In light of all the recent posts Ive seen about poor customer service lately Id like to relate a recent experience of mine.
Let me start by saying that canister lights seem to be the bane of my diving career. My first can light purchase was several years ago. It was a Dive Rite 10w HID with the 13 degree bulb. I thought it was a good purchase at the time, but needless to say it wasnt exactly optimal for the type of diving I was interested in getting into. I ended up looking for a replacement it as soon as it was feasible.
Enter in to the picture Howard Sandroff, aka "Sandho." In December of 2003, Howard announced he would make a run of HID lights incorporating a delrin canister if he could get a firm commitment from 4-5 interested people. I was a bit apprehensive at first of buying a light from a person vs. a company, but finally went ahead with it anyway.
My light arrived in May of 2004. The original write up can be found here: The Deco Stop
Sometime afterward I was doing a dive at Little Rivers when my light flickered and died about 15 minutes into it. Upon surfacing, I noticed the test tube was flooded, with water intrusion into the canister. Ouch! I contacted Howard, and made arrangements to send it back to him so he could check it out.
A few days later his report came back: The bulb had become unscrewed from the ballast, allowing water into it. Bulb and ballast were both shot. After getting his diagnosis, an image came to my mind of twisting the ballast to straighten it as I entered the cavern zone without loosening the reflector first. D'oh!
Howard replaced the bulb/ballast practically at cost, leak and burn tested the new assembly and shipped it back to me. He also upgraded the strain relief and the belt mounting loop at no charge.
After many more months of trouble free diving, we were about 45 minutes into a dive at Hole in the Wall when my light started flickering again. Thinking it was a battery problem I called the dive, shut the light off and went to my backup. It wasnt until we got back to the dock at Cave Adventurers and started breaking down gear and unloading that I noticed the canister o-ring was extruded. Gulp!
Opening up the canister I found it was completely flooded! Shipping it back to Howard again, resulted in him building a new battery pack as he was concerned that mine was compromised.
After getting it back this time, I noticed a tendency for the canister to have small amounts of moisture in it after deeper dives. At first, I thought it was humidity changes causing condensation, but further investigation led me to realize water was leaking past the switch boot. After contacting Howard, he offered to check it out if I sent it back to him, or send me a replacement switch boot.
Before I could do either, he announced the launch of his new website, along with his latest creation: Home Page
After much consideration I decided to send my light back to him for this newest upgrade. I had a night dive planned on the Oriskany in a couple of weeks and this is something I had been wanting to do ever since her sinking. I couldnt think of a better test for his new light head.
He got my light about a week and a half prior to our scheduled departure, but promised hed have it back to me in time. He started building the new light head the day I told him I was shipping it and it was ready and waiting by the time my canister got to him. All that remained was assembling it on my old lid, replacing the leaking switch boot, pressure testing the unit and shipping it back.
Then the problems started. He was doing my light around the demands of his full time job. After assembling the unit, it failed the pressure test. Taking it back apart, reworking it, testing again only to fail once again. Now the deadline for my dive trip is approaching rapidly and I dont have a light! Arrgghhhh!
Knowing this, I got the following email from Howard:
Dear John,
I couldnt make it. I had the whole light ready for the pressure test this morning so I could ship this afternoon and the switch boot failed causing a little leak at 700 ffw. So I decided to rebuild the entire canister lid again to make sure everything was tight and dry.
I know I promised a light for your trip, so I am sending one of mine. It doesnt have a real mount to the Goodman handle, just the tie wraps. This lighthead is the prototype and didnt have a proper mount, yours will, but its the same element and functionally identical to what you will receive.
Also enclosed are two batteries and a charger which should keep you in juice for your trip. Make sure you carry a backup primary for the first couple of dives.
When you return, your light will be waiting for you and we can swap all at my expense of course.
Dive safely
Howard
The day I received this email, I also got notification that our Oriskany trip would be cancelled due to the tropical system sitting off of Pensacola. It was rescheduled for October. Luckily I was able to contact Howard and have him intercept the Fedex shipment, since I wouldnt need it anytime soon. A week later, I got this email:
Dear John,
I won't bore you with the problems I had with your lid/canister,
probably similar to the ones you had. No matter what I did, or how
many times I replaced the switch/boot/strain relief/wiring it still
leaked, took out batteries and cables galore.
finally I gave up trying to find out the problem and since I no
longer had any of those lids, I rebuilt the lid off of my own
canister (which is about the same vintage and condition as yours)
installed new strain relief, etc..... and it held. what a mess, I
was pulling my hair out.
Anyway, all is well that ends well, I'm guessing that your lid is
warped in some way preventing a good seal. The system held to 700
ffw and is performing up to spec.
Enjoy the light, dive safely and don't forget to let me know what you
think.
and sorry for the delays.
howard
As a side note, I think the o-ring extrusion and the lid problem may have been the result of a problem similar to this post: The Deco Stop
A few days after this email, my light arrives complete with reworked lid and the upgraded light head.
Initial impression of the light head is Damn thats big! Its definitely larger than the old 18w bulb/ballast combo. Its also much more robust looking. Now I just have to test it
My first test occurs that night. I take it outside and turn it on. I point it at a tree about 50 back and it turns my entire backyard into day! Pointing it up, it looks like daylight in the treetops. While Im playing with it, I hear my neighbors across the street talking. What the hell is that, a searchlight??? Looking in their direction, I can see them peering around their cars trying to see where the light is coming from. I cant help smiling a bit as I turn it off and go back inside.
A few nights later, I take it over to a buddys house to show it off. Once again I find myself outside. Pointing the beam at the 6th telephone pole down the street (approximately 300) it lights up the top of the pole. A pole that coincidently already has a streetlight on it, is now flooded with additional light. Great! But how does it work underwater?
Fast forward to this past weekend. NSS-CDS Cave Diving Social at Jackson Blue. My buddy and I get in to Marianna late Thursday night and plan to hit JB early Friday. We arrive to find we have the place completely to ourselves. We gear up and I get elected to run the line. I clip my light off while I handle the reel, do my tie in, then slide the Goodman handle on to my left hand and turn the light on as we enter the cave.
First impression is that it balances EXTREMELY well! Although it seems rather bulky on the surface, it becomes virtually invisible once in the water. I have much better range of motion with my wrist than the boxy ballast on my old Welch Allyn 18w allowed. The Goodman handle is large, and fits my hand well. It allows for easy handling of the reel and using pull and glide technique.
But how does the light itself work? In a word, FANTASTIC!
It puts out an incredible amount of light! A pencil thin beam originates from the center and easily hits the back of the cave wall like a laser. ANY wall. The light penetrates to the edge of visibility and beyond. Around the center beam there is approximately a 3 cylinder of intense light that easily illuminates whatever you point it at. Then there is a third cone of light that gives a soft spillover illuminating the area immediately in front of me and lighting up whatever area you happen to be in. The light output is significantly greater and more useable than my the 10w focusable light my buddy was using, yet manages to do so without overpowering his, so he is still able to signal me.
Battery draw is also comparable to my old 18w light head as I did two dives on it for a total runtime of close to 3 hours and the battery voltage was still in the mid 12s when I put it on the charger.
On Saturday, I had the light on display at the table that Gregg Stanton was using for the rebreather experience. So if anyone saw it there and wondered what it was, now you know.
I also dove the light on Saturday. Several of us that were there decided to dive and we ended up gearing up in 3 different teams. Jeff (Spectre) was using his dpv, Brian (Benthic), Heather (ChickDiver) and Celia (Speleodiver) were on their Megs and my buddy and I on open circuit.
Jeff went in first with his new 35w Salvo. We went in next, but my buddy had a light issue at the first breakdown, so we moved off to the side to let others pass while we resolved it. Just as we did so, Brian, Heather and Celia went by, so we jumped in behind them and drafted for a bit. : )
We separated at Courts Squeeze, they went left, we went right. We turned right around Queens bypass where we encountered Jeff coming back out. A few minutes later, we passed Brian, Heather and Celia again as they continued in. This time we opted to take Courts Squeeze as Jeff took the main tunnel and we ended up back at the second break down about the same time. I think between my new light and Jeffs we ruined at least one lights out drill for some students and definitely gave a few people a WTH did that light come from moment as we passed by!
All in all, it was a great weekend and I am very pleased with the performance of my new light and I cant say enough about the EXCEPTIONAL customer service that Howard continues to provide.
My initial reservations of making such a major purchase from an individual rather than a company have been completely unfounded. If youre in the market for a new light, I cant recommend Howard enough!
Let me start by saying that canister lights seem to be the bane of my diving career. My first can light purchase was several years ago. It was a Dive Rite 10w HID with the 13 degree bulb. I thought it was a good purchase at the time, but needless to say it wasnt exactly optimal for the type of diving I was interested in getting into. I ended up looking for a replacement it as soon as it was feasible.
Enter in to the picture Howard Sandroff, aka "Sandho." In December of 2003, Howard announced he would make a run of HID lights incorporating a delrin canister if he could get a firm commitment from 4-5 interested people. I was a bit apprehensive at first of buying a light from a person vs. a company, but finally went ahead with it anyway.
My light arrived in May of 2004. The original write up can be found here: The Deco Stop
Sometime afterward I was doing a dive at Little Rivers when my light flickered and died about 15 minutes into it. Upon surfacing, I noticed the test tube was flooded, with water intrusion into the canister. Ouch! I contacted Howard, and made arrangements to send it back to him so he could check it out.
A few days later his report came back: The bulb had become unscrewed from the ballast, allowing water into it. Bulb and ballast were both shot. After getting his diagnosis, an image came to my mind of twisting the ballast to straighten it as I entered the cavern zone without loosening the reflector first. D'oh!
Howard replaced the bulb/ballast practically at cost, leak and burn tested the new assembly and shipped it back to me. He also upgraded the strain relief and the belt mounting loop at no charge.
After many more months of trouble free diving, we were about 45 minutes into a dive at Hole in the Wall when my light started flickering again. Thinking it was a battery problem I called the dive, shut the light off and went to my backup. It wasnt until we got back to the dock at Cave Adventurers and started breaking down gear and unloading that I noticed the canister o-ring was extruded. Gulp!
Opening up the canister I found it was completely flooded! Shipping it back to Howard again, resulted in him building a new battery pack as he was concerned that mine was compromised.
After getting it back this time, I noticed a tendency for the canister to have small amounts of moisture in it after deeper dives. At first, I thought it was humidity changes causing condensation, but further investigation led me to realize water was leaking past the switch boot. After contacting Howard, he offered to check it out if I sent it back to him, or send me a replacement switch boot.
Before I could do either, he announced the launch of his new website, along with his latest creation: Home Page
After much consideration I decided to send my light back to him for this newest upgrade. I had a night dive planned on the Oriskany in a couple of weeks and this is something I had been wanting to do ever since her sinking. I couldnt think of a better test for his new light head.
He got my light about a week and a half prior to our scheduled departure, but promised hed have it back to me in time. He started building the new light head the day I told him I was shipping it and it was ready and waiting by the time my canister got to him. All that remained was assembling it on my old lid, replacing the leaking switch boot, pressure testing the unit and shipping it back.
Then the problems started. He was doing my light around the demands of his full time job. After assembling the unit, it failed the pressure test. Taking it back apart, reworking it, testing again only to fail once again. Now the deadline for my dive trip is approaching rapidly and I dont have a light! Arrgghhhh!
Knowing this, I got the following email from Howard:
Dear John,
I couldnt make it. I had the whole light ready for the pressure test this morning so I could ship this afternoon and the switch boot failed causing a little leak at 700 ffw. So I decided to rebuild the entire canister lid again to make sure everything was tight and dry.
I know I promised a light for your trip, so I am sending one of mine. It doesnt have a real mount to the Goodman handle, just the tie wraps. This lighthead is the prototype and didnt have a proper mount, yours will, but its the same element and functionally identical to what you will receive.
Also enclosed are two batteries and a charger which should keep you in juice for your trip. Make sure you carry a backup primary for the first couple of dives.
When you return, your light will be waiting for you and we can swap all at my expense of course.
Dive safely
Howard
The day I received this email, I also got notification that our Oriskany trip would be cancelled due to the tropical system sitting off of Pensacola. It was rescheduled for October. Luckily I was able to contact Howard and have him intercept the Fedex shipment, since I wouldnt need it anytime soon. A week later, I got this email:
Dear John,
I won't bore you with the problems I had with your lid/canister,
probably similar to the ones you had. No matter what I did, or how
many times I replaced the switch/boot/strain relief/wiring it still
leaked, took out batteries and cables galore.
finally I gave up trying to find out the problem and since I no
longer had any of those lids, I rebuilt the lid off of my own
canister (which is about the same vintage and condition as yours)
installed new strain relief, etc..... and it held. what a mess, I
was pulling my hair out.
Anyway, all is well that ends well, I'm guessing that your lid is
warped in some way preventing a good seal. The system held to 700
ffw and is performing up to spec.
Enjoy the light, dive safely and don't forget to let me know what you
think.
and sorry for the delays.
howard
As a side note, I think the o-ring extrusion and the lid problem may have been the result of a problem similar to this post: The Deco Stop
A few days after this email, my light arrives complete with reworked lid and the upgraded light head.
Initial impression of the light head is Damn thats big! Its definitely larger than the old 18w bulb/ballast combo. Its also much more robust looking. Now I just have to test it
My first test occurs that night. I take it outside and turn it on. I point it at a tree about 50 back and it turns my entire backyard into day! Pointing it up, it looks like daylight in the treetops. While Im playing with it, I hear my neighbors across the street talking. What the hell is that, a searchlight??? Looking in their direction, I can see them peering around their cars trying to see where the light is coming from. I cant help smiling a bit as I turn it off and go back inside.
A few nights later, I take it over to a buddys house to show it off. Once again I find myself outside. Pointing the beam at the 6th telephone pole down the street (approximately 300) it lights up the top of the pole. A pole that coincidently already has a streetlight on it, is now flooded with additional light. Great! But how does it work underwater?
Fast forward to this past weekend. NSS-CDS Cave Diving Social at Jackson Blue. My buddy and I get in to Marianna late Thursday night and plan to hit JB early Friday. We arrive to find we have the place completely to ourselves. We gear up and I get elected to run the line. I clip my light off while I handle the reel, do my tie in, then slide the Goodman handle on to my left hand and turn the light on as we enter the cave.
First impression is that it balances EXTREMELY well! Although it seems rather bulky on the surface, it becomes virtually invisible once in the water. I have much better range of motion with my wrist than the boxy ballast on my old Welch Allyn 18w allowed. The Goodman handle is large, and fits my hand well. It allows for easy handling of the reel and using pull and glide technique.
But how does the light itself work? In a word, FANTASTIC!
It puts out an incredible amount of light! A pencil thin beam originates from the center and easily hits the back of the cave wall like a laser. ANY wall. The light penetrates to the edge of visibility and beyond. Around the center beam there is approximately a 3 cylinder of intense light that easily illuminates whatever you point it at. Then there is a third cone of light that gives a soft spillover illuminating the area immediately in front of me and lighting up whatever area you happen to be in. The light output is significantly greater and more useable than my the 10w focusable light my buddy was using, yet manages to do so without overpowering his, so he is still able to signal me.
Battery draw is also comparable to my old 18w light head as I did two dives on it for a total runtime of close to 3 hours and the battery voltage was still in the mid 12s when I put it on the charger.
On Saturday, I had the light on display at the table that Gregg Stanton was using for the rebreather experience. So if anyone saw it there and wondered what it was, now you know.
I also dove the light on Saturday. Several of us that were there decided to dive and we ended up gearing up in 3 different teams. Jeff (Spectre) was using his dpv, Brian (Benthic), Heather (ChickDiver) and Celia (Speleodiver) were on their Megs and my buddy and I on open circuit.
Jeff went in first with his new 35w Salvo. We went in next, but my buddy had a light issue at the first breakdown, so we moved off to the side to let others pass while we resolved it. Just as we did so, Brian, Heather and Celia went by, so we jumped in behind them and drafted for a bit. : )
We separated at Courts Squeeze, they went left, we went right. We turned right around Queens bypass where we encountered Jeff coming back out. A few minutes later, we passed Brian, Heather and Celia again as they continued in. This time we opted to take Courts Squeeze as Jeff took the main tunnel and we ended up back at the second break down about the same time. I think between my new light and Jeffs we ruined at least one lights out drill for some students and definitely gave a few people a WTH did that light come from moment as we passed by!
All in all, it was a great weekend and I am very pleased with the performance of my new light and I cant say enough about the EXCEPTIONAL customer service that Howard continues to provide.
My initial reservations of making such a major purchase from an individual rather than a company have been completely unfounded. If youre in the market for a new light, I cant recommend Howard enough!
