| To slightly buck the overall trend here, I'd say spend all your cash at this point on one LED "backup" (scout or clone with LED or a Heser, etc.).
As you said, you plan on using this as your primary for now due to funds. That being the case, you want the best output you can. I've seen the Heser against a regular scout and there is no comparison. Also, if you're using this as a primary, the LED version will significantly improve your burntime.
I don't see the point in you getting two low powered lights at the moment. I am assuming that you are unlikely, for now, to be doing any diving (ie OH) where you actually "need" a backup. If you later buy a higher powered can light, then the small LED will make a very good true backup if your diving moves in that direction. You could then later add a second backup, or get a halogen scout/photon as a single backup to the LED (before buying a can light) if your diving progresses to where it would be merely "nice" to be carrying a spare light.
That said, I have two regular halogen scouts and don't plan to upgrade, but that's different as they only ever get used as backups where they do the job just fine and don't necessarily "need" to be incrementally brighter.
Joe |