How to pick the right dive light

[DA Aquamaster]

The Light Monkey 12WLED is a good all round light. It has enough beam width to be useable and still has a bright center spot that works well for signalling.

I have not had any issues with a 10-12W light getting lost in teams with bigger lights, but then I don't dive with team mates with poor situational awareness - and not seeing a signal is an SA issue, not a light issue.

I also like the Titan hydro light 10w LED. It has a larger head but a self contained battery with a 4.25 hour burn time. And you can add a battery and cord if you prefer.

Both have pros and cons depending on the diving you do. Both also have very similar beams
and perform well even in milky visibility, but to be honest come up slightly short in comparison to a very tightly focused HID in large caves with poor viz (Manatee, some parts of Lafayette Blue, etc). Still it's not enough of a loss to offset all the other advantages of an LED.

[dgschott]

As Billy said, I prefer the HID's for a few reasons. We use Light Monkey 10, 21, 35, and Dual 50's (for video). They are all great, and I would go into any cave with any of them. I prefer the 21 Watt as a good tradeoff between burn time and brightness, especially with our LM 21 Amp Hour battery packs. I do have to admit, the 35 is pretty darn nice, especially in large cave and if you're willing to carry the 21Ah pack (Becky and I always carry the larger pack, and it's no problem for either of us). The dual 50's for video have no led competitors as far as throw and brightness unless you get into some real pricey LED's. LED's give a broader, more even light, but don't have near the same penetration as HID's.

When it comes to lights, the most important thing is that they work, and work, and work. That's Light Monkey for you. Becky and I always laugh at people that tell us how great so-and-so is, because they are always available to fix their light for free, fast, etc. If there's a problem with a LM light, they will stand behind it 100% and they are always fast and will go out of their way to get your light fixed, or a replacement sent out for an upcoming trip. BUT... For the most part, their lights are bullet proof. We beat the **** out of them, and they keep on ticking.

I have seen and used LM's LED's and their HID's, as well as just about every other brand. You won't go wrong with any of them. My personal suggestion would be the 21 Watt HID with a 21Ah can. But, my first suggestion would be to pick up the phone, and give Light Monkey a call. Corey or Joel are always more than happy to chat about their lights, and will help get you into the right one for your needs.

If you want to chat more and give us details on your specifics -- What kind of diving, how long are your dives, what kind of diving do you expect to be doing in the future, we could help you out some more!

Best Regards,

David Schott
Liquid Productions, LLC
http://www.LiquidProductions.com