Need an inspection light

[Nick W]

Hello, all. I joined after lurking because I have a question.

I'm looking for an inspection light at work. We are looking for small pieces of glass on polished stainless steel shelves in a chamber that's about 10 feet deep. It's in a cleanroom.

Currently, we're using LED 2 D-cell Maglites. They blow through batteries in about 15-20 minutes.

The Maglites answer some requirements. They have metal bodies, so they don't shed particles. The outside is smooth so they are easy to clean and disinfect. They're water tight, so we don't have to worry about cleaning and disinfecting the inside. They are widely available, so I can order them from an Approved Vendor. They're a lot brighter than the old incandescent Maglites.

But I want to be able to use a flashlight more than twice before having to pass them out of the cleanroom, change the batteries, and sanitize them back in again.

Any suggestions?

 

[TEEJ]

Hello, all. I joined after lurking because I have a question.

I'm looking for an inspection light at work. We are looking for small pieces of glass on polished stainless steel shelves in a chamber that's about 10 feet deep. It's in a cleanroom.

Currently, we're using LED 2 D-cell Maglites. They blow through batteries in about 15-20 minutes.

The Maglites answer some requirements. They have metal bodies, so they don't shed particles. The outside is smooth so they are easy to clean and disinfect. They're water tight, so we don't have to worry about cleaning and disinfecting the inside. They are widely available, so I can order them from an Approved Vendor. They're a lot brighter than the old incandescent Maglites.

But I want to be able to use a flashlight more than twice before having to pass them out of the cleanroom, change the batteries, and sanitize them back in again.

Any suggestions?

The answer is to use LED lights that can use rechargeable lithium ion cells.

For any given form factor, due to the energy density of the Li-ion cells, a light can be brighter and run longer with rechargeable Li-ions than any other available battery.


For example, a 2D LED maglight puts out ~ 130 lumens. I am surprised they don't run longer than you've been getting, but that could be the cells...or that the drop in lumens, given how low the output was to start with, dropped below a useful amount too soon, etc.


The beam pattern from the maglight, when focused, is very narrow, and when unfocused to be broader, has a lot of artifacts and donut holes, etc.


Assuming that you are using side lighting techniques to find the particles, that type of beam is terrible, compared to a wider beam with no artifacts.

Depending on what your vendor can supply, you want an aluminum ~ 500+ lumen LED light with an IPX8 rating for water resistance, and you want it to run on rechargeable li-ion 18650 cells.


If you have suggestions from the vendor(s) as to lights with those specs, you can post them here for review/further input.


As an example:

For side lighting, I like to use a ZebraLight SC600 which works very well in that context. With a 3400 mah 18650 cell, I get 4-5 times the run time your mag lights have been getting, with perhaps 4-5 times the output to boot. Its output is adjustable, so, I have the option of making the light run ALL DAY at reduced out put, which would STILL be a LOT more output than the mag light was giving you....but all day long.

:D

 

[880arm]

If the battery could be recharged within the light could you leave it (and the charger) in the clean room? If so, would this save you the trouble of cleaning and sanitizing it as often?

There are a lot of lights like this but probably the "smoothest" I can think of is one of the Inova offerings such as the T3R. It will provide almost rock steady output for nearly 3 hours on a full charge.

 

[Mr. Tone]

These Eagletac lights have an internal battery and fairly smooth exteriors. Plus they have an easy to use interface in which you can turn the light on in the mode you wish to use. Here is a good review of what I am talking about. http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb...-(2x26650)-XM-L2-U2-Review-RUNTIMES-BEAMSHOTS They aren't quite as smooth as Maglites but are a similar form factor and have fantastic runtimes.

 

[Nick W]

Thank you for your responses.

The Inova T3R has a lot of ridges for better grip, which is bad for my purposes. But the X3R has a fairly smooth exterior. Has anyone an opinion on that light?

I read the Amazon reviews, but expert opinions are always welcome.

 

[Nick W]

I wonder if the reason the Maglights lose effectiveness so quickly is that their output drops after a few minutes, and since the entire space is reflective, everything gets dim. We can only see something when the spot hits it.

It looks something like this:

 

[TEEJ]

I wonder if the reason the Maglights lose effectiveness so quickly is that their output drops after a few minutes, and since the entire space is reflective, everything gets dim. We can only see something when the spot hits it.

It looks something like this:

Yes, this is what I meant by the amount of lumens dropped too low to continue to work.

The use of either a brighter light to start with, and/or a regulated light that maintains its output, was recommended for that reason.

The Inova X3r has too tight a beam angle, and, too low a lumen output to be truly proficient at this task.

 

[880arm]

Thank you for your responses.

The Inova T3R has a lot of ridges for better grip, which is bad for my purposes. But the X3R has a fairly smooth exterior. Has anyone an opinion on that light?

I read the Amazon reviews, but expert opinions are always welcome.

Sorry, I meant to say X3R in my earlier post. I agree that the T3R does not sound like it would work well in your case. I do not have the X3R but, aside from the different body, it is functionally the same as the T3R which I have reviewed.

I like the T3R as it seems to be sturdy and well made. It's not the most powerful light out there (and wasn't meant to be) but it strikes me as being dependable and provides a long runtime. Based on the X series lights I have used in the past I expect the same from the X3R.