What light would you recommend for me???

[Snea]

I just posted this thread and it never showed up as a post on the forum so if this ends up being a duplicate post I apologize.

My Post:

Hi Guys,
I'm looking for a small EDC LED flashlight that can withstand my life...

My Job: I'm a Scuba Travel Wholesaler & Adventure/Underwater Photographer so I travel to places that puts my gear to torture tests like you cant believe. (typhoons, sand storms, humidity, extreme submersion, shock, etc)

My Hobby: Other than Travel, Photography and Scuba, I race cars, and do a lot of expedition style off-roading.

I have a few lights that I've purchased over the years, and so far I find myself relying on only 1 100% of the time. The Longbow Micra. Its the only one (out of my lights), that can survive 100% of where I go.
My only complaint is that its not that bright and the battery only lasts 1 hour.

My Collection:
I have an old Arc LS4, Arc AAA Premium, HDS Systems 80, Coast (I forget which one but it was $35 at Home Depot), 2 Longbow Micra Twisties and a Diverite 10 watt HID watercooled dive light with an umbilical battery system that hooks up to your scuba tank and the light mounts to your wrist) Biggest waste of money ever cus Its so big I never take it with me...

What I need is a light that is as small, durable and as waterproof as the Micra (Micra - Waterproof to 300+ ft) I do take my micra diving with me, and at times I go down 220ft to get a picture. So I need it to survive that depth or else Id probably get either a new HDS or ARC6. But those are only waterproof to 50-100ft (not enough)

Since the light needs to be super waterproof, this means it will need to be a twisty cap. Push button lights are affected by pressure and will destroy itself at those depths. Last thing, it of course needs to be bright but the same time have good battey life. I also hate hate hate cheap quality/feeling stuff.. I want a quality light that is military grade (kinda like the arc6) just alot more waterproof...

I swear, if the Longbow Micra was brighter and had better battery life, it would be the perfect light for me. And if the Arc6 or some of the HDS lights were more waterproof, I'd buy that in a heartbeat... But this gives you an idea of what my taste of lights are...

Any suggestions / recommendations?

 

[BeeMan458]

:welcome:

I swear, if the Longbow Micra was brighter and had better battery life, it would be the perfect light for me.

I Googled the LongBow Micra and it's only a one celled battery light.

:thinking:

Flashlights are like tools. No one tool does everything.

Are you asking/expecting too much from your light?



Not trying to be flip in my comment, and with all due respect, since you want to use it for underwater photography, is it time to invest in a set of photographic dive lights?

 

[was.lost.but.now.found]

What I need is a light that is as small, durable and as waterproof as the Micra (Micra - Waterproof to 300+ ft)

If you need a dive light, there is a dive light sub-forum here:

http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/forumdisplay.php?f=127

 

[Zeruel]

You might want to check out Barbolight. They're made for the kind of stuff you're doing.

 

[Snea]

:welcome:

I swear, if the Longbow Micra was brighter and had better battery life, it would be the perfect light for me.

I Googled the LongBow Micra and it's only a one celled battery light.

:thinking:

Flashlights are like tools. No one tool does everything.

Are you asking/expecting too much from your light?



Not trying to be flip in my comment, and with all due respect, since you want to use it for underwater photography, is it time to invest in a set of photographic dive lights?

I have a set of strobes that have built in lanterns which I use for my primary lights underwater. BUT I have my Micra mounted on my Camera Housing and use it as a backup or if I do any ship wreck breaches or caves, I use it for extra light. Dont worry, Im not stupid enough to bring a tiny single cell light that only lasts an hour on dives that last over an hour 5 times a day to use as my primary when my life depends on it...

As far as asking/expecting too much? I dont think so. I just want a good light with good battery life that is solid and water proof AND I actually found a company that sells pretty much exactly what Im looking for and the funny thing is, it was right under my nose the whole time. My scuba company has an account with these guys, I just never knew they sold lights. I just thought they sold gear. Check it out, the specs are crazy:

Microlitium 1
1 LED
250 Lumens
Burn Time: 240 min at full Lumen output
Operational Depth: Rated to over 650ft

Microlitium 3
3 LED
750 Lumens
Burn Time: 100 min at full Lumen output
Operational Depth: Rated to over 650ft

Microlitium 8
8 LED
2000 Lumens
3 output settings (Must be water cooled at max setting)
Burn Time: 100 min at full output / 200 min at half / 900 min at low (250 Lumens)
Operational Depth: Rated to over 650ft

AND all these lights are specially built for underwater photographers as well.
Thanks for your help guys, but I found my lights
Take care

 

[Snea]

You might want to check out Barbolight. They're made for the kind of stuff you're doing.

Ahh yes, I actually met with the owner of Barbolight at one of my trade shows, and was really considering this at the time. I just completely forgot about them. This is another one to consider. Thank you sir =)

 

[carrot]

The Ra Twisty is from the "new" HDS (Henry, the original maker of the HDS EDC lights, and designer of the electronics in the Arc4+, is making these) and should be right around what you're looking for. It is twisty only, has three stages of light, and is going to be rereleased very soon.

If you are willing to go the custom route, there are a lot of modders out there who can do an LED swap on the Longbow. The only problem with the Longbows is that the emitter is outdated, and a simple swap should give you a lot more output, and maybe also more runtime, depending on the way the electronics are designed.

 

[BeeMan458]

Dont worry, Im not stupid enough to bring a tiny single cell light that only lasts an hour on dives that last over an hour 5 times a day to use as my primary when my life depends on it...

Sorry, you left that part out of the conversation.



Let's see what you wrote that I responded to:

I have a few lights that I've purchased over the years, and so far I find myself relying on only 1 100% of the time. The Longbow Micra.

100% of the time? Nope, no wiggle room for misunderstanding in that comment. I figure anybody who's experienced and knows their stuff, doesn't rely on a single cell light for anything below a hundred and ninety feet, let alone three hundred feet. You were asking about a replacement for an inexpensive single cell light, not a recommendation for a two hundred and fifty to eight hundred dollar diver's light.

What else did you write in your OP?

My Collection:
I have an old Arc LS4, Arc AAA Premium, HDS Systems 80, Coast (I forget which one but it was $35 at Home Depot), 2 Longbow Micra Twisties and a Diverite 10 watt HID watercooled dive light with an umbilical battery system that hooks up to your scuba tank and the light mounts to your wrist) Biggest waste of money ever cus Its so big I never take it with me...

Good luck finding a light or set of lights to serve your diving purposes.

:twothumbs