Every season I struggle with my two standard shop light length fixtures for my UV fluorescent bulbs. Contacts often aren't right. Fixtures are big and bulky. A pain every time.
Recently I purchased the Blacklight LED spotlight being sold by Home Depot, since it was three 1 watt LEDs--and so it bright like the Gemmy Fire and Ice Spotlights. But when I tested for fluorescence against some spraypainted banners I typically use under UV light, the unit didn't seem to make them glow at all. Seemed more like bright white light with possibly a hint of purple. That's going back for a refund between now and this weekend.
Hell, my el-cheapo, dim ~$1 to $3 battery operated hand-held blacklights, sourced from the "dollar" section of a Target a few seasons ago, caused more fluorescence than the bright 3W LED HD unit! So did one of the small battery operated UV / Blacklight strobes that you see "everywhere" around Halloween season--may have purchased from Big Lots. But you see them in KMarts, etc.
So what are my options here? Would rather go all LED. But also don't want to pay megabucks; seems that some UV units go for $100 and up. Can I find something less than $100, possibly divided up into several separate units, that would give off a decent glow to anything UV-reactive?
Recently I purchased the Blacklight LED spotlight being sold by Home Depot, since it was three 1 watt LEDs--and so it bright like the Gemmy Fire and Ice Spotlights. But when I tested for fluorescence against some spraypainted banners I typically use under UV light, the unit didn't seem to make them glow at all. Seemed more like bright white light with possibly a hint of purple. That's going back for a refund between now and this weekend.
Hell, my el-cheapo, dim ~$1 to $3 battery operated hand-held blacklights, sourced from the "dollar" section of a Target a few seasons ago, caused more fluorescence than the bright 3W LED HD unit! So did one of the small battery operated UV / Blacklight strobes that you see "everywhere" around Halloween season--may have purchased from Big Lots. But you see them in KMarts, etc.
So what are my options here? Would rather go all LED. But also don't want to pay megabucks; seems that some UV units go for $100 and up. Can I find something less than $100, possibly divided up into several separate units, that would give off a decent glow to anything UV-reactive?