My question is where are you going to be using this light? If you're doing Caribbean type dives then the C4 LED will be more than enough. If you're in more limited visibility such as lakes or quarries then you want all the light you can get your hands on.

I dive lakes and quarries primarily so I wanted a brighter light. Per the UK site the C4 LED is 80 lumens while the C8 eLED Plus is 170 on high and 60 on low. I also have a Princeton Tec Xenon light which claims 205 lumens and isn't even in the same ballpark as my C8 eLED plus. The higher color temp on LEDs just seems to cut through the darkness better even though it technically has less light output. Keep that in mind when comparing lumens.

The other thing I like about the C8 eLED plus is the added circuitry in it where it provides a constant light output throughout the life of the batteries until it falls off to like 10% power and can continue to run like that for quite a while. This is why my buddies Princeton Tec was brighter when we first started our dive but mine was brighter by the time we ended it. Like you I was looking at the Light Cannon but didn't want to worry about killing bulbs, I think the C8 eLED is a nice compromise.

 

[CompuDude]

I love LEDs on general principal, and if they put out enough light go for it, but I will say this: The hype about the fragility of the HID bulbs in the light cannons is just that: hype. I have two that have taken a full year (actually one was bought used, so I don't know how much older than a year it is) of beating up with no special treatment whatsoever. They've been dropped onto concrete once or twice, banged their way up boat ladders, you name it. Normal dive gear treatment: Nothing gets the kid gloves treatment except my camera gear. No problems whatsoever.

Just wanted to put that out there.

 

[Matt_NJ]

I love LEDs on general principal, and if they put out enough light go for it, but I will say this: The hype about the fragility of the HID bulbs in the light cannons is just that: hype. I have two that have taken a full year (actually one was bought used, so I don't know how much older than a year it is) of beating up with no special treatment whatsoever. They've been dropped onto concrete once or twice, banged their way up boat ladders, you name it. Normal dive gear treatment: Nothing gets the kid gloves treatment except my camera gear. No problems whatsoever.

Just wanted to put that out there.

That's kind of what I figured - I mean how fragile can they make a piece of gear that's going to be banged around all the time. The funny thing is when I was looking at it at my LDS the guy was telling me the same thing - The light gets dropped all the time and they never have any problems, he proceeded to give me a demo and dropped the light at which point it stopped working. I'm sure it was just bad coincidence or he would not have actually dropped it like that - Either way I decided not to risk it since the LED is plenty bright and was nearly 1/2 the price.

 

[Matt_NJ]

The other thing I like about the C8 eLED plus is the added circuitry in it where it provides a constant light output throughout the life of the batteries until it falls off to like 10% power and can continue to run like that for quite a while. This is why my buddies Princeton Tec was brighter when we first started our dive but mine was brighter by the time we ended it. Like you I was looking at the Light Cannon but didn't want to worry about killing bulbs, I think the C8 eLED is a nice compromise.

I honestly never compared it to another light before and after a dive however the battery burn time is 10 hours on high so if his light was significantly dimmer at the end of the dive he may have had old batteries in there. I use a fresh set on every dive, I take the used ones and power my kids toys with them so they are not wasted. Either way at this class and price range you really cant go wrong, they will all pretty much get the job done.

 

[judestudio]

My question is where are you going to be using this light? If you're doing Caribbean type dives then the C4 LED will be more than enough. If you're in more limited visibility such as lakes or quarries then you want all the light you can get your hands on.

The other thing I like about the C8 eLED plus is the added circuitry in it where it provides a constant light output throughout the life of the batteries until it falls off to like 10% power and can continue to run like that for quite a while. This is why my buddies Princeton Tec was brighter when we first started our dive but mine was brighter by the time we ended it. Like you I was looking at the Light Cannon but didn't want to worry about killing bulbs, I think the C8 eLED is a nice compromise.

Yes, I'm also aware of the regulated circuitry in UK in oppose to Princeton Tec. Which is the main reason I decided on the brand.

No, I wish I could say "I diive the Carribean or Maldives most of the time", but I gathered it'll be more like wrecks and the usual ocean night dives. C4 eLED is HALF THE PRICE of the C8-Plus?! I guess 170 lumens from the C8-Plus will certainly make a difference to the 80 lumens (C4), but how much of a difference? I am more than happy to pay for the premium, if it's worth doing so.

 

[judestudio]

That's kind of what I figured - I mean how fragile can they make a piece of gear that's going to be banged around all the time. The funny thing is when I was looking at it at my LDS the guy was telling me the same thing - The light gets dropped all the time and they never have any problems, he proceeded to give me a demo and dropped the light at which point it stopped working. I'm sure it was just bad coincidence or he would not have actually dropped it like that - Either way I decided not to risk it since the LED is plenty bright and was nearly 1/2 the price.

:11: One hell of a demo! That demo would have costed him $80...to get a new bulb (cheaper if he's getting it wholesale). That's the thing, I'd have more than enough things to worry about diving at night, it'll be a blessing for one less worry about when the bulb is gonna blow. I guess one can always bring on a spare HID bulb, but with that price tag, you can absolutely get another LED primary instead.

I was told the LED bulbs are pretty indestructable and longer burn time + bulb life. For me, those are good enough reasons to put off getting the cannon.

 

[taliesin58]

FYI- The PT Miniwave (4C) LED puts out 150 lumens

 

[CompuDude]

FYI- The PT Miniwave (4C) LED puts out 150 lumens

... vs. 450 lumens for the light cannon.