Torches

[Ratbag]

OK...one of the items I am going to need but not yet got...is a torch...

So, as I'm sure this has been asked before, I imagine there will be some fairly definite opinions on this...not looking to spend much (who is?)...so what is a good torch at a reasonable price??

[Dominic]

What kind are you after?

Small, read-your-gauges light?
Slightly bigger see-into-holes light?
Lantern that lights up the area?
HID that vaporises the silt away?

Pelican, the makers of those waterproof cases, make torches as well. And I can highly recommend pelilites4less.com - they sent me out a replacement part FOC even though it wasn't under warranty. I have two SuperSabre lights as backup torches, a torch rated for more extreme conditions doesn't exist

[Mark Chase]

Go second hand and get an umbilical 50W halogen. Mettasub, Custom divers, are good bulbs are cheep burn time is variable depending on what bulb you run. I run 35W bulbs which are plenty good enough and cost £1.30p. Check the price of the rechargable batery pacs for the unit you get as these can varie enormasley from £70 up to £140 in the custom divers range.

Hand helds like the light cannon are OK because they are cheep but an umbilical is much nicer to use. If you do go hand held then Birchley Products do some god cheep ones. I have the Vidio Lamp (£90.00 I think) which is good as it takes the standard Halogen bulbs. I use it as back up and use a CD umbilical as my main lamp.

ATB

Mark Chase

[Conor]

have a look at http://www.divernet.com/equipment/la...mpsintro.shtml for starters

[Kate R]

<font color='#000080'>very general advice....

if you'll eventually want a blinding umbilical light-sabre, then just get a cheap £20 job for now, then when you've saved up the £300-£400 and bought the big one you can use the little one as a back up.

one the other hand, if (like me) you're not looking at buying an umbilical any time in the forseeable future, then a £70-£100 hand-held thing is probably a good idea (i have a princeton tec shockwave)

[Ratbag]

Thanks guys and, Kate, I don't feel that I'm into light sabres just now.

I want something fairly basic, for my first night dive, that won't break the bank.

Maybe later I will get something a bit whizzier but light-sabre-land isn't for me just now...

[tom]

If you just want a basic light for now, that you can use as a backup when you've got a big light later on, look at the Princeton Tec Surge (should be described in the Divernet article Conor linked to up above). I just bought one, and it's surprisingly bright for such a small torch (7-8 watts I think). The Ikelite PCA is similar in terms of performance, price and size.

I'm still saving up for a lightsaber as well

[Stu Sheridan]

<font color='#0000FF'>Anyone got a good source for secondhand dive lights?

Would really like an umbilical to replace my existing unit, can only find this ugly looking thing on Ebay:

http://search.ebay.co.uk/search....Search=

Cheers, Stu.

[Ian Murray]

Originally Posted by [b

Quote[/b] (Ratbag @ Mar. 03 2004,14:58)]Thanks guys and, Kate, I don't feel that I'm into light sabres just now.

I want something fairly basic, for my first night dive, that won't break the bank.

Maybe later I will get something a bit whizzier but light-sabre-land isn't for me just now...

Try the Princeton Tec 600. It's supplied with the batteries, a spare bulb and has a nice tight beam which is suited to Uk diving. £35.00 all in. If you ever go down the ' fancy a divorce / spend 500 quid on a torch route' then it's the perfect size for a useable backup.

I got one from

http://www.divebooty.co.uk/equipment...s.asp?pid=1452

Came in a couple of days

Regards, Ian.

[Kate R]

<font color='#000080'>i'd recommend the princeton tec 600 too - my boyfriend used one for years before he bought a £400 metalsub fish-fryer, and it served him well!