Looking for suggestions and opinions on first dive light

[fog]

Hi, I am in the process of trying to decide on a relatively inexpensive dive light. I dive primarily in a local quarry and occasionaly in Lake Michigan. I'm still pretty new at this and haven't done any night dives yet, but plan on trying it in the near future.
I don't plan on doing any cavern or cave dives, so I don't think I need anything exotic (and real expensive).
I have been leaning toward the following lights:

OxyCheq 3 Watt
Tusa TUL-300 led Light
Princeton Tec Miniwave LED Light
Princeton Tec Torrent LED

Could any of these be used as a primary dive light for occasional night dives?
Any comments or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks

[JCAT]

I have and use the Princeton TEC Shockwave for night diving. Very sturdy and well made. You can light up the water with its 3 LEDS and it has a wide pattern. Slightly softer color temperature as compared to most lights out there.

hope this helps.

[hooligan]

I haven't used the oxycheq light yet, but I just ordered two of them for my wife and myself. If you head over to The Deco Stop - Powered by vBulletin there is a rather lengthy discussion of that light (over 600 posts). I personally don't like having to hold a light in my hand the entire dive, so the light sock opiton for the raider is what sold me on that. I will probably buy a more expensive light in the future, but right now, I think the OxyCheq Raider will fit the bill. Here's some additional info about the OxyCheq. Torch

[stairman]

I have an oxycheq 3-watt and love it.$70.00 is well worth it .I use it as a backup and it does a good job.

[freeski4ever]

Check out the backup lights by Salvo. They're pricey, but for the money, they have outstanding burn time.

[Sansho]

I have two lights I use. First is a pocket light Princeton Tec Torrent Xenon Light, Dive Lights-Lights-Small (AA Batteries), Princeton Tec, Princeton Tec Torrent Xenon Light . Not expensive, as lights go, and was rated a best buy in this Scuba Labs review: Scuba Diving Magazine - The Best & The Brightest . It uses 8 AA batteries, and I bought rechargeable NIMH batteries for it. The Sanyo eneloop batteries hold a charge for a long time, see Amazon.com: Sanyo Eneloop 4 Pack AA NiMH Pre-Charged Rechargable Batteries w/ Charger: Electronics and Amazon.com: SANYO eneloop 4 Pack AA NiMH Pre-Charged Rechargeable Batteries: Electronics (Note those are both sold by Amazon, I tend not to buy from other vendors sold through Amazon). This can be clipped to your BCD. I have used this light on several night dives, and while it works OK, I found myself wanting for something a little brighter.

The other light I really like is the UK C4 eLed light at Underwater Kinetics C4 eLED Dive Light, Dive Lights-Lights-Large (C & D Batteries), Underwater Kinetics, Underwater Kinetics C4 eLED Dive Light . It uses 4 C cells (I haven't gotten NIMH rechargeables yet). The eLed lamp is whiter than the Princeton xenon lamp. It shows on the ST web site at $99 but they'll price match scuba.com at $54.95. I used it on one night dive, and it works very nicely. Well made, I'd recommend it.

[frozenwarp]

I too just ordered the Oxycheq 3w and from everything i've read (couldn;t get ahold of one to make decision) there should be no problem using one for a primary light on rec dives. And for the price and availibility of cheap batteries thats what sold the deal for me. I havn't got mine yet and i'm already thinking of ordering a second and getting one of those sock handles

good luck,
Bradley

[peteg]

The Oxycheq 3w has been getting rave reviews on the cyberweb. I hear that ST has the hand sock in stock but not on the website yet. I will be ordering one of these soon. I have both the Princeton Tecs; although they do the job, they left me wanting something more.

[wmcyow]

I recently picked up my first light. I opted for the Princeton Tec Adventure Light Pack. For $99 this package fits my needs - with a reliable primary and a nice compact backup. I tried these out this week - and both performed adequately for my rec diving in the St. Lawrence Seaway.

[USF_Diver]

I have the Tusa Tul-300, very happy with it. From what I understand it has a larger spread than the Oxycheq which has a more narrow but bright beam.

You couldn't go wrong with the first 3 not sure the Torrent is strong enough, only 50 something lumens, thats sort of weak.