HID Canister Lights

[paddler3d]

I'm going to take any X-mass money and b-day money and get my next big piece of diving gear.

I'm looking at a canister light for my primary.

I'm currently not considering the LED lights yet. They may have the burn time and the Kelvin, but they are still lacking in the Lumens department.

I'd prefer to get one with Li-Ion batteries, but I guess the question is, is it worth the money to pony up for a 21w or 24w HID light?

The 21's and 24's are 2 to 2.5 times the lumen of the 10w HID, but are there significant advantages to this?

I dive the wrecks off of the Mid-Atlantic, NC, my local quarries which are all typically low vis and dark.

I look forward to your feedback!

Thanks,

Chris

 

[jeraldjcook]

The 21's and 24's are 2 to 2.5 times the lumen of the 10w HID, but are there significant advantages to this?

More light but at the same time half the burn time. Your might try picking up a used 10w first either here at SB or at TDS for a couple hundred bucks. If you later chose to upgrade you probably wouldn't lose much money on the deal, or you could keep it as a backup light.
Question: do you dive with anyone else who has an HID? If you buy a 10w and they have a 24w, you'll have light envy and want to upgrade even if you don't need to. If you buy a 24w and they have a 10w, your buddy will be mad at you because then he'll want to upgrade. 10w put out more than enough light for me, but to some, more is always better.
And don't forget about fixed or adjustable beam.

(PS: That's good looking dog you have there.)

 

[battles2a5]

Originally, I went w/ a 10w Dive Rite, non-focusable w/ the sunspot bulb. I got this used on TDS. The 10w's are easy to find on the boards and you can pick one up for around $400. I am now in the market for a larger light. I also do a lot of wrecks and I will be starting cave training soon. I am going to go w/ either a Salvo 21w or 35w. There are a few things I would look at when choosing a light:

- Bulb Manufacturer: Dive Rite 10w and I think a lot fo the Halcyons use a Welch-Allen (sp?) bulb, which is used in the medical field. Salvo's and some others use a Brightstar bulb which is from the auto industry. The difference? Brightstars are much, much more durable. You drop a WA, there's a good chance the bulb will go. Some say the color temp on the WA bulbs is whiter/bluer than the Brightstars. I haven't spent enough time around each to notice the difference.
- Wattage: Again, it's the standard 10w vs. 18-24w vs. 35w: The 18-24 are probably the most common among cavers, a lot of people try to match lights within their team so one doesn't overpower the other, complicating communication. The 10w focusables seem to be brighter than the fixed focus, with the exception of the sunspot bulb.
- Battery: NiMH and Li-Ion seem to be the best options for good power in a small package. My dive rite uses NiMH and I just had to replace the battery which was expensive. I've used a Salvo once w/ the Li-Ion battery and it worked great. One thing about NiMH (and maybe the same w/ Li-Ion, not sure) is that when they run out of juice, they do it quick. I was on a night dive with mine and from the time it started to fade to when it went out was about 1 minute. Carry back-ups.
- Weight: Sounds like you do a bit of traveling. The DR 10w fixed focus w/ slimline canister is very small and light weight. A lot of the 21w are similar in size and weight. May be something to consider.
- Construction. All of the manufacturer's have "the best design". There's all kinds of combinations of dry this and remote that. Just read up on them and make up your mind as to which one if the best for you. There have been limitless heated discussion about Halcyon vs. Salvo, and everyone else. I personally like the Salvo because they are durable, have a very robust design, and most importantly I have a great local dealer that could help me out if I had any issues. If that local dealer carried Halcyon, Sartek, or Greenforce, the decision may have been different.

There are a lot of folks with a much better understanding of the smaller differences between the lights. I would do some research, narrow down your choices, then post some more detailed quesions and I'm sure the people here can help you clear up any questions. Good luck!

 

[karstdvr]

I know you said you don't want to wait until the LED technology has become the standard,but I don't think that is far away. I think LED will do to HID,what HID did to halogen. I would keep this in mind when investing a lot of money in a light,because I would lucky if I could sell my old halogen lights for $50,when they were purchased for around $300.

 

[paddler3d]

I guarantee that LED will do to HID, what HID did to halogen, but how far down the road are we talking? 1yr? 2yrs? 5yrs?

I'm installing LED lighting is a lot of my residential and commercial buildings I supervise. They just don't yet have the lumens yet.

The comment about the Whelch Arc bulb vs. the Brightstar bulb is extremely interesting. I went to Salvo's site, and unfortunately they make no mention of their bulb.

To compare apples to apples, Dive Rite 10w HID is $775 and Salvo's 10w HID with the same battery is $980. That is a $205 difference. The Salvo replacement bulb is around $100 and the Dive Rite is $146. If the Dive Rite's bulbs are much easier to break the math starts to make sense.

Does anyone else have any experience with the different bulbs?

 

[jimdiverman]

I guarantee that LED will do to HID, what HID did to halogen, but how far down the road are we talking? 1yr? 2yrs? 5yrs?

To compare apples to apples, Dive Rite 10w HID is $775 and Salvo's 10w HID with the same battery is $980. That is a $205 difference. The Salvo replacement bulb is around $100 and the Dive Rite is $146. If the Dive Rite's bulbs are much easier to break the math starts to make sense.

Does anyone else have any experience with the different bulbs?

I am in the same boat. I am considering the Salvo 21W 10.4 amp Havoc series light for Christmas (along with twin 108s, a Manta reel and a deco tank).

I think what I am going to do is buy the HID, use it for a few years, and wait for LED and battery technology to keep improving, which it will. I am still going to wait until the technology is proven (by others) before I jump in and spend a lot of money on it. Let's face it... even though it is cheaper and more profitable, the manufacturers aren't going to charge less for it, at least at first.

 

[PerroneFord]

To compare apples to apples, Dive Rite 10w HID is $775 and Salvo's 10w HID with the same battery is $980. That is a $205 difference. The Salvo replacement bulb is around $100 and the Dive Rite is $146. If the Dive Rite's bulbs are much easier to break the math starts to make sense.

Does anyone else have any experience with the different bulbs?

The Salvo uses the Brightstar. The Dive Rite (used to use) the Welch, but I don't know now.

There is something more besides lumen that tends to get forgotten. The reflector plays a LARGE role in both the quality and quantity of light being given off. The reflector on the Salvo and Halcyon make quite good use of the bulb. I have used the Salvo 10w, the Salvo 21w, the Sartek 10w, the Dive Rite 10w, and the Green Force 10w. I can say without question, the Salvo 10w was the brightest 10w I've ever seen. Period. The fact that they use the Brightstar bulb is a bonus.

I would also suggest you speak to a Salvo dealer about the pricing. You don't have to pay MSRP on the lights, and I have a feeling you can get that Salvo 10w for about the same price as the Dive Rite, or very close.

 

[Major Restriction]

The Salvo uses the Brightstar. The Dive Rite (used to use) the Welch, but I don't know now.

There is something more besides lumen that tends to get forgotten. The reflector plays a LARGE role in both the quality and quantity of light being given off. The reflector on the Salvo and Halcyon make quite good use of the bulb. I have used the Salvo 10w, the Salvo 21w, the Sartek 10w, the Dive Rite 10w, and the Green Force 10w. I can say without question, the Salvo 10w was the brightest 10w I've ever seen. Period. The fact that they use the Brightstar bulb is a bonus.

I would also suggest you speak to a Salvo dealer about the pricing. You don't have to pay MSRP on the lights, and I have a feeling you can get that Salvo 10w for about the same price as the Dive Rite, or very close.

In addition to Perrone's comments I'd like to add that I make use of my focusable reflector on my DR24W. I lighten the nut on the reflector just enough to be able to move it back and forth (to focus/unfocus) as needed, so that i can 'spread' the light or create an intense beam (e.g., to get my buddies attention) as needed. I personally wouldn't buy a light without a focusable reflector, but that's me.

I also understand that Salvo makes terrific lights, and has great customer service.

Good luck with your purchase.

 

[Nocturnal Lights]

Hey guys,

If you're looking for a canister light that's ultra bright and is not too expensive, consider our TL50 and TL50 Extreme, which are both canister lights that can be mounted onto the back of your hand with the neoprene hand mount that we have.

We also have a LED that is fairly bright, about 70-80% of the brightness of some of the 10W HIDs out there and we have received great reviews. Check them out under "dive lights" at www.nocturanllights.com, we have received a lot of great reviews from Scuba Board Members too Feel free to ask me any questions here, I'm here to help!

 

[PerroneFord]

Tim,

I just took a look at the page with the TL50 Extreme. I am sure it's a great light, but for a number of reasons, I don't think it should be compared with a canister light with a goodman head. It's quite possible the OP won't need all the characteristics of a can light, so maybe this option will be worthwhile for him.