Soon I will go to South Africa for a trip and I have been suggested by locals to get a UV flashlight to spot out scorpions, that in SA are dangerous for humans.
I would like to buy from Amazon Italy (will leave soon and have no time to wait for Gearbest delivery). If possible I would like to get a small and not too bulky flashlight. I really have no idea on which one I should get…
My plan is the following… there’s no time to get a Convoy S2 in time for the trip I will make soon to South Africa…
Still now I want this gadget anyway
Will get a crappy one a fake UV or maybe JETBeam then I will order the Convoy S2 for myself to be delivered
Thank you guys for your suggestions
The Jet-UV at least is a neat little light with an ok amount of UV. But for more and better light you want the Convoy with LG led and black ZWB2 filter in front.
Well I got a crappy “Winzon” fake UV for 6.7 eur on Amazon
That might do for this trip
Then I will buy a Convoy S2 and wait for it to be delivered from China
Thank you all guys for your suggestions
Honestly for scorpions even the cheap 395nm lights work just fine. Of course none of them are constructed very well and they use very cheap emitters that put out less light and more visible light compared to nicer ones like the Convoy/Jaxman/Sofirn. If there's no way for you to get one of those soon enough, I would recommend that 51-led model (from any brand name...they are pretty much all the same although I see a couple with newly designed hosts like this Youthink version). I have one of these that I started out with and it will light up scorpions fairly well in a light turquoise color from at least 4m away - with fresh cells it will reach 6m or a little more but it drains fairly quickly with the 3AA source. I would not spend the money on that Jetbeam or any of the other smaller tube/zoom lights because while some are made a little better and/or take an 18650 cell, they just don't put out enough light and they are usually grossly overpriced. Those are better for indoor-only checks and IDs/licenses...sometimes currency. The 395m does emit a lot of "wasted" visible light, but that can actually be useful to you outdoors by helping to see brush or rocks and limiting eye strain somewhat. 395nm also irritates the scorpions to where they will run away when the light gets near them, where 365nm seems to keep them calm for a little bit (if you want to take photos or are trying to collect them). You don't need the filter glass lens for this but that does make for nicer viewing in a more powerful 365nm light with a good emitter. When you have time to wait and if you still have the need, the Convoy/Jaxman/Sofirn are definitely worth the slightly higher cost, and they are more fun to explore with because they will light up plants, mosses, fungus, etc that the 395nm will not, and are also very good for auto/HVAC leak detection. I'm in the process of building a Sofirn C8F with three LG 365nm emitters because while the Convoy is great, I'd like to have more oomph for my scorpion finding and nature exploring.
Here's an example of what you will see with the cheap 51-led 395nm...the "undesirable" visible light helped with the photo focusing and made the crane fly he's having for dinner show up better. Under 365nm these bark scorpions look more greenish-yellowish. Many scorpions turn more of that color instead of blue, just depends on the species, so possibly the African friends of yours won't look blue at all no matter which wavelength you use, I don't know.
I’m very happy with my Convoy UV with the Nichia LED. Plenty powerful and does not get that hot. I put a ZWB2 filter on it, but it did not make that much of an improvement due to the Nichia. Having the black lens does separate it out from the other Convoys though.
I do recommend safety glasses just in case you hit a reflective surface. I’ve done that by accident several times while looking for dog pee around the house.
Thanks...sure is fun to go find these guys. Then again, sometimes it can be alarming when you discover just HOW MANY of them are scuttling about in the first hours after sunset. Sheesh. I like my Convoy a lot - same here as far as the filter. I put mine into a violet S2+ body and then removed one 7135 from a 3x biscotti driver so that I could have modes. I'm not really set up for good night photos but I like to try, and for macro shots having lower modes usually works better for me. I set it up with the 5-mode, low to high, no memory...much better than the stock driver.
I’m sure no mater what UV torch you have, you will found them with your UV torch either 395 or 365nm although the scorpions fluorescein better with the 365nm.
I found Boma fires ( heat ) in the evenings attract them as well , safer to wear shoes at night in scorpion areas.
Some more reading http://www.scorpions.co.za/
I have Convoy LG and Nichia UV torches (not much difference between them in my opinion ) , as said they are in a different league for a little bit more.
As mentioned try to use polycarbonate safety goggles (they are inexpensive) for safety, I found the yellow one’s best for me, I tend to get headaches very quickly not wearing the safety glasses
Hope you enjoy your visit in South Africa, unfortunately crime is more of a danger than scorpions, just be aware .
