[mikeerdas]

Most UV LED flashlights sadly seem to contain UV LEDs that only range from 395 to 400+ nanometers. Not quite sufficiently for killer UV fluorescence. Are there are optimal UV flashlights @ ~365 nm out there on eBay or Amazon? I don't need to "find scorpions" or detect animal pee... I need props to brilliantly fluoresce. It would also be cool to have a unit with 365 nm UV LEDs that are dimmable.

For those of you who've been following my surplused LED traffic signal acquisitions, I tested 4 units at random--they all worked but are not dimmable. Jammed the "spade terminals" into the receptacle of a cheap non-grounded extension cord and they all lit. Not bad for a random sample of 4 units out of... dear goodness... I'm afraid I have approximately 30 of them now. I may or may not keep them all. Need to inventory them for color and type first, then test to see that they all function.

Anyhoo... I took two of the traffic signals, using two separate extension cords and my two channel fader unit and nope... they really "want" to be All On or All Off. I thought it would have been cool to have dimmable units. Not to say they're all undimmable. Just the two I tried. And I have a variety of units from different manufacturers. Still, you'd think traffic signals for U.S. use would have to adhere to some standard...

Anyway, where can I get a UV LED flashlight with 365 nm LEDs suitable for lighting halloween props? Any models folks would recommend?

 

[annamarykahn]

nitecore makes flashlights with 365nm leds ... unfortunately they're not inexpensive

i recently purchased their p20uv model and am pleased with it ... i don't remember where i got it or what i paid for it ... it has 4 365nm leds in addition to a white led ...

i just googled nitecore uv and a cu6 model pops out ... its $80 at amazon ... but this looks to be a high performance flashlight, like all nitecore flashlights

beware of any leds that say they're 365nm and show a purple light when they're on ... a real 365nm light is very faint, as the eye isn't sensitive to that wavelength ...

amk

 

[BobbyA]

Tons of them.
http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_sacat=0&_nkw=365nm+uv+flashlight&_sop=15

You didn't mention why you needed a flashlight vs a 6" tube battery operated light, or a blacklight CFL.
Both of which produce UV shorter than 390-400nm.

 

[mikeerdas]

Thanks very much AMK and BobbyA.

Was thinking:

1) A powerful UV flashlight might put more light out, wherever I need it, than a 6" tube battery operated light
2) That the battery life of a LED flashlight than 6" tube may be a lot longer than a tube
3) Need flashlight vs. CFL for built-in weatherproofing in a yard haunt
4) Non-holiday decorating use of a flashlight would be detecting any pet urine accidents...

That's in general. Also just like colored LED flashlights--I have two Colemans that switch from bright white, to blue, to red. And have use the blue and red modes for indoor halloween lighting effects.

A specific effect I have in mind may actually require incandescent UV bulbs (hate them due to high heat output and low performance). Because I want to do a fade in / fade out reveal effect of "secret writing" on a foam tombstone "blank"; e.g. use invisible UV paint or ink pens (latter are cheaper). The fade might also go from left to right or top to bottom, where I rig a small light to a motor such that the UV light source periodically "scans" the tombstone, revealing the writing.

Thinking more of a Ghost of Christmas Future Ebeneezer Scrooge and / or Tiny Tim tombstone(s) application, where the future is uncertain based on certain choices. Or for those who grew up in the 80's, think Back to the Future with Marty trying to get his parents to date.

Tons of them.
http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_sacat=0&_nkw=365nm+uv+flashlight&_sop=15

You didn't mention why you needed a flashlight vs a 6" tube battery operated light, or a blacklight CFL.
Both of which produce UV shorter than 390-400nm.

 

[Michael Smith]

That's a really cool idea. If it helps at all, I recently got some decent LED dimmer switches off superbrightleds.com, so you may not be stuck with incandescents.

 

[mikeerdas]

That's a really cool idea. If it helps at all, I recently got some decent LED dimmer switches off superbrightleds.com, so you may not be stuck with incandescents.

Thanks Michael. Will have to take a look.

 

[mikeerdas]

Another concept would be to use a classic spook house and cinematography technique. Using a fadefade between incandescent blue and red flashlights. I may have it reversed but anything written in red will be mostly invisible in the presence of red light. And blue light would reveal the writing. Or the reverse. Believe this was a makeup technique used for an old film adaptation of Dr jekyl and Mr Hyde to transform one into the other. Anyone here familiar with the technique? Same principle is used in analytic 3d movies. With glasses one color over each eye ensures left eye image is presented only to left eye and vice versa. It's a filtering effect

 

[mikeerdas]

Sotry for all typos above using smartphone. I mamean anaglyphic 3D, etc.

 

[mikeerdas]

Any other thoughts--since this is a "dead" time of year. Haven't made a purchase yet. But did recently adopt a Jack Russell terrier mix we rescued, shaking, thin ribbed, and spooked--took an hour, and a bag of beef jerky, to slowly coax him into the car; abandoned at a rest area off the highway. Vet checked him out and he was unchipped, no collar, had fleas, was malnourished, and had a small case of heartworms. Already have two cats. With the little guy untrained, it may now be helpful to have a UV flashlight (sub $30 please; no expensive $50 to $100 models for me). But detecting pet urine seems to be more in the 395 nm range than the 365 fluorescence range I'd like for Halloween applications. Any "crossover" models? Or just purchase two cheap ones off eBay or Amazon--one 365nm and one 395nm?