Do you think the adjustable angle beam dive light useful?

[lowviz]

Hi everyone, do you think a dive light with adjustable-focus beam angle from concentrated to wide angle useful for you?

Most definitely, can you come close to this classic?

30W OMS Phantom canister dive light (800 Lumens ) $250 OBO

 

[Akimbo]

When I was actively diving for California lobster , aka bugs I preferred a very narrow concentrated light beam- on several of the later larger lights I taped the parameter of the front of the light to substantially narrow the beam.

There may be a difference now with the significant advancements in LED and battery technology. We had to choose between bright and narrow or dull and wide in the days of incandescent bulbs and Carbon or Alkaline batteries. The poster child has to be the Darrell Allen Bug Diver with 10 D-cells, which is about 10x larger and 1/10th the light output of today's modern lights.

Image "borrowed" from a @Bob DBF post.​

Would you still prefer a fixed narrow beam if you could have a much smaller and brighter light than was available even a few years ago?

 

[kelemvor]

From what I've read, few advances in diving technology have been accepted as quickly as advances in dive lights. There was very little wailing and gnashing of teeth when LED based lights with lithium cells came out. The complaints I saw or heard quieted down pretty quick.

On the other hand, that's the only real technology change (of significance) that's happened in my limited time as a diver. Maybe historical accounts of resistance to technology change (bcd, spg, redundant second stage, computers, etc) are overblown?

 

[lowviz]

We had to choose between bright and narrow or dull and wide in the days of incandescent bulbs ...//...

The OMS light I posted above was the sole exception. It would go from a light saber to a flood. Downside was that the light's head was a moose, it could double as a hammer...

No resistance to change, here. Still waiting for something as good or better.

 

[Bob DBF]

The Bug-Diver @Akimbo refers to is a frankenlight that I rebuilt in order to see through silt plumes in a local lake, worked out well but is an extremely narrow beam. Below is a link to the conversion.

Darrell Allen Light Rebuild Mod I


My surface lights are most all variable beam, and find them quite usefull. Underwater I use a light in very low viz. For normal dives and viz, I don't find a light as usefull because my eyes seem to adapt reasonably fast when looking under ledges and into holes when bug diving, keeping both hands ready for a grab.

Overall, if I didn't have too many lights already, I'd get a good variable beam over a standard lamp.


Bob

 

[kablooey]

I dive with a Paralenz camera.
It's a fire and forget video camera so it records the whole dive.
When I use a standard beam light I get a dancing blown-out hot spot on my video.
Now I use a light with adjustable-focus beam.
On the wide setting the hot spot is less of a problem.
It's not eliminated... but definitely better.

K

 

[Sam Miller III]

I am intimately familiar with the Darrel Allen light ! both the aluminum model and the later plastic model...

FYI and especially the OP @OrcaTorch

Around 25 or more years ago I had a dedicated column titled The way it was...in the US national dive magazine "Discover diving"

One of my many articles was titled "Ye ole diving light " which was a very brief synopsis of the early days of recreational diving in the US prior to the introduction of commercial dive lights- The many experiments and failures of developing a dive light from then available WW 11 surplus items as well as off the shelf items .

My home is a disaster due to remodel, repaint and replace and I cannot access my files on Discover Diving
hopefully soon ...

Sam Miller, III

 

[AdivingBel]

I enjoy my adjustable beam light. It also has multiple brightness settings...a tight, bright beam for peering under rocks and ledges during the day and a dimmer, broader beam for night dives. Works great.

 

[drrich2]

I bought a dive light with just such a feature, and for that reason, a few years back. Not having used a wide range of known beam widths, I didn't know which I might like best, and given the choice between adjustable and fixed, saw no reason to restrict myself.

Richard.

 

[MichaelMc]

Ability to actually adjust as worn matters. A stiff to adjust twist adjustable in a not rock tight wrist sock mount is mostly non adjustable as it requires two hands besides the one it is attached to.

I got an adjustable for shallow reef Nor Cal dives, for the same reason as drrich2. But I can't switch it (BigBlue CF450) well between angles while wearing it with my sock mount. I do like the notion and greater functionality though.