new light ? which one?

[KentB]

i think the switch on my current canister light is starting to go and I don't think its fixable. sometimes it works and other times I need to unscrew the battery pack and screw it back on and then it works.

this is annoying but other than that im happy with it (ebay light) started happening the last few dives........

a friend recently bought the halcyon focus 2.0 and that sure is a nice light!
Im wondering if thats the way to go or if there is a compareable light(s) that are better quality or bang for your buck.

I dont think the EO cord upgrade is something im interested in, but Id like to hear thoughts on that as well

and top or side cable routing?
currently dive Single tank BPW but im pretty sure ill be diving sidemount soon, Im just trying to arrange a dive with a local instructor who has taught some other divers I know and shes ment to be great so just trying to go for a dive first to make sure were compatible and chat about options and styles.

 

[tbone1004]

do you need a canister if diving singles?

UWLD is IMO a better bang for your buck, but the Halcyon is certainly up there for good lights.

EO is not something I believe in but many do.

I use side glands for everything. No real downside to having them and I find I actually prefer them for backmount anyway.

What light do you have and why do you think the switch is not fixable?

 

[bamafan]

I think that most divers including the majority of cave divers don't need a can light anymore. How many cave divers are doing dives of 3+ hours? I think the number is very small. The handheld lights have come a really long way and honestly I had a UWLD 3500 that I sold after trying a Big Blue 4500 lumen light. The beam pattern on the Big Blue is much better and for under $400 you can buy 3 or 4 for what most can lights cost. It will easily do a 4 hour dive on the 2nd highest setting and 2 hours on high. They are small and you could actually carry 2 on a dive very easily. The goodman handle isn't great but neither is the UWLD light. I changed my goodman handle out to the Go Sidemount one and like it much better. I think if you try one of the Big Blue 4500 / 4800 lumen dive lights you will be impressed especially for the money. They do dim with use to get the burn time but honestly it hasn't been an issue to me. I am definitely not a fan of the Big Blue can lights. The cord is exceptionally long and it screws and unscrew to charge it. If you absolutely must go with a can light there are basically 2 choices in the US. UWLD and Light Monkey. The LM top of the line led can light in my opinion has a better beam pattern than UWLD light especially for crappy viz. The Halcyon lights are okay but I have not been impressed by them. Try the Big Blue. I think it will save you a lot of money and perform as good or better for you.

Bigblue Dive Lights

 

[KentB]

do you need a canister if diving singles?

UWLD is IMO a better bang for your buck, but the Halcyon is certainly up there for good lights.

EO is not something I believe in but many do.

I use side glands for everything. No real downside to having them and I find I actually prefer them for backmount anyway.

What light do you have and why do you think the switch is not fixable?

im hoping to be sidemount in the next month, I have a chinese canister light its worked good for the last 1.5 years but its def cheaply built compared to the LM and halcyon lights friends have and the light took 3 months to get here I have very little hope of sourcing parts from them. now that fall hit its prime dive season so Id like to make the most of it vs fighting this light and trying to source a switch.
that was my thoughts on the side gland as well.

i will check out the UWLD lights but I will want to find a CAD distributor- importing stuff to canada from the usa has become quite expensive.

i want a canister for sure, I like them

 

[tbone1004]

@KentB as one who is actually doing 3+ hour cave divers I actually need a can, but I do much prefer them for a few other reasons, the tiny light heads being one of them. Not a huge fan of the big honking light heads which the LM and Halcyon's both cave. It's a holdover from the HID days and while they can make them much smaller, they're holding onto the clunky form factor since a lot of divers like them.
If you like the bigger form factor, then I'd argue that some of the handhelds may actually be a better decision until you're doing big dives. A used 18/21/35W HID may also be a good buy if you can find them locally.

 

[Norwegian Cave Diver]

I have a Light Monkey side-mount LED canister light. Like how it works. No switch to fail. Majority of the weight in the battery portion that mounts behind me. All I hold is the light head or clip it off to my D-ring or onto my cave helmet. I also like the size of the light head - very comfortable size for my hand.