Please recommend a 365nm UV torch for me, ideally 1xAA cell

Hi everyone. :slight_smile:
I need a new UV flashlight.
This will be for checking banknotes {UK Stirling}.
Therefore it needs to be in the 365nm range.
{ That’s what the Bank of England says. :bigsmile: }

Tank 007 make a 1AA cell UV flashlight, the TK566 365nm.
There are two versions: A 1 Watt model and a 3 Watt model.

The price difference is negligible.
I imagine that the 3W model would have a shorter runtime.
This would not be an issue for me.

What are peoples thoughts, and does anyone have any experience
with either model?

Husband says that the important thing is it’s frequency and 1 watt
will be fine and 3 watts will just run my battery down.
So true to form, I’m (as usual) ignoring his advice :stuck_out_tongue:
and asking on here instead!!! :bigsmile:

Thanks everyone for your time and hopefully input too!

Jane.

If you’re not in a hurry then try this from FastTech I use it to charge glow in the dark items, works as well or better than my more expensive P60 drop-ins running on 18650s.
It uses AA/14500/NiMH-Eneloop rechargeable.
Only a couple of quid, I’ve had mine since before christmas and it’s still going strong.

OMG a Woman with the user name “Tyler_Durden” who is sneaking around on her husband (yum just my type) (just kidding).

Ok the First rule of BLF is don’t (ok you get the idea) :slight_smile:

Your husband is mostly right. You decisions/choices really come down to Battery type AAA-18650 and any in between. And getting a quality true “UV” emitter (there are a few cheap just colored emitters).

As a good emitter might cost 4 pounds the absolute cheapest lights might be a bit of a gamble (although a small one) chances are any light where the call out the emitter mfg by name i.e. Cree etc etc will do the job.

It is had to beat the 18650 for run time and long term cost savings but the lights might be a bit more up front. If you want a really small light then maybe a more standard battery makes sense knowing that you will be buying or recharging the batteries more often.

Oh btw here is a search just for 365 nm UV so you can see the range 9-450 so there are plenty of choices.

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_2?url=search-alias%3Dtools&field-keywords=Ultraviolet%2C%20365NM

also as an option

http://www.amazon.com/Ultraviolet-flashlight-Blacklight-fluorescer-Counterfeit/dp/B00RVD6MNS/ref=sr_1_98?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1430944896&sr=1-98&keywords=Ultraviolet%2C+365NM

http://www.batteryjunction.com/nitecore-cr6-xpg2-smo.html?gclid=CLK9vKH8rcUCFQsvaQodGnkADw

Any relatively inexpensive UV flashlight solutions out there?

Convoy S2 365nm UV Single/3/7 Modes SMO Reflector LED Flashlight

That’s very interesting.
If you shine it on a £20 note,
Does it illuminate just the security £20

or does it also show the myriad of randomly spread bright red and green flecks
across both the front and back of the note?

I’m very tempted to give this a shot due to its 1xAA cell format
and it’s low price.

Thanks.
That’s an interesting unit too.
It seems surprisingly large for a 1xAA cell format.
12.2cm x 2.4cm.

I’d ideally like an 1xAA light under 10cm and under 2cm
diameter as it’s less bulk for me to cart around. Though
in all truth, it’s not a major issue.

I’ve been looking at the threads that Ronin42 kindly posted.
I’m surprised by the sizes of the lights. I don’t want to go for
an 18650 powered unit basically because this cell size is large
& thus would dictate the flashlight would bigger & heavier than
say a 1xAA powered light.

The Tank007 TK566 365nm-1W Flashlight, has the option of using
a 1x14500 cell. Would using a 1x14500 cell, provide a much more
powerful light (with a shorter runtime) and thus be more effective
at highlighting banknote UV security features?

From http://www.tank007.com/products_detail/&productId=cd689765-96fb-4c9c-b727-3ad5dcae7fb9.html

It uses a 18650

I’ve been reading more about UV lights and my use
which will be close up inspection of bank notes.

It’s been interesting following the links you’ve been providing,
Googling and finding more lights and reviews and considerations.

A light strip is more effective for my use than a torch because it
doesn’t give a spot but rather a spread of light. However it’s not really
practical for me to carry.

UV emitters are expensive and generally the higher the cost, the better
they function with a narrower UV spread = more accurate readings
because the UV @365 isn’t being washed out by higher UV frequencies
emitted in a spread from cheaper emitters.

UV emitters don’t last. I think this means that the 365UV, after
a period of use, starts to creep up the UV range. Over time the
unit becomes less effective. Again, the cost/quality of the emitter
can reflect the potential lifespan.

Against this, I am only using the light for a few seconds intermittently.
Also, as technology improves, both the longevity will improve,
cost of the emitters will drop. So if / when my next UV light
fails / gets lost, the replacement will be cheaper and a better piece
of kit.

I’m looking again at the Tank 007 1AA cell UV flashlight, the TK566 365nm.
The 1 Watt model would appear to fit my needs.
I’ll be using this without UV eye protection. A 3Watt model would
presumably have a greater amount of UV light reflected.
Lower power presumably equals less potential for problems.

Hubby has been nodding in agreement with most of this,
when I engage him for thoughts. He is not an expert on flashlights,
let alone UV lights. Just a science education and technical career.
So I thought I’d bounce this on this thread for opinions on my
thought process and to see if there’s anything I’ve not considered.

Thanks,
Jane.

Here’s a sort of scale of what different quality emitters will make a note look like

Thanks. :slight_smile:
A bit earlier today, I was looking at a site with a similar selection of piccys
illuminating a £20 note, with different qualities of UV lights. :slight_smile:

I’m looking at this one, it has good feedback/reviews

UV torch with 12 L.E.Ds
Wavelength: 365-370nm
Lamp: 12 L.E.D. lights
Size: 5 inches X 1.25 inches diameter (130 X 30mm)
Power: three AAA batteries
UK supplier too.

Any thoughts?

I’ve just received the Tank 007 TK566 365UV 1 watt model form TorchDirect. Oh, they also sent me a pen with their contact details on, which was nice. They were good on communication and speed of delivery. It cost £35 including free postage within the UK.

Included was the torch, the box, a warranty card, two spare O rings, a lanyard and one AA cell. Here are some pictures of my new torch!

Tail switch is a reverse clicky.

Raised tail switch, so no Tail-standing! Not that I can see any reason to want to tail stand a UV torch…

Comparison to my current UV torch. The smaller size is welcome.

Some crappy light pics from my camera phone.


These last two pics are as a result of my phone camera’s limitations rather than a true indication of the light from the torch. The £20 UV marking was very visible and so were the UV colour flecks across the note. The camera can hardly record these flecks, but when viewing the £20 note under the torch light, they were very apparent. And the different fleck colours were very noticeable too. I had two of the larger UV torches, (shown above). I’ve lost one of them so the Tank 007 566 365UV will be a welcome replacement.

The Fasttech SK68 “blue” light has a blue emitter — which would charge up glow-in-the-dark stuff fine, but not emit UV.
The Fasttech SK68 “purple” light claims a wavelength in the UV but the picture looks like it’s a blu-ray violet emitter to me.
Fasttech does not know (and doesn’t want to know) what they’re selling in these SK68 clones:
https://support.fasttech.com/ticket/Q0324DYXMN
they’ve for months gone ’round and ’round with me and other people about the “yellow” 590 nm emitter they claim to offer in the same type light — and they’ve been shipping a warm white.