UV handheld sanitizer wand light! Brands, batteries, and beyond

lightyearsaway

Newly Enlightened
Joined
Nov 2, 2012
Messages
152
Location
Taipei, Taiwan
Hey guys I am looking for one of those travel ready foldable portable UV sanitizer wands. But so far what I have found I am not sure what would actually work, what doesn't, etc.
Amazon has mixed reviews. I found another review site AuthorityTopList, but not sure they are legit or not. Search 2020 top 20 best UV light sanitizers and you will find it. Forget if I can post links so...

I would prefer one that uses a 9V or AA batteries, why? Because I want to pack it for checked luggage and Lo-ion and lithium batteries cannot be checked anymore, thanks to Samsung... :mad:. But so far I am not finding anything clear that would indicate what models and brands might actually be pretty good to use. UV technology is not rocket science, but there is a lot of skepticism out there. Whatever I buy, I will also be buying radiation cards to check it, not only for accuracy but also for leaks. I would also prefer not to buy a Chinese branded wand. Most likely made in China, fine, but I want something with other countries technology for reliability. They aren't cheap.
 
Last edited:

Lynx_Arc

Flashaholic
Joined
Oct 1, 2004
Messages
11,212
Location
Tulsa,OK
I have been wondering about this also, that is the effectiveness of UV lights to kill germs and especially this Covid 19 thing.
I've heard someone say it takes 20-30 seconds to sanitize a phone with some sort of device. What I truly wonder is if they are using UV light would the concentration of UV exposure have to be great enough to do damage to anything over time?
There is other things to consider as UV lights vary (at least those claimed to have UV) in wavelength and intensity which may mean that just because something puts out UV light doesn't mean it is intense enough or the frequency is the most effective. I've also heard that on some items the light is less effective on non flat and smooth surfaces and cracks etc can allow spots that the light cannot get to like metal hinged watch bands etc.
It may be lithium ion batteries in devices can still be checked if so you could get some cheap flashlights and tape over the ends of the batteries before installing them in the light essentially using them for a battery caddy.
 

PhotonWrangler

Flashaholic
Joined
Oct 19, 2003
Messages
14,432
Location
In a handbasket
UVC light works for sanitizing, although there are a couple of catches -

1) There is a specific minimum exposure needed which is a product of lamp intensity and distance. Getting this right can be tricky. In real life a sanitizing wipe is much faster.
2) If there's gunk on the device being sanitized, the UVC wavelengths might not be able to penetrate the gunk to get to the surface of the device. Again, a sanitizing wipe makes short work of this.

I like the idea of UVC sanitizing because it's completely dry, and I have a few UVC lamps. They're good for sanitizing things that can't get wet. However I usually resort to plain old alcohol and / or Clorox wipes.

And the sterilizing wavelength has to be ~254nm or shorter. Regular UVA black lights don't work.
 

PhotonWrangler

Flashaholic
Joined
Oct 19, 2003
Messages
14,432
Location
In a handbasket
I stumbled across a combo White / UVC LED motion sensing hexagonal shaped light puck at a DIY store yesterday (that rhymes with petards). It has 2 UVC LEDs and 6 warm white ones. The white LEDs turn on with motion, and after 15 seconds of no motion the UVC LEDs turn on for 2 minutes. It has a built-in rechargeable battery. The UVC radiant output is claimed to be 20mw in the documentation. It cost me $40. I bought it on a whim just to have a couple more UVC LEDs for comparison purposes.
 
Top