Canister lights?

[Tamara Thomsen]

There’s no hiding it, I’m a Sartek girl. 

I’ve owned and used their HIDs for 10 years - everything ranging from 10 Watt to 150 Watt.  I switched over the their screw lids when they came out for the 10Watts and have no problems with leaking since that time - although they can be really tough to get loose.  Sometimes I have to put the opening pin a vice to get them open- but it never ever leaks.  I’ve had a bunch of problems with the standard rubber toggle switches.  Yes, they are easy to replace when you pinhole them, but they are really easy to pinhole especially if you are crawling around in small stuff.  I have changed these all out now for the Delrin magnetic switches and have had no further problems.  Sartek’s lower wattage lights are also very easy to field repair if needed- but it's rarely need.  Several of my smaller lights are focusable, but to tell the truth, I never take them off of the narrow beam.

Many of my cave students show up with various Dive Rite canister lights- yes they are cheap but you want to make sure that you buy the battery that will burn long enough for your application.  And they do have a good service record- many of the folks that bring them have problems and they have to go back and are either repaired or replaced no questions asked and no hastle.  They are also pretty easy to field fix.

I have been diving with guys in Florida caves with the Salvo 50 Watt HIDs.  These are amazingly bright!  And it seems like the price is a good point and none of them have had repair or performance issues in the last 2 years of heavy use.  Keep in mind, if you buy a 50Watt HID and your buddy is only using a 10 Watt, then you are never going to see his signals.

Currently, I am looking to upgrade all of my lighting systems for personal use, photo and video.  I am holding off for another year, waiting for the LED systems to come down in price- it is not performance that I am waiting for. Patrick Duffy from Oxycheq showed me his new light (not even on their website) and it is brighter than the 21 Watt HIDs currently on the market and of course the batteries last longer.  I also played with the Sartek LEDs and they are looking like another good option. 

I think that the wave of the future in lighting is the LED and I think that buying HID technology is buying old technology.  If you are buying used or cheap, go for it.  Right now, I am afraid that I am going to get stuck with my entire fleet of HIDs when everyone starts switching over.