Dive Light Suggestions?

[nimoh]

I love my Light&Motion Sola 1200. It is very compact and throws as much light as any canister light.

The drawback is that I can only get two dives out of one charge (using full brightness), whereas with a canister you can go all day. I generally plan my dives accordingly, and if doing 3 or more dives, I will try to keep the light on the lowest setting to maximize the battery life.

I have only had the light for about 6 months, so can't comment yet on the degradation of the battery over time since I have not experienced any yet, but I'm sure it is coming.

 

[guyharrisonphoto]

I own the watershot stryker system with large battery.  This light can't be beat.  Bright central beam and a wide, bright halo.   The price is very reasonable.  I dive these day and night, pretty much on every dive.  The "hands free" mount is incredibly comfortablel and having "hands free" operation is something you have to experience.  You will never go back to a pistol, lantern, or any other form that you have to grip.

They just came out with 1800 lumen dual-bulb heads.  You can order the heads with 1 bulb as a spot (900 limen) and the other as a wide, even (75 degree) light.  This would give you the best of both worlds for clear water (using both, and the wide only for video) or poorer vis (just the spot).  Or, you can go double-spot for incredible spot brightness, or double-wide for video work.

Jonathan Lorenz posted earlier in this forum, you should drop him an email or a pm.  Personally, I plan  on adding the dual head (spot[wide) as soon as I can.  The great thing about watershot is their modular concept for batteries and light heads.  You can have one battery pack and several different heads for different conditions.  It is a great way to save money.

Jonathan, if you read this, do you have beam shots??

 

[jlorenzen]

As requested by guyharrisonphoto, here are few beam shots and light output info for the 1800 lumen lights.

D1800 light head beam shot (9° focused spot with halo)


V1800 light head beam shot (75° even flood pattern)


Notes:
1. The D1800 and the STYKR SL light head have the same beam patterns (they use the same reflectors), but the D1800 has twice as much light output
2. The V1800 and V900 light head have the same beam patterns (they use the same reflectors), but the V1800 has twice as much light output
3. The "combo" light C1800 produces 900 Lumens of light in the pattern of the D1800 and 900 Lumens of light in the pattern of hte V1800 (or when both bulbs are on, 1800 Lumens total) - modes for this light are SPOT only on, FLOOD only on, BOTH on.
4. Below are the results of an apples-to-apples test comparing our 2011 Strykr light output to the new D1800 light output: More than 2.5x more light!


Let me know if anyone has any other questions.

 

[guyharrisonphoto]

Hi Jonathan,

The one I am considering is the "C" 1800 combo model. Can you post a beam shot with both the spot and flood on at the same time?

 

[guyharrisonphoto]

I just upgraded from a prior 700 lumen model Watershot to their new 1800 dive light (focused spot beam with spill). The great thing is I only needed to get the head, as it is fully compatible with my existing batteries and cords. WOW, what a difference, it is easily 2-3 times as bright, plus, as a bonus, the new low-profile head is much less obtrusive on the hand mount than before. I love my older lights, but these new models are a home run!. Plus, for long diving days you can dial back the power to prolong battery life (which is about 1/2 of before due to the double power). However, it is rated for 3 hours on high. On medium or low it should last 4-6 dives, easy, making is perfect for live-aboard trips when you can recharge at night. We always dive with our lights during day dives because they really enhance the color of things especially below 40'. On a night dive, I can't imagine you would ever go beyond the low or medium power setting, but during the day the high setting is great.

Jonathan, another satisfied customer (again!).

 

[ajduplessis]

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