Strobe suggestions

[BubbleTrouble]

Actually the one in the photo is rated to 328ft.. I own one like that in my first link above.

I saw one of those in the LDS. They're quite small. I think they would be good if you were wearing one strapped to your tanks.

 

[Kern]

Does anyone know if the Xenon light globes are robust (shock proof)? I have a HID canister light and you have to be careful with those as any unfortunate bump tends to blow the light globe.

I can't say anything quantitative about the robustness of the xenon v's the HID. I can say the tektite has stood up to the rigours of being clipped off to a link in the anchor chain when required.

OK, I'v just done a bit of an experiment. Can a HID bulb be turned on, held in 1 hand & then slammed into the other very hard, & survive. The Xenon bulb in my tektite can.

Not much of an experiment I know, but it may give you some idea.

 

[texdiveguy]

The Firefly Plus looks good and has the added advantage on being omni-directional. It says it's good to 100m, but doesn't specifically say it's for diving use.

Does anyone know if the Xenon light globes are robust (shock proof)? I have a HID canister light and you have to be careful with those as any unfortunate bump tends to blow the light globe.

The globe end is bullet proof in construction.

 

[empressdiver]

I have a 2 C-cell and a 3 C-cell Tektite strobe with the zenon lamp modules. The 3 C-cell strobe is rated 30% brighter. They are both depth rated to 500 ft. at least and the package for the 3 C-cell strobe actually says the depth rating is 1000 ft. They are just as compact as a backup light.

I prefer backup dive lights and strobes that use C-cells for their increased power and/or burn time. For limited vis conditions and marking the upline, location of extra stages, etc., you just can't have too much light or effective strobe range. Just think of the problem faced by the Rouses - they couldn't locate their deco bottles on the wreck, and it cost them their lives.

I just wouldn't buy any strobes that use AA batteries.

 

[BubbleTrouble]

I have a 2 C-cell and a 3 C-cell Tektite strobe with the zenon lamp modules. The 3 C-cell strobe is rated 30% brighter. They are both depth rated to 500 ft. at least and the package for the 3 C-cell strobe actually says the depth rating is 1000 ft. They are just as compact as a backup light.

I prefer backup dive lights and strobes that use C-cells for their increased power and/or burn time. For limited vis conditions and marking the upline, location of extra stages, etc., you just can't have too much light or effective strobe range. Just think of the problem faced by the Rouses - they couldn't locate their deco bottles on the wreck, and it cost them their lives.

I just wouldn't buy any strobes that use AA batteries.

I guess I was thinking of the AA requirement as convenience when I go on a trip and only have to carry one type of batteries. But I see your point, thanks.

 

[Diver Dennis]

You could always use rechargeable AAs. The new NiMH ones hold a charge for quite a bit longer.

 

[CompuDude]

TechDivingLimited was making a lot of noise about the Jotrons a few months ago when they first started carrying them. Joel tends to get pretty reliable stuff, considering the expeditions he takes them on.

Strobe Lights : Tech Diving Limited, a subsidiary of Scuba Training and Technology Inc.

 

[BubbleTrouble]

Thanks everyone. I've decided to get the Jotron AQ4 strobe. It offers best mix of performance, value for money and robustness for me.

 

[empressdiver]

You could always use rechargeable AAs. The new NiMH ones hold a charge for quite a bit longer.

The generally accepted rule among tech divers is that you use alkaline batteries rather than rechargeable batteries for your backup lights. You only use rechargeable batteries for your main light. I would suggest that strobes should be treated like backup lights - reliability is the most important factor - if the strobe dies, you could have a serious problem.

As well, NiMH batteries only have 1.2 volts whereas alkaline batteries have 1.5 volts, and I have found that my Tektite strobe just functions better with the higher voltage alkaline batteries.

 

[JonasLondon]

Hi there, I second the vote for the Jotron strobe. Superbly well built, smaller than the Tektite (12h runtime instead of 36 hours I think contributes to this), but you can probably take it deeper than you ever want to go. Easy to operate with gloves, built like a tank. My dive buddy and I keep one permanently on our right shoulder strap of the BCD/harness.

Another (untested!) idea could involve a green scuba laser mounted to the line, held against the rope by rubber bands or attached separately with a weight perhaps. I got one of these things for less than $100, and it is just incredibly how these things pierce through the water. Get the lowest power possible, it WILL be enough, and we don't want to fry holes in fish or our retinas either.

Jonas