Suggestions on Dive Lights

[Shftrdog]

Underwater Kinetics make some great lights in your price range. The C4 or C8 would be great for the primary, and the SL3 for the back up. Now LED lights are great lights with a bright white light, but in murky water they are not the best. They are so bright that they reflect of off the particals in the water and give kindof a glare. The Halogen lights are best in murkey water and penatrat the farthest. Where in NY are you from I am from Tully, just south of Syracuse.

 

[Hostage]

I live in Rochester, though I went ahead and ordered two of those 220. One wide angle one narrow beam. Worst case senario I can use them at night when jogging or when working in the dark. Those $5 cheapy LED lights are crap. I also got one of those light socks. Thanks so far, I think this will be good for now and when I do a lot more diving I will find out if I want to drop the $1000 down the road.

 

[Hostage]

thanks all for the suggestions. I got the Intova Ultra in the mail last week and is it bright. It also feels very sturdy. I should be getting the wide beam (smaller one) today, just in time to use it with my night dive tomorrow. I was very impressed how bright it is, my g/f thinks it's to bright on the low power setting, when we went for a walk the other day.

 

[buddhasummer]

This is a hard question at this point in your diving -- what do you see them eventually used for? In what diving conditions?

A wide angle will simply highlight all the stuff in the water, if you dive in a low-visability environment. Think of high-beams in fog or snowstorm.

A narrow, piercing beam will cut through low vis better.

A narrow, piercing beam will get someone's attention better if you are in clear, sunlit waters. I would play mine on my dive buddy's hand or arm, to get his attention. The wide beam was worthless for that.

However, if you are lighting up a critter under a rock, a narrow beam creates a "hot spot" of washed-out color in your photos. A wide, even beam highlights a critter beautifully and provides some fill for the strobe.

I ended up buying an Mb-Sub X1-Vb (AA) for all the reasons you listed. It has a variable focus from 3 degrees to 25 degrees. Its great for both day time and night time. Its my second one, I loved it so much that when I lost my first (boo hoo) I replaced it with the same. So now I have a very very expensive X1-VB, one for the price of two

 

[Hostage]

I got the Wide Angle one in the mail yesterday and to my dismay it didn't work . I called Intova last night, apparently they are based in Hawaii. I told him that I have a night AOW class the next day, he worked with me and I managed to get the flash light working by playing with the switch. I ended up having to sand the switch down so it could move forward far enough to be in the "on" position as the magnet in the switch was not far enough ahead. They are sending me a new switch in the mail, which should make it work like it should have.

 

[buddhasummer]

I got the Wide Angle one in the mail yesterday and to my dismay it didn't work . I called Intova last night, apparently they are based in Hawaii. I told him that I have a night AOW class the next day, he worked with me and I managed to get the flash light working by playing with the switch. I ended up having to sand the switch down so it could move forward far enough to be in the "on" position as the magnet in the switch was not far enough ahead. They are sending me a new switch in the mail, which should make it work like it should have.

I once had a couple of issues with the slide switch on my Intova wide, the customer service I received was nothing less than exceptional. Good luck with the night dive and the new switch.

 

[Hostage]

I did my AOW night dive this weekend and took the light on a wreck. I think I had the brightest light even on the low powered setting. Some of the other guys spent a bit more on their lights. I also do see the advantages of the light sock vs. the pistol grip. It was easy to use mine and i could easily use the light to get my buddy's attention by knocking it against the tank or shining it near him. The light did come on in my bag some how on the drive back. Luckily I checked my bags and turned the light off.

 

[Malpaso]

As I'm not even certified yet, this is a broad informational question. In comparing the Intova Ultra to the Intova 660, I see the following:

Ultra:
6 AA batteries
7 hrs run time
3 stage
tail switch
14 degree angle
7.9" x 1.9"
15.1 oz

660:
2 CR123 batteries
10 hrs run time
1 stage
slide switch
12 degree angle
6.2" x 1.5"
7.9 oz

From a pure flashlight point of view (only thing I can personally go on at this stage) the 660 wins in almost every category, including price. Yet, I see the Ultra as favored in most of the dive info on the net. What makes this a (seemingly) better dive light?

 

[FWADIVER]

As I'm not even certified yet, this is a broad informational question. In comparing the Intova Ultra to the Intova 660, I see the following:

Ultra:
6 AA batteries
7 hrs run time
3 stage
tail switch
14 degree angle
7.9" x 1.9"
15.1 oz

660:
2 CR123 batteries
10 hrs run time
1 stage
slide switch
12 degree angle
6.2" x 1.5"
7.9 oz

From a pure flashlight point of view (only thing I can personally go on at this stage) the 660 wins in almost every category, including price. Yet, I see the Ultra as favored in most of the dive info on the net. What makes this a (seemingly) better dive light?

the 660 has a switch that is difficult to operate, especially with gloves on, and the ultra is a lot brighter and penetrates much better.

 

[Hostage]

The magnetic button on back has 3 modes (4 including off) High, Low, and strobe. Also AA are easier to come by than this little kegs.