Shockwave LED and UK C8 Plus LED

[Nismo]

How well do they each maintain light output. The UK supposedly has a circuit that helps it maintain it's level of brightness longer. With LED's, I don't know why there would even be a noticeable decline in light output.

 

[jeraldjcook]

How well do they each maintain light output. The UK supposedly has a circuit that helps it maintain it's level of brightness longer. With LED's, I don't know why there would even be a noticeable decline in light output.

Here's my view on this, it may or may not apply to you. I rarely do local night dives, so the only time I use my big lights are on vacations (I use my UK SL4 all the time though). Add up all the night dives, that's maybe 4 hours a year. The Princeton Tec lasts 12 hours on high, so lets say light output starts to decrease after 8 hours. That's two years of night dives for me, so light output in relation to battery condition I feel is a bit irrelevant. Now, if I used it a couple of hours a week, it might be a different story.

Edit: The decrease in brightness has nothing to due with the type of bulb, it's all about battery voltage.

 

[ReefHound]

Edit: The decrease in brightness has nothing to due with the type of bulb, it's all about battery voltage.

True, and if you use rechargeable NiMH batteries there is no difference since by design they maintain a consistent voltage until nearly the end then drop off sharply. In essence, they do inherently what the UK circuitry does.

 

[dumpsterDiver]

I have the shockwave LED and have been very happy with it. I also have had some very negative experiences with UK, so I personally will avoid doing any business with them.

The Princeton Tech has been used for 3-4 long night dives and then I accidentally left it in the attic (in the on position) for over 24 hours! It was still very bright! This was in the summer in Florida, I would not have believed that the single set of batteries could last that long.

The light is very bright on night dives, plus I have had a few customer service issues with Princeton Tech and they ALWAYS honor their warranty, in contrast to UK which most definitely will not. The choice is clear in my mind.

 

[diveprof]

You can have too much light!!!!. The mega light monsters run off critters on night dives before you get to them... I have the photon torpedo which is an LED light with a tight beam. I use it as my primary. It is a well built light, very heavy duty. If you must go cheap, then go with the Princeton tec 40 which is about $12-20. However, if you must light up 3 acres of the ocean floor to feel safe....

 

[jeraldjcook]

You can have too much light!!!!. The mega light monsters run off critters on night dives before you get to them...

Let me rephrase: neither of the lights we've talked about are overkill for night diving. If we were talking about using a 35 watt HID for a night reef dive, that's another story.

 

[HenrikBP]

Here are a couple of good reviews:

http://www.flashlightreviews.com/reviews/pt_sw_led.htm

http://www.flashlightreviews.com/reviews/uk_c8eledplus.htm

http://www.flashlightreviews.com/reviews/uk_c4-8eled.htm

Henrik

 

[Nismo]

The flash light review web site was a big help. Ordered the UK C8 Plus. Also ordered the SL4 as back ups. Thanks for everyone's input. I based my decision on the amount of time I will be underwater and like that the UK light had better output for a longer time. I willing to say that both are probably very good lights that would be worth owning. Also the UK light was Scuba Labs users choice and best buy.

 

[Bubbletrubble]

I'm glad that you were able to decide between these 2 lights. I think you'll like the fact that these LED lights last a lot longer on a set of batteries than their halogen-bulbed counterparts. One more thing. I would try not to put too much stock in the ScubaLab ratings. The manufacturers of the items being reviewed are advertisers in Scuba Diving magazine. This obviously creates a conflict of interest. I think that most ScubaBoarders would agree that ScubaLab reviews tend to be a little more positive than they should be. Have a great time on your night dives!

 

[HenrikBP]

http://www.flashlightreviews.com has some very thorough reviews of all kinds of flashlights. Unfortunately the guy doing the testing and reviewing has stopped. It was just a hobby that slowly took over.

You can still find decent reviews of newer flashlights (in general) on http://www.candlepowerforums.com . Some of those are just quick "I like it" reviews, but a few of the members do reviews as through as Flashlight Reviews. As on SB you can search the forums for specifics.

Henrik