Looking for a great inexpensive light?

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Grateful Diver
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Looking for a great inexpensive light?

Post by Grateful Diver »

I just picked up one of these this week ...

http://www.diverightinscuba.com/catalog ... -3380.html

Took it diving in Lake Washington yesterday. At 85 ffw I gave it a side-by-side comparison against my 21W HID Salvo, and I must say I'm pretty impressed. Pretty close to the same shape and intensity beam ... not quite as bright, but I was after all comparing a $90 light to one that costs over $1000.

Anyway, it'll blow the britches off of any other handheld I've seen ... can easily be used as a primary for someone who doesn't want to spend money on a can light ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)
Last edited by Grateful Diver on Sun Jun 10, 2012 8:13 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Joshua Smith
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Re: Looking for a great inexpensive light?

Post by Joshua Smith »

Thanks, Bob. I'm actually in the market for new secondary lights, and these look pretty sexy.
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ArcticDiver
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Re: Looking for a great inexpensive light?

Post by ArcticDiver »

Bob:


Looks like a nice light. A couple questions if you please:

Description seems to say it uses 3*C batteries. But, the picture seems to show a different battery. Which is it?
Battery life?
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KneeDeep
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Re: Looking for a great inexpensive light?

Post by KneeDeep »

Thanks for the personal review Bob. I had already bookmarked this for my wish list, and it's great to see someone else found it to be a solid light.
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Re: Looking for a great inexpensive light?

Post by Alaska-Herb »

ArcticDiver wrote:Bob:


Looks like a nice light. A couple questions if you please:

Description seems to say it uses 3*C batteries. But, the picture seems to show a different battery. Which is it?
Battery life?


It is 3cs. I have the 500 and the tbe 1000. For the price they are good lights

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Grateful Diver
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Re: Looking for a great inexpensive light?

Post by Grateful Diver »

Spec on the battery life says up to 5 hours. I'm gonna order some NiMH batteries and see how well it works with rechargeables ...

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Re: Looking for a great inexpensive light?

Post by KneeDeep »

Grateful Diver wrote:Spec on the battery life says up to 5 hours. I'm gonna order some NiMH batteries and see how well it works with rechargeables ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)
Do post back, as I was wondering this very same question. And if you notice if it starts to 'dim' 1/2 or 2/3 of battery life.
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Re: Looking for a great inexpensive light?

Post by ArcticDiver »

Thanks
Hope I don't jinx myself but I'm going to order one.

Ordered one, and they gave me $5.00 off since I'm a new customer. What a deal, eh?
They say "free domestic shipping". Wonder if it will make it this year?
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airsix
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Re: Looking for a great inexpensive light?

Post by airsix »

I would expect some dimming across the burn-time. An alkaline C cell (highest quality) can put out roughly 8 watts for 1 hour. With 3 you have the capacity of 24 watt hours. The emitter in this light draws 10 watts at max output (the claimed 1k lumen), so you can see that it would be capable of max output for 2.4 hours if it were current-regulated and there were no losses. To go 5 hours would require being unregulated or dropping out of regulation when the batts are no longer able to support 10 watts. Bottom line is the light MUST dim during at least the second 2.5 hours of operation (or more if not regulated) because 3 C cells cannot support 10 watts for 5 hours. That's exactly the behavior and design I'd want in a backup light and next time I dive with Bob I'm going to want a good look at it because I already think I want one.

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eliseaboo
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Re: Looking for a great inexpensive light?

Post by eliseaboo »

ArcticDiver wrote:Thanks
Hope I don't jinx myself but I'm going to order one.

Ordered one, and they gave me $5.00 off since I'm a new customer. What a deal, eh?
They say "free domestic shipping". Wonder if it will make it this year?
DRIS is pretty darn reliable - I've been down a few times myself (from WI) and they have a nice shop. I would be surprised if you encounter any problems.
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Re: Looking for a great inexpensive light?

Post by ArcticDiver »

eliseaboo wrote:
ArcticDiver wrote:Thanks
Hope I don't jinx myself but I'm going to order one.

Ordered one, and they gave me $5.00 off since I'm a new customer. What a deal, eh?
They say "free domestic shipping". Wonder if it will make it this year?
DRIS is pretty darn reliable - I've been down a few times myself (from WI) and they have a nice shop. I would be surprised if you encounter any problems.
Just received an email saying the light had been shipped via USPS. I'm optimistic they are as good as you think so I should see it in a few days.
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ArcticDiver
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Re: Looking for a great inexpensive light?

Post by ArcticDiver »

This is an interesting thread. Illustrates a big change.

When did we start thinking a flashlight that cost $90 is inexpensive? Must be we are part of the 1%, eh?
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viperwsu
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Re: Looking for a great inexpensive light?

Post by viperwsu »

ArcticDiver wrote:This is an interesting thread. Illustrates a big change.

When did we start thinking a flashlight that cost $90 is inexpensive? Must be we are part of the 1%, eh?
I actually sold a Surefire Aviator A2 I was issued on a deployment to buy one of these. Retail on the SF is $200 or so, and it was an easy sale. CPF has them selling for over $120 used, so I think this one isn't too bad. Mine arrived yesterday :smile:

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Looking for a great inexpensive light?

Post by Jeremy »

ArcticDiver wrote:This is an interesting thread. Illustrates a big change.

When did we start thinking a flashlight that cost $90 is inexpensive? Must be we are part of the 1%, eh?
The 1% use personally designed submarines to hit the Mariana Trench.
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airsix
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Re: Looking for a great inexpensive light?

Post by airsix »

ArcticDiver wrote:This is an interesting thread. Illustrates a big change.

When did we start thinking a flashlight that cost $90 is inexpensive? Must be we are part of the 1%, eh?
Context my friend. It's no more a "flashlight" than body-armor is a "vest". It's "inexpensive" in the context that a tool of equivalent capability would have cost $800 just a couple of years ago. So yes, for a tool that performs at this level it absolutely is inexpensive.
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Re: Looking for a great inexpensive light?

Post by Grateful Diver »

ArcticDiver wrote:This is an interesting thread. Illustrates a big change.

When did we start thinking a flashlight that cost $90 is inexpensive? Must be we are part of the 1%, eh?
Think what divers have been happily paying for a Light Cannon for the past several years ... compared to that, $90 is downright cheap.

Scuba diving is an expensive hobby ... most folks who can afford it have some reasonable level of disposable income, although I think it more reasonable to say that we're part of the 20% ...

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airsix
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Re: Looking for a great inexpensive light?

Post by airsix »

I look at it this way: When people are passionate about something they will often make sacrifices in other areas of their life. You might look at someone who has invested $10,000 in rebreather training and equipment and think "Well I don't have that kind of money to spend on toys! Why couldn't they just get a $500 OC package deal from Scubanoobs-R-us like everybody else?" Reality is probably that their income is not anywhere near the "1%" and they have simply made personal sacrifices in order to do what they love. In this example it might be diving deep wrecks that require that expensive equipment. It wasn't purchased as a luxury, it was purchased because it is needed to get the job done. Same goes for the subject of this thread. There isn't a single light hanging in a typical (by typical I don't mean PNW) dive shop suited to diving 3ft visibility 200ft wrecks. When shopping for that class of equipment is this light inexpensive? Absolutely.
Ben
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Re: Looking for a great inexpensive light?

Post by Joshua Smith »

airsix wrote:I look at it this way: When people are passionate about something they will often make sacrifices in other areas of their life. You might look at someone who has invested $10,000 in rebreather training and equipment and think "Well I don't have that kind of money to spend on toys! Why couldn't they just get a $500 OC package deal from Scubanoobs-R-us like everybody else?" Reality is probably that their income is not anywhere near the "1%" and they have simply made personal sacrifices in order to do what they love. In this example it might be diving deep wrecks that require that expensive equipment. It wasn't purchased as a luxury, it was purchased because it is needed to get the job done. Same goes for the subject of this thread. There isn't a single light hanging in a typical (by typical I don't mean PNW) dive shop suited to diving 3ft visibility 200ft wrecks. When shopping for that class of equipment is this light inexpensive? Absolutely.
Ben

Word. You just described me pretty well. The suggestion that I'm part of the 1% is laughable. Last year I was probably in the 65%. Im lucky I got into tech/CCR when I did, because I sure couldn't afford it right now. It was a pretty big stretch when I started, but I pulled it off.
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Re: Looking for a great inexpensive light?

Post by Penopolypants »

airsix wrote:Why couldn't they just get a $500 OC package deal from Scubanoobs-R-us like everybody else?"
When I open a dive shop I'm totally calling it "Scubanoobs-R-us".
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Re: Looking for a great inexpensive light?

Post by Joshua Smith »

Penopolypants wrote:
airsix wrote:Why couldn't they just get a $500 OC package deal from Scubanoobs-R-us like everybody else?"
When I open a dive shop I'm totally calling it "Scubanoobs-R-us".
I'm going to open "Whats the Worst That Could Happen?" Technical diving services next door to you.
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Re: Looking for a great inexpensive light?

Post by diverden »

ArcticDiver wrote:This is an interesting thread. Illustrates a big change.

When did we start thinking a flashlight that cost $90 is inexpensive? Must be we are part of the 1%, eh?
Now that we're all used to dive lights, have you tried using a flashlight that you've had in your car or around your house? I have. Truly inexpensive lights (LED or incandescent, $1-$15) appear to have the lighting power of about 3 candles. Not sure what that is in lumens :) I'm pretty sure they couldn't handle even an inch of fresh water for 5 minutes.
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Re: Looking for a great inexpensive light?

Post by ArcticDiver »

This thread has turned into a perfect example of the Theory Of Unintended Consequences. My thowaway comment has generated some pretty serious philosophical discussion. No doubt about it my standards about a lot of things have changed over the years as my interests and income have changed. Fortunately, for the most part, like a lot of people, my income has increased so I can arrange to indulge my hobbies and tastes. At the same time technology has provided better tools and toys. Flashlights, surface or sub-surface, are but one example.

Not sure where the income of the avid divers on this board ranks on the national scale. I said the 1%, but that is mainly a cultural discription, not an absolute one.
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Re: Looking for a great inexpensive light?

Post by Grateful Diver »

Well, here's an easy way to find out ... http://politicalcalculations.blogspot.c ... nking.html

... Bob (Grateful Diver)
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airsix
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Re: Looking for a great inexpensive light?

Post by airsix »

I am in the top 1% of financial advisors that have a home-made dive light and sometimes sleep at Bob's house.
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Re: Looking for a great inexpensive light?

Post by scubnewb »

Im sold! Ordering................... NOW!
Grateful Diver wrote:I just picked up one of these this week ...

http://www.diverightinscuba.com/catalog ... -3380.html

Took it diving in Lake Washington yesterday. At 85 ffw I gave it a side-by-side comparison against my 21W HID Salvo, and I must say I'm pretty impressed. Pretty close to the same shape and intensity beam ... not quite as bright, but I was after all comparing a $90 light to one that costs over $1000.

Anyway, it'll blow the britches off of any other handheld I've seen ... can easily be used as a primary for someone who doesn't want to spend money on a can light ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)
"Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in getting up every time we do."
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