Canister Light

[Mattyo]

Hi All,
I am currently undergoing my technical diver training and wish to purchase a canister light. I have done a lot of online research and read many forums on the topic but still have a couple of questions I am unsure of. Any help would be appreciated.

After much research there still seems to be a lot of support for HID over LED with the feeling that LED is just not quite there. Is HID due to become a thing of the past and do we expect LED technology to take over at some point? If so will there be difficulty in getting future parts, globes etc for HID?

Also if buying a HID is the focusable head an advantage or is it just a nice feature when shopping that nobody ever uses once they have their light?

If Diving with a HID is it left on during the entire dive? As I believe turning on and off is bad for the globe?

Does anyone have any thoughts on the new DR1000 Lumen HID as it seems to fit into my needs as well as price range?

 

[Dirkadiver]

I think eventually the LED's will dominate the market, but still have some work to do to get there IMO. One of the guys diving with us this past weekend was using a 21 watt LED and it was bright, but not as focused as the HID's. Didn't quite have what the HID's did to cut through the haze in the water. Great light, don't get me wrong, but at this point I think I personally would go with an HID if I were buying right now, but that's just my opinion & you know what they say about those. I don't think you'll go wrong with either, though. Yes, once you turn on your HID, you leave it on until you don't need it anymore on the dive. This isn't a problem w/ LED's. Plus the LED's have a much better burn time, so what's most important to you? Only you can decide that. As to the focusable feature on the HID's, again, it depends on how you plan to use the light & where you dive. Some of my buddies love the feature, others say its a waste. Don't think there's really a right or wrong there, just practicality.

 

[DA Aquamaster]

I have a 10W HID that I normally use as a primary, although I also have a corded 500 lumen LED that I use for recreatioanl depth no serious penetration wreck diving as it is slightly smaller and lighter and the long burn time (over 20 hours on 8 AA cells) means I can leave the charger I'd need for an HID at home. This weekend however I would have been better served by an HID as the viz was poor and the LED just does not cut through murky water nearly as well as an HID. So if you are only going to have one, go with the HID as it is far more flexible and capable.

As an aside, the HID has to heat up 3-4 minutes before it can safely be shut off and similarly, it has to cool 3-4 minutes before it can be turned back on. If you flip it on and off without proper warm up and cool downs, bulb life will be short and HID bulbs are expensive. The LED does not have that limitation.

 

[Colliam7]

After much research there still seems to be a lot of support for HID over LED with the feeling that LED is just not quite there. Is HID due to become a thing of the past and do we expect LED technology to take over at some point? If so will there be difficulty in getting future parts, globes etc for HID?

Probably not for the foreseeable future (at least 3-5 years). However, the pace of equipment / technology change is both rapid and accelerating. Buying a LED vs a HID would be associated with a similar risk of obsolescence of specific parts, possibly moreso because LED technology is less well-developed and is therefore evolving so rapidly.

Also if buying a HID is the focusable head an advantage or is it just a nice feature when shopping that nobody ever uses once they have their light?

Nice feature, not by any means essential.

If Diving with a HID is it left on during the entire dive? As I believe turning on and off is bad for the globe?

Generally you turn it on during a descent when you reach a point where you want additional light (which could be very early in the dive) and leave it on until you no longer need it, toward the end of the dive. The battery life is such that you can get several dives off the battery charge, then recharge overnight. If you don't wan't the light for a few minutes during a dive, hide the beam, against you body for example, rather than turning it off.

Does anyone have any thoughts on the new DR1000 Lumen HID as it seems to fit into my needs as well as price range?

Seems to be a fair price for a 15W light, at least compared to the current price for the 10W. But, I have not used one, or spoken to someone who has.

 

[NEsilentDiver]

Go with either HID or LED, personal choice, DIR nuts will swear by HID for greater 'punch' through the ocean.
I dive with Greenforce, no switches, twist-on-off. 10W HID.
Don't worry about focusability unless you are using it for video lighting.
HID allows the battery to last longer.

Plenty of good lights, top lights IMHO are (no specific order)
Greenforce
Salvo
DiveRite

 

[Peter_C]

I would put Salvo's customer service at the top of the list. Not just from my experience, but also from reading other peoples reports.

My friend has a custom built 25 watt LED that is sic! Not quite as bright as my 21 watt HID although very close, but for night dives I think I like his light better.

 

[Gombessa]

Used can light prices seem to be dropping like rocks. I've seen solid 18-21w HID lights sold for $500-600 in the last month, and 10w from anywhere from $250-350. No doubt prices will keep dropping as cheaper and more powerful LEDs continue to hit the market, but I jumped on a deal for an HID and never looked back.

I seriously doubt you will have trouble finding replacement/repair parts for HIDs in the next few years, these things are used in a number of applications (automotive, medical, etc.) so they'll be around even if the entire dive light industry drops them tomorrow and goes to LED/HMI/whatever.

 

[Dive Rite]

Hi All,
After much research there still seems to be a lot of support for HID over LED with the feeling that LED is just not quite there. Is HID due to become a thing of the past and do we expect LED technology to take over at some point? If so will there be difficulty in getting future parts, globes etc for HID?

Also if buying a HID is the focusable head an advantage or is it just a nice feature when shopping that nobody ever uses once they have their light?

If Diving with a HID is it left on during the entire dive? As I believe turning on and off is bad for the globe?

Does anyone have any thoughts on the new DR1000 Lumen HID as it seems to fit into my needs as well as price range?

Hi Mattyo,

Check out our BLOG for information about the HID1000 and how it compares to the LED technology. We have a number of posts that relate tot his topic.
The HID1000 is a new light that was launched just last month, but it has been welcomed by divers. We are currently doing a lot of upgrades here at DR.

The LED does allow you to switch the light on and off throughout the dive, where's the HID technology does not. Typically you would turn an HID on and leave it on until the end of the dive, or until you started ascending.

All the best with your training and shopping for your new light!

Best,
Ag

 

[digital_steve]

If you've got money to spare, go for a 21w
If you're tighter on cash (or just sensible) then a 10w is plenty
I personally use a 10w 6 degree focus greenforce head on a greenforce flexi2 battery pack and adore it... i also like the fact that the whole greenforce range is modular, so you can add any lighthead you want to your existing battery pack.
in saying that, i got a good deal. if i had more money at the time i would've bought a 21w salvo and focused it down to a lightsaber to impress and annoy everyone else on the dive

 

[Nathyne]

personally i would not skimp on a light. i did not read everything so if i repeat something sorry . but i have used a few different canister lights and seen many in use. the ones i like the most are the halcyon or salvo 21 watt hid out of the many dives i have on both lights ive never flooded one or had it die on me mid dive. the 2 lights are very similar. also id stay away from "dive wrong" lights ive sold a few of them and have seen nothing but problems with them.

HID lights do penetrate better through bad visibility for sure over the LEDs.

As for greenforce lights the one thing you cannot deny is that they are practically bullet proof. although im not a big fan of them cannot deny that they are a well made light.

for the wait time from starting up the HID lights its not 3-4 mins its closer to 30 secs (just wait until the light is @ its full brightness and you are good to shut it off)