jimdiverman
Contributor
Is it focusable?
LED canister lights
- Thread starter NorthWoodsDiver
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Translated page ... 1000 Lumen Osram Ostar LED Can Light (22W & 1000 lumens from a single LED? ... Now we're getting somewhere!)
AltaVista - Babel Fish Translation
Most of the following is copied and pasted from another thread where I responded much the same:
My primary light is a 10 watt HID with a good light shroud on it. I also carry the Dive Rite LED hand held light in my pocket for a backup light. I recently fired it up in the complete darkness of a cave zone while on my decompression stops at the end of a dive. This way, I could compare it side-by-side to a full fledged 10 watt HID light.
One great thing about LED technology is that the light turns on virtually instantly. HIDs need about 30 seconds to reach full brightness. Very nice.
Another issue with HID bulbs is that they can tend to get killed if you are tough on your light. By this I mean subjecting it to a lot of knocking about. The shock can do a number on HID units, and LED units tend to hold up well to abuse when compared to HID units.
The second important factor is that the specs on the light indicate that it will burn at maximum power for 12 hours, and then it will go for almost another 20 hours at reduced power. This can get you back when you are a long way from home!
Dive Rite does make a handle for it. However, in order to make the size of the light (on your wrist) reasonable after installing the handle, they came out with the canister. You can disconnect the head, connect a cable to the body and head, and you now have a canister light with a head that fits into the handle (and on your wrist)in a matter of a minute or two. If you are going to use this light as a primary, get the canister version with the handle IMHO.
Okay, but how is the beam and brightness? The beam was a bit more in the softer yellow colored spectrum compared to the blue-white of the HID. However, I was very surprised to find that the brightness was virtually the same to my eye. (Of course, this is not a testing machine. However, who cares? If it looks bright to me, that is all I care about.) The beam was a bit softer and was very even without hot spots. I would have no hesitation in using this beam for a primary cave diving light.
In short, if I were shopping for a new light right now, I would not hesitate to get an LED light over an HID, and the new Dive Rite LED would definitely be a great choice for anyone. I was also on a recent dive with two divers using the Bubble Seekers lights, and I was highly impressed with those also. Excellent beam and every bit as bright as an HID to my eye.
I predict that the days of HID are coming to an end. The technology has really gotten that good.
My primary light is a 10 watt HID with a good light shroud on it. I also carry the Dive Rite LED hand held light in my pocket for a backup light. I recently fired it up in the complete darkness of a cave zone while on my decompression stops at the end of a dive. This way, I could compare it side-by-side to a full fledged 10 watt HID light.
One great thing about LED technology is that the light turns on virtually instantly. HIDs need about 30 seconds to reach full brightness. Very nice.
Another issue with HID bulbs is that they can tend to get killed if you are tough on your light. By this I mean subjecting it to a lot of knocking about. The shock can do a number on HID units, and LED units tend to hold up well to abuse when compared to HID units.
The second important factor is that the specs on the light indicate that it will burn at maximum power for 12 hours, and then it will go for almost another 20 hours at reduced power. This can get you back when you are a long way from home!
Dive Rite does make a handle for it. However, in order to make the size of the light (on your wrist) reasonable after installing the handle, they came out with the canister. You can disconnect the head, connect a cable to the body and head, and you now have a canister light with a head that fits into the handle (and on your wrist)in a matter of a minute or two. If you are going to use this light as a primary, get the canister version with the handle IMHO.
Okay, but how is the beam and brightness? The beam was a bit more in the softer yellow colored spectrum compared to the blue-white of the HID. However, I was very surprised to find that the brightness was virtually the same to my eye. (Of course, this is not a testing machine. However, who cares? If it looks bright to me, that is all I care about.) The beam was a bit softer and was very even without hot spots. I would have no hesitation in using this beam for a primary cave diving light.
In short, if I were shopping for a new light right now, I would not hesitate to get an LED light over an HID, and the new Dive Rite LED would definitely be a great choice for anyone. I was also on a recent dive with two divers using the Bubble Seekers lights, and I was highly impressed with those also. Excellent beam and every bit as bright as an HID to my eye.
I predict that the days of HID are coming to an end. The technology has really gotten that good.
Well, I just got a new light and my research led me to believe that the LEDs still have some work to do. I settled on a Salvo 35w and that thing throws out a ton of bright white light. It has a Brightstar bulb that does not have the same durability issues as the WA bulbs have had in the past. The unit is focusable and I have yet to see an LED that can match the beam on a HID. You will get better burn times w/ an LED but as long as I can get a full day's worth of diving on a light I am satisfied. My salvo has a 4 hour burn time. The brightest LED I've seen was the Solus and it is not as bright as the 35w, the beam is not focused, and it is more expensive. So I'm sticking w/ HIDs for the forseable future. Just my $.02
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