Diving light recommendations

[inquis]

Just avoid cheap Chinese crap. It breaks, is unreliable, melts, poor quality…

Experience varies. I bought a 1000 lm off of Amazon for $50 that has 3 o-rings, magnetic switch, and a tempered glass lens. I liked it so much, I bought 4 more off eBay for $25 each. They've all been to 250 ft (75 m) numerous times and are simply awesome.

 

[lowwall]

2000 lumens is a LOT for Night and Cavern. I would recommend a 1000 lm rated light using an 18650 rechargeable battery. You'll need 2 lights after all.

Agreed. The lights favored by cave divers are complete overkill for rec dives unless you are diving in areas with very low viz. I have a pair of the type of lights recommended by @inquisit and I rarely use the max brightness setting in tropical water. It's too bright and scares the fish away.

Something like these are great (same manufacturer, slightly different setups). Even the cave divers will use them as a final backup.

1000 Lumens Dive Light

The MAKO Spearguns 1000 Dive Light delivers a HUGE 1000 Lumens with 70 degree projection and 8 degree center beam. Rated to a depth of 150 meters.

makospearguns.com

DGX Gears 600 BUTTON Handheld Light

Multi-function with HIGH - LOW - STROBE light offering 600 lumens and depth rated below 300 feet, the DGX 600 BUTTON Handheld Light features a true out-the-front 600 system lumens (1100+ raw LED lumens) of cool white 6500°K light in a tight 8° beam.

www.divegearexpress.com

 

[Rayk]

I am using Dive Rite BX2s and they are stellar.

 

[Damselfish]

I think you need to describe your diving plans more - like where? What’s the viz like? A night diving class is not necessarily a big deal as far as lights go. Cavern - is that the start of a serious path, or do you just want to do a basic cavern class?

People often start out thinking brighter is better, but that’s not always the case and it can be a negative. Or at the very least a waste of money when you discover you only use your very expensive (and hopefully dimmable) light at it’s lowest setting. Sometimes it makes sense for main lights now to become backups later. Beam angle is also an important consideration.

 

[Wibble]

Experience varies. I bought a 1000 lm off of Amazon for $50 that has 3 o-rings, magnetic switch, and a tempered glass lens. I liked it so much, I bought 4 more off eBay for $25 each. They've all been to 250 ft (75 m) numerous times and are simply awesome.

My experiences were awful. Tried about 4 different torches which all failed within a handful of dives; one where the alloy case literally dissolved in the seawater. Don't think a single one made it to 10 dives.

I then stopped paying not a lot for crap and paid a load more for an intermediate torch (Light-for-Me 4Tec) which was fantastic and still working after many hundreds of dives. Alas I can't recommend LfM due to their non-existent support and service.

Paid twice the price of the LfM for an Anchor 189 torch + umbilical battery which is still working well.

I did buy a second hand Halcyon Focus v1. Really didn't like the design so quickly sold it on.

 

[wetb4igetinthewater]

+1 for Halcyon Flare/Focus. They’re very expensive, but will last forever and they hold onto their resale pretty well. I’ve got both and am very glad that I spent the money. If you go with a corded light, I’d recommend getting an EO cord so that you can also use things like a heated vest in the future or have the ability to swap batteries underwater.

My Focus Handheld (first gen) became a $1400 paperweight after less than a year. I experienced a very different customer support from Halcyon than what others tout.

 

[lowwall]

My experiences were awful. Tried about 4 different torches which all failed within a handful of dives; one where the alloy case literally dissolved in the seawater. Don't think a single one made it to 10 dives.

I'm not sure which ones you got. But I have a few dozen dives and lots of above water time with no problems on both a DGX 600 Button and a Volador 1000 from Amazon. They were around $60 each with a battery and battery charger. Both appear to be made in the same place. There are dozens of labels on this basic torch, but they are easily identified by the general size and weight and triple O-ring seal between the head and body.

Achim S of ISE uses three of the most basic twist version of this torch mounted together in a Goodman handle as his primary and backup on most of his technical dives. He unscrews one near the end of this video and you can see the triple O-ring setup.


I believe the lights in this setup are the Orcatorch D520 which is still available on Amazon for example.

The DGX version is: DGX Gears 600 TWIST Handheld Light

I prefer the versions with multiple light levels and either a button or tail switch. But the twists do have fewer parts and thus should be more reliable.

 

[GF99/99]

My Focus Handheld (first gen) became a $1400 paperweight after less than a year. I experienced a very different customer support from Halcyon than what others tout.

Like wise. I had one just flat out stop working, no evidence of flooding, dropped, etc. no support from Halcyon. Just a really expensive paper weight.

On the reverse I had and UWLD piezo button issue on an 1.5 month long cave exploration trip in the middle of BFN jungle in Indonesia and Bobby FedEx expressed me a new head all the way to Indonesia no questions ask. I would compare UWLD customer service to Shearwaters

 

[Ontwreckdiver]

I have 2 of these Kraken lights, and they are great lights. NR-2000 - Kraken Sports

 

[Tigerpaw]

Canister or a normal light?

Normal light, want to stay as streamlined as possible.