Led Lights

Just curious if anyone is using LED lights in diving. I just bought a
couple for work and around the house and they seem to be pretty reliable and
of good construction. I have a Streamlight 4AA that just seems to run
forever. I have not had the chance to take it underwater but look forward
to it. My grandaugher played with the light all weekend and it is just as
bright as before. That and you can drop it and throw it against the wall
and it just keeps going. The batteries are said to last 20 times longer and
the leds go for 100,000 hours. Just would like to hear if anyone has been
using them.

thanks
steve

steve lane wrote:

> I have a Streamlight 4AA that just seems to run
> forever. I have not had the chance to take it underwater but look forward
> to it. My grandaugher played with the light all weekend and it is just as
> bright as before. That and you can drop it and throw it against the wall
> and it just keeps going. The batteries are said to last 20 times longer and
> the leds go for 100,000 hours. Just would like to hear if anyone has been
> using them.


Streamlight makes OUTSTANDING lights.... lightweight, bright light in a
tightly focused beam pattern and great burtimes. In my line of work,
(see the link in my .sig) my life depends upon having reliable, bright
lights, and I trust my life to streamlight and NO others.

--
John G. in Memphis, TN Have a nice......... night.
http://www.shavings.net/images/Memphis/reflect_john.jpg

Yes;

I have used a 3 light/4 AAA light and it is great as a backup. Small,
lightweight, good light and outstanding battery life and bulb life. Mine
did leak at 135' and short out but was replaced without problems as Pelican
guarantees them to 500'.


"john" <you@go.now> wrote in message
news:gDblb.10432$oC5.7789@clmboh1-nws5.columbus.rr.com...
>
>
> steve lane wrote:
>
> > I have a Streamlight 4AA that just seems to run
> > forever. I have not had the chance to take it underwater but look
forward
> > to it. My grandaugher played with the light all weekend and it is just
as
> > bright as before. That and you can drop it and throw it against the
wall
> > and it just keeps going. The batteries are said to last 20 times longer
and
> > the leds go for 100,000 hours. Just would like to hear if anyone has
been
> > using them.
>
>
> Streamlight makes OUTSTANDING lights.... lightweight, bright light in a
> tightly focused beam pattern and great burtimes. In my line of work,
> (see the link in my .sig) my life depends upon having reliable, bright
> lights, and I trust my life to streamlight and NO others.
>
> --
> John G. in Memphis, TN Have a nice......... night.
> http://www.shavings.net/images/Memphis/reflect_john.jpg
>

"steve lane" <slane3@cfl.rr.com> wrote in message
news:DV4lb.2622$Go5.78957@twister.tampabay.rr.com. ..
> Just curious if anyone is using LED lights in diving

They have a lot of benefits, but there are some caveats for diving.

They give a mellow bluish glowing illumination, but there are other colors
that may be available at higher cost.

They do not penetrate water well, I would assume because of the diffuse beam
pattern.

Creatures that are extremely light reactive (certain coral feeder polyps)
seem to be less affected by them.

Otherwise they're pretty useless.

In reference to what John G had to say- there are all kinds of lights for
all the various kinds of law enforcement activity. I never directed a lot of
traffic, but I prefer the Inova X5 series for an LED type, and for a focused
beam, I use the Executive Surefire Brand Aluminum body lights. Neither of
which are suited for diving.

The Inova company, however, has sent me several Ultraviolet lights for
underwater t&e. I have sent them back with my recommendations, and we should
hope to see a model made for SCUBA in the future. If you have not seen
brightly glowing photo-fluorescing coral... zoweee!

One light that get way too little notice is the relatively compact Pelican
Stealthlite 4aa rechargeable. It does NOT need to be opened to be recharged.
Ergo- "no moving parts" to leak or fail.

I did see a new LED model being mentioned in Rodiddle's SDM that had 40 (!)
LED's and an SRP of (was it?) $500. My mind boggles.

Stick to the basics, and I found the same light at Home Despot (marked as A
"Hubbelite") for many dollars less than my LDS could even buy the same
Pelican model for at 6 piece net.

I am absolutely sold on Night Rider. Great value, great product.

Just my $.03

> Just my $.03


Where's yer sig?

You have the best sig in all of the group. I am warning you now I am a
thief of the highest order...use it or lose it.

My rides here..

AirHog

"steve lane" <slane3@cfl.rr.com> wrote in message
news:DV4lb.2622$Go5.78957@twister.tampabay.rr.com. ..
> Just curious if anyone is using LED lights in diving. I just bought a
> couple for work and around the house and they seem to be pretty reliable
and
> of good construction. I have a Streamlight 4AA that just seems to run
> forever. I have not had the chance to take it underwater but look forward
> to it. My grandaugher played with the light all weekend and it is just as
> bright as before. That and you can drop it and throw it against the wall
> and it just keeps going. The batteries are said to last 20 times longer
and
> the leds go for 100,000 hours. Just would like to hear if anyone has been
> using them.
>
> thanks
> steve

I use a lot of LED lights in my various pursuits, but think they would suck
ass for diving. First of all, they're not nearly bright enough to be used
as anything but a backup light. Even a 24 LED array doesn't shine as bright
or as far as a lowly 5.5 watt backup focused Halogen bulb. Second, the very
bluish hue of the white LED's means they scatter on *anything*. I run into
this problem caving... in cold, damp caves, warm sweaty bodies produce a lot
of mist.. and the LED's can't come close to even penetrating that thin mist
the way a halogen can. It would be terrible in water. The color rendering
also sucks. The color temperature of an LED is way too high to make
anything look good.. the warmer HID and even Halogen lights make things a
lot prettier than the washed out color an LED gives off.

I love LED's, I use them all the time. They'd suck underwater, though.

Jon