Not another light thread! for caribbean night dives...???

[diverjen]

I have been searching the boards for awhile now trying to figure out what lights would work for me, and so I thought I would just post and I hope no one gets mad. I have been searching and actually reading! I promise.

What I want:

handheld lightweight light for night dives in the clear Caribbean (actually two) - not too bright with a wide angle
something that would work with a goodman hand strap
decided against getting a DRIS 1000 and trying to figure out a homemade diffuser
reliable super important
doesn't drain batteries would also be great
doesn't take weird batteries I won't be able to find easily
Under $75 per light would be nice

I have been reading reviews and posts for too long now and can't find a consensus for my mind!

Thinking about ( but would take further suggestions) Underwater Kinetics SL4 LED (not sure if this works with hand strap, though), Dorcy 220, Piranha 150 or 220

Thank you to all who can give me feedback or just plain hold their tongue if they can't handle another light thread! LOL

 

[Oldbear]

I bought a couple of these packages for my daughter and I and for rec diving they work great. They meet your criteria, well almost, they are $4 more than $75.

Princeton Tec Tropic Pack Light Package Set Shockw - Princeton Tec : House of Scuba



House of Scuba has several packages to choose from. I am sure that LP, ScubaToys, etc. might have some packages too.

 

[diverjen]

thanks for the responses and PMs!

 

[diversteve]

I have two Dorcy's. The Piranha 220 is the Dorcy also - they call them Penetrater but mine both say Dorcy on the handle. Their Goodman soft mount is $28 more. Twist on so there's no switch problems. The first ones had problems with the battery holders cracking but they've all been replaced. Piranha also sells extras for $1. I like them because they're anodized aluminum. They have a smoothed opening in the back of the light for a lanyard. (provided)

I used one a couple years ago in Turks/Caicos. It was almost too bright. Several people on the boat, some with more expensive lights, noticed mine and planned to buy one after the trip. About the only light that was brighter was a Princeton Tec 3-bulb and it took C or D batteries (the switch also broke mid-week - 2nd one I've seen do that)

The Dorcy's take six Alkaline AAA's. I did night dives all week (liveaboard) on the same set of batteries. If there was a drop in light output over the week, I never noticed it. I'm fairly certain I read that it works better with alkalines than Li-Ion rechargeables - IDK why.

The only downside is they're not particularly wide angle lights. IDK what the beam angle is but I suspect it's under 20^o.

If you want an equivalent wide angle light - there's the Intova. Tovatec by Intova Mini Wide Angle 220 Lumens LED Torch

 

[eelnoraa]

UK SL4 and Dorcy220 (Piranhna 220) are all focused narrow beam lights. Dorcy, on top of that, has very little side spill. So I don't think they fit your requirement of wide angle. Besides Intova wide angle, I can't think of other options without increase the cost significantly.

 

[buddhasummer]

I owned the intova wide for clear warm water diving it was very good, not too bright and illuminated a nice wide area the only down side for me was it ran on the more expensive somewhat harder to find in "exotic" locations CR123a batteries. Having said that you can find them online at more reasonable prices. The other issue for me it was only really suitable for night diving as the beam is so wide during the day for looking under ledges etc it was almost useless. You could always buy two Intovas one with narrow beam for day and lower vis night diving and one wide for clear night diving and just buy a supply ir CR123a batteries online. I own and recommend the Mb-sub X1-VB light it runs on AAs has a variable beam from 3-25 degrees which makes it great for most conditions, day night and low vis, it also has a magnetic switch. IMO I think it's the perfect travel light the only downside it is not cheap but the build quality is awesome. Good luck with your search.

 

[diverjen]

You guys really Wow me sometimes. Every time I post I learn so much from your responses. I research and think and analyze - but I really appreciate the feedback and it helps me to see my blind spots in knowledge and thinking. I guess from what I have been reading I just assumed that I needed wide angle for night dives. I am starting to think I should buy:

A Penetrator 220 or one of the Piranha 150 lumen lights
An intova wide angle
A DRIS 1000 lumen shorty for low viz at home or other situations

Then I might have a lot of angles covered and have the benefit of trying a few different lights.

Buddhasummer - how has your wide angle held up? I have seen some pretty lousy reviews for Intova lately. That Mb-sub X1-VB looks really cool, maybe someday....

 

[milbournosphere]

I own an Intova wide angle torch as a secondary to my UK light cannon, so I'll put my two cents in.

It's a great light for looking under rocks during the day. The angle is great and the light is very evenly distributed, so that there are no hotspots. I bought mine used for 35 bucks, give or take a few dollars and my buddy has two hooked up to his goPro as flood lights. The only downside I've noted so far is that the light uses CR123 batteries. I'd recommend buying them on Amazon so as not to get ripped off.

I haven't used it as a primary on a night dive, but I'm doing one tonight, so I'll give it a go and let you know how it works out.

---------- Post added April 10th, 2013 at 02:04 PM ----------

So my night dive didn't end up happening. We did a sunset dive and the visibility was horrible, so we called the later dive. That said, I still like my wide angle Intova and would recommend it for a daylight primary or as a secondary night light.

 

[CT Sean]

I'm looking for a light with similar criteria.

Any one have any input on how the Intova wide actually works as a primary clear water night dive light? Or others with a similar beam? More narrow is OK, but I know I'm not interested in a really tight beam - I've used my Hollis LED5 on a night snorkel and the hot spot was too bright - it was hard to look at. I too have read several non-stellar Intova reviews looking around. I would prefer a handheld,non-pistol grip - something that can serve well as a back-up light in the future. I also primarily need it for travel.

 

[buddhasummer]

You guys really Wow me sometimes. Every time I post I learn so much from your responses. I research and think and analyze - but I really appreciate the feedback and it helps me to see my blind spots in knowledge and thinking. I guess from what I have been reading I just assumed that I needed wide angle for night dives. I am starting to think I should buy:

A Penetrator 220 or one of the Piranha 150 lumen lights
An intova wide angle
A DRIS 1000 lumen shorty for low viz at home or other situations

Then I might have a lot of angles covered and have the benefit of trying a few different lights.

Buddhasummer - how has your wide angle held up? I have seen some pretty lousy reviews for Intova lately. That Mb-sub X1-VB looks really cool, maybe someday....

I know I sound like I have shares in MB-sub, I don't lol, I am bit of a light freak and have owned many different lights. To date Mb-sub have been the best I've used. I've owned 2 X1-VBs, I lost the first one, and have been using constantly for around 4 years and several hundred dives with zero issues. I know they are not cheap but IMO well worth it. In the long run sometimes its better to pay more. With my Intova wide angle the switch fell out, Intova were very good and sent me a couple of replacement switches, I glued one in to prevent it from happening again, but for me 1 failure was too many so I sold the light with caveat. When working it was a nice light for clear waters.


---------- Post added April 29th, 2013 at 11:33 PM ----------

I'm looking for a light with similar criteria.

Any one have any input on how the Intova wide actually works as a primary clear water night dive light? Or others with a similar beam? More narrow is OK, but I know I'm not interested in a really tight beam - I've used my Hollis LED5 on a night snorkel and the hot spot was too bright - it was hard to look at. I too have read several non-stellar Intova reviews looking around. I would prefer a handheld,non-pistol grip - something that can serve well as a back-up light in the future. I also primarily need it for travel.

For clear water night diving as a primary I found the Intova to be perfect, beam angle and light output wise.

---------- Post added April 29th, 2013 at 11:51 PM ----------

A friend of mine has a BigBlue CF250, it has a variable beam 6-31 degrees, 250 lumens, runs on AAAs, magnetic switch, comes with goodman and looks very robustly constructed. Looks like a nice light. Hollis also have a newish variable beam handheld. For warm water travel diving I think variable beam lights that run on standard/common batteries are definitely the way to go.

Welcome To Bigblue Dive Lights

Diving Backup Lights - Dive Gear Express