Nova 3 or Nova 5

[Sewer Rat]

Has anybody got or used the
speleotechincs nova 5 or 3 and what do you think.
I cave with some people who have 21 led setups and i think they are great.
but they are special build custom jobs.
So a Nova yould be the closest i could get .
I also like the idea of being able to get your nose closer to the ground.
Oink!
And before anybody goes on a big rant about speleotechnics, they are the only people that are doing any major development in led lights lights for helmets.

 

[cap n chris]

I've got 7led + bulb and a Nova but have yet to buy either a Nova 3 or 5; how much are they? If I get one I shall be able to give you a comparison! P.S. I love my Nova.

 

[Sewer Rat]

I did a little research.
and the Nova is the 5 watt version and the Nova 3 is the 3 watt version at about £70 but only with the elastic band

what battery set up do you use with the nova and how long does it last
I was thinking of using my headlite MK2 batterys and get the AA adaptor and battery box for back up.

Have you done a sump with it and was it ok.

 

[andymorgan]

The Speleotechnics http://www.speleo.co.uk/advantagescaving.htm website gives some idea of battery duration. From what I have seen the Novas give a great light but drain the batteries quickly. From the duration times on the website they seem to have improved, unless these are duration times for the lower power settings

 

[Sewer Rat]

cheers for that link.
unfortunatly my LX1 battery will only last 2 hours on full power
so I would have to change batteries about 3 times on a typical trip
Dooh
The decent battery life only comes with ion and multiple quids

 

[andymorgan]

I use a speleotechnics headlite with a 7 LED array and a halogen bulb. On short trips I use the halogen bulb as I have recently upgraded my pilot to the LEDs and I still prefer the light it gives over LEDs (although I'm slowly getting to like them). On longer trips (5 hours +) I use the LEDs for durability and flick to the halogen bulb for looking at big chambers etc. The best of both worlds and one of the cheaper options.

 

[dunc]

And before anybody goes on a big rant about speleotechnics, they are the only people that are doing any major development in led lights lights for helmets.

I'm not knocking speleo, but one unit - two options, doesn't really constitute major development imho..

I am at present using a petzl duo with 14leds attatched to helmet.. Halogen option eats batteries for fun unfortunately but leds last more than long enough with decent light for an average trip or two (and 4 extra AA's are not that heavy to carry as a backup). I still own a FX3 so have a choice between the two.

Has anybody got or used the speleotechincs nova 5 or 3 and what do you think.

Having tried the original nova, on a borrowed day out, I found the original floppy switch to be crap and cumbersome..
Not tried new switch, perhaps an improvement but it appears to be a slide switch- would grit get dragged in when you change power/turn on/off etc??

 

[Judi Durber]

I am looking at lights and someone recommended:
Princeton Tec YULON HL 1 Xenon bulb with a triangle of 3 L.E.D.'s the LED's have 120hrs @ 3 AA alkaline
and
Black Diamond Zenix IQ LED.'s 1 Watt HyperBright & 2 SuperBright

Has anyone else got experience of these lights or what else do users recommend?

Oh and any idea where I can get one from, the web does not show UK outlets?

 

[Sewer Rat]

Judi
i have the princecton mini divers light which is the 3 led option and it is permantly strapped to my helmet as a back up only has 4 aaa batteries
the light is quite good but a lot more focused (narrower beam) than my 7 led set, it is enough to get you out, if you had complete main light failure.
and lasts somthing like 40 years continous!
Ilike it but hope I will never have to use it

 

[paul]

It's also having a look at the unit produced by a caver which you can see at http://www.bisun.co.uk/

I recently bought one and am *mightily* impressed. I had been using a Speloetechnics 7 LED / Halogen Main but hated the Halogen which is very orangey/yellow once you get used to the LEDs. The LEDs are OK but although the battery lasts a long time, they only have the one output level.

The Bisun setup uses two 3 Watt LEDs running at 1 Watt mounted in a typical Oldhams/Speleotechnics reflector. One of these is in the top half and points forward giving a very good spread of light while the other one is mounted centrally but pointing *downwards* into the reflector. This gives a *very* bright (brighter than the Halogen!) spot to see in the distance but still with a good spread of light.

Each LED can be set to 3 output levels independantly by turning the normal switch on and off in sequence. The reflector unit mounts easily in an Oldhams/Sepeletechnics headset by simply connecting 4 wires to existing connecting screws and is easily reversible.

The only drawback is that you have to swap polarity and if you want to use through-the-headset charging you have to bear this in mind.

I run mine of my existing Speleotechnics Headlite battery on rear of my helmet but it can be run by most battery combinations (except 6v Kirby/FX5). I'm looking forward to my next trip abroad when I will have a decent light able to run off AAs or Duracell Flat Batteries.

It may seem expensive at around £70 but that's about what you would pay for a Speleotechnics 14-LED reflector only - and this unit is far more flexible and offers a very bright Spot option (which of course uses the same power as the "pilot" alternative so you could just leave it on "Spot" all the time if you wish and change to "pilot" when in crawls or in smaller passages).

 

[cap n chris]

If the Nova 3 is only £70 I'll get one shortly. As for battery duration I have two headlite batteries which on my original Nova provides MORE THAN ENOUGH time underground for all my trips; even the Draenen trip of approaching 7hrs was still AOK. Question: for those of you who have LED systems with light times of over 100 hours.... Why? Where do you go caving for so long? I mean, if you're not doing expeditions what's the point? Isn't it like having a car that can do 1,000mph but you're only ever going to be doing 80mph max?

Sump diving with a Nova + headlite battery = fine/good (use a mask and see where you're going on free dives).

 

[paul]

Question: for those of you who have LED systems with light times of over 100 hours.... Why? Where do you go caving for so long? I mean, if you're not doing expeditions what's the point? Isn't it like having a car that can do 1,000mph but you're only ever going to be doing 80mph max?

Some of us (possibly many of us!) do foreign trips with no place to re-charge electric cells and don't want to use carbide.

Also some are on rescue teams and may end up underground for quite a long time AFTER having already been underground earlier in the day.

Although total times of available light are often quoted as 40, 50, 100 hours or more (depending on LEDs/ Cells), the light output does gradually drop off so to get a long period of bright useful light output you tend to go for the setup with a long available light time.

So longevity of caving lamps is quite useful.

 

[Mike W]

I've used a Nova 3 since July and am very pleased with it. For several years I'd used a Duo 8 & 14 very happily, but was lent a pre-release Nova 3 and liked it so much that I bought one. It's quite different to the old Nova:- the light is more blue, the beam is more of a spot, the switch is infinitely better, and it uses a more efficient LED. The old Nova ran at 4.8w, the Nova 3 ( only slightly less bright ) runs at 2.3w. For comparison, the Duo 8 uses 2.15w, and the Duo 14 2.62w ( all using NiMH batteries ).

Comparing the Nova 3 to the Duo 14, the Nova lights distant stuff much better, the Duo gives more even close light. Nova has a simple swith and 2 light levels, the Duo is slightly more fiddly and has 3 levels. My Duos haven't been reliably waterproof, the Nova is a superb light for cave diving, I've used it to 20m so far. Both are 'regulated', unlike the Headlite 14 LED.

There are a number of quite well specified 'non-caving' LED lights available now. For any serious trips, I'd be cautious about using them as main lights, although I've used a Ring "1w" side-emitter ( actually drawing 1.7w ) as a spot beam to supplement the Duo 14. And to be fair, I carry a Tikka+ as a backup.

I don't used the Nova 3 with a helmet-mounted battery. Personal preference puts it in a pouch under my arm. I've cut the lamp bracket in two and screwed it directly to my helmet. I use NiMH batteries, one from Speleotechnic and the other a Sanyo unit in the Nova battery box.

Having seen what it's like to use higher power LED lights, I'd not like to go back to anything under say 1.5w on main beam.

 

[Judi Durber]

I look after 20+ lights, a mix of Oldhams and 'tubes' that need cycling about every month as they are used 3 - 4 times a year for children's caving camps.

Charging is always a problem on camp for various reasons. We need to increase numbers. Instead of replacing with similar lights I think we should move to the next generation of caving lights. Considerations are :
Initial cost (it is a charity)
Running cost, (parts, battery charging/replacements)
Weight (heavy helmet packs are difficult for young children and Oldhams can get in the way when you are bigger)
Robustness
Ease of use, maintain and keep clean
And one day I would like to get my car in the garage instead of a stack of caving gear. (size is everything :wink: )

So suggestions please. (I am collating all comments, thanks, and will go through them all with the charity boffins)
:shock:

 

[graham]

I have just handed over a wedge of cash to Mr Rat (actually the wife's but hey ) in exchange for a Petzl Myo XP.

Apart from the scary prospect that it might behave like a Microsoft OS :shock: it looks quite nice.

I'll give a report when it comes back from trips to France & Ireland.