Looking for a main light for Tech Diving

[Siltout-queen]

Good morning!

I'm looking for a main dive light, that's suitable for technical diving.

I currently have the T24 canister by Thor (11.1V and 23.8 Ah).

I'm looking for a light that can switch between a Spotlight and a floodlight (and whose intensity can be dimmed), also it should be suitable for my 11.1 V canister and as small/ handy as possible.

I loved the main light from Gralmarine called "LED DUO half Video light", but sadly this one needs 14.4V to work. Another light which I found quite lovely was the "Tech2" from Nanight, but sadly this one can't Switch between a Spotlight and a Floodlight once you're underwater.
So I'm looking for a main light that's similiar to these two.

Thanks a lot in advance for your recommendations and happy diving!

 

[CaveSloth]

I'm looking for a main dive light, that's suitable for technical diving.

I'm looking for a light that can switch between a Spotlight and a floodlight (and whose intensity can be dimmed), also it should be suitable for my 11.1 V canister and as small/ handy as possible.

8000-Lumen Dual-Beam Video & Tech Light | Bigblue Dive Lights

3800-Lumen Dual-Beam Light – Wide & NarrowSKU: VTL3800P | Bigblue Dive Lights

Easy-Release Goodman HandleSKU: ERM-GM-HANDLE | Bigblue Dive Lights

 

[tbone1004]

your light does not exist.
Switching between spot and flood requires a large head design.
The gralmarine you mention is not adequate for technical diving. It has a 16* beam angle which is far too wide for any sort of real technical diving. UWLD got a lot of flack for their head being too wide, and it was 8*. Most of the backup lights are 10-12* and they are marginal at best, and the Nanight you mention is 10*. It doesn't sound like a big difference, but the difference between 6 and 8* is quite noticeable, and 16* would be essentially useless for any real technical diving.

Halcyon and Light Monkey both make a variable focus, multi output level light that runs on 11.1v batteries. They do not have small light heads though.

None of the lights @CaveSloth mention are small, and they don't run on canisters so will have extremely short burn times. Also at only 1200 lumen optimistically on spot mode, you are better off with backup lights for spot and get a wide video light. Also, avoid big blue, they are a super shady company. They lie about their output, and they have really low quality batteries that like to explode.

My real question @Forsta is why do you need the dual beam angles? What is the use case that you need both versions on the canister?

 

[CaveSloth]

If you just want a light head that can connect to an external canister battery, BigBlue has 2 options with a dual beam:

VTL8000P-MAX Light Head SKU: LH-VTL8000P-MAX | Bigblue Dive Lights

VTL8000P Light HeadSKU: LH-VTL8000P | Bigblue Dive Lights - less lumens in spot mode than the MAX above.

 

[CaveSloth]

I have never had a problem with the BigBlue company but I understand one of their lights exploded and injured a friend of @tbone1004 and based on his opinion I am guessing they still have not done the right thing in that situation, which is disappointing for sure.

 

[tbone1004]

@CaveSloth those will not connect to external canisters. They are designed to connect to the battery system they have, they do not have a way to connect to normal canisters, but they also run at 14.4v not 11.1v like the OP asked for.

It's not just the friend of mine. Several have had them go off, including at least one while boarding an airplane. It is a super shady business with mediocre at best lights. The batteries alone terrify me as they are not UN38.3 certified and are not legal to fly.

 

[Siltout-queen]

your light does not exist.
Switching between spot and flood requires a large head design.
The gralmarine you mention is not adequate for technical diving. It has a 16* beam angle which is far too wide for any sort of real technical diving. UWLD got a lot of flack for their head being too wide, and it was 8*. Most of the backup lights are 10-12* and they are marginal at best, and the Nanight you mention is 10*. It doesn't sound like a big difference, but the difference between 6 and 8* is quite noticeable, and 16* would be essentially useless for any real technical diving.

Halcyon and Light Monkey both make a variable focus, multi output level light that runs on 11.1v batteries. They do not have small light heads though.

None of the lights @CaveSloth mention are small, and they don't run on canisters so will have extremely short burn times. Also at only 1200 lumen optimistically on spot mode, you are better off with backup lights for spot and get a wide video light. Also, avoid big blue, they are a super shady company. They lie about their output, and they have really low quality batteries that like to explode.

My real question @Forsta is why do you need the dual beam angles? What is the use case that you need both versions on the canister?

First of all, thanks a lot for your answer!
As you might realised I'm at the beginning of technical diving, but I know for sure that this is the direction I want to go further hence I'm already looking for Equipment that is suitable for this kind of future diving.
And to answer your question, I don't really need the dual beam angles, I just really like the thought of being able to Switch between the Spotlight (obv. for communication) and a floodlight (for 'exploration' or lightening a bigger space). It's not necessary but I'd love to have one with this perk.
Also I'd prefer a small main light because I am a pretty thin female diver, so my Hand is quite small and I don't want the light head to 'extremly' Limit my Hand and wrist movements underwater (that's why I only bought the Thor canister and not ist main light)
May I ask what light you're using for your technical dives?

 

[CaveSloth]

https://uwlightdude.com/ is beloved here and you can switch between spot and flood by covering the end of the light with a diffuser.

 

[tbone1004]

First of all, thanks a lot for your answer!
As you might realised I'm at the beginning of technical diving, but I know for sure that this is the direction I want to go further hence I'm already looking for Equipment that is suitable for this kind of future diving.
And to answer your question, I don't really need the dual beam angles, I just really like the thought of being able to Switch between the Spotlight (obv. for communication) and a floodlight (for 'exploration' or lightening a bigger space). It's not necessary but I'd love to have one with this perk.
Also I'd prefer a small main light because I am a pretty thin female diver, so my Hand is quite small and I don't want the light head to 'extremly' Limit my Hand and wrist movements underwater (that's why I only bought the Thor canister and not ist main light)
May I ask what light you're using for your technical dives?

If the light is designed properly, there is enough spill that allows you to see a large area.

@Bobby on this forum designed what is quite possibly the best light on the market, and certainly is in my opinion. My primary light for technical diving is this
https://uwlightdude.com/product/ld-40-4000-lumen-primary-light/
I also have a LD60 video head, but it is only useful as a "primary" light in the clearest of waters and is something that I only really bring when I know I will be in incredibly clear caves, or I am trying to do video work.
There are many things that separate his light from the rest, but the two that matter to you most are the all in the light head. The head design was optimized to be as small as possible. Companies like Light Monkey and Halcyon are still using head designs that come from the days of HID which required very large heads. Inside of the UWLD head though is a lens that was custom designed for this light, specifically for use underwater. Most other lights are using standard lens designs which require the head to be significantly larger to get them to focus underwater. It was a major investment, but it allowed the light head to be the smallest on the market.
This head is not going to be compatible with your existing battery pack unfortunately, and there are a couple of reasons why. The biggest reason is that the higher voltage allows his light to remain at constant output throughout the entire duration of the burn. It also makes the best use of space in the canister. His canister is fully UN38.3 certified, but also has the SECS charging system which makes the canister a latchless design so you only have to open it up if you want to add/remove other light heads or the heated vest controller, or if you are flying.

While these support pages is a few years old, they are still incredibly valuable. Please view both as the first page is a text discussion, and the second is actually a picture and video compilation of several dive lights. On the second page, the Light Monkey 21w HID is going to perform comparably to the Halcyon lights, and the LM 35w HID is going to be reasonably comparable to their current 32w VF light. The UWLD LD26 is going to be fairly comparable to the current LD20, and the LD40 is a true game changer and will hopefully get added to that compilation in the near future.
https://uwlightdude.com/compare-primary-dive-lights/
https://uwlightdude.com/compare/

If you have any questions about the lights, please feel free to ask them either on here or in private message. They really are a game changer in technical diving.

As @CaveSloth said, this diffuser is available from Dive Rite, and has been reported to fit on the UWLD heads. I do not use them as I am fortunate enough to have a LD60, but it is something that you can put on/take off underwater.
Video Diffuser for Primary Lights | Dive Rite

 

[Bigblue Dive Lights]

@CaveSloth It's not just the friend of mine. Several have had them go off, including at least one while boarding an airplane. It is a super shady business with mediocre at best lights. The batteries alone terrify me as they are not UN38.3 certified and are not legal to fly.

Hey Scubaboard, Tim from Bigblue Dive Lights here. I'm the owner of the North American distribution company for Bigblue. All Bigblue products that have been sold in the US since 2007 are distributed through our Clearwater, FL office. In the decade that we've been distributing Bigblue, we've had a close working relationship with the manufacturer concerning everything from design feedback to product safety information.

If you have any specific questions about our products, we're more than happy to take your call and discuss any concerns you may have.

That said, all batteries in our current product line have UN 38.3 certification as well as MSDS/PSDS documentation. These documents show that our batteries meet FAA standards for carry-on travel. Please contact us for these documents.

Tim