Help choosing a Dive Light

[avalpert]

I've read through many posts here and may be more confused with all my options. I am looking to buy a dive light to use as a primary light for night dives in clear tropical water - if it is useful for nooks and crannies during the day that is a bonus but not a criteria. I also will be traveling with it which means compactness and weight matter.

I typically do only a few night dives a year, so battery life and bulb life are not top concern - given that, does it make sense to save the money and go with a xenon version of something like princeton tech's miniwave or should I opt for an LED version. Or would one of the heavily recommended lights like the Dorcy/piranha 220 or DRIS 1000 make sense for this usage (or be overkill)? How wide an angle should I be looking for - do I need to focus on the pistol grip forms or are some of the narrower handles still wide enough?

Any recommendations are encouraged.

 

[divad]

o. Or would one of the heavily recommended lights like the Dorcy/piranha 220 or DRIS 1000 make sense for this usage (or be overkill)?

Yes.......................

 

[DazedAndConfuzed]

whatever light you get, you should get one that is on the wide angle range. This allows you to shine the light in one general area and have your eyes scan the area lit by the light. No need to get the 1000 lumen units unless you are always 30ft from the reef and want to look light up a 1000 sq ft area. And most of those powerful lights has a very narrow beam, unless they are video lights.

 

[divad]

Retrospectively, using your various criteria, I would buy the $80.00 Dorcy 2-light package. You'll have a light and a back-up light, both of which are visible in daylight. If you decide to get something else you'll have two back-up lights.

---------- Post Merged at 08:22 PM ---------- Previous Post was at 07:44 PM ----------

 

[phoenix31tt]

i bought an intova wide angle (220 lumens) for 60 bucks and recently purchased on of those trustfire 1000 lumens for 34... so 94$ for a light and a backup..

if the trustfire works well i would say thats a great buy... i've dove with the intova in both clear clear and slightly murky water and it was great...

 

[buddhasummer]

i bought an intova wide angle (220 lumens) for 60 bucks and recently purchased on of those trustfire 1000 lumens for 34... so 94$ for a light and a backup..

if the trustfire works well i would say thats a great buy... i've dove with the intova in both clear clear and slightly murky water and it was great...

+1 on the Intova wide, its not so great in the day time as the beam is so wide it washes out but at night in clear tropical waters I found it very good as its not too bright so doesn't scare all the fish away and illuminates a nice wide area.

 

[avalpert]

Thank you for the advice. Have any you tried the Intova Tactical or compared it to the Mini Wide Anlge? Also, I saw some reviewers on LeisurePro have switch issues - does the switch seem like it should hold up?

Finally, for those that have it, do you have any issues finding batteries abroad - if you dive abroad?

The Dorcy seems nice as a backup or daytime light - will it be wide enough for night use in clear waters?

 

[buddhasummer]

Thank you for the advice. Have any you tried the Intova Tactical or compared it to the Mini Wide Anlge? Also, I saw some reviewers on LeisurePro have switch issues - does the switch seem like it should hold up?

Finally, for those that have it, do you have any issues finding batteries abroad - if you dive abroad?

The Dorcy seems nice as a backup or daytime light - will it be wide enough for night use in clear waters?

finding CR123As can be problematic in far flung places, without a doubt AA, AAAs or Cs are the most readily available. The switch on my Intova wide fell out but Intova sent me some replacements, 3 from memory, and I never had another issue with the switch. The tactical has a narrower beam so would be a little better for day but not as good IMO as the wide for night diving.

Perhaps you could look at the Hollis Mini3 it runs on the more common AAs and is supposed to be a nice light although a little more expensive than either the Intova or Dorcy.

 

[phoenix31tt]

Thank you for the advice. Have any you tried the Intova Tactical or compared it to the Mini Wide Anlge? Also, I saw some reviewers on LeisurePro have switch issues - does the switch seem like it should hold up?

Finally, for those that have it, do you have any issues finding batteries abroad - if you dive abroad?

i guess i could be considered "abroad" since i live in the Caribbean... i just ordered a pack of 6 from amazon so batteries are not an issue... additionally intova does have a light that uses standard aaa or aa batteries (cant remember which) but i dont know if its wide angle

regarding the switch... mine is not the one with the variable switch (power selection) it just has on and off and i dont see it as being a problem thus far... but only time will tell i guess

Perhaps you could look at the Hollis Mini3 it runs on the more common AAs and is supposed to be a nice light although a little more expensive than either the Intova or Dorcy.

only thing with the hollis is that it has an 8degree beam which is very narrow.. if thats okay he could probably look at that to

 

[buddhasummer]

If you want a more versatile light might I suggest an Mb-Sub X1-VB in AA. Its more expensive but has a variable beam from 3-26degrees which is great for day time use or in bad vis at 3degrees and great for clear tropical night diving in wider angles up to 26degrees, it runs on 3 AAs and has a magnetic collar for on and off which can be operated with one finger. Its one of my favourite lights, as i said not cheap but IMO worth the money, yes a very nice light indeed. Intova/Tovatec also make a variable beam angle light its cheaper than the Mb-sub, Ive seen one first hand its ok, not great but Ok, might fit your bill.

IFL WA Zoom Video Light | Intova

or hollis
Hollis Gear: LED3x Torch

or my pick: Mb-sub
mb-sub.com: X1 - VB LED-flashlight