My wife and I are new to diving and looking to obtain the needed tools. We live in the Seattle WA area. Meaning cold and quite often merky. We both are interested in night dives. We are going to Belize in July and want to utilize the lights during day and night dives there. There are a lot of lights on the market....I see LED and normal lights. What are a few recommendations to look at? Is LED better? We saw the UK C8 and "it looked great", is it? Please help. our first night dive in is a month in the Puget Sound of Wahington.
Primary Dive light ??
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For recreational diving it is hard to beat the UK c-8 or if you want some real power the D-8R is great. I am on my third. Sold the first one when I bought a cannister but after I flooded the cannister, I bought another one. That one fell off the handle as I was getting in the boat and was not recoverable so UK sold me a replacement at cost which I now own. I have only flooded one and that was when I forgot to install the o-ring after rising.sbro:
i personaly have never used a UK light but hear good feedback from those who do
i have a Princeton Tec
the one i have has a rechargable batt pack, but can also be run on 8 c cells pistol grip, unfortunatlt i dont think its in production anymore.
thery have one very simmilar called a shockwave II but im not sure if they offer a rechargable batt pack for it
i have a Princeton Tec
the one i have has a rechargable batt pack, but can also be run on 8 c cells pistol grip, unfortunatlt i dont think its in production anymore.
thery have one very simmilar called a shockwave II but im not sure if they offer a rechargable batt pack for it
Diesel298:
I was a princeton dealer and I sold 2 shockwave IIs and both came back flooded so I stocked UKs instead.
Since I posted the question, I've been trying to find reviews and a clearer idea of LED and regular lights. I'm leaning towards the UK C8 LED. I understand that the LED uses less battery (making them last longer) and actually sends the light farther. It appears that however the regular C8 provides a brighter light, it spreads and doesn't travel as far due to light absorbtion.
Am I on the right track?
It does appear that UK is the company to beat. I'm starting to look at the SL4 as a back up in a pocket.
Am I on the right track?
It does appear that UK is the company to beat. I'm starting to look at the SL4 as a back up in a pocket.
Rev. Blade
Contributor
I've flooded more than my fair share of lights. My UK Light Canon flooded, but was a very bright light until it did. Downsides to HID lights are price, and that they take a while to light up, and they should stay off for a couple minutes after you turn them off. That makes them not great for people who want to turn their lights on and off during a dive.
I've flooded a couple PrincetonTec Attitude LED lights. Not much light, but plenty for reading gauges, or close navigation if your primary fails. I carry a small LED light on ALL my dives.
My current main light is an Underwater Kinetics SL4. The resort had them for rent. (My Light Canon had flooded... mentioned above.) It worked fine. Since I figured that whatever they had for rent, had proved reliable for them, I asked for one for Christmas. It's good to have a diver brother, to buy good gifts. The SL4 now rides in a pocket of my BC.
I've flooded a couple PrincetonTec Attitude LED lights. Not much light, but plenty for reading gauges, or close navigation if your primary fails. I carry a small LED light on ALL my dives.
My current main light is an Underwater Kinetics SL4. The resort had them for rent. (My Light Canon had flooded... mentioned above.) It worked fine. Since I figured that whatever they had for rent, had proved reliable for them, I asked for one for Christmas. It's good to have a diver brother, to buy good gifts. The SL4 now rides in a pocket of my BC.
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sbro:
Not quite ... for diving around here, I'd prefer the C8 halogen or Light Cannon.
The C8 eLED is a very good light for night diving in clear water. It has a very white light. But it is not as good at penetrating murky water as the Light Cannon or C8 halogen (especially the rechargable version). For day diving, it's not very effective at all except at short range.
My first primary dive light was a C8R (rechargable) halogen ... and it served me very well until I decided to invest the $$$ in a canister light. UK offers excellent customer service ... even the one time I neglected to lock the switch and my light came on in my dive bag (melting the lens) ... they replaced the damaged parts as a warranty item (meaning I didn't have to pay for them). The thing I liked about the rechargable ... other than the fact that you didn't have to keep buying batteries for it ... was that it comes with "high beam (20W), and low beam (14W) bulbs. The high beam is very bright and penetrating, although it will use up the battery quicker (not a big deal with a rechargable). The regular C8 comes with two 14W bulbs ... or did back when I was looking to purchase one.
Under most circumstances, regardless of which light you choose, you will not need a light for daytime diving in Belize ... or any other tropical dive place. Since you plan to do night diving, you'll be needing a backup light. I recommend something like the UK SL4 or the Ikelite PCa ... either of those will be sufficient to take along during the daytime in Belize, for those occasions when you want to look into holes or under coral heads.
... Bob (Grateful Diver)
UK had that package deal with the C8, DL4, the LED tank light, and that funky thing you're supposed to clip to your mask (I suppose to ruin your buddy's night vision). I bought my daughter one for Christmas. I think it was about $70 for all four pieces.
If you plan on diving regularly around WA then you will likely want a light to use even during the day. Having a rechargable light is essential. The light cannon is a very good light for that.
Many of us that frequent WA waters have gone to using a canister light. It offers more light, is rechargable, but is far more expensive. We use our lights even during the day to signal each other and to bring out colors at depth.
Go with Bob's advice on the back up light for night diving.
Many of us that frequent WA waters have gone to using a canister light. It offers more light, is rechargable, but is far more expensive. We use our lights even during the day to signal each other and to bring out colors at depth.
Go with Bob's advice on the back up light for night diving.
I have heard good things about UK but never used them. I love my 8C Pelican, it has an electronic switch, and the design is very streamlined with rounded edges. I use the 4C Pelican as a back up.
I bought a Princeton II once and had to send it back before it even got wet. The switch was bad right out of the box. After inspecting the workings of the Princeton switch I decided it was a little too Mickey Mouse looking for me. I just couldn't put any confidence into it.
It was the electronic switch on the Pelican that originally sold me, but I have found many other good things about it since using it. The battery life is super, the soft edges make it easy to stow and get in and out of pockets, and it will light up the world at 13.8 watts (100,000 candlepower) for the 8C and 6.9 watts (60,000 candlepower). And the real clincher, just like your Stanley Thermos, Pelican lights are unconditionally guaranteed forever.
A powerful light is most appreciated when being used during the day. There are a lot of less powerful lights that can be used at night but when you want to look under a ledge in the daylight you need the extra power. Many lesser lights you can't even tell you turned them on if it is daytime.
Pelican "Nemo" 8C Lite (4300)
http://www.leisurepro.com/Prod/ItemIndex_44/CategoryID_972/Context_965/Sort_SKU/PLN43.html
I bought a Princeton II once and had to send it back before it even got wet. The switch was bad right out of the box. After inspecting the workings of the Princeton switch I decided it was a little too Mickey Mouse looking for me. I just couldn't put any confidence into it.
It was the electronic switch on the Pelican that originally sold me, but I have found many other good things about it since using it. The battery life is super, the soft edges make it easy to stow and get in and out of pockets, and it will light up the world at 13.8 watts (100,000 candlepower) for the 8C and 6.9 watts (60,000 candlepower). And the real clincher, just like your Stanley Thermos, Pelican lights are unconditionally guaranteed forever.
A powerful light is most appreciated when being used during the day. There are a lot of less powerful lights that can be used at night but when you want to look under a ledge in the daylight you need the extra power. Many lesser lights you can't even tell you turned them on if it is daytime.
Pelican "Nemo" 8C Lite (4300)
http://www.leisurepro.com/Prod/ItemIndex_44/CategoryID_972/Context_965/Sort_SKU/PLN43.html
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