DNAXdiver once bubbled...
when you tell someone they are wrong and demand they should apologize and repent it is customary to give some facts to support your contention or eles you end up looking as clueless as them by all means tell us the truth but some facts please you can look up the wa spec sheets ballast not bulb btw as easy as me
way i see it if the people that makes the lighthead use 10 cells and it runs better on 10 then it seems to me pretty clueless to ask it to run on 9 if im so wrong why is dan using 10 now too
reason why halycon is +$ is ..... drum roll.... overhead! asking me to explain and not say overhead is like asking gw to justify war without saying saddam
i really didnt mean to become the devils advocate here nothing wrong with dans cannisters they are bargains i just think his buddies are overselling them here potential buyers should realize there are reasons he can sell them so cheap and that the savings they realize are not alltogether free
I emailed dan about the wa specs and this was his reply
"Here are the FACTS about the welch allen specs. They can be found on line at walamp.com. (which I HAVE read... The question is has halcyon read them???)
Welch allen makes 4 different ballasts for 10 watt bulbs. You can tell them apart by the color of the wires coming out of the bottom of them. Halcyon uses the black and white wired ballast. This ballast is rated for a MAXIMUM INSTANTANEOUS voltage of 13.0 volts. I have personaly called welch allen twice and asked 2 different engineers there if it's ok to exceed this spec. Both times I was told NO!! The same spec sheet also suggests... the ballast is good for use with 8 alkaline cells. (like the batteries you buy at walmart at 1.2 volts each) Nimh batteries are 1.5 + volts each.
Next time you charge your battery check the voltage at full charge with a meter. It WILL be more than 13.0 volts. If fact most of the time 10 cell batteries are almost 14.0 volts. This is exceding the W.A. specs. Couple that with the added safety of having a fuse and approximately a 4 hour burn time and you have a compeling reason to use 9 cell battery packs.
The newer halcyon heads have a diode built into them that protects the user from ruining the ballast if they are wire backwards. This diode also reduces the battery voltage at the ballast by about .7 volts. All diode do this. (Ok there's a few special case diodes that drop less voltage but cost alot more) This diode is helping to save halcyon's butt by reducing the voltage of a 10 cell NiMH battery down towards the acceptable level. I'm not sure if this is the reason it was put there or if it was just a lucky side effect. I suspect Halcyon sold plenty of old style heads (without diodes) with 10 cell NiMH battery packs.
Incidentally W.A. sells a ballast that they intend for use with 10 NiMH cells!!! It has a red and white wire coming out of the ballast and its the one Dive-Rite uses. Someone at dive-rite must have read the specs.
All is not lost for anyone owning a 10 cell pack with the WRONG ballast in it... I can't explain it but they aren't all buring out. I have used my halcyon head (with no diode)with a 10 cell NiMH battery pack more than 100 times with no problems. HOWEVER I assume the risk that the light MAY fail at some point from the over voltage condition!!!! "
Like i said this is straight from dan who as usual took the time to explain things.Try that with halcyon.
Those are the facts you were looking for.I hope this clears things up about the 9 cell packs.
The reason why the halcyon version cost more is simple.You pay for the halcyon name and logo.If you notice halcyon has the highest price gear but in my opinion the best gear.If overhead was the reason then why doesnt OMS and Dive rite charge as much for similar gear.Cause halcyon is the best on the market therefore you are gonna pay for the halcyon name.
Dont get me wrong i own my fair share of halcyon gear but when somebody makes a product that is equal too or better than halcyon at a much more afforadable price im gonna buy it as long as their customer service is good which doesnt seem to be a problem with dan as he has been great.That also explains the popularity of the canadian extreme back up lights and spools.They are of the same quality as halcyon plus canadian extreme uses a double o-ring on there back up light which to me makes it a slightly better quality than halcyon at a more affordable price.
Now as far as stealth light owners being buddies with dan.For one me and scubaroo live in CA.We are such good buddies with dan that we travel across the U.S. to new york to go diving and drink beer with him every weekend.Yes i do consider dan a friend but have no vested interest in his products.So get off the lame buddy kick.He sold us a great product for a great price.Why shouldnt we pass it on.
The reason his cannister is cheaper is because it doesnt halcyon stamped all over it.Why are all of the other NiMH lights out there much cheaper than halcyon....its cause they are not labeled as a halcyon.
