Help me pick a FL for a gift to an art expert

[fwafwow]

A friend of mine turns 50 soon and she's involved in the very high end art market for an auction house. She sat next to me at dinner the other night and was amused I was carrying a ZL (or any flashlight) but wearing a suit. She said she often needs a light when she's looking at potential auction items in clients' houses, attics, etc., "but obviously I don't have one small enough to carry around." I did a bit of digging and found that some folks who inspect art use UV lights (around 365nm). In a perfect world, a gift of a flashlight for her would be:

• compact, and maybe even stylish or have aesthetic appeal
• have both white and UV light
• use a battery that is readily available to a non-FL junkie, or be rechargeable (not a deal-breaker - I can throw in an extra battery and charger)
• be ~$150 (or less)

 

[3_gun]

Don't forget a high (really high) CRI. Doubt much if any color shift would be good for judging art

 

[Olumin]

Im not aware of any compact HCRI lights with UV. I recommend getting a Zebralight AA HCRI in neutral white (SC5c II or SC53c ) and a additional small UV light. Maybe the Olight i5UV which also runs on AA.

 

[PoliceScannerMan]

You could do a dragon driver with CRI primary and UV secondaries.

 

[Splitrail]

have you looked at Rovyvon?

 

[PoliceScannerMan]

Good call on RovyVon!

 

[ledbetter]

Vinh on skylumens sells a aaa stainless penlight. Single mode 219b with a clicky. Girls love clickies. And it's only thirty bucks.

 

[fwafwow]

Thanks to all for the quick replies. @PoliceScannerMan - I'm not sure what a Dragon driver is, but after a quick search, I'm confident it's above my capabilities. I like the ZL + Olight combo option. I also looked at the RovyVon and the Aurora A8Pro looks very close (the specs include 365nm UV), but it also has UV-C which at first read sounds like it could pose an issue. ("Never expose eyes or skin to UV-C LED." Might also not be good for artwork. )

I should have checked Sky Lumens. (I've got my first order coming from him on Monday - went overboard a bit...). His site has an AceBeam UC15vn that may do the trick. It does require an IMR 10440, but she will be fine.

 

[KITROBASKIN]

Frankly, I was surprised at the decent light quality coming from an iPhone 13... yes I know; sacrilege of the most desecrating kind.

 

[Lemurian]

Prometheus has a nice Beta (365) UV light as well as high cri Betas (my 85 lumen brass one is 92+ and my 40 lumen magnetic is 95+). The brass and other regular Betas are now at 90 lumens. The 100 lumen FourSevens Preons have high cri, too, and are on the same website as the Prometheus lights. Don't forget protective eyewear for the uv light - I use mine to spot scorpions at work.

 

[jon_slider]

for looking at pictures, a with High CRI LED and a floody beam is recommended,

if not for the beam, I would have recommended a Reylight mini Pineapple with 219b 4500k LED

these Zebras are both floody and High CRI, and they can use common AA.

http://zebralight.com/H53Fc-AA-Headlamp-Floody-Neutral-White-High-CRI_p_195.html#

http://zebralight.com/SC53Fc-AA-Floody-Neutral-White-High-CRI-Flashlight_p_230.html

Here is an AAA UV light I like... inexpensive, small..

 

[DoctorMemory]

Good notes for functionality. But it should be art itself. I have about 400 flashlights and this is the most beautiful one:

https://wxalbum-10001658.image.myqcloud.com//wxalbum/311808/20210724202601/cce353ec97fa91d86e0b12bc4231824d.jpg

(Not an approved sit so I can't embed the picture anymore.)

WWLZ Bamboo small Titanium Copper 2500lm 18350 LED Flashlight

WWLZ Bamboo small Titanium Copper 2500lm 18350 LED Flashlight

www.nealsgadgets.com

 

[fwafwow]

Good notes for functionality. But it should be art itself. I have about 400 flashlights and this is the most beautiful one:

https://wxalbum-10001658.image.myqcloud.com//wxalbum/311808/20210724202601/cce353ec97fa91d86e0b12bc4231824d.jpg

(Not an approved sit so I can't embed the picture anymore.)

WWLZ Bamboo small Titanium Copper 2500lm 18350 LED Flashlight

WWLZ Bamboo small Titanium Copper 2500lm 18350 LED Flashlight

www.nealsgadgets.com

^^^This. I'd love to find something functional and beautiful. I reached out to Neals about that awesome looking bamboo.

 

[AstroTurf]

A friend of mine turns 50 soon and she's involved in the very high end art market for an auction house. She sat next to me at dinner the other night and was amused I was carrying a ZL (or any flashlight) but wearing a suit. She said she often needs a light when she's looking at potential auction items in clients' houses, attics, etc., "but obviously I don't have one small enough to carry around." I did a bit of digging and found that some folks who inspect art use UV lights (around 365nm). In a perfect world, a gift of a flashlight for her would be:

• compact, and maybe even stylish or have aesthetic appeal
• have both white and UV light
• use a battery that is readily available to a non-FL junkie, or be rechargeable (not a deal-breaker - I can throw in an extra battery and charger)
• be ~$150 (or less)

in your opinion...

in mine, the best gift would be one of education.

spend some time researching, expose her to the various light possibilities, and then let her chose the one.

the joy will last a lifetime vs. some light you thought she would like/use.

just my opinion, Jim

 

[fwafwow]

in your opinion...

in mine, the best gift would be one of education.

spend some time researching, expose her to the various light possibilities, and then let her chose the one.

the joy will last a lifetime vs. some light you thought she would like/use.

just my opinion, Jim

Thanks Jim. I guess there is always a risk that a gift, whether an item or information, will be received in a way different than envisioned. I have the time and energy to dig into this, but I'm not sure she has the time, inclination or interest in doing the same. That happens over time with some old friends - you don't get to spend as much time with them as you would like.

 

[AstroTurf]

Thanks Jim. I guess there is always a risk that a gift, whether an item or information, will be received in a way different than envisioned. I have the time and energy to dig into this, but I'm not sure she has the time, inclination or interest in doing the same. That happens over time with some old friends - you don't get to spend as much time with as you would like.

understood, maybe try just three flashlights...

meet with her, expose her to the three, let her chose one for a bd gift.

return or keep the other two.

just a thought, Jim

 

[nollij]

Prometheus has a nice Beta (365) UV light as well as high cri Betas (my 85 lumen brass one is 92+ and my 40 lumen magnetic is 95+). The brass and other regular Betas are now at 90 lumens. The 100 lumen FourSevens Preons have high cri, too, and are on the same website as the Prometheus lights. Don't forget protective eyewear for the uv light - I use mine to spot scorpions at work.

I second the nomination of the Betas. My brass Beta one stays on my keychain and has never failed me. I also own the magnetic which stays in my pocket as a backup. Sadly, I don't own the Beta UV yet but as an owner of a least 10 FL's and other items from Prometheus I can attest to their very high quality standards and very responsive Customer Service department.

 

[3_gun]

Saw this while wasting time & $$. Might be what you're looking for & only $32w/battery

WK30 Multi Color Rechargeable LED Flashlight with LH351D/ Red Light/ UV Light
Emitter: White light：1* LH351D 5000K 90CRI
Red light: 1* CREE XPEBRD-L1-R20 P3 3535
UV light: 1* LG 365nm 120º

【Clearance】WK30 Multi Color Rechargeable LED Flashlight with LH351D/ Red Light/ UV Light(Ship to USA only)

WK30 non-production anymore, last stocks in United States.

wurkkos.com

 

[Fireclaw18]

For reviewing art, I second the suggestions for high CRI. I suggest either Nichia 129B or SST-20 4000K emitters. For this application, CRI will be much more important than overall output.

Also, it might be useful to have a relatively floody light.

 

[FlashInThePan]

I'd highly recommend either the Nitecore Tiki or RovyVon A8x, because I think they both fit literally all of your requirements. (Note that the RovyVon A8x model is different than the RovyVon 8 *PRO* model you mentioned above; that one does indeed use the more dangerous UV-C wavelength).

Both the Tiki and the A8x use UVA/UVB wavelengths that are designed for *security* applications (like checking the security strip on a $100 bill) and not the more dangerous UVC (which is used for *sanitizing*).

I actually carry the A8x on my keychain, and it's an absolute winner. Here's how it fits each of your requirements:

- Compact: it's absolutely tiny; literally the size of a AA battery.
- UV option: it has two sidelights, and one of them is the *safe* wavelength of UV
- Neutral LED: you can choose the Nichia 219C option for improved color rendering.
- Inexpensive: under $50!
- Rechargeable - it recharges via micro-USB, and the plug is built right into the flashlight

Here's the link to the light:

Aurora A8x Multifunction LED Keychain Flashlight (365nm UV Black light)

Here is the Aurora A8x upgraded from the Aurora A8. It has two options for front LED - CREE XP-G3 cool white and Nichia 219C neutral white. Thanks to the optimized driver, the PWM was improved and the standby current is also much lower which means it can last longer before use. The 330mAh...

www.rovyvon.com

Another option is the Nitecore Tiki. It's very similar to the RovyVon. The difference is that its main LED is a cool tint, not a neutral tint (which isn't as ideal for differentiating colors in art)....but it makes up for that by having a neutral *floodlight* as one of its two sidelights. If your friend's working up close, a neutral floodlight might even be a better option for her. Here's the link to that light:

TIKI

NITECORE, versatile, keychain light, TIKI, TIKI LE, 300 lumens, ultraviolet, UV, red blue warning flashing, APC, advanced power cutoff technology, built-in li-ion battery, usb rechargeable, ip66, counterfeit bill detector, reading, warning signals, warnin

flashlight.nitecore.com

The Nitecore Tiki is only around $20....which means that for $65, you could get both flashlights, and give her whichever option she prefers - and still have spent less than half of what you were expecting. (Then you can keep the other one for yourself. Am I a true flashaholic or what?!)

Hope this helps!

- FITP