Why a can light in today's environment?
- Thread starter Jax
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The answers I'm getting are:
Nothing punches through murk better than an HID
Longer burn time on the can lights
LEDs don't light up enough cave (I can miss something)
Handhelds don't have goodman handles
Handhelds don't have a cord by which I can let it hang
I (need? want?) the weight of the can on my rig
As we can all take what we read on the Interwebs as gospel,, the burn times of the handhelds are becoming well into range of the can lights.
The focusing ability of the handhelds and the shape of the reflector could address the wider spill needed.
The only thing left is punching through the murk.
It seems the $100-$200 handhelds are rapidly closing the gap on the $1500 can.
The last three . . . pardon, but I'm discounting. I can buy a lot of cord, weight, & handle for the difference.
We are getting into TWO arguments here. You asked about the use of a canister for the battery and the light emitter being at the end of a cable. The debate over LED vs. HID is different. You can put any light source at the end of a cable...you could even put a wick there and fill the canister with oil
I do see in the future that lights will be cheaper and smaller. I think they will continue to make use of hands free use options.
Can lights are available used for under $300 if you are patient. They are usually easily serviced, compared to these foreign made lights, which are much more a "throw away if it breaks" product, as best as I can tell. I can pull apart my Light Monkey light head in seconds by removing one oring. The light cord can be changed in 15 minutes. The battery pack is similarly easily replaced. The large diameter compression oring on the canister requires no grease and is very robust.
We've seen Solus and Oxycheq tiny, bright handheld lights fail to capture much of the market. Early Intovas are similarly not well liked for reasons such as failing switches. The newer Intovas seem to be better, which fits with the general idea that technology gets better with time
The ultra nova seems awfully large to put on the back of my hand, and to use with a loosely fitting hard goodman handle which I require for fast switching from hand to hand when needed. However, in a few years, this will probably change.
What really excites me is the possibility of super tiny and lightweight tanks that hold huge volumes of air. Hauling a can light around has never bothered me but lp120's and stage bottles? Or cheap rebreathers. Or cheap compressors. The can light size and cord is so little of a problem compared to other problems.
OP
In Reply to your post [post=5727284]#5727284[/post]
Yes, I realized that, but no where did I ever say that I was " convinced ... that a light with 220 lumens was better for a primary than one with 700 lumens or so".
Simply, I was wow'd by the output of a handheld run by 6 AA batteries . . . that has a claimed burn time of 7 hours . . .
Lights have made tremendous strides in the past two years.
Yes, I realized that, but no where did I ever say that I was " convinced ... that a light with 220 lumens was better for a primary than one with 700 lumens or so".
Simply, I was wow'd by the output of a handheld run by 6 AA batteries . . . that has a claimed burn time of 7 hours . . .
Lights have made tremendous strides in the past two years.
OP
We are getting into TWO arguments here. You asked about the use of a canister for the battery and the light emitter being at the end of a cable. The debate over LED vs. HID is different. You can put any light source at the end of a cable...you could even put a wick there and fill the canister with oil
Oops . . . :blush: . . . I have not seen a HID discussed that was not a can light . . . sorry, you're right.
Lights have three basic elements.
Lamp and reflector.
Power source.
Enclosure.
Each having its own advantages and disadvantages. Each serves a different purpose in any one diving situation but all parts are needed in all diving situations.
For me, diving recreationally and not in any sort of cave, I find zero need for a heavy battery can. I have little need for a Goodman handle but can see where it would be an occasional advantage. I work with HID lamps and have no real love for them except when they are working properly.
LED is not as bright - yet, but soon will be as or brighter than HID.
More importantly to me is the enclosure. I don't want ANY light or battery can to flood - ever. A can light simply has more failure points than a single handheld light.
So, for me, a simple, well made, reliable handheld light fits my diving needs just fine.
Lamp and reflector.
Power source.
Enclosure.
Each having its own advantages and disadvantages. Each serves a different purpose in any one diving situation but all parts are needed in all diving situations.
For me, diving recreationally and not in any sort of cave, I find zero need for a heavy battery can. I have little need for a Goodman handle but can see where it would be an occasional advantage. I work with HID lamps and have no real love for them except when they are working properly.
LED is not as bright - yet, but soon will be as or brighter than HID.
More importantly to me is the enclosure. I don't want ANY light or battery can to flood - ever. A can light simply has more failure points than a single handheld light.
So, for me, a simple, well made, reliable handheld light fits my diving needs just fine.
One additional point regarding the mixing of two subjects...cannister vs hand held and HID vs LED. The whole issue of hand held (and hands free) lights being as powerful (in some cases) as cannister lights is only possible since powerful LED's have come to market.
There are hand held HID's (UK Light Cannon for instance) but it's large and would never be used in a hands free configuration. LED's do allow that along with more efficient batteries so the two subjects do tend to go together.
There are hand held HID's (UK Light Cannon for instance) but it's large and would never be used in a hands free configuration. LED's do allow that along with more efficient batteries so the two subjects do tend to go together.
I and "[ARG 2: UNDEFINED]" like your post!!!
OP
So, let me 
If today's diver, with no idea of how far down a tec / wreck / cave path s/he might go, wanted a light, would you recommend
a - go to a can light right away so you are used to it and have it from the beginning or
b - go to one of the handhelds that would serve well now and serve well as a backup later?
Discuss.
If today's diver, with no idea of how far down a tec / wreck / cave path s/he might go, wanted a light, would you recommend
a - go to a can light right away so you are used to it and have it from the beginning or
b - go to one of the handhelds that would serve well now and serve well as a backup later?
Discuss.
Garth
Contributor
Placing the weight of all the battery on your waste or backplate does have it's advantages. Some can lights have the ballast in the can too. If you are comparing a can and non-can light that has similar output and burntime... The handheld will be much heavier and bulkier on your hand it would seem to me.
Garth
Contributor
So, let me
If today's diver, with no idea of how far down a tec / wreck / cave path s/he might go, wanted a light, would you recommend
a - go to a can light right away so you are used to it and have it from the beginning or
b - go to one of the handhelds that would serve well now and serve well as a backup later?
Discuss.
Anything you buy... If you are unsure of things I would recommend buying something used on the forums for a good deal before paying ridiculous prices.
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