Review: UV light shootout, seven lights tested

The 3 watt 501B with 2 emitters does a good job on currency . . .

for a reasonable price.

LarryDFW

Or not. Didn’t realise that Manafont is not taking orders while they change management. Hopefully the price of the TK doesn’t go up. $31.40 is the best I’ve seen. Meanwhile, I picked up the KD P60 and a 501B.

Hi

I wonder if it is necessary to spend more than $50 to get an usable all-around UV flashlight. I am aiming at 365nm.

Are any of these any good?
http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?LH_BIN=1&\_from=R40&\_sacat=0&\_nkw=ultraviolet+flashlight+AA+365nm&\_sop=16

There is 3W and 1W Tank007 and Mastiff A2. What kind of manufacturer is Mastiff? And should I try to get a 3W one, or would anyone here be happy with just a 1W one?

I also don’t understand what is the function of the AA extender in the Tank007 flashlight. It seems like it adds nothing to the price and they seem like all specced for two AA batteries.

Thanks for any information. I know AA batteries are weaker than lithium cells, but they are also more readily available and not as expensive.

Welcome to the Forum! :beer: :beer:

The lights in the link above seem to be a little overpriced to me. The AA extender will give you longer run times allowing you to use 2-AA’s instead of 1, thus doubling your run time. It also makes the host longer. The lights probably have low voltages drop ins (.8v to 4.2v) Using 1 or 2 AA’s will put you safely inside the voltage limits. (1.5 to 3v’s on fresh cells)

The smaller 1-AA Tank in the link is only a 1W output vs. the 3W output of the 2-AA light.

Tank makes some decent lights, and have been discussed on here several times.

Check with some of the vendors on here and see if they carry the same light. They offer excellent customer service and guidance.

The TK566 goes from 1w to 3w with the extender, or at least that’s what was explained to me when inquiring about it.
Also, Manafont had them for under $30 at one stage…

If you are into soldering, a 365nm light can still be made fairly cheap by buying a separate emitter (an ok chinese emitter goes for under 15 dollars, I guess the Tank uses one of those) and put it in a host-with-driver of choice.

I think I’d rather buy a complete unit. I know the required electronics but have no experience with hunting parts and figuring how to put them physically together. Unless someone can show me a list, like “host here, driver there and emitter there, here you go” and I just click “buy, buy, buy” and slide the thing together once everything arrives.

There was links in the thread to two P60 drop in that will just slip into a P60 host, the links still work. One was the solarforce with 380-450 claimed nm. And the Kaidomain with claimed 365nm. The reports from an owner suggest he kaidomain was better, less polluting other light and it charged flouro paint instantly. The SF one did it too, just not as quickly. It was pointed out that light in the 365 range can also do what the ones in the higher range will do, but not vice versa, so the 365 would seem to be the pick to me. If Im reading it right. And at the price point of a few dollars that is.

Kaidomain - http://www.kaidomain.com/product/details.S022214
Solarforce - http://www.solarforceflashlight-sales.com/product_detail.php?t=RB&s=11&id=44

Hi all,
I own a couple of P60 (502b w/186500) 1W UV lights from DX. They wont light up a $100 USD bill. Based on this thread, I ordered one from KD. Do you think it will work in a 501 with 2 CR123s?

I could be wrong, but I don't think the new US $100 bills have anything that fluoresces in them. Maybe some small fibers in the paper, but I don't recall.

Send me the $100 bill and I’ll see if any of my lights make it glow… :party:

It should work fine. The voltage is 3v to 18v if I remember correctly. Some members were reporting that it worked better in the higher voltage ranges.

Yes. I’m getting a magenta 501b just use with the KD drop-in. That way I don’t get confused and pick up the wrong light.

New US $100 under the Nitecore CU6:

Oh yeah. The omniscient embedded strip. Good point and thanks for the correction. Still probably a lot less then the poster was expecting.

Yeah, ever since I got a CU6 I've been aiming it at random things, like my shoelaces and watch hands. It's really amusing, and probably bad for my eyes haha.

Speaking of which, I got these glasses for my laser, but they really make UV light pleasant on the eye and you really see fluorescing objects so much better. I have several pair of yellow glasses, for some reason these work better. Haven't really compared side by side though. So caveat emptor.

UPDATE: Another member purchased these glasses and reported that they don't work as well as most yellow glasses. I trust that members judgment in this area better than mine.

I know that texaspyro has better output on one cell. I have this KD drop in and find that mine is very much brighter on 8.4 volts than on a single cell. Even though they came from the same source, knowing Chinese venders I would not be surprised to see different drivers or LEDs.

I do find that the KD 365 nm UV does a much better job on bank notes than my unknown 380 nm drop in.

http://www.kaidomain.com/product/details.S022214

Just received the KD 365nm P60 and to my surprise, there are two emitters inside the dome.

I thought the two emitter version was the 395nm version. I’ve just tried it out on some money and it fluoresces the Australian 50 dollar note OK where as my other 395nm one doesn’t show one of the symbols. Can anyone confirm that the 365nm also has the two emitters? Everything else is as how it was described in this thread.

Another thing is that I bought a purple Ultrafire WF501b as a host. Well the P60 does not fit in the head as the lens retaining ring kept it from going deep enough. I had to remove the lens to get it to fit, but it does mean I’m going to have to use it without the lens which probably has some pluses.

I received my KD P60 dropin today also.
I also wondered the two emitters under one dome.

Tested it on bills, works fine.
P.S.: Try it on:

- Your watch with Lume on hands

- GITD tailcaps

  • For example shine it to yous other flashlight reflector, LED phosphor may shine some yellow light back :slight_smile: