HID, eLED, Halygen, C4, D4, C8, D8 ??!???

[Tamas]

Well I was leaning towards the UK C4 eLed or UK HID Light Cannon 100, wondered if the price differential is really worth it between the two (6 vs 10 watts?). If I'm reading correctly the C8 only gives me more burn time compared to the C4.

Definitely not ready to drop the $ for a cannister light.

Despite the 10watt rating on the HID Cannon is actually very close to the output (if not more) of a 50W halogen. Remember you are comparing halogen to HID, different colour temperatures and different light rays. The HID is far superior.....hence all the *fancy* cars that use them.

Get it, you will not be disappointed.

 

[Mark Vlahos]

Many of you have posted your endorsement of the UK Lightcannon...

The original post was looking for a "moderately priced" light. While the Lightcannon is a pretty bright light I don't think it fits into the "moderately priced" category.

I just did a quick little tour around the internet. I did not do any comparison shopping, these were the first prices I came up with. If you search carefully you should be able to find better prices. None of my prices include shipping, nor do they reflect any discounts.

From Ginnie Springs the Sartek 10w adjustable HID "canister" light is $599.95. This is a decent light, it happens to be the one I use, but there are "better" lights out there. If you want to move up in wattage and price there are lots of lights to choose from, but bring your wallet.

From ScubaToys the UK Lightcannon is $158.95 and the optional rechargable battery pack is an additional $99.95. This makes the total $258.90.

From ScubaToys the UK C4 eLED is $63.85.

From ScubaToys the UK SL4 is $23.79.

In my book the $64 light is moderately priced, the $24 light is inexpensive, and the $250 light is expensive. Even if you just get the standard Lightcannon at $158 by the time you feed it batteries for a couple of years of diving you are looking at an expensive light.

The C4 eLED has a nice color temperature so the quality of the light beam is similar to an HID. On balance it really seems to me like a no brainer, save some cash but still get a good light that is not so large and heavy that you can pack it up and actually use it in the water on that vacation you might actually be able to afford.

Mark Vlahos

 

[mossym]

Many of you have posted your endorsement of the UK Lightcannon...

The original post was looking for a "moderately priced" light. While the Lightcannon is a pretty bright light I don't think it fits into the "moderately priced" category.

all depends, in my mind the light cannon is expensive when compared to an sl8, but cheap when compared to a canister light, which averages out at moderate

his thread title mentions HID, of which the light cannon is definitely the most moderately priced..

 

[scubatoys]

Also, you can do the light cannon and just burn C cells - you don't have to get the recharge. You will get about 5 night dives out of a set of C's... So it will take about 120 dives to amortize out the cost of the rechargable. That's a heck of a lot of night dives.

I use the rechargable... but for 2 very good reasons:

1) When traveling, I'll do a lot of night dives, sometimes 2 in one night, so in a week or 10 day trip, I'd have to carry a lot of batteries if I'm on a live aboard and do not have easy or cheap access to more c-cells.

2) I own a dive shop.... why not!?

 

[Hoosier]

Shark.Bite.USA,

That's the guy I got my two LCs from. You are never disappointed at his service.
Check out his price on UK LC. And, don't forget to get the lantern grip (about $5).

BTW, Larry, did you get my PM?:14:

Also, you can do the light cannon and just burn C cells - you don't have to get the recharge. You will get about 5 night dives out of a set of C's... So it will take about 120 dives to amortize out the cost of the rechargable. That's a heck of a lot of night dives.

I use the rechargable... but for 2 very good reasons:

1) When traveling, I'll do a lot of night dives, sometimes 2 in one night, so in a week or 10 day trip, I'd have to carry a lot of batteries if I'm on a live aboard and do not have easy or cheap access to more c-cells.

2) I own a dive shop.... why not!?

 

[kazinvan]

I agree with Mossym, I consider the light cannon a moderate (even cheap) light for what you are getting, the cannister HIDs are way more money (yes, they are better). For the extra money, it's well worth it.

Up here in Vancouver, BC, I use a light on every dive, day or night. When you get down to 50+ feet you almost always need it. The rechargable pack is a good investment.

 

[lairdb]

Two more cents: I would probably have gotten a C8 eLED and been happier (less fragile than the LC, better low-battery behaviour, etc.) except for one killer defect: fixed pistol grip. IMO, pistol grips are uncomfortable, promote poor trim, are harder to manage, etc. I got a Light Cannon (from Larry, of course) because I could switch it to a lantern grip.

That said, let me also point back at something Mark raised: while an SL4 or SL6 is not a great primary long term, it may serve sufficiently well (at the very very bottom of the acceptable-primary scale) for a few instructional/supervised dives while you figure out what you like, how much you want to invest, etc., and they'll serve just fine long term as a backup. There's so many of these floating around that you may be able to put up a WTB card somewhere and pick one up for next to nothing.

 

[teknitroxdiver]

I use a Pelican Nemo 8C for wreck dives, and like it pretty good. It has a nice hotspot, and a wide flood section. However only the hotspot is really visible in a dark wreck, and it's way to small IMO to see much at a time. I would love a HID but they're a bit expensive.

For a night dive, however, I like a small light. I used to use a Ikelite PCa and it was awesome, very bright for it's size, and compact. Yes, I know that's a tiny light for a primary, but I actually prefer 'dark' night dives. Also I scared the @#%$ out of a turtle with my Nemo at night, and that was just the edge of the beam.

Most people seem to prefer a bright night dive light, however.

 

[D_B]

As a beginner, not knowing if I was going to do many night dives, and reluctant to spend a lot of money on a light but wanting to get a good one none the less , I purchased a UK C8 , was a nice compromise between price and performance ($39 at unrealfind) I did like the color of other divers C8 eLED though, was more natural, and may be easer to see by and if I had more money I would have gotten that one
The UK Light Cannon would be my choice if I knew I was going to do night dives regularly , cant beat that price, for that performance
And I have the UK Mini Q40 in my BC pocket all the time (surprisingly bright)

DB

 

[shark.byte.usa]

Thanks for the feedback everyone.

I think I'm going to get a C4 eLed and try that out first and go from there, good thing is, my son is starting OW classes at the end of August, so it won't go to waste if I decide to later get the LC, either because of performance or grip. I have a Mini Q40 for day dives works great and is bright enough for me to peer into dark places, but if I later get the LC, the C4 eLed could move to my day light.

I do consider the LC moderatley priced without the battery pack, but not knowing what I would prefer or how much it's going to be used for that matter, I ultimately decided on arguably the next best thing. I decided on the C4 instead of the C8 because the C4 looks like it has plenty of burn time for me, no need to carry around the extra weight if I don't have to.

Thanks again.