eelnoraa
Contributor
I know none of this is the perfect primary dive light. But for beginner or people just starting diving at night or traveling, they should be sufficient. And at $50 they are very good value. I happend to have all the moment, so I want to offer my $0.02 to help out beginning to pick a budget light.
I have always have UK SL4 eLED, long before I started diving. I mainly use it for camping, hiking, and now diving. When I was taking AOW, I needed another light as backup or main for the night dive. Obviously I cannot afford a can light, so I started looking at this forum. Intova 4.7W Wide Angle gets a lot of praise. And I believed having wide angle beam will be useful in water. After a few night dive, I found I prefer the beam of SL4, so I got myself a Dorcy II 220 last week. Here is my experice with all these light over this weekend:
Hotspot Brightness: SL4 > Dorcy >> Intova
Beam color quality: SL4 > Dorcy > Intova
SL4 has the most natural white color
Dorcy has slight yellowish green tint to it
Intova is bluer compare to other
Beam shape quality: SL4 > Intova > Dorcy
SL4 has the most smooth hotspot and gradually diminishing side spill
Intova has a even constant brightness hotspot but NO side spill
Dorcy is similar to SL4 but with a dark spot in the center.
Beam usefulness: SL4 > Dorcy > Intova
SL4 has the brightness hotspot, good for point out object, signalling other. Side spill can be use to read instrument panels. Bright enough for day time.
Dorcy is about the same as SL4, but beam shape is not as nice. Bright enough for day time.
Intova's brightness is too low and too wide for pointing and signaling. It doens't illimintate too far ahead. No side spill for instrument reading and hotspot is too bright for this purpose. Useless in day time.
Apparent built quality: Intova > Dorcy > SL4
No comparison, Intova is easily the best built. However, the seemingly cheap built SL4 has gone through a lot of rough usesage and still functioning properly, so only time will tell the true built quality.
Shape and size: Intova = Dorcy > SL4
This is mainly because I want to use a light with Oxycheq light socks. SL4 doesn't fit in there.
Switch mechanism: SL4 > Intova > Dorcy
This doesn't bother me much because I usually turn the light on at the beginning and left it on the whole dive. But if I have to switch things on and off frequency, I think SL4's switch will be the easist. Dorcy's will be the most difficult.
Cost of operation (less is better): SL4 < Dorcy < Intova
SL4 use 4C, they are cheap, and a set just last forever in this light. I am using Enelopp on Dorcy, so still inexpansive for me. Intova must use CR123, it doesn't take 18650. The good thing about CR123 is they have 10 years of shell life, but they are more expansive than other batteries.
Will I buy again:
SL4, definitely yes, cheapest of all, and most useful beam, although it doesn't look too cool.
Dorcy, yes, only because I want to use Oxycheq light socks, and I cannot find anything better for the same price.
Intova, most likely not. The main issue is the beam is just not too useful for me.
I hope this is good information for people choose between these lights.
I have always have UK SL4 eLED, long before I started diving. I mainly use it for camping, hiking, and now diving. When I was taking AOW, I needed another light as backup or main for the night dive. Obviously I cannot afford a can light, so I started looking at this forum. Intova 4.7W Wide Angle gets a lot of praise. And I believed having wide angle beam will be useful in water. After a few night dive, I found I prefer the beam of SL4, so I got myself a Dorcy II 220 last week. Here is my experice with all these light over this weekend:
Hotspot Brightness: SL4 > Dorcy >> Intova
Beam color quality: SL4 > Dorcy > Intova
SL4 has the most natural white color
Dorcy has slight yellowish green tint to it
Intova is bluer compare to other
Beam shape quality: SL4 > Intova > Dorcy
SL4 has the most smooth hotspot and gradually diminishing side spill
Intova has a even constant brightness hotspot but NO side spill
Dorcy is similar to SL4 but with a dark spot in the center.
Beam usefulness: SL4 > Dorcy > Intova
SL4 has the brightness hotspot, good for point out object, signalling other. Side spill can be use to read instrument panels. Bright enough for day time.
Dorcy is about the same as SL4, but beam shape is not as nice. Bright enough for day time.
Intova's brightness is too low and too wide for pointing and signaling. It doens't illimintate too far ahead. No side spill for instrument reading and hotspot is too bright for this purpose. Useless in day time.
Apparent built quality: Intova > Dorcy > SL4
No comparison, Intova is easily the best built. However, the seemingly cheap built SL4 has gone through a lot of rough usesage and still functioning properly, so only time will tell the true built quality.
Shape and size: Intova = Dorcy > SL4
This is mainly because I want to use a light with Oxycheq light socks. SL4 doesn't fit in there.
Switch mechanism: SL4 > Intova > Dorcy
This doesn't bother me much because I usually turn the light on at the beginning and left it on the whole dive. But if I have to switch things on and off frequency, I think SL4's switch will be the easist. Dorcy's will be the most difficult.
Cost of operation (less is better): SL4 < Dorcy < Intova
SL4 use 4C, they are cheap, and a set just last forever in this light. I am using Enelopp on Dorcy, so still inexpansive for me. Intova must use CR123, it doesn't take 18650. The good thing about CR123 is they have 10 years of shell life, but they are more expansive than other batteries.
Will I buy again:
SL4, definitely yes, cheapest of all, and most useful beam, although it doesn't look too cool.
Dorcy, yes, only because I want to use Oxycheq light socks, and I cannot find anything better for the same price.
Intova, most likely not. The main issue is the beam is just not too useful for me.
I hope this is good information for people choose between these lights.