Help choosing first canister light

[eelnoraa]

What is the best highly depend on where you are you diving and what you want to do with the light.

If you want a light for video purpose, a wider angle LED light would be better. You really don't need a super intense light for video, instead, you want the beam to be even in brightness and wide enough to cover the angle of your video lens. I made a mistaky using a 21W HID with Gopro in Thailand. The footage isnt very useable.

For other purpose, say eliminate things in day time, signalling buddies, you want a tight angle beam with high intensity hot spot. Here in NorCal water, 21W HID is not over kill at all. I would even say it is just adaquite in day time. Even in crystal clear water of Thailand, 21W HID is very useful in day time. At night, it is overkill in both places IMO. For night dive, wide beam or narrow beam depend on water condition. In clear water, wide beam will work. But if water is anything like NorCal water, the back scatter will only distroy you night version.

Don't worry about blinding your buddy. It is not about how you use the light, not the brightness of the light. If you point it straight to your buddy, even a hand held torch can be blinding

 

[SkimFisher]

Get something with some punch. I dived a DR 10W HID for awhile, and it was (and still is) a great light. However, as soon as I started diving with a group that was made up of 21W HID's, there were times I got drowned out.

I recently replaced the 10W, and stuck with HID. I just like the light they put out. Yes, the bulbs are expensive, but I've never busted one, and I've beat the crap out of my 10W. I've got a Light Monkey 35W HID with the 5.5hr battery, but I think a 21W is perfect. I ended up with the 35W because it was a deal I just couldn't pass up. Great light. Great punch. It will serve my needs for quite a while.

Just remember that the purpose of a primary is two-fold: to see, and to be seen.

 

[Peter_C]

Having started with a 10 watt Salvo (Now Light Monkey) HID and eventually upgrading to a 21 watt Salvo HID, I can not see getting less than 21 watts. I also don't see a need for any more power. Putting my HID up against my friends brand new 21 watt LED from Light Monkey I have to say I would buy an LED without hesitation. There has been zero reliability issues with my HID, but I feel LED technology has surpassed HID.

"Buy it once, but it right, and never buy it again."

 

[Shftrdog]

The Hollis LED 15 is the best one, you cant go wrong with that. We have them if you need

 

[Clammy]

I have a 21W HID Salvo (light monkey) and dive in SoCal. It's been beat to hell and I've never had it break. It's great for signaling with people down to 10w HIDs in day and night, it works well where I am. It can also focus in and out a bit. I also have a 10w LED Diverite. I take that on warm water trips where viz is high and the water is clear. I've taken my 21W HID to warm clear water, and though it's fine during the day, it is a bit overkill at night. I love the fact that my HID can create a "beam" visible in day or night. It's perfect for light communication.

 

[RJP]

Help choosing first canister light

Best advice I can offer... buy your SECOND light FIRST!

As others have said, LED isn't there yet vs HID. Especially important since your light is as much for signalling as for seeing. LED's typically do not have as tight a beam as HID, so harder to use for signalling. Also, for the same reason, you need to have a light that is as powerful as the people with whom you will be diving - if you have an 10w light and everyone else has a 21w, you run the risk of your signals not being seen. Of course the converse is true as well - if you're running a 50w and everyone else has a 21w, you risk not seeing THEIR signals.

I'd go with Light Monkey or Halcyon 21w HID. Whichever you can get a better deal on.

"Buy it right, or buy it twice."

 

[cavdiver]

best light with versitility for different applicants can only be green force. have been using these lights for a decade and never had a problem or flooded one.

 

[Superlyte27]

best light with versitility for different applicants can only be green force. have been using these lights for a decade and never had a problem or flooded one.

I'm guessing if you've been using these lights for a decade, then you've missed some of the other great lights out there that work just as well or better, and are possibly manufactured locally, making quick service a snap.

And everyone's gotta admit, the greenforce lights are NOT sexy. They are one of the ugliest lights out there. Not that it matters much, but if we're comparing apples to apples anyway, we might as well get a light that looks cool.

 

[TSandM]

Actually, I think the Green Force lights look cool . . . but I don't own one.

One of the things I would say about choosing between HID and LED is to look at what the visibility tends to be in the caves where you will be diving. HID still has it over LED in ability to "punch" through hazy water. Focus is not terribly critical if the water is crystal clear (and you can leave it that way ) but gets extremely important for communication when the viz is low. (She says, having done a limited visibility cave dive Saturday that got her thinking about this.)

 

[JamesK]

I have both a GreenForce Tristar LED and a Halcyon 10W HID. The HID, as others have said, has more "punch" in murky waters. However, the GreenForce is extremely versatile and built like a freggin tank. Service is an issue with them though. I recently flooded my Halcyon, so it is going to have to be repaired. I am debating now whether to send it back to Halcyon, or simply have it "upgraded" to an LED by the underwater light dude. I want to have both an LED and an HID though.

10W seems kind of small now a days, but a 50W is overkill for most teams. I think 21W is the ideal at the moment.

I am also considering just turning the Halcyon in to a video light, and then purchasing an HID from Light Monkey. Those seem to be, from what I have seen, some of the best commercially produced lights available IMO.

I have also owned a DR 10W HID. It was not a bad light at all either.

I really don't think you can buy a crappy can light.