UK versus Princeton

[skdvr]

I use one of these and attach my light to my right shoulder d-ring. Most of the time I do not even need to unclip the buckle to use the light. The only time I have unclipped it is to hand the light to a buddy to look under something. That way is stays pretty close all the time. I like being able to just let go of it if I need my hand for something else. if you leave it unclipped then it stretches way out if you let go. The good thing is that you still have it attached to you, but then it is easier for things to get tangled up...

Phil

[mitsuguy]

It seems to me the PT's are a tad brighter than the UK lights, but I'm not sure which UK LED I am comparing my miniwave to...

[Damselfish]

I've often read that while UK and PT are great on warrenty service, PT needs it more often. I've had a number from both and that's been my experience, never problems with UK and a number of problems with PT lights. But I usually like the PT lights slightly better. I recently bought a PT Miniwave LED and a Torrent LED. I like them, and no problems, though so far it's only been a few night dives with the Miniwave and about 25 with the Torrent.

Darn, this reminds me that my old PT marker light (aquastar I think) flooded last week in Belize and I tossed the corroded bulb unit not thinking about the warrenty, but I kept the plastic shell. Think they would replace it if I don't have the whole thing? (Ironically, I recently bought an ecoflare just because I'd had such good luck with the aquastar not flooding, and they're similar.)

[russp]

Perhaps I should mix and match and do the PT Miniwave as the main and the UK Mini Q40 eLED as the backup. The Miniwave seems like it should be brighter (3 LED vs 1 in the UK) while the Mini Q40 does look better than the PT Impact. Either tank light looks sufficient and I'll go with the coil lanyard/retaining clip for the main light. I'm OK with the backup in a pocket.

[russp]

One more thought (to add to my confusion), does anyone use a non pistol grip for a main light? If I went this route, I could use the UK SL4 eLED as the main (if it's bright enough), the Mini Q40+ eLED as backup and get a tank beacon.

[rawalker]

Originally Posted by russp

Perhaps I should mix and match and do the PT Miniwave as the main and the UK Mini Q40 eLED as the backup. The Miniwave seems like it should be brighter (3 LED vs 1 in the UK) while the Mini Q40 does look better than the PT Impact. Either tank light looks sufficient and I'll go with the coil lanyard/retaining clip for the main light. I'm OK with the backup in a pocket.

As I stated earlier I have gone with the PT Miniwav LED it is 9 watts compared to the UK 4c eLED which is 6 watts.

As for the backup light I also prefer and use the UK mine is a Mini Q40 eLED plus. The plus version is a 2 watt light if you go with the Mini Q40 eLED it is only a 1 watt version of roughly the same size.

The Plus is a lot brighter and IMHO worth a few extra bux.

[russp]

From Rawalker:

As I stated earlier I have gone with the PT Miniwav LED it is 9 watts compared to the UK 4c eLED which is 6 watts.

As for the backup light I also prefer and use the UK mine is a Mini Q40 eLED plus. The plus version is a 2 watt light if you go with the Mini Q40 eLED it is only a 1 watt version of roughly the same size.

The Plus is a lot brighter and IMHO worth a few extra bux.[/quote]

Yeah Rawalker, that's why I started thinking along that line. Do you have any opinion on using a non pistol grip as a main light?

[CompuDude]

Pistol grips are more comfortable over the course of an entire dive. If you're just poking in crevices it does matter, but if you'll be doing much night diving, you'll find the pistol grip more comfortable to hold throughout the dive.

[rawalker]

I agree with CompuDude on the pistol grip just being more comfortable. That is a major point for a primary light for the backup size and where it fits is a consideration.

[chixdigit]

I've heard that UK will use less battery than a comparable Princeton light. Does anyone have any input regarding this type of comparison?