Tritium Decision...

[Titanium81]

I would say 2-3 meters. Well of course I am talking about thin and short vials, the ones that can be fitted on a flashlight (e.g. 5 x 1.55 mm). Green can be seen at double that distance.
The story is quite different in the case of large vials (e.g. 23 x 3 mm) with which you can almost walk in total darkness.

Thanks, this gives me a better idea about the blue.

I just wasn't sure if it was visible unless it was within a few feet with a lot of people saying it was so dim.

I have good vision so it shouldn't be a problem.

 

[precisionworks]

Green has always been popular. The second most popular color today seems to be ice blue, but there have been no Government Studies on this :nana:

Look closely at the blue trit above & it appears to be a 1.5x5.0mm size. The green trit looks physically bigger, like a 2.0x6.0mm, which is huge by comparison. If more light is your concern, go with a slightly larger vial & select whichever colors you like.

 

[Haesslich]

Dark Blue? See my response above. Four hours sleep, total darkness, and I barely see the blue tube six feet away. Very dim glow. The green tube half it's height and thickness (aka 1/4 of the blue tube's size) set in a flashlight) is FAR brighter and is easily seen. The green tube the same size as the blue some ten feet away is also easily spotted despite the fact it points at me so I get only the end... But the blue is laying in the desk and shows most of it's length.

That's how much of a difference there is between dark blue and green. Ice blues aren't nearly as bad.

Thanks, this gives me a better idea about the blue.

I just wasn't sure if it was visible unless it was within a few feet with a lot of people saying it was so dim.

I have good vision so it shouldn't be a problem.

If there's any ambient light, that 2 meters is going to get cut in half easily. When I first got this set of red, dark blue, and green, I set all the tubes down on the desk and waited a half hour in the dark to test it - the green was very visible even with some light leaking through the blinds of my suite. The red was dim enough that I had to approach the desk a bit to see it. The blue was worse - the bits of light from outside and the other tubes drowned it out, and I had to be right beside the tube, and even then it barely showed.

Green, white, ice blue, and yellow are the best choices for use - the rest are there to look pretty, and maybe provoke conversation. Not for use, unless you've got an ELCAN scope or some other sight where the light isn't bring used to mark something to catch your eye.

 

[Titanium81]

The Blue is just too SWEET looking.

I think if it is bright within 2 to 3 feet (in total darkness, maybe moon light) I will have to go with it.

 

[Haesslich]

The Blue is just too SWEET looking.

I think if it is bright within 2 to 3 feet (in total darkness, maybe moon light) I will have to go with it.

Sweet looking's one thing, but if it's to help you spot a flashlight on a nightstand.. unless you're living out in the boonies in a windowless basement deep underground with no other light sources in that room or the room beside it, you're not going to see it until you're within two feet of it, maybe less.

If you want a blue you can use, get the ice blue.

 

[Titanium81]

After researching a lot on tritium brightness, I have came to the conclusion that green is the best color choice for my uses. The brightness and visibility of green is clear from the responses of this thread and the countless reviews of watches and key chains that have tritium for illumination.

I really liked the color blue, but green is growing on me more and more. I think I will be happy with my decision to get green. The usability (visibility) of green will definitely outweigh the novelty of blue.

I hope this helps anyone else trying to choose.

 

[precisionworks]

The photo below is a time exposure but shows the relative brightness of green & ice blue:

 

[Titanium81]

Are these pictures realistic or do they use some type of UV lighting or over exposure?

 

[indadark]

I got your PM but didn't reply because I read in one of your recent posts where you seemed to have decided with green, choosing functionality over "cool". Now it seems you aren't so sure after seeing more pics of blue trits. It comes down to this, people can explain the differences, pros, and cons of different trit colors and brightness levels every which way till Sunday but the truth of the matter is it's going to be purely subjective. When CPFMP comes back online, search for "Merkava" trit sales thread. You can but 1.5x5.5mm trits for $11 a piece, shipping is like $3. So for $25 you can get a blue and a green and see first hand which appeals to you in all the conditions you want to test functionality at.

 

[Haesslich]

A lot of those look a tad overexposed or under UV. The glow under lighting isn't usually that bright, not even with greens.... and the last photo in particular makes me suspicious. But ice blue's still brighter than dark blue, and night-adapted eyes shouldn't have problems spotting the green at all... or the yellow, given how that color catches one's eye. The ice blue isn't too bad, but as precisionworks' photo shows, it's about half as bright as the green.

 

[Titanium81]

Thanks, That sounds like the best way to solve this problem, and to get a firsthand idea of what works.

Thanks again to all who responded!

I got your PM but didn't reply because I read in one of your recent posts where you seemed to have decided with green, choosing functionality over "cool". Now it seems you aren't so sure after seeing more pics of blue trits. It comes down to this, people can explain the differences, pros, and cons of different trit colors and brightness levels every which way till Sunday but the truth of the matter is it's going to be purely subjective. When CPFMP comes back online, search for "Merkava" trit sales thread. You can but 1.5x5.5mm trits for $11 a piece, shipping is like $3. So for $25 you can get a blue and a green and see first hand which appeals to you in all the conditions you want to test functionality at.