Salvo vs Halcyon Light

[lamont]

I'm been doing some research on canister lights (even entertained making my own ... have all the parts but not the time) in order to evaluate which one to buy. I had narrowed it down to Halcyon or DiveRite but a friend just turned me on to Salvo's, a brand I hadn't heard of. He had just gotten back from a dive in the DR (Dominican Rep.) and used a salvo. Several other divers had Halcyon but the Salvo outshone them (excuse the pun).

So after doing some searches on this board, I think I'm familiar with their equipment and, as a bonus, read all the disputes, lawsuits (criminal) ... et al, between Salvo and Halcyon.

I went to my local LDS who had carries Halcyon and asked for Salvo lights. He said that Halcyon will not sell to him if he carried Salvo lights as well. Has anyone heard of this from other dealers? I didn't think the lawsuit had any "non-compete" settlements attached but I could be mistaken. Does this mean I'll have to buy it on-line (e.g., direct or through LP) or through a dealer that doesn't sell Halcyon?

Has anyone had a chance to evaluate Salvo's lights (or other products) versus Halcyon or, for that matter, other manufacturers? What's your take on their quality?

I've got both a Salvo 18W HID (kind of *******ized onto what used to be a Pro6 10W light, so its not a Salvo bottomhalf) and a Halcyon 18W Helios 9. They've both been fine. The Halcyon 9/18W was was primary light for a long time, finally after a 100+ dives the switch started to corrode and needed to be replaced, I never had any flooding issues or any other problems with it -- the bulb has gotten a little bit dimmer over time, but that's to be expected. I've been diving the Salvo head primarily recently and its been solid, too, no floods, no issues.

Halcyon seems to have been having some design issues lately with thier lightcord in cold water. I would hold off on buying one from them until that issue gets sorted out. Once that is sorted out, I see no real difference between the companies in terms of technology. Its up to you to decide about the drama...

And the lawsuit does not have any kind of "non-compete" associated with it. Any arrangement between Halcyon and an LDS over what competing products the LDS can or cannot sell is not due to the lawsuit...

 

[Jasonmh]

The Halcyon 9/18W was was primary light for a long time, finally after a 100+ dives the switch started to corrode and needed to be replaced, I never had any flooding issues or any other problems with it ..

I've got a Helios9/18w also, and was wondering, when you had to have the switch replaced was it covered under warranty or did you have to pay for it?
thanks

 

[lamont]

I've got a Helios9/18w also, and was wondering, when you had to have the switch replaced was it covered under warranty or did you have to pay for it?
thanks

uh... well... honestly, i didn't inquire. i wasn't so concerned about halcyon honoring the warranty (and i've read positive reports about halcyon covering warranty repairs even outside of the time period of the warranty), but the cost savings on the warranty wasn't worth the risk to me of having a longer turn-around time...

 

[DiveGolfSki]

If you like the Salvo can lights better than the Halcyon, which it sounds like many do, why don't you purchase the Salvo lights directly from Salvo?

http://www.salvodiving.com/home

I may have to but I was hoping to give my LDS the business. Also, my LDS gives me a discount but I don't think there is any discount direct from Salvo.

 

[jonnythan]

The Salvo lights are hundreds of $$ cheaper than the Halcyon lights... so....

Buy the Salvo and hand the local shop a check for $100.

Everyone wins

 

[DiveGolfSki]

No, but something about Halcyon, they are very strict on how the retailers deal with their products. Recently, there's a LDS being taken away from their retailer list, because they were selling Halcyon items lower than the min price suggestion. As a result, the LDS does not carry Halcyon product anymore. But if there is really such thing as "you cannot sell Halcyon at the same time if you sell brand A...."

it's a little bit too much... don't you think?

I would think so too but there seems to be a lot of bad blood between Jerrod and Miller.

 

[true]

Gentlemen, unfortunately you are not getting a straight answer from any local dive shop that claims Halcyon closes/prevents its dealers from carrying any competing brand. It has never happened. Look at Halcyon's dealer listings, then look at any other manufacturer's listings, and you will see plenty of overlap. Yes, several shops carry Halcyon along with Salvo, OxyCheq, DiveRite, etc. It's the reality of the market. The facts are there-- you can check for yourselves. I was just visiting a Halcyon dealer in NYC yesterday that has a shop full of A/B wings next to oxycheq wings next to Halcyon.

Best,

Anthony

 

[alo100]

No, but something about Halcyon, they are very strict on how the retailers deal with their products. Recently, there's a LDS being taken away from their retailer list, because they were selling Halcyon items lower than the min price suggestion. As a result, the LDS does not carry Halcyon product anymore. But if there is really such thing as "you cannot sell Halcyon at the same time if you sell brand A...."

it's a little bit too much... don't you think?

That's why I can only put down "IF" for the 2nd case...

 

[DiveGolfSki]

Gentlemen, unfortunately you are not getting a straight answer from any local dive shop that claims Halcyon closes/prevents its dealers from carrying any competing brand. It has never happened. Look at Halcyon's dealer listings, then look at any other manufacturer's listings, and you will see plenty of overlap. Yes, several shops carry Halcyon along with Salvo, OxyCheq, DiveRite, etc. It's the reality of the market. The facts are there-- you can check for yourselves. I was just visiting a Halcyon dealer in NYC yesterday that has a shop full of A/B wings next to oxycheq wings next to Halcyon.

Best,

Anthony

Yup, Village Divers in Manhattan has both Halcyon and Salvo. Needless to say, I didn't ask him if there was an issue. Strange though, my LDS was pretty emphatic about it.

Anyway, the real issue is which is the better light. I'm leaning towards Salvo based on some of the comments on service. Besides, the rest of my gear is Halcyon ... gotta spread the wealth.

 

[Spoon]

i was studting my options as well and was choosing between the H and the Salvo. in the end i chose a salvo 21w li-ion. i have first hand experience on both lights and i liked the color output of the salvo better than the H. i guess this was attributed to the brightstar bulbs. also salvos seem more robust and better designed. halcyon has local reps /servicing, salvo has none.thats coming from someone from the Philippines with no access to parts or servicing, says a lot about my confidence in the product.