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Pistol Grip Dive Lights Pros and Cons

When it comes to choosing the right dive light, the pistol grip models are one of the biggest and most popular options in this category of diving gear. As their name suggests, these lights come with a grip that is similar in design and shape to the grip of a pistol or revolver. This makes their handles slightly curved and created in a way that the diver holds them by placing the grip firmly inside of their palm while using their index finger to activate the beam.

Pros of a Pistol Grip

Using a pistol grip dive light comes with a number of advantages. Perhaps the biggest advantage is the strong and potent light source these styles of light create. Their substantial size allows for a powerful battery to be packed inside of the same lamp, offering a prolonged period of use underwater. Then, the pistol grip allows for a high level of maneuvering in regard to the actual light beam. This offers the diver a chance to point the beam to the exact spot they want to illuminate. Finally, these dive lights usually include several intensity levels, so divers always have control over the level of illumination created by the light.

Cons of a Pistol Grip

When it comes to the disadvantages of this style of dive light, the first is their bulky size and shape. Because of this, divers will not be able to easily move them according to their needs in all instances. Instead, the light will mostly be in the diver’s hand or tethered around their wrist. This is connected to the second issue and that is that only experienced divers will be at ease with using these pistol grip lights. For beginners and those who are only novice divers, these dive light models are likely to be more hassle than any actual benefit.

 

Scuba Dave: Dave had the good luck of growing up in a family of divers: his mom is a PADI instructor and his dad is a wreck diver. He started working toward earning his open water diving certification as a freshman in high school, and by the time he graduated college he was a certified master scuba diver and PADI instructor. Dave loves to try new things, and is just as happy dipping into a deep lake as he is deep sea diving to explore underwater wrecks and caves. He documents everything with his camera, making him our resident expert in videography and photography lighting.