New Dive Torch Required - What's Recommended?

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I assume your in cold water - dry suit?
what ever you buy make sure a) you can put a cord or similar in it so you can clip it off and it fits in your dry suit pocket or bcd pocket . get something easy to use and fit for purpose i.e. videoing or cave diving etc or general use -if your using as a safety feature see if its got SOS selection - not a major but could be useful
 
I love BigBlue lights. I personally use the 4500 and 1200 lumens. Very reliable
 
@Dogbowl The AL1200NP that you refer to is the one that my dive buddy (my partner, heh) and I have as our 1200 lumen.

The Big Blue I really like for an all around light is the CF1200P. I prefer that over the other ones mentioned because you can adjust the beam from a 7 to 37 degree beam.
 
Some good reviews here for Big Blue, I was thinking of buying the new Scubapro Nova 2100 but looking at the selection of Big Blue torches I have changed my mind. I also found a dive centre in Sydney that has a large stock so I'm going to take a look at the weekend.
 
Some good reviews here for Big Blue, I was thinking of buying the new Scubapro Nova 2100 but looking at the selection of Big Blue torches I have changed my mind. I also found a dive centre in Sydney that has a large stock so I'm going to take a look at the weekend.

I would love to hear what you think after you look at them!
 
with the Big Blue AL1200, it's probably "double" the lumens of the XSTAR D26 (questionable???)

Very questionable. As in, I don't believe it for a second.

The AL1200 (NP, etc.) use a single Cree XM-L emitter. This is rated at a max of 1040 lumens.

XLamp XM-L LEDs | Cree Components

The Xtar D26 uses an XM-L2, which is rated at a max of 1052.

http://www.cree.com/led-components/products/xlamp-leds-discrete/xlamp-xm-l2

Draw your own conclusions.

:)
 
A LOT of what they don't tell you is about this important thing LED's need call "drivers". It's what takes the battery energy and delivers it to the LED. There is a HUGE difference in drivers. Cheap lights tend to have cheap drivers. Better lights...tend....to have better drivers. Good drivers utilize the energy of the battery more effectively and efficiently, keeping the lumen output up until the battery is 'done'. Then, hopefully at a voltage that is safe for the battery' the driver suddenly and completely cuts off the light, or maybe goes into a blinking mode. Cheap drivers start out bright and simply get dimmer as the battery runs down. Yeah, they may last of hours but they get pretty pathetic toward the end.
FWIW, Big Blue manufactures very good lights (I have 2), but for the price they charge they don't use drivers of the same quality. But.....I don't know for sure about what the others use.

For a single comparison, Light and Motion (Sola lights) are very nice, really bright, quite versatile, seriously expensive, and use top notch drivers. But they cheap out on the batteries. Go figure.

If you can look at them in real life, request a viewing with batteries that are near the end of their charge. Compare that to fresh batteries. It can be an eye opener.

In real life diving it may not matter a whole lot. If you only use up 1/2 the battery on a dive, you can change it (unless it's a Sola), or charge it for the next outing. If you are doing 3-4 dives with a Sola, you are out of luck unless you run it on a low setting. Then you might as well got a cheaper light.
 
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And if you're not confused yet...start thinking lux vs lumen. Beam angle. Spot vs spill.

It's a lot of stuff to consider depending on your needs.
 
My primary light is a dive rite LX 25.

Pros: long burn time, easy to manipulate and use with gloves on, bright as hell, and will last many years allowing you to progress to more advanced diving.

Con: cost, long cord (it's a canister light)
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/swift/

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