Review: 21 LED 3AAA UV light

LED Flashlights – General Info Multiple AAA Flashlights
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This light arrived today. I was so surprised at how small the package was (another one marked EachBuyer too). It is really not that big. Here it is next to the ubiquitous Sipik SK-68 clone for comparison. In the hand, this light feels nicer:

This light cost around £3 shipped from Ebay. What is it like? Well, my expectations were quite low, and I have to say, it really impressed me and reminded me why I love budget lights! The finish is good, not perfect, but better than my first Sipik clone. There are visible flaws, mostly on the silver bezel:

There is an o-ring at the tailcap end, and a thin rubber boot protects the switch. I don’t know how waterproof this light is though. Maybe only splashproof:

This is my first light with a battery cage. My opinion of them has changed. Loading this with cells was easy, unlike some DIY battery packs I’ve bought in the past. I put in three freshly charged AAA eneloop cells and turned it on. It actually has some throw (enough to be useful around the house)! I can also see the appeal of this 3xAAA form factor compared to wider multi-AA lights.

Sipik SK-68 clone beam at 1 metre for comparison:

21 LED UV light beam:

Uranium glass pebbles at 1 metre, look at them glow! The fluorescing is so intense it becomes ghostly to the eye and camera:

Bank note markings are just visible in full daylight:

The bezel can be removed. There is no o-ring to seal this end:

Tailcap reading showed draw is around 650 mA and declining. This is direct drive; inside there are no components other than LEDs:

I made a short video of this light too:

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You take stunning pictures. Nice job! :slight_smile:

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Thank you!!

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Nice little review, with appropriate spooky music . Thank you.

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Yeah that background music kind of creeped me out!

hair-raising and goosebumps!

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I’m scared now…

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That thing seems to work great, looks like you made a nice catch there.

650 mA, that's roughly 30 mA per LED. These LEDs are most likely rated for 20 mA, so I wouldn't expect them to last an eternity.

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I’m sorry!! I did not mean it to be so scary. ;_;

Thanks, Steve. I hope 30mA is at the Vf limit anyway, so they don’t eventually die on me.

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I just measured again with freshly charged cells (4.23V), as I didn’t measure current first thing. 1.07A!! Over 1A with my ammeter. I was going to do run time test but now I don’t want to try. :~

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Urine contains Phosphorus which under UV light………….

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This is to be expected with direct drive. The problem here is that the 5mm LED package offers very little heatsinking, and the LED itself has only tiny bits of metal that have to absorb the heat.

I'm afraid I cannot say how this affects the lifetime of the LEDs. Probably 99% of the multiple-5mm-LED-lights are constructed like this and obviously they don't crap out on you in an instant or else no one would buy them. But I have seen quite a few ones where some of the leds weren't able to produce anything but a faint glow anymore. I guess what saves them is that they don't get used for longer periods of time.

By the way, I once tried my UV light on a piece of carpet that had a known cat urine stain and was disappointed that it wouldn't glow

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Maybe it has to be “fresh” to glow? I don’t know about fresh blood yet but dried doesn’t glow either. Oils and bleach produce stronger fluorescing. It is amazing to think some insects can see UV light, and how everything appears different in this light.

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It was fresh. I rushed to the crime scene when I heard of the incident I think it is a matter of concentration.

I don't even know if blood is supposed to glow. I thought you recognise it by its almost black colour under UV light?

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There must be something in it to make it glow! I thought (from watching Dexter) there was a spray that made blood visible, whereas bleach would show normally under UV.

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The spookiness makes it great!

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I found an interesting thread about the subject ;)
http://www.physicsforums.com/showthread.php?t=388224

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Chloe, This carpet cleaner actually used your light, called it a “high power” light.

Actually, a real carpet cleaners UV light is 250 watts and costs $350

Here is a lower power one that carpet cleaners use, cost about $150

The real deal works in daylight and the operator needs to wear protective glasses so as not to injure his eyes.

Here is the link to the high power one
http://www.jondon.com/ultraviolet-light.html Cost: $442.00

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Ahh, brilliant!

Oh, I have these safety glasses too. I think even this small light can cause damage:

Also, some cats are pretty good and use the proper place.

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I thought I’d try polishing the bezel but I think I need to try again. Here it is before:

After some varying grades of Micromesh and polish, there is some reflection but not a perfect finish at all:

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tomato surgery