Torches
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Probably the best of the cheaper torches. D8 is a rechargeable torch and is a bright hand held light, powered by rechargeable nicad batteries with a choice of handles. It has a dual lamp system which switches between low and high power. The D8 does have a brighter, but smaller hot spot. It's not quite as smooth but very nearly as bright as the HID Light Cannon. The edge of the hot spot fades gradually At £170 its still not a cheap torch. |
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Probably the best medium priced torch. The UK light cannon you have to see it to believe it! Utilizing the latest HID lighting technology, the Light Cannon is powered by a rechargeable nicad battery which gives 3.5 hrs burn time. It emits a beam of light as white as the Sun and penetrates water farther than any conventional halogen or xenon dive light. HID lights penetrate water farther because water absorbs the red (and yellow) end of the spectrum more than the blue. At £265 its not a cheap torch and the bulbs are £80 but they last 1000hrs. The pistol grip of this torch has a hole where you can connect a piston clip with a cable tie and hang it off a d-ring on your BCD |
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The Greenforce umbilical torch has a massive following. The AA12 Umbilical Torch with 10 Watt HID torch has a 120 Minute Burn time from a Nmh battery pack. At £499 its an expensive torch but as its of modular design you can upgrade and get spares easily. |
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Dive Rites HID Umbilical or handheld 3hrs burn time on rechargeable batteries and you can either set it up as a handheld or as an umbilical, you get all the bits for £250. |
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The Kowalski xenon torch is a diving lamp with revolutionary brightness features. The light is not generated by a glow wire but by an arc (just like a flashgun). The temperature is considerably higher (4700K) than that generated by a similar halogen bulb. The price of this torch is high at £770 but its a well made torch. |
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The Q40 has been used for years as a backup torch, it comes as a 2.1 watt halogen bulb which has a burn time of 5-6 hours and at £16 it wont break the bank. There is an led version with twin element projection optics which creates a narrow 20 ° beam its £30. This torch comes with a strap which lets you put it on your mask for hands free use. |
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This frogman torch is a bright LED torch with a 50 hr burn time which makes it an ideal backup torch. Since these "light-emitting diodes" are not really bulbs, they don't burn out and won't break if you drop the light. It has a known problem of the stainless outer parting from the plastic inner head but a spot of glue sorts the problem and you have a good cheap £28 backup torch. The back of this torch has a hole where you can connect a piston clip with a cable tie and hang it off a d-ring on your BCD There is now a new frogman with a switch (A lot easier to use) |
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Salvo RAT Junior 2watt LED. This small backup torch is Powered by 2 CR123 Lithium cells providing 6 hours of burn time. It has a 13 Degree beam angle and Double o-ring seal which takes it safely to 150m. Its not cheap at £95 but it looks good. |
Summary
Hid and LED torches have taken over from halogen now because they are brighter and have a longer burn time. There are lots of good torches out there so again my advice is to ask the people you dive with.
This page is not finished yet if you spot any errors or you have a better way of explaining it. Contact me Also if there is a good new torch on the market let me know so I can add it.