Need some Can HID advice...

[pakman]

I am considering a HID can light and it seems that the concensus is the Salvo over Halcyon and Dive Rite. I don't know of any dealers in my area selling these brands except for the Halcyon so I cannot compare hands on.(everyone rants over Hal. but that is all we have) Are there any issues with ordering online and warranty? I was interested in a 21w range and has to be Nimh battery. burn time needs to get me through at least 2 hours of diving before recharge so I am not sure of what size battery it should be. how long for an average recharge? our waters are not the best vis. nil to 40'ish depending on sites. cold water (lately 45deg) I don't think focus/non is a concern for me. pros/cons? I also do u/w photo so does that play a part in my decision.
My biggest concern is parts and availability if I should need bulbs etc. I don't want to spend a $wad$ and not be able to find or have to mix and match to find parts to salvage my light.
feedback and opinions wanted.
Les

As spoon said, check with Barry directly. Also ask him if he's got a Canadian dealer that might save you the hassle of shipping things back to Florida IF something ever goes wrong. As for servicing, I've only heard excellent reports on Barry's reponse and turnaround time. As for battery life, I believe the 4.5amp is rated for 2 hrs (+/-5%) and the 9amp is rated for 4hrs. I suspect cold water will result in lower run times.

 

[Les]

thank everyone, I have just emailed for some dealer info.
Thanks again,
Les

 

[Hoosier]

email barry al sales@salvodiving.com. he will answer all your questions and his service is topnotch. their are a lot of people who have no access to servicing for the salvo proucts without probles, worse case is you get it shipped to barry and hel fix anything and mail back to you in record time. imho i think its worth every penny. and thats coming from a guy who lives in the philippines with no access to servicing and parts.

OK.. Spoon. before sending any inquiring email to Barry, I know that you have digged out many information about Salvo light

So, please simplify the option. What is the best choice from Barry's light?

Battery: NiHM or Li-Ion
Amp: 9 or 4.5
Light: focusable or non-focusable
What is the remote head? Darn!!!

Your answer will make many people's life easier....

 

[Spoon]

OK.. Spoon. before sending any inquiring email to Barry, I know that you have digged out many information about Salvo light

So, please simplify the option. What is the best choice from Barry's light?

Battery: NiHM or Li-Ion
Amp: 9 or 4.5
Light: focusable or non-focusable
What is the remote head? Darn!!!

Your answer will make many people's life easier....

hehe i probably emailed barry a dozen times in the last two weeks first of all its a matter of personal preference and depending on your needs the choices above may influence your decison.

in my opinion after all my research should i decide to get a light it would be the 9 amp 14.4 volt Nimh focusable 21w hid with remote head.

NIMH OR LION? as barry mentioned the li-ons are able to have more or less the same battery capacity, burn time except in a smaller package. only real benefit is the smaller size, burn time is maybe 10-15% longer. one thing i dint like about the li-ions is they are relatively new in hids plus they tend to lose their overall capacity to hold a charge through the years regardless of use. in a year they will lose something like 20% of their capacity. plus the replacemnts are significantly more expensive than the nimh. But like barry said hes working on improving his designs.

9AMR OR 4.5AMP? i would personally choose the 9 amp. the 4.5 amp will give you two hours, too short for me especially when your in the divesite and no place to charge your batts. the extra $150 to get the 9 amp would be ideal. a little more weight, albeit VERY little yet you get the additional burn time. with the 14.4 volt 9amp you get 5 hours. more than plenty for my needs.

focusable or non-focusable? this pretty much speaks for itself. i would get the focusable light head so you can adjust the width of the beam to wide flood for illuminating large areas or tight beam for signalling and light saber effect.

The Remote head has most of the ballast inside the canister with just the ignitor at the head. The normal, or "traditional" light head has the entire ballast assembly at the head. The remote is a much smaller light head.

btw i still have another couple of emails to send to barry nefore finalizing