Need a light, but on a budget

[Hover-Stop]

Hey everyone,

Ive been trying to do some research on dive lights, and I find it completely dizzying....LED, HID, 3W, 5W, canister, CR123A battery, AA, C, D......

I have about a $100-$200 budget to buy a light. It does NOT have to be a "primary" light, as most of my diving is done during the day, but occasionally we do night dives or deep dives where the murky water makes it get dark.

I've been looking at Intova, but they use the strange CR123A batteries that could be expensive, so I was looking at the Oxycheq, but thats almost at the top of my price range. Then I looked at Sartek, but I can't really find much information about them and the website looks a little iffy. I just need something thats bright enough to use at night, but also not too darn expensive that it's out of my price range.

Can anyone recommend a light for me? Thanks.

Links to the lights I've been looking at:

Sartek
Sartek Industries, Inc. LED LIGHTING SYSTEMS AND FLASHLIGHTS

OxyCheck Raider III
OxyCheq Raider 3 LED Light reviews and discounts, OxyCheq

Intova 2 light Package (Wide and Narrow)
Intova Nova LED lights focused and wide angle - 2 lights [novafawa] - $94.98 : Cave Adventurers!, We will NOT be undersold!!!

 

[masterof0]

Sartek makes a great light. I use their 21/13 HID and love it. Customer service is great. Not as popular as some of the other brands (such as Salvo) but not quite as expensive and definitely well worth the money. If you are looking for a night light, one you might look at is the Sartek EBL2200. It is 220 lumens so it is not an over powering light for night use, and if you decide to upgrade later to a brighter light, it is compact enough to use as a backup light. Price is also right in your budget (125). The Intova is also a good, durable light. You may get some flack as it uses a switch instead of being twist activated, which also had some problems in the past, but from what I have seen, the issues with the switches on these lights has been resolved. Have not used the Raider III, but have used the Raider I and it is also a good durable light. UK and Princeton also make some great lights in the price range. the UK C8 eLED is a great light for the price. Little larger form factor, so not as convenient to carry around, but is still a great light. The Salvo Rat is also an option as well.

For the money, I think the Sartek 2200 would be a great light. Overall is has great output, but doesn't break the bank. Form factor also allows it to be multipurposed.

Something else to keep in mind is how you will use the light. If the light is to be used solely in the water, then you have a lot of options. If you will be using it on land and in water, some lights will NOT work as they are temperature controlled in the water. The EBL2200 is an example of that. If you use it for an extended period out of the water, it will burn up.

 

[rongoodman]

The Salvo Rat is nice and and at $165, right in your price range. If you want a can light down the road, it will be a nice back-up.

 

[kyleharmon]

Simple answer... PM Packhorse. Great lights and in your budget. :cool2:

 

[chewslife2]

Salvo does have great lights, I got my HID through them,and I'll most likely get a Rat jr. from them for a back-up-back-up, I had heard alot of good things about the Photon Torpedo from Gulftex so I got the Photon Torpedo LED model, "yeah" it'll brighten up your day, can't wait to get it wet, it was $155 with shipping and all, great light. The Salvo Rat jr. is a bit more affordable at around $105, both lites are awsome though

 

[jtivat]

The EBL2200LI RECHARGEABLE is an awesome light and you will not need to worry about batteries. I would rank it better than the Salvo Rat, Rat jr., Phonton Torpedo and any of the UK lights.

 

[RJP]

The Salvo Rat is nice and and at $165, right in your price range. If you want a can light down the road, it will be a nice back-up.

Or you can get it for $150 shipped...

Salvo Rat Light 3 Watt LED $150 shipped from DiveSeekers.com 1-888-SCUBA-47

The Salvo Rat is a great light and Wayne and Jason at DiveSeekers.com are great folks to deal with - happen to be my LDS so I end up paying sales tax when I buy from them!

 

[Hover-Stop]

The EBL2200LI RECHARGEABLE is an awesome light and you will not need to worry about batteries. I would rank it better than the Salvo Rat, Rat jr., Phonton Torpedo and any of the UK lights.

The pictures I've found of this light aren't that great, does it have a hook or a loop to attach a swivel bolt or a cord or anything so I can attach it to my BC?

 

[HenrikBP]

does it have a hook or a loop to attach a swivel bolt or a cord or anything so I can attach it to my BC?

I saw that light at BTS, and t it did indeed have a post on the tail end with a hole to attach a bolt snap.

Henrik

 

[TSandM]

A lot depends on what you want the light FOR. You say you dive in murky water, so you probably want a fairly focused beam that will cut through particulates. The Rat, Jr. is not that light. It's quite satisfactory for a cave exit in a fairly clear water, where all you need is enough light to see the line and the outlines of the cave, but it disappears pretty fast in turbid water.

The Oxycheq Raider IV is a bright, focused light, but I can't recommend it because of the number of problems people have had with the switch, and the attitude I've seen from the company's owner regarding those problems (search on recent oxycheq light threads and you'll be able to read this).

The Photon Torpedo with the LED upgrade is a very nice light, doesn't use peculiar batteries, and is very bright and focused. You can sometimes pick up used PTs or Scouts with the original bulbs for fairly cheap (we paid $50 for ours) and then buy the UK SL4 eLED light and transfer the module, which gives you a real nice light for about $120.

We have played around with a wide variety of hand-held lights, and as much as it irks me to say it, I keep coming back to the idea that the recommendation for a 3 C-cell, twist-on light has some very sound reasons behind it.