Canister Light

[caroln]

I am looking to buy a canister light in the relatively near future. I also have a bunch of other gear I need to buy this year (drysuit x2, steel doubles, doubles regs), so ideally I'd like to keep the light as reasonable as possible price wise. I will be doing cavern, intro/basic cave, and GUE fundamentals this year, so the light needs to be usable for those purposes. Does anyone have any suggestions for a light that might meet my needs? Specifics would be great, but even general guidelines would help a lot.
Thanks in advance for any help!!

[BSea]

Do you have a cave instructor yet? He/she will probably have some suggestions. Now I've been thinking about a can light for awhile, and if I were going to buy 1 today, I'd go with a Salvo light. Probably a 21 watt, but if you're looking to save money, then drop down to one of the 10 watt models. I have a Salvo Rat light that I use for everyday diving. I love it, and it puts out a really tight LED beam. Frankly, I think it's the best light I've ever owned.

[cummings66]

I have used a Dive Rite 24 Watt for a while now and it's a tough light. I would do that over any 21 watt bulb because the lamp used is tougher than the 21 watt versions.

[texdiveguy]

Both Dive Rite and Salvo offer some great lights to meet most everyones need and budget......you might also look for a used unit in your local area.

[BSea]

Originally Posted by cummings66

I have used a Dive Rite 24 Watt for a while now and it's a tough light. I would do that over any 21 watt bulb because the lamp used is tougher than the 21 watt versions.

I thought they were both brightstar bulbs. But I'm not sure. From what I've been reading, the current bulbs are very durable. There used to be problems with very fragile bulbs, but I think thats a thing of the past. Again, I don't know by experience, just what I've read. I think Compudude should chime in. He has a 21 watt Salvo, if I'm not mistaken.

[texdiveguy]

I use whats know in technical diving circles as a Big Bertha Dive Rite 50watt Halogen unit....heavy but tough and bright....did I mention heavy--lol.

[CompuDude]

Originally Posted by BSea

I thought they were both brightstar bulbs. But I'm not sure. From what I've been reading, the current bulbs are very durable. There used to be problems with very fragile bulbs, but I think thats a thing of the past. Again, I don't know by experience, just what I've read. I think Compudude should chime in. He has a 21 watt Salvo, if I'm not mistaken.

Correct, on all counts.

The Salvo's all use Brightstar bulbs which are significantly more durable than Welch-Allen bulbs used by earlier light designs, many of which were extremely fragile. The Brightstars have an excellent reputation for ruggedness... although, it should be said, that reputation is only relative to the absurd fragility of the previous generation. Still, my Salvo has been used pretty hard and is still kickin'.

Some models of DiveRite's use Brightstar, others Welch-Allen. I would check before buying. I'm not aware of any difference in ruggedness between 21w and 24w bulbs, as long as we're comparing bulbs from the same manufacturer.

I'll note, however, that the small, 10w welch-allen HIDs appear to be a little more rugged than their bigger 18-24w versions.

Recent models from any reputable company should be good. Halcyon, DiveRite, Salvo, Sartek all make excellent lights (as do some others, but these are the ones to beat, IMO). Still, Salvo would be my first choice if I was going to buy another one myself, although Halcyon is a strong choice also... especially if you're using someone else's money. DiveRite is definitely my third choice among the three, but there's no doubt they make good lights.

I personally own the 21w Salvo (non-remote head, now referred to as the "Havoc" series), and I also have a smaller 10w Dive Rite (fixed-focus) that I use for tropical trips where weight is a concern. (although I may sell that soon since I just don't use it enough, sadly)

[Charles R]

I would suggest even if you decide to go with the 10W get the adjustable head. I have 2 Salvo Lights and would recommend them. I also have a dive rite like this one. its a good price as well.

[cummings66]

The 21 Watt Dive Rite light is the fragile, the 24 watt is the newer Brightstar and worth having. The old one you had best be careful with, bad things might happen, even if you were.

[CompuDude]

Originally Posted by Charles R

I would suggest even if you decide to go with the 10W get the adjustable head. I have 2 Salvo Lights and would recommend them. I also have a dive rite like this one. its a good price as well.

To be honest, I'm not sure I 100% agree with you.

I used to always want the adjustable head lights. And my 21w Salvo has an adjustable focus. But I have to admit, after the first few dives of playing with my new toy, I pretty much locked it into the most tightly-focused position and left it there ever since.

I've read a number of reports saying similar things. And I've read reports of people with the fixed focus lights being perfectly happy with them (especially the Salvo 10w FF light, which seems to get rave reviews). So to a certain extent, it may not be such a bad thing to save some money (if that's a real issue) and get the cheaper, fixed-focus light. One other advantage that the fixed focus lights bring is they are a bit more sturdy and lower profile.

Just something to consider.