Light Thoughts

[lxdawg25]

I would like to get a new light for an upcoming trip to Bonaire, unfortunately I don't have the kind of money I'd like to spend on a new light, plus $200 for a few night dives every couple of years seems a bit much. Ideally I'd like a nice LED that will be bright and have a wide spread but won't scare away everything. I'd also like to get a small compact light to keep in my BC pocket for seeing under ledges and the like. In researching I found these Supernight Lights on Amazon ( SUPERNIGHT® Mini Bright Aluminum Diving Flashlight Underwater Light ), they have good reviews but only two of them which worries me. I was thinking about getting the 4-LED and the 1-LED

I was curious if anyone more knowledgeable about lights than myself have any thoughts. Maybe some one has tried brand of light?

Maybe there is an option that I've missed that keeps two quality lights under about $150.

Or one really good compact light that will always do the trick. Thanks all.

 

[Gren]

I'm a big fan of my DRIS 1k shorty. I use it with rechargeables and during they day I've never had a problem getting through 2 dives with it. I keep it on a goodman handle and use it every dive. No advice for a smaller pocket light.

1k Shorty Dive Light - Dive Right in Scuba

 

[buddhasummer]

If you're looking for a not too bright (220 lumens) , wide angle (40 degrees) light for tropical clear water night diving take a look at the Intova wide. It's a good light for it's intended use, previously stated. Cheap too. I owned one for a while and really liked the output and spread for the tropics. Only down side it runs on CR123A batteries which can be a little spendy. For clear water tropical night diving less is more. Good luck with your search.

 

[jimbeeler]

In researching I found these Supernight Lights on Amazon ( SUPERNIGHT® Mini Bright Aluminum Diving Flashlight Underwater Light ), they have good reviews but only two of them which worries me. I was thinking about getting the 4-LED and the 1-LED

I got one of these on Ebay that's the 3 LED and 2x18650 batteries. I haven't used it under water yet but it seems solid. The switch is a love/hate thing. It's a magnetic slide switch that's gives a variable brightness (which I really like). On the other hand, it's easy to accidentally slide the switch to the on position and completely drain the batteries. I just don't put batteries in it until I'm ready to use it.

It may flood the first time, I don't know, but I like the feel and the price.

Jim

 

[spoolin01]

In my only mildly informed opinion, $45 is about 2x too much for that light. There are lots of comparable lights from similar far east exporters on eBay for <$30, including with the 3x Cree XML T6 hook.

There is a very long thread about one here. The light that is the primary subject of the thread is not so beamy so you might or might not think it a good night dive light. You can read other opinions there. It also has some issues (variable though generally good build quality, high performance sensitivity to battery selection, esoteric and expensive 26650 battery requirement) as a primary light I'd say, and I'm not recommending it for your needs, just as an example of where the market is currently for light output.

Others may disagree but I doubt you're going to think any single emitter LED light that will last an entire dive and have any kind of broad beam is "bright", but that's somewhat a personal assessment everyone has to make.

Unless you're willing and have time to experiment a bit and tolerate some false starts, you're probably better off spending a bit more and sticking with a name brand recommendation, provided you can wade through them all to find one with the specs you want.