UK SL4 LED or Princeton TEC Torrent Xenon?

[Scared Silly]

Personally I think all the hype about LEDs is just that. Yeah longer bulb life is true but am I really needing 1000 hours of life? In 15 years of diving I have to buy one new bulb. The one I am currently using has survived two floods (user error both times). I have sent this and several other items back to UK and they have replaced parts free of charge. Perhaps it is because I take the time to right a nice letter. I have also had good luck with PrincetonTec as well.

BTW I just bought a new UK SL4 for $20. IRCC the LED version is $62, so $40+ for a bulb. Give me a break. That is not irrelevant in my book that is a 1/2 day of diving. Or enough batteries for about 10 years worth of diving.

UK SL4 eLED Dive Light Specifications:
Power: 3-5 watts (33-38 Average Lumens)
Lamp: High intensity whiteLED
Burn Time: 10-12 hours (out of water) with constant high brightness then falls to near 10% brightness for over 50 hours

UK SL4 Xenon Dive Light Specifications:
Power: 113 lumens, 3.5 watts
Lamp: high-intensity xenon lamp in a prefocused optical quality reflector
Burn Time: runs for 4-5 hours on 4 C-cell batteries, included

So the burn time for Xenon is half of that of the LED but it produces more lumens for that same wattage. Yeah the LED will keep going at 10% but that is worthless underwater.

BTW I do have one small LED light that I used while volunteering at our local aquarium - with a red filter it was great for pointing out critters.

Nismo - if it will not turn of you probably have some corrosion in the switch due to a slow leak. You can take it a part and clean it but putting it back together sucks. I would by a bottle of Lime-A-Way (TM) and fill the housing up with it and let it soak. While it is soaking flip the switch back and forth and bunch to help clean it. See if that works.

 

[dumpsterDiver]

Because xenon bulbs burn out, are fragile and don't give you anywhere near the battery life that an LED will. LED's have been coming down in price a lot recently, making the old cost difference kind of irrelevant. Plus when you look at any cost savings between xenon and LED lights it's quickly negated by the addditional batteries you'll have to buy for the xenon.

For the xenon, you'll get a 5 hour battery life, with an expected bulb life of ~30 hours for $45
For the LED, you'll get 30 hours of BATTERY life, and an expected bulb life of 10000 hours, for $59

That $15 is eatten up really quickly in the cost of batteries and bulbs over the time you'll own the light, especially for the uses you described.

Princeton Tec Torrent LED

Additionally, the blue color of the LED will travel farther and cut through the crud better underwater than the xenon. Hope that helps.

Jake

I agree, aren't divers supposed to be "green"?. The less disposable batteries we use, the better off we all are. I keep my LED dive light handy at home and choose to use that light for housegold use also. It never gets hot and the batteries seem to last "forever".

 

[Nismo]

Thanks for the tip, I'll try that.

Even though a xenon bulb is more lumens, I think LED's are a better performing light source. I was an early adopter of the technology. However, it is much more costly, and I don't believe it should be.

If you want to make it an even greener light, buy rechargeable batteries for it. One of the manufacturers makes a rechargeable battery pack conversion kit. I think it's UK. It's expensive. Can also buy a recharger and batteries online. Initial cost is more but worth it. I prefer NiMH over the older NiCad batteries. Lithium rechargeables are even better.

 

[vondo]

FWIW, I've had good customer service from UK. First, my SL6 turned on inside my gear bag and melted the front lens to my dive skin. I wrote and asked them about buying a replacement and they just sent me a new one. No paperwork involved.

Second, my C8 eLED flooded (probably user error) and I sent that in and received a replacement. Again, no paperwork other than an RMA.

I just bought an SL4 eLED yesterday. The SL6 is too long for my pockets.

 

[jwobkk]

Thanks for the tip, I'll try that.

Even though a xenon bulb is more lumens, I think LED's are a better performing light source. I was an early adopter of the technology. However, it is much more costly, and I don't believe it should be.

If you want to make it an even greener light, buy rechargeable batteries for it. One of the manufacturers makes a rechargeable battery pack conversion kit. I think it's UK. It's expensive. Can also buy a recharger and batteries online. Initial cost is more but worth it. I prefer NiMH over the older NiCad batteries. Lithium rechargeables are even better.

This is exactly the input I'm looking for. Why do you think LED is a better performing light source than Xenon? Thanks for the valuable input!!

 

[dumpsterDiver]

Rechargable batteries make little sense for a LED light unless you use the light a lot. You would probably have to be a commercial or professional diver to see a benefit in my opinion.

I have used my Princeton tech LED light now for around 30 hours and it is on the first set of batteries! Approximately 24 hours of that time was when I accidentally left the light ON in the attic and it took me a day to discover the light was "missing" and to search for it there.

 

[CODMAN]

Wobkk, just for an example. My girfriend has a C4 xenon (rated at 104 lumens), and I have a SL4 eLed (rated 33-38 lumens). Well I can tell you frankly, having used both side by side, either day or night diving, my Sl4 e-Led blows the C4 Xenon away!!! The difference in perceived brightness is remarquable. In daylight, the SL4 eLed works much much better for looking under ledges and in cracks. At night, the Sl4 eLed is way/ way brighter (once again, I'm talking perceived brightness) than the C4, even tthough it's rated higher. My SL4 e-Led was almost too much for night diving in the Caribbean! This said, I think this perception has more to do with the color (or temperature) of the light emited, than the official brightness. Honnestly, I would strongly suggest you buy a LED light rather than Xenon. Not to mention that the LED lamps are much tougher and resist impacts much better than Xenon bulbs.

Just my 0.02$

This is exactly the input I'm looking for. Why do you think LED is a better performing light source than Xenon? Thanks for the valuable input!!

 

[jwobkk]

Wobkk, just for an example. My girfriend has a C4 xenon (rated at 104 lumens), and I have a SL4 eLed (rated 33-38 lumens). Well I can tell you frankly, having used both side by side, either day or night diving, my Sl4 e-Led blows the C4 Xenon away!!! The difference in perceived brightness is remarquable. In daylight, the SL4 eLed works much much better for looking under ledges and in cracks. At night, the Sl4 eLed is way/ way brighter (once again, I'm talking perceived brightness) than the C4, even tthough it's rated higher. My SL4 e-Led was almost too much for night diving in the Caribbean! This said, I think this perception has more to do with the color (or temperature) of the light emited, than the official brightness. Honnestly, I would strongly suggest you buy a LED light rather than Xenon. Not to mention that the LED lamps are much tougher and resist impacts much better than Xenon bulbs.

Just my 0.02$

Great post and I think I've heard all I need to know. I was thrown off a bit by the higher lumens ratings on the Xenon lights however, it sure appears that LED is the way to go. Thanks a million!

 

[CODMAN]

I know exactly how you feel. i was also thrown by the numbers at first, but took the plunge for LED. I was amazed at the difference. You will probably be too.

Great post and I think I've heard all I need to know. I was thrown off a bit by the higher lumens ratings on the Xenon lights however, it sure appears that LED is the way to go. Thanks a million!

 

[zackalack8999]

I own an SL4 (or maybe it's the SL6, haven't been diving enough lately ), and I work at my local dive shop which carries primarily Princeton Tec. I have to say, the warranty on gear manufactured by Princeton Tec is immaculate. You can literally send in a box of shattered pieces from one of their lights, and they will send you a new one no questions asked.