flymolo
Contributor
I have a handheld and a canister light and I use both a decent amount but I like the canister light more. I like to think of the handheld as more of a backup primary
DIR views on non-canister primary lights
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I have a handheld and a canister light and I use both a decent amount but I like the canister light more. I like to think of the handheld as more of a backup primary
I have a couple of those Xtar 1600s. They are not "constant output".
I have a top quality can light. I use it as little as possible.
The cord is just one more thing to manage. Task loading is real and keeping it to a minimum is a good goal. I dive with my can light only when the run time dictates that I need it. Which means I only take it on cave dives - and not all of those.
Ocean dives simply do not have the run times to require a can light. I have yet to do a an ocean dive where I needed a light during deco (i.e. say, from 70' and up). The amount of time where I have ever needed a light during an ocean dive is plenty short enough for a good single-cell cordless light. For example, on 250' dives, I usually have a plan of 25 to maybe 35 minutes of bottom time. Which means my total amount of time deeper than 70 feet is going to be under 1 hour. Many good cordless lights have more than enough burn time for that.
Is dropping my light a concern? In theory, yes. In practice, most of the time I'm using a cordless light I leave it clipped to my right chest D-ring and just point it where I want. In which case, dropping it is not a concern. I do unclip it sometimes - usually when I'm close over a hard bottom, so dropping it would not be a problem.
In the event that I am not in a place where I can drop down to pick up a dropped light (e.g. bottom is too deep and/or I'm on deco) and I need to unclip my light for whatever reason, well, if I drop it... too bad, so sad. That's why I'm carrying a backup. It hasn't happened yet and I'm not burdening myself with the weight of a can and the task-loading of a cord on all my dives just to mitigate that possibility that only even occurs on a small percentage of my dives.
To specifically address the OP, where s/he (making no assumptions here) specified wanting a light for "night rec diving", I would say that a can light is completely NOT the best answer.
For night dives, you need 2 lights. I highly recommend having one that is a good, bright spot, for signaling, when needed, and one that is a wide/flood beam that is either not super bright or has multiple brightness settings. Lights that are too bright are not what you want on night dives. It just blinds the critters and scares them away. When I do night dives, I usually just swim with a not-bright video light mounted on my camera and use that for my light during the dive. I have my spot beam light clipped to me and off in case I need it.
Regarding "growing with you", I would suggest to get a light that will become your backup light in the future, if you do pursue technical diving. A Dive Rite CX2 is an excellent option.
I have been doing my due diligence the last few weeks, looking to buy a new cordless light to be my primary on cave dives where I don't need the burn time of my can light. I'm just about to order a Dive Rite LX20+. It is "constant output", which none of these other lights being discussed are, and will run 4.5 hours on Medium (which is bright enough for cave use).
The only reason I don't suggest the LX20+ now is that it is (in my opinion) too fat to carry it as a backup. For a backup light, I carry single-cell lights that are not constant output. They are emergency use only and, though not as "nice" as something like an LX20+, they will be bright enough for long enough to get me out of any cave dive in my foreseeable future. The chance that I will have to use one of them is small enough that I'm okay with that kind of light as a backup.
By the time you (the OP) needs something more than a CX2 (or similar), there will probably be something even better than the LX20+ out. In the meantime, a CX2 for a spot light and one of many options for video lights will make a very good setup for night (and day) rec diving.
So, like @Lorenzoid said, buy today what you need for today.
The cord is just one more thing to manage. Task loading is real and keeping it to a minimum is a good goal. I dive with my can light only when the run time dictates that I need it. Which means I only take it on cave dives - and not all of those.
Ocean dives simply do not have the run times to require a can light. I have yet to do a an ocean dive where I needed a light during deco (i.e. say, from 70' and up). The amount of time where I have ever needed a light during an ocean dive is plenty short enough for a good single-cell cordless light. For example, on 250' dives, I usually have a plan of 25 to maybe 35 minutes of bottom time. Which means my total amount of time deeper than 70 feet is going to be under 1 hour. Many good cordless lights have more than enough burn time for that.
Is dropping my light a concern? In theory, yes. In practice, most of the time I'm using a cordless light I leave it clipped to my right chest D-ring and just point it where I want. In which case, dropping it is not a concern. I do unclip it sometimes - usually when I'm close over a hard bottom, so dropping it would not be a problem.
In the event that I am not in a place where I can drop down to pick up a dropped light (e.g. bottom is too deep and/or I'm on deco) and I need to unclip my light for whatever reason, well, if I drop it... too bad, so sad. That's why I'm carrying a backup. It hasn't happened yet and I'm not burdening myself with the weight of a can and the task-loading of a cord on all my dives just to mitigate that possibility that only even occurs on a small percentage of my dives.
To specifically address the OP, where s/he (making no assumptions here) specified wanting a light for "night rec diving", I would say that a can light is completely NOT the best answer.
For night dives, you need 2 lights. I highly recommend having one that is a good, bright spot, for signaling, when needed, and one that is a wide/flood beam that is either not super bright or has multiple brightness settings. Lights that are too bright are not what you want on night dives. It just blinds the critters and scares them away. When I do night dives, I usually just swim with a not-bright video light mounted on my camera and use that for my light during the dive. I have my spot beam light clipped to me and off in case I need it.
Regarding "growing with you", I would suggest to get a light that will become your backup light in the future, if you do pursue technical diving. A Dive Rite CX2 is an excellent option.
I have been doing my due diligence the last few weeks, looking to buy a new cordless light to be my primary on cave dives where I don't need the burn time of my can light. I'm just about to order a Dive Rite LX20+. It is "constant output", which none of these other lights being discussed are, and will run 4.5 hours on Medium (which is bright enough for cave use).
The only reason I don't suggest the LX20+ now is that it is (in my opinion) too fat to carry it as a backup. For a backup light, I carry single-cell lights that are not constant output. They are emergency use only and, though not as "nice" as something like an LX20+, they will be bright enough for long enough to get me out of any cave dive in my foreseeable future. The chance that I will have to use one of them is small enough that I'm okay with that kind of light as a backup.
By the time you (the OP) needs something more than a CX2 (or similar), there will probably be something even better than the LX20+ out. In the meantime, a CX2 for a spot light and one of many options for video lights will make a very good setup for night (and day) rec diving.
So, like @Lorenzoid said, buy today what you need for today.
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