I’m looking for a budget (£20 to £30 GBP) UV flashlight to spot Rodent Urine in the loft/garage mainly, which I understand fluoresces between 365nm and 380nm. A set off UV safe goggles will be bought on top, hopefully for <£5.
Generally it’s nighttime use in the loft/garage, so looking at a flood torch rather than throw, approx. 1 meter visibility, with
little visible light emitted as well ( possibly filtered).
Ideally I’m looking for a “off the shelf” light, but happy to put components together to get me the light I need (including basic soldering, but not reflowing)
The form factor etc doesn’t bother me, unfortunately at the moment I don’t have any chargers or batteries other than AA/AAA/Cs.
any recommendations greatly appreciated - Looking around on the forum, there seems some UV posts in the DIY section, but they seem a few years old, such as Frustrated with UV lights, need help
I haven’t received mine yet so take this recommendation with a grain of salt, as it were, but I think this Convoy S2+ UV is going to be the best thing going at the moment. Its got a very well respected Nichia emitter in it and its a Convoy, so you know the host is going to be good. Its just came out though, so I’m not sure if anybody even has one in their hands yet. Mine’s about a week away (I hope…).
For another option, I received my Jax U1 yesterday and can attest to its quality. Its in a very good host, solid brass pill assembly, good output, and its got a bandpass filter on the front to remove most of the white light these little UV emitters leak. That makes a pretty big difference in contrast. This one’s pretty easy to recommend, at least until I see what difference the Nichia makes in the Convoy.
Both of those run off of 18650 though. Sorry. I really don’t know where to go for good AA-powered UV but maybe someone will come along with a good recommendation. There’s no reason it couldn’t be done because UV emitters have pretty low current needs/capabilities anyway, although runtimes would suffer considerably as I’m sure you know.
You can DIY it, if you’re interested. MtnElectronics has all the parts you’d need. I’ve done that too if you’d like some advice going that route, but I don’t think you could do it for any cheaper than those finished lights I linked.
A tank 007 2AAUV… http://www.gearbest.com/led-flashlights/pp_242346.html
But one advice, pls opt for tracking and insurance or the stuff may never reach you!
Sorry its nit in your budget but thats the only one I know in AA
Jaxman has a UV version of its E2 too, so AA. It has the same set-up as the U1, with chinese 365nm led and uv-pass filter. I assume that the output is a bit less than the U1.
Thanks for the responses. I’d been looking at the Convoy S2 U365 Nicha, , not the S2, on the basis of the S2 being a zoomie, but the lack of existing 18650 batteries and chargers was of a concern, as it nudges the price up to £60 inc charger and batteries. I’ll be very interested in your feedback on the S2 on that basis.
I’m assuming you mean the E3, not E2? For some reason that link doesn’t work
I’m really tempted with that as a starting point for this year, and saving up some cash for the Convoy S2 & appropriate batteries/charger for next years infestation
Correct, it is the E3, not the E2. The link works for me. Searching for Jaxman on Aliexpress gets you there too. I'm afraid the AA version is nowhere else for sale, just from Aliexpress.
Thanks for the feedback though.