What price a torch?

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60plus

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Location
Cumbria UK
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I have had one night dive and a few wreck penetration dives but so far I have used borrowed / hired torches.
I am thinking of buying a couple of my own.
One of those I borrowed cost £125.
I see there are huge differences in price for those that look to be similar spec. Starting at about £10 on Ebay all the way to £100 plus.

To me £50 seems a lot to pay for a torch, that could easily be dropped or lost.

Anyone know the reasons for the difference in prices, is it justified? and would I be better with a couple of cheapies bearing in mind I do relatively few night dives and can always hire them for night or wreck diving on holiday. Torches take p a fair bit of baggage allowance particular with Ryanairs new baggage policy.
 
Ok I'll be first......what kind of wreck penetration?

Lights vary due to many factors ...Type,Switches,Battery,Rechargeable,Depth Rating,Bulb Type...Etc., Etc. Hard to justify price of one over another without comparing ALL features....sort of like comparing apples to oranges.
 
Not a sophisticated diver here, and absolutely no wreck penetration, coz I'm claustrophobic.

I do night dives whenever I'm on LOB. Bought a torch off AliExpress (I know :D) for around USD30 as I recall, and have had about 20-30 night dives on it (give or take). Rechargeable battery still works fine.

Recently got another one with red light for photo/video, same brand but a bit more pricey. Yet to test it.

Hope this helps :)
 
I have had one night dive and a few wreck penetration dives but so far I have used borrowed / hired torches.
I am thinking of buying a couple of my own.
One of those I borrowed cost £125.
I see there are huge differences in price for those that look to be similar spec. Starting at about £10 on Ebay all the way to £100 plus.

To me £50 seems a lot to pay for a torch, that could easily be dropped or lost.

Anyone know the reasons for the difference in prices, is it justified? and would I be better with a couple of cheapies bearing in mind I do relatively few night dives and can always hire them for night or wreck diving on holiday. Torches take p a fair bit of baggage allowance particular with Ryanairs new baggage policy.

First, don’t buy the cheap eBay torches. They are rubbish and very likely to leak. They feel nasty and thin and you have to be very careful to avoid cross threading them when changing batteries. The spec will be the same, same led, similar battery. But the output of a flooded torch is zero.

I recently bought a couple of Orca Torch torches. They are both built like a proper thing, solid and reassuring. They use turning the head as the switch. I much prefer that to press buttons. One was about £40 and uses a single AA battery driving a few hundred lumen led with a soft/widish beam. I don’t know how long it will last per battery, more than an hour I think. The other has a small rechargeable battery which has a socket for a regular micro USB cable. It is brighter 1000 lumen) and has a narrower beam. It was about £70.

Eitther of these would be fine for a night dive. I bought them as backups to replace a Hollis LED6 which takes 3 C cells, is quite large, and has a tendancy to flicker. I also like to be able to attach torches to students to make them easier to spot in the rubbish conditions of the local inland sites.

On a night dive it is possible to have too bright a torch.
 
I wear one of these with either of the other ones or both of them


and sometimes have it set so that it illuminates at minimal depth

and certainly the skinny lights are never unclipped to be fumbled
just slipped out of their fixings and pointed to where I'm about to
look mostly with the lens partially covered to maintain some dark
vision and not give the fishes and critters too excessive irritation.
 
It depends of how important is the torch for your dives (that is basically if you can finish the dive without it).
Most of my dives aren't cave or penetration, if my torch dies i have the small backup one and in any case I can conclude the dive with the partner assistance.
For this reason I always used the "chinese" ones, they do a lot of light and for the cost i can buy like 10 of them so even if they dies.. who care, I can buy more (and between they didn't died so far!).
I also have a more quality torch, a small one that is supposed to be used in emergency if all my other lights should die.
90% of my dives are performed with my camera rigs (it means having 20K lumes... so I rarely use a torch at all, I already look like an alien).
 
Orca torches are great. We have a couple of these. 630 lumens is great for most non-murky diving. You'll also need a 1 or 2 (if you want a spare) 14500 lithium batteries suitable for torches + a charger, but they'll also take AA (but give out 180 lumens).
 
Orca torches are great. We have a couple of these. 630 lumens is great for most non-murky diving. You'll also need a 1 or 2 (if you want a spare) 14500 lithium batteries suitable for torches + a charger, but they'll also take AA (but give out 180 lumens).

That charger looks perfect for holidays. Much less bulky than my current charger and one less plug to carry.

I got one of these https://www.mikesdivestore.com/products/sealife-sea-dragon-mini-900-dive-light?utm_medium=cpc&utm_source=google&utm_campaign=Google Shopping&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIs5if7PrT3gIVEI4YCh1WvAJdEAQYAiABEgIy2vD_BwE on a deal a few months ago, which Ive been happy with. Compact, 3 different power levels, SOS mode and 120 burn time on max power with a rechargeable battery (although I haven’t actually tested that).
 
I have had one night dive and a few wreck penetration dives but so far I have used borrowed / hired torches.
I am thinking of buying a couple of my own.
One of those I borrowed cost £125.
I see there are huge differences in price for those that look to be similar spec. Starting at about £10 on Ebay all the way to £100 plus.

To me £50 seems a lot to pay for a torch, that could easily be dropped or lost.

Anyone know the reasons for the difference in prices, is it justified? and would I be better with a couple of cheapies bearing in mind I do relatively few night dives and can always hire them for night or wreck diving on holiday. Torches take p a fair bit of baggage allowance particular with Ryanairs new baggage policy.
I have bought a number of lights over the years. Most expensive was a HOG Morph 1000 "can" light at about $700. Cheapest was a $7 1000 lumen dive light from ebay. I've got a few in betweeners such as cheap metal dive lights from ebay (about $20 1000lm) and a DRIS 1000 (1000lm $70) and two Dive-Rite BK-1 (400lm I think $50).

I doubt I would ever buy an expensive dive light again. The only light I've ever had fail was the $20 ebay light. The magnetic switch broke. Even the $7 plastic lights still work great years later - They've been used numerous times in caverns. I usually bring those along to use as loaners for friends.

I would encourage you to get a couple cheap lights from ebay or amazon unless you're looking to get into serious penetration dives where the light can be a life or death thing. In that case, get two expensive lights. By "serious penetration dives" I don't mean going into a wide open wreck with a group of ow divers in Cozumel. I'm talking advanced diving, using a guideline, etc.

If you're doing night dives in OW, 1000 lumens is too much. It basically turns the dive into a "day" dive because it's so bright. You can, of course, put your fingers over the front and open a slit between your fingers to let out only some of the light. A dimmer output would be easier.

I look for lights that will take either Lithium 18650 rechargeable OR Alkaline disposable OR Ni-CD/LI-ION rechargeable batteries. Many lights fit that description, even cheap ones. That leaves you with many options if you're traveling. You can find or charge a battery that runs such a light in any country. You can bring a battery that will work in such a light on any airplane.

The only thing I absolutely avoid in a light is rechargeable device without removable batteries. My HOG MORPH can light is that way. It's a hassle if you lose the charger. You're screwed if it doesn't charge right or you forget to charge it one night.

Currently I only use the HOG Morph for a video light with my gopro because it has two light heads with a flood spill pattern (vs spot). Most dive lights are "spot" lights unless specifically designed for use in videography.



Things to look for in cheap lights:
1. At LEAST 2 O-rings at any opening.
2. Battery options I mentioned above
3. They're cheap. Buy two in case one fails.

Also, put some lube on the o-rings of any new light before diving it. Often cheap Chinese lights come with o-rings that aren't properly lubed and so they leak first time out. If you lube the o-ring then it's a non-issue. Get lube on amazon or an LDS. It's not expensive stuff. At least, that's what I've heard. I was warned just as I'm warning you. I've lubed every light I've bought and I've never had any light leak.

That OrcaTorch doesn't look like a bad light, but it does seem slightly overpriced at $50. Not outrageously so, though.
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/swift/

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