Lighting - price vs performance

[thomasj1107]

Just wanted to get a better understanding of price vs performance on some of the brands. There is an orcatorch 3000 lumen light for ~$120 with two batteries and then a big blue 1300 lumen for ~$200.

What contributes to the price discrepancy for the less powerful might being that much more? Is it just brand name, is there an actual performance difference? What am I missing?

 

[d^2b]

I guess it might help to specify what you want to use the light for. At a guess, video?

 

[thomasj1107]

Oh sorry, it would mainly be for just illuminating holes/crevices/ledges while on dives to see more fish and creatures. I may eventually use them for filming but not the priority. I don’t necessarily just want to know these two specific brands/models, but more so what would make a light that is over twice the power be half the price and vice versa.

Thanks!

 

[broncobowsher]

Advertised Lumen does not match actual Lumen is pretty common
Run time, at that Lumen level is another. You may get a strong peak, but as the bulb heats up and the battery comes off peak the output will often drop.
Color temp of the light?
What is the beam like?

 

[lexvil]

Proximity to source has more to do with price than anything, as in number of hands it passes through before it gets into your hands.

Don’t get all hung up on lumens because it tends to be a load of bovine excrement.

 

[grantmac]

Between those brands I doubt you're getting much. With better ones or a more direct buying option you definitely would.

 

[thomasj1107]

So with all that being said is big blue typically justified for their price/value compared to others?

 

[thomasj1107]

Between those brands I doubt you're getting much. With better ones or a more direct buying option you definitely would.

Not to be rude in any way, but I can’t decipher this at all.

 

[grantmac]

Those brands are both fairly cheap Chinese lights

 

[bvanant]

For lights there are a number of considerations. Power is only one and as others have said, lumen ratings are mostly aspirational. Wideness of the beam is important. For looking in crevices and as a dive torch a narrow beam is nicer; for shooting video a wide soft beam is better. Good or better lights have circuitry that keeps a constant output as battery voltage drops, worser lights have intensities that drop as batteries age. We have a shelf full of lights, for BW hunting we use SUPE lights with a very narrow beam, for video my wife uses much wider beam lights.

Bill