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hi all,
I'm a new diver and have just recently purchased all of my gear.
I am looking for a good torch, my brother has a UK Light cannon witha xenon beam. Is this the best kind to go for. What about LED torches ?
hi all,
I'm a new diver and have just recently purchased all of my gear.
I am looking for a good torch, my brother has a UK Light cannon witha xenon beam. Is this the best kind to go for. What about LED torches ?
IMO the Light Cannon is the best for the average sport diver like me. I've had one since 2003. Love it. Wouldn't change it.
:)
alexmaclennan
16-10-06, 20:33
Hi Davy,
Welcome to Conger alley
I bought a UK Light Cannon with a rechargeable battery earlier this year, mostly because it got a good rep on this site. It has been fine for the 40+ W of Scotland dives so far this year.
Previously I used a rechargeable UK C8 torch as my main torch.
Now I take both into the water with me as:
Light Cannon has much better beam than the C8
Same weight therefore balance out each other, in either pocket of my BCD.
Both have a burn time of > 1 hour, and have 3 bulbs between them (the C8 has two bulbs you can switch between) so I should never run out of light while diving ;) .
Finally, both use the same rechargeable battery so should the Light Cannon fail to turn on :eek: , as happened once, I can switch batteries between torches.
alex
hi davie, welcome to CA.
i use an LED torch. they have good points & bad points as do all torches.
LED burn at a higher tempreature & omit a 'whiter' light than most standard halogen or xonophote bulbs which omit a more 'orangey' glow..
LED burns about 6500 kelvins, halogen burns at around 4000 kelvins.
good points.
the burn time is amazing, i get around 5+ hours burn per charge.
they work really well in dark water (caves, clyde etc.)
they pierce through the dark more than a halogen.
bad points.
the dont work great in lighter water (eyemouth, st. abbs etc.), you can have the torch on & not notice it, but then again you really dont need it in that situation.
they scare the hell out of fish, it appears to blind most of the species.
slight colour distortion than normal as its whiter.
if thats any help, i use a greenforce umbilical with a diamond tri-star+ LED head.
i get my gear from lumb bro. http://www.lumb-bros-das.co.uk/index.html
hope this helps.
The light cannon is the best torch I have had and i'v had a few, it's got a
3-1/2 hour burn time and a great white light thats great for photography and video.
Grrr. You're all convincing me that I want a Light Cannon too! :rolleyes:
Shame that I can't afford one. :( Actually, I've always found my UK D4R to be pretty good, but it's really no use for taking photo/video footage: it just burns the image up. A LC with a diffuser would be sweet, but too much even for my Christmas list this year I'm afraid.
If I was buying again from scratch like you , david, I'd probably try to hold out for one: they look sporty! Correct me if I'm wrong though, but I thought that the LC has a HID (High Intensity Discharge) source whereas the D4R + D8R etc bulbs are Xenon.
Light Cannons are fantastic - I finally got one for my birthday this year and I love it. The light is very white and bright compared to other torches. I had a D4 before, which was ok, but not as good as the Light Cannon.
If you buy a cheaper torch you could always upgrade later and keep it as a backup. I gave my D4 to Gas Guzzler and he was so grateful he flooded it at Finnart on Sunday. Battery fried, contacts dissolved :mad: - does anyone know where to get spare parts? I see Go Dive are selling batteries for D4s at £40 - seems very reasonable.
If you are looking for a LED try a Fa & Mi power 50. I use one, its tough as nails.....
I got mine from a site down south called www.divetorch.co.uk (or something like that).
very reasonable prices for LED and HID torches, which is what you need when diving the dark, spooky Caves of loch long :eek:
gogs
Lizardland
17-10-06, 20:26
Grrr. You're all convincing me that I want a Light Cannon too! :rolleyes: Shame that I can't afford one. :(
Shame you didn't post this a couple of days ago, a mate of mine was selling a couple, one for £60 and the other for £50. They've gone now.
Correct me if I'm wrong though, but I thought that the LC has a HID (High Intensity Discharge) source whereas the D4R + D8R etc bulbs are Xenon.
The Light Cannon is indeed a HID bulb.
The big downside with HID is the cost of the bulbs, they aren't cheap if you break one. I have a Halcyon HID, they're something like £80 a throw to replace. Luckily I haven't broken one yet (touch wood). Another downside is that I have a small patch in the middle of my vision which now sees in green because I accidentally flashed myself in the eye with it :(
It seams to be a light cannon is the answer.....;)
bubblemaker
18-10-06, 18:27
does anyone know where to get spare parts? I see Go Dive are selling batteries for D4s at £40 - seems very reasonable.
If you pull the battery pack apart you will see that it is simply 4 D cell batteries. Go to Maplin or RS or anywhere like that, buy some for around £18 and solder the contacts back on. Wrap it all in insulating tape, and the job, as they say, is a good un.!! You'll save yourself a fortune, and it's easy to do.. if you can't do it.. buy the batteries, and I'll do it.
If you pull the battery pack apart you will see that it is simply 4 D cell batteries. Go to Maplin or RS or anywhere like that, buy some for around £18 and solder the contacts back on. Wrap it all in insulating tape, and the job, as they say, is a good un.!! You'll save yourself a fortune, and it's easy to do.. if you can't do it.. buy the batteries, and I'll do it.
Been there, done that, at least for a dead D8 I own - Maplin do not sell tagged batteries. The girl behind the desk looked very blank when I asked then took an age going away to find out. We found tagged ones online but have worked out it's cheaper to buy the battery from Go Dive.
bubblemaker
19-10-06, 21:25
Maplin do not sell tagged batteries.
Maplin sell tagged D cell rechargeable tagged batteries, part number VN47B.. they are £7.19 each.
By my calculation comes to £28.76, which is, for a little bit of work, a saving of £11.74.
If you go to RS, then you can get them for £6.90, part number 504-627, that would be a saving of £12.40
Excuse my ignorance, but what is a "tagged battery" and what does "RS" stand for?
Lizardland
20-10-06, 00:08
Excuse my ignorance, but what is a "tagged battery" and what does "RS" stand for?
They are batteries with metal conductive tags on the ends that are used for assembling larger battery packs or soldering directly into equipment.
RS is RS Components, an industrial parts supplier rswww.com I built an entire rebreather using components from their catalogue :)
They are batteries with metal conductive tags on the ends that are used for assembling larger battery packs or soldering directly into equipment.
Cheers! I should have realised that.
I have another question for you torch experts:
As I stated earlier, I've got a UK D4R. I know that it's possible to use normal alkaline D cells in it. Is this device from Simply Scuba the correct accessory to allow me to do so: http://www.simplyscuba.com/ProductDetails.aspx?StockID=9641. Also, why is it that you are only supposed to use the higher voltage bulb with the D4R and not the D4? Would the bigger bulb run down the alkaline batteries quicker or would they get too hot or something?
Cheers! I should have realised that.
I have another question for you torch experts:
As I stated earlier, I've got a UK D4R. I know that it's possible to use normal alkaline D cells in it. Is this device from Simply Scuba the correct accessory to allow me to do so: http://www.simplyscuba.com/ProductDetails.aspx?StockID=9641. Also, why is it that you are only supposed to use the higher voltage bulb with the D4R and not the D4? Would the bigger bulb run down the alkaline batteries quicker or would they get too hot or something?
Rechargable batterys are 1.2 volts and alkaline are 1.5 so multiply by the quantity of batterys and the differance in voltage will be enough to blow the bulb. A higher voltage will blow the bulb so when changing batterys change the bulb. except for HID the circuits can handle the diff in voltage.
PS Ding here using mermaids laptop as mine is caput...
Lizardland
20-10-06, 11:09
except for HID the circuits can handle the diff in voltage.
And then some! HID's run at very high voltages. Can't remember the figure but it is higher than mains voltage. I saw a guy get quite a nasty shock after one shorted out in the sea, it looked like it hurt :)
They are actually more sensitive to voltage variations than normal torches. Because the voltage is stepped up from a very low voltage to very high, even slight variations in the battery means a big swing at the bulb end. You notice it when it is really cold and the batteries aren't as efficient or if you switch the torch off in very cold water and then try to switch it on again. It's a good idea not to keep HID torch batteries in the boot or shed during winter, keep them inside, at least before diving.
Cheers! I should have realised that.
I have another question for you torch experts:
As I stated earlier, I've got a UK D4R. I know that it's possible to use normal alkaline D cells in it. Is this device from Simply Scuba the correct accessory to allow me to do so: http://www.simplyscuba.com/ProductDetails.aspx?StockID=9641. Also, why is it that you are only supposed to use the higher voltage bulb with the D4R and not the D4? Would the bigger bulb run down the alkaline batteries quicker or would they get too hot or something?
Yes, these plates from Simply Scuba will allow you to use normal D cells in it - I've been using these in a D8 that the rechargeable battery died in.
Thanks for the part numbers Bubblemaker - I've just bought the made up batteries from Go Dive however, it seemed an easier choice! Also bought a new D8 one - at £50 it contains 8 D cells so a good buy compared to buying 8 tagged D cells. Also had to buy a new reflector plate as Gas Guzzler completely fried the other one - dissolved the metal contacts.
Rechargable batterys are 1.2 volts and alkaline are 1.5 so multiply by the quantity of batterys and the differance in voltage will be enough to blow the bulb. A higher voltage will blow the bulb so when changing batterys change the bulb. except for HID the circuits can handle the diff in voltage.
PS Ding here using mermaids laptop as mine is caput...
Yes, these plates from Simply Scuba will allow you to use normal D cells in it - I've been using these in a D8 that the rechargeable battery died in.
Thanks a lot for the feedback, folks! :)