Thread: how can i get biggest blacklight bang for the buck???

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i would really like to get some major black lightage going but those incandescent bulbs simply suck.. whether incandescent or CFL... they just don't throw off enough black light to be useful.

I can get my hands on a couple of hardwire flourescent tube fixtures but how good are the tube bulbs... how far to they throw light and what's a necessary ratio of lights to distance, etc.

anyone have any good links, suggestions, etc.

the cheaper, the better.

ALL the walmarts near me sell a 24'' blacklight tube for 10.00 and change all year long.. by far the best price and they work great.

thats going to be your best bang for the buck.. you can go with a larger light, but you dont get that much more light from them.. if you need more light than what a single 24'' can put out, just add a second. just get them now before they get cleared out.

I was also just about to open a thead to ask whether the incandescent spotlight-type black bulbs are any good for getting glow on RIT-treated and/or glow-in-the-dark and/or neon items. Spirit has spotlights for $7 which isn't terrible, but if they won't cause glowing they're useless. The CFL bulbs they carry make a point of saying "creates TRUE UV light" on the box, whereas the incandescents don't mention UV.

I bought a cheep 4' shop light for 9.99 at home depot or lowes don't remember which now. The 4' black light bulbs are about $12.00. The fixture holds two bulbs but Ive run only one for 4 years now. I have it under my eve to keep it out of the weather. It lights pretty good, directly under the bulb is the strongest.

Agree with the others that florescent is the way to go. I have an 18" tube, and a 48" tube, very happy with both. Also, here is a link to some more formal information:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blacklight

Excerpt:
Incandescent: Although it remains a cheaper alternative to fluorescent tubes, it is exceptionally inefficient at producing UV light

I love the 24" Walmart black lights tubes (~$10.00) - just plug in and you're set! I use two in the office for my "Dia de los Muertos" theme, where everything is super neon/glow-in-the dark. Everywhere else one per average sized room would be fine. I'm also been impressed with the CLF bulbs (Walmart sells them but too but they're cheaper at Home Depot - check in the normal lighting section). I use these in my recessed can lights. Be careful using CLF bulbs in a socket hardwired to a dimmer switch, they're really not made for it. Worst case scenario, the can start a fire, but most likely they will just drain the bulb really quickly (we put them in our dimmer lights during the party and just keep an eye on them). Don't even bother with incandescent black lights. Good luck! I absolutely love black light effects!

Nothing beats the 48" flourescent. I mount 5 of them to light my entire graveyard. I customized the fixtures by building a luan (thin wood) box around the top and sides of the fixture and painted the whole thing flat black. The 3 sided box focuses the light forward and protects the light and fixture from the elements. I also mounted the fixture on two 1/8" rods that stick into the ground. The fixture sits about 6" off the ground and flush against my graveyard fence along the sidewalk. They are almost invisible at night, make no heat, are efficient and illuminate my entire graveyard of florescent blue painted headstones.

awesome replies.. thanks. I have a few spare 4ft fixtures I can pull out of the garage. I'll be doing that.

thanks!