Help with U/W Light

[1TexasDiver]

Tell me what your exact use will be and price range for the both of you....I then could give some suggestions.

not looking for anything real fancy, just dependable.we primarily use the lights in area dive sites,(blue lagoon,288, and such). we've been to Cabo,but did not night dive.our plans for the next few years is to split time between the east and west caribbean.I don't see cave diving in our near future. as we plan these trips I'm slowly talking her into night dives.my problem lies with our present lites( uk-SL6)she has made 2 n/d and both times the lite has flooded,the dive shop and uk have checked it out and can't find the problem.last dive, I rechecked it before we went in and after just a few minutes it blew again.I don't mind spending a few$$ as long as we don't go beyond what we really need,as I said ,just looking for something that we can depend on and that will give her enough lite so she feels comfortable enough to try diving the big waters at nite

thanx again,
Rick

 

[wjknobles]

if you are looking for something comparable to the SL6, the Princeton Tec Shockwave LED is a fair comparison ... I like the size and the brightness compared to similar lights.

I personally dive with Salvo Rats and the Salvo 12w LED can light for all of my diving and love both of them in the lake and in blue water, but with RETAIL on these at $165 and $780 respectively they are a bit pricey. Of course I am sure some others around here know that there are some deals available below retail.

As for the Oxycheq Raider, I have seen them in the water and must admit they did a great job with the light.

Ultimately you need to match your light with your diving, doing so will make you much happier with your choice.

 

[RumBum]

Dive lights are rated by color of light produced, focus of the beam, and light output. The yellow colors are lesser quality, white and blue are better. In a lake we like to have a sharp focus spot but that means you can only see a spot "X" big. For a small light like the UK6 your hot spot (the brightly focused area) is pretty small. But the lakes have a lot of floating particles that tend to break up a beam if it's not a tight focus. Light output is usually measured in lumens, although that's not a uniform measurement of light output. For a larger hot spot look at pistol grip lights instead of the ones with a small lens. They are heavier and go through a lot of batteries but you get what you pay for with dive lights.
YMMV of course.

 

[k-valve]

Here's the best piece of advice you'll get on this thread...in my most humble opinion, of course.

Make a list of the lights mentioned here and any others you are interested in purchasing then spend a day comparing them. Shine them on a wall 20'-30' away...the room doesn't have to be dark...and compare the brightness and focus of the lights' beams.

When I was looking for backup lights that's what I did with the Oxycheq Raider, OMS Vega, and the Intova Nova. I found that the least expensive wasn't the best and the most expensive actually had the worst light output. Here's how they ranked:

1. Oxycheq Raider - Middle of the pack for expense)
2. Intova Nova - Almost as good as the Raider and the least expensive by far)
3. OMS Vega - Most expensive and by far the poorest light output.

I ended up buying two Raiders for backups and have never regretted the purchase.

Just an FYI...there are A LOT of dive lights that are just crap. They're cheap and abundant in the dive shops...and some them have been named on this thread. They'd be fine in the Carribean on a 60' night dive, but in our local lakes they suck. Take your time and check the lights out. Most shops will let you put batteries in them and try them out. Don't spend your money at a shop that won't.