I was trying to buy some tritium vials the other day. On Aliexpress they are hardly available at all, and prices have tripled at least. What happened? I seem to remember that a year ago they were all over the place for cheap. Even Neal carried them back then.
Is this another Covid thing, and if so, how? Does anyone know?
There is a shortage, higher prices, etc. Mixglo.com has some but not all of its varieties in stock.
Some industry production lines got severely screwed up by the pandemic. It appears tritium was low on the list. So supply is scarce and thus, markets have reacted. Some vendors that offer a tritium vial installation are charging a $30 premium. For ONE vial!
Frankly, I think we’ll have to wait about 1~2 years for prices to return to what they were pre-COVID. And they may never go back to what they were in 2019, as this era of maximum profit optimization may seek to keep prices high for as long as possible.
mixglo is sold out of most Tritium vials, except larger ones:
glow gaskets are a popular alternative for some applications…
and I have started using glow paint in some applications
.
pic is a link to more info
Wanted for questioning.
i just use glow tape somewhere near the optics
glows about 8 hours after a light charge
green glow tape is very cheap
wle
Not all glow tape is created equal. I’ve bought some cheap stuff that didn’t hold a good glow for very long. OTOH, I bought a roll from a brand called Captan Glow Tape and it has been really good. But this was a few years ago and that brand is gone… Now I’m seeing one called FUZE being promoted on Amazon.
Photos in the dark are not my best talent but you get the picture 
I like strontium aluminate, too.
Has anyone compared Countycomm’s glow tape with the more expensive tape from Glowinc?
I’ve heard Glowinc is or was one of Countycomm’s suppliers, so maybe the tapes are basically the same, allowing for differences in size on the rolls.
CountyComm’s tape is very good. If I briefly charge it with a uv led it will remain visible for the rest of the night