LED vs HID Technology

LED technology has advanced to the point where LED lights are now much brighter than 10W HID and at least equal to 15W HID. Although LED is much lower cost with a better color temperature, HID does still offer some higher light output solutions. While the 21W or 24W HIDs are a little brighter, in use underwater there is very little apparent difference in brightness between these and the high output LEDs. The HID bulb and reflector can create super tight 4-degree focus beams and also provides beam width adjustability. However, LED is catching up and the latest generation of LEDs are now offering 6-degree beams. The adjustable beam width feature has not proven important, in practice few divers actually use it, mostly photographers.

The cost and hassle of bulb replacement for HID compared to the long life, robust nature and extremely low failure rate of the LED means that HID has reached end-of-life for dive light applications. There are certainly still HID lights around and plenty of long time divers will swear by the HID lights they own. But when considering the purchase of a new light, the reality is that for exploration diving the incredibly bright and low cost LED lights are a terrific value. When shopping for LED lights, it can be very difficult to compare published specifications. To help make it a bit easier, we've got some beam comparisons of the lights we sell.