Good dive light that won't break the bank

[driftwood]

I have three generations of the Chinese lights hitting the market.

First, they out perform any US light for the money.

Second, they can be a bit quirky putting them back together. One light had to be "finally" assembled at 20m before it worked reliably.

Third, the rotary switches can be confusing and don't have enough of a positive feel. My third generation light has a slider "dimmer" switch that I love.

Fourth, the Chinese seem to have settled on the 18650 battery (18mm x 65mm). There are lights that use 26mm and 32mm diameter batteries. Those battery sizes are tough to find. BTW, forget finding 18650 batteries at places like Batteries R Us, shop online.

Fifth, if you own stock in either Underwater Kinetics or Ikelight, sell immediately. They are getting their butts kicked.

The Chinese lights still have big problems with the switches, seals and burn times. Two things they are doing superbly are output and the quality of the housings. (Cree has its factory in China)

 

[chrpai]

My Chinese light starts to dim after an hour. That's fine for rec diving. It came with batteries and a charger so no issues there. Who cares what size it is.

Only problem I had with flooding was user error and it cleaned up well.

I've taken it on about 12 dives now and I don't have any complaints. price was $45 shipped.

 

[aquaregia]

My vote's with Dorcy's Penetrator

 

[driftwood]

The 18650 batteries need some work to get the burn times up. My XM-L T6 is only good for a hour. The SST50 with 32650 batteries can run for a couple hours.

I hear you about user error and flooding. The P7 I have was a real bitch to get the bezel back on and properly tighten (descend 30', tighten, descend another 30', tighten, ...)

 

[chrpai]

My XM-L T6 driven by 18650 will last a couple hours but yes, after an hour or so it's obviously not quite as bright as compared to one with a fresh battery. Still, I think this is good enough for the typical rec diver doing a night dive. In fact, on a reef I'd run it at less power and it would last much longer.

The user error wasn't that complicated. When I first got the light I thought I only removed the attack crown but I really removed the ring that was holding the lens in place. It was sealed by nothing but the gasket. I promptly flooded it. Fortunatly I was able to fix it with a "rice bath" and took it to a jeweler to get the attack crown removed. I've since had no problems with it at all. I was just stupid that day...

 

[CajunJosh]

I guess this guy is completely out of the question....

Abyss Dual Dive Light - HID Searchlight

 

[Merchant]

Intova SL1 Security Light SL1 B&H Photo Video uses 3 c cells. has 100% 30% and strobe setings. i made a Goodman handle for it 2 hours + burn time.8 degree search 99.99

• LED Has a 100,000-Hour Life
• 2-Hour Runtime at Full Power
• 800-Lumen Output
• Variable (Full/30°/Strobe) Power
• Depth-Rated to 400'
• 8° Beam Angle
• Scalloped Bezel

Liquid Image 5.5 W 300 Lumen Ultra Wide Dive Light 65.00 rechargeable . charge bats included

[h=4]Product Highlights[/h]

• 5.5 W Rechargeable CREE LED
• 300 Lumens
• Depth Rating: 400'
• 3.0 hr Burn Time
• 60° Beam Angle
• Color Temperature: 6000 - 7000 K
• Rugged Aluminum Housing
• Bracket Arm for Mounting Included
• Rechargeable Lithium Battery Included
• Charger with US / European Adapters

 

[Lucas Cordina]

Personally, I went with an Underwater Kinetics C4 E-LED light, it wasn't too expensive, and it worked wonders as primary beam.

Here's a presentation from SimplyScuba.com regarding that light Underwater Kinetics C4 eLED L1 Torch - www.simplyscuba.com - YouTube

 

[Shftrdog]

The light in motion lights are the best. The Sola 500 is 500 lumins and is recharable and you can not flood it bc you cant get into it. They also make the Sola 1200 which is a crazy 1200 lumins. If you are looking for somthing a little cheeper then the Underwater Kinetics SL4 is a great light, it is under $100 and is 400 lumins. It even comes with the 4 C batteries. We have them in stock if you would like me to send you one.

 

[eelnoraa]

I have went through a few lights mention aboved: Dorcy Penatrator 220, UK SL4-eLED, L&M1200 (borrow), Hollis LED5, DRIS500 and DRIS1000.

Docry 220: like the size and run time, but don't like the beam shape and brightness. Beam is not as good as SL4-eLED

UK SL4-eLED: like the beam pattern, brightness is OK, don't like the physical shale because hard stool in harness

L&M1200: beam too wide, good for good viz water and video, bad for low viz water. No way this thing is 1200 lumen. Not effective as primary light and not easily stoolable as backup. To me, its only purpose is video light.

Hollis LED5: like the physical form, like the beam pattern and brightness, very narrow and intense beam. If not for DRIS500/1000, I will still have this

DRIS500/1000: same physical form as Hollis LED5 (like). Beam is wider than Hollis LED5 but not overly wide like L&M. Hot spot is similar brightness as Hollis but bigger. Lower cost

As of now, I ended up with a DRIS500 and DRIS1000 as backup when I have a canister. DRIS1000 main light if I am on vacation. For the cost/performance, DRIS has absolute advantage over Hollis LED5. I dont see a reason choosing Hollis anymore although it is a very good light. If you are OK with the size of DRIS, the cost is not that much higher than Dorcy but much better light. UK SL4-eLED is a very good light but its physcal size make it hard to use for my usage. L&M, it is really a video light. If you don't shoot video, I don't see a reason for it. Its cost is close to a canister light but doesn't perform like one.

So in concludion, I suggest DRIS light. Later on, it can be a very good backup light if you decide to upgrade to a canister.