Recommend me a quality UV flashlight under $80

[chaosdsm]

I'm looking to get a a good all-around UV flashlight for multi-purpose use.

I only have a couple of requirements for the flashlight:

Must run on one or two 26650 (preferred) or 18650 batteries.
Minimum 3W 365nm emitter
Under $80 shipped
Prefer a beam with minimal hotspot
Prefer a single emitter vs 50/70/100 etc...
Be a decent, well known brand.

Alternatively: Would this work in a Convoy L6 host body? If so what driver would I need?

Categories	Optoelectronics
Infrared, UV, Visible Emitters
Manufacturer	Marktech Optoelectronics
Series	-
Packaging	Bulk
Part Status	Active
Type	Ultraviolet (UV)
Current - DC Forward (If) (Max)	1.4A
Radiant Intensity (Ie) Min @ If	-
Wavelength	365nm
Voltage - Forward (Vf) (Typ)	7.8V
Viewing Angle	116°
Orientation	Top View
Operating Temperature	-10°C ~ 85°C (TA)
Mounting Type	Surface Mount
Package / Case	Star Array

It appears to be on a 20mm MCPCB which the L6 host description says is needed along with a 27-30mm driver - unfortunately it would also be about double my stated budget after also purchasing the host body, and driver board.

 

[ScubaSnyder]

From cheap and pretty good quality check out Tattu UV lights. You can get a 26650 light for 50$ shipped on ebay with battery

Hope that helps.

Rob

 

[alpg88]

convoy s2+ with nichia 365 is under 30 bucks

 

[heckeng]

I have bought convoy and eagletac and they both had too much visible light. I ended up with the Fenix TK25UV and it blows the rest out of the water but it is $90

 

[chaosdsm]

From cheap and pretty good quality check out Tattu UV lights. You can get a 26650 light for 50$ shipped on ebay with battery

Hope that helps.

Rob

Hm... never heard of them, but I see the U3S uses 26650's and claims a 10W 365nm emitter, though they only list the light as 80 lumens??? Also seems odd that they would have strobe and SOS modes on a UV flashlight....

I'm diggin the Convoy S2+ UV, I absolutely love my Convoy L6, I'm finding great pricing on the Nichia 365nm version, but it uses an 18650 - not a problem as I currently have 8 high capacity (3200mAh - 3500mAh) 18650 cells, but the 26650 lights feel so much more natural in my hands.

Considering that I can probably get both for around $80 combined, I might just do that!

 

[lumen aeternum]

I have bought convoy and eagletac and they both had too much visible light. I ended up with the Fenix TK25UV and it blows the rest out of the water but it is $90

What LED does the TK25UV use? I put a filter on top of the Convoy with the Nichia 265 which IIRC is 3W.
I have never seen a 26650 battery size in a UV light.

Does the Marktech LED have a graph showing the wavelength spread? The Nichia 265 is pretty narrow, you should compare.

 

[Patriot]

I've been using the convoy S2+ for a while and it's been fantastic. I usually mount it on a headband while night hiking and I can spot scorpions on rocks from 45 feet away. I don't think you can't beat it for the price.

 

[Sambob]

If you don't mind a little wait for It this Is the one I got good light.
https://www.gearbest.com/led-flashlights/pp_277704.html?wid=1433363

 

[chaosdsm]

I ended up buying both the 26650 based Tattu 365nm U3S, and the Convoy S2+ Nichia 365, $86 combined after shipping & taxes. The Tattu should be here tomorrow, the Convoy S2+ next week.

Does the Marktech LED have a graph showing the wavelength spread? The Nichia 265 is pretty narrow, you should compare.

Here are the graphs I found from the Marktech datasheet for the Marktech 365nm 7.8V UV LED:

 

[lumen aeternum]

Looks the same to me. I put the bandpass filter on my Convoy with the Nichia:

https://www.naturesrainbows.com/sin...cant-Innovation-in-UV-Mineral-Lights-in-Years
>
A datasheet on this LED can be found here: https://www.nichia.co.jp/specification/products/led/NCSU276A-E.pdf
...
ZWB2 20mm round filters ... ZWB2 is an inexpensive glass which performs like Wood's Glass and is perfect for our application. Transmission specs for the ZWB filter line can be found on our Technical Specs page.
>

 

[chaosdsm]

Looks the same to me. I put the bandpass filter on my Convoy with the Nichia:

https://www.naturesrainbows.com/sin...cant-Innovation-in-UV-Mineral-Lights-in-Years
>
A datasheet on this LED can be found here: https://www.nichia.co.jp/specification/products/led/NCSU276A-E.pdf
...
ZWB2 20mm round filters ... ZWB2 is an inexpensive glass which performs like Wood's Glass and is perfect for our application. Transmission specs for the ZWB filter line can be found on our Technical Specs page.
>

I overlayed the two graphs in Photoshop Elements and discovered that they are indeed almost the same. The graph in red is the Nichia, the grey is the Marktech.

RE: filters, are there any brand names I should avoid on the ZWB2 filters? I see a whole bunch to fit the S2+ ranging from $1.91 to $19, as well as both 2mm thick and 1.5mm thick varieties.

I got the Tattu U3S today, and it puts out a ton of visible light, even passed through my prescription sunglasses with high grade UV coatings, it's bright enough to navigate in a pitch black building. Here it is next to my pair of protected 26650's that I use in my Convoy L6. I have a pair of unprotected Orbtronic 5200mAh 26650's that I will use with the Tattu. It did come with a 26650 battery, but there's no brand name or writing on it to identify the battery, so I'll never even use it.

A piece of safety cloth outside of the hotspot:

And directly in the hotspot:

When the hotspot is directly on the cloth, the entire 10ft x 12ft room lights up bright green lol. When I put my prescription sunglasses in front of the flashlight, the cloth does not glow at all, and is not seen by the camera in my phone, though I can still see it with my eyes.

Here's a page from my 2013 issued US Passport in normal light:

And with the Tattu shining behind it:

Don't know what it is, but.... found this on one of my bedroom walls.....

I had a few rocks around that I thought might have some minerals in them (one we were told had traces of fluorite in it), but no fluorescence from any of them. :shrug:

 

[Daniel44114]

I EDC a UV AAA Arc on my keys. It is not as bright as I would have expected, yet it does work very well.
The build quality is superb, of course.

 

[ScubaSnyder]

I overlayed the two graphs in Photoshop Elements and discovered that they are indeed almost the same. The graph in red is the Nichia, the grey is the Marktech.

RE: filters, are there any brand names I should avoid on the ZWB2 filters? I see a whole bunch to fit the S2+ ranging from $1.91 to $19, as well as both 2mm thick and 1.5mm thick varieties.

I got the Tattu U3S today, and it puts out a ton of visible light, even passed through my prescription sunglasses with high grade UV coatings, it's bright enough to navigate in a pitch black building. Here it is next to my pair of protected 26650's that I use in my Convoy L6. I have a pair of unprotected Orbtronic 5200mAh 26650's that I will use with the Tattu. It did come with a 26650 battery, but there's no brand name or writing on it to identify the battery, so I'll never even use it.

A piece of safety cloth outside of the hotspot:

And directly in the hotspot:

When the hotspot is directly on the cloth, the entire 10ft x 12ft room lights up bright green lol. When I put my prescription sunglasses in front of the flashlight, the cloth does not glow at all, and is not seen by the camera in my phone, though I can still see it with my eyes.

Here's a page from my 2013 issued US Passport in normal light:

And with the Tattu shining behind it:

Don't know what it is, but.... found this on one of my bedroom walls.....

I had a few rocks around that I thought might have some minerals in them (one we were told had traces of fluorite in it), but no fluorescence from any of them. :shrug:

I have that tattu, what did you think? The only flaw I noticed was a dark center in the center of the hotspot, but it's so bright it doesn't even bother me. I wonder how it will perform with a better quality battery! Glad you seem happy with your purchase!

Rob

 

[chaosdsm]

I have that tattu, what did you think? The only flaw I noticed was a dark center in the center of the hotspot, but it's so bright it doesn't even bother me. I wonder how it will perform with a better quality battery! Glad you seem happy with your purchase!

Rob

It fits my hands very well, I like that it fits both protected and unprotected 26650's, though some of the longer (70mm+) protected cells might not work. I also like the brightness, but don't like the dark spot in the middle. Definitely want to see how it compares with the Convoy S2+ which I'm still waiting on. It seems (to me personally) like a cheaply built flashlight, but time will tell.

 

[ScubaSnyder]

I am hoping you will post on the convoy s2+ when you get it! All of my UV lights are not the best quality but have been holding up well with long rung run times to dry uv glue to install tritium. Thanks for the info on the battery sizes as well!

Rob

 

[chaosdsm]

Looks the same to me. I put the bandpass filter on my Convoy with the Nichia:

https://www.naturesrainbows.com/sin...cant-Innovation-in-UV-Mineral-Lights-in-Years
>
A datasheet on this LED can be found here: https://www.nichia.co.jp/specification/products/led/NCSU276A-E.pdf
...
ZWB2 20mm round filters ... ZWB2 is an inexpensive glass which performs like Wood's Glass and is perfect for our application. Transmission specs for the ZWB filter line can be found on our Technical Specs page.
>

Looking at spec's, it seems the ZWB1 filter (around 90% UV transmittance & cutoff at about 398nm) would be much better than a ZWB2 filter (around 75% UV transmittance & cutoff at about 403nm), or am I missing something ??? I found and ordered a ZWB1 filter for the Convoy S2+, but could not find one for the Tattu which has a 42.77mm lens, ended up ordering a 42mm ZWB2 for it.

 

[chaosdsm]

I am hoping you will post on the convoy s2+ when you get it! All of my UV lights are not the best quality but have been holding up well with long rung run times to dry uv glue to install tritium. Thanks for the info on the battery sizes as well!

Rob

One place the S2+ does fall short of the Tattu is in distance viewing. I can illuminate the field of stars on my US flag from about 38 feet with the Convoy S2+, but with the Tattu they illuminate out to about 62 feet. In both instances I have to turn the flashlight on & off several times to notice the illumination.

Other than the distance thing, the Convoy S2+ is HUGE improvement....

Here's one of several small rocks (1-3 pounds) I have that are supposed to have minerals in them under 4500K LED lighting.

Same rock with the Tattu:

The visible light from it is so bright that my eyes do not detect the bit of fluorescence that my camera picks up here.

And same rock with the Convoy S2+

Here, this photo does not show as much as I see. I can detect, red's, purples, bright orange, and some pink with my eyes.

That wall with what looks like a childs finger painting on it, I can see about 200% more stuff on it with the Convoy :eeew:

After I get the filters for both flashlights, I'll do a little head-to-head review on them.

 

[PhotonWrangler]

After I get the filters for both flashlights, I'll do a little head-to-head review on them.

Looking forward to your comparison!