Inova X5 Ultra Violet any good?

I am debating on getting the Inova X5 white or Ultra Violet LED flashlight and would like some advice. How does the brightness of the ultra violet compare to that of the plain white LED? I noticed the ultra violet is about $20 more on some auctions and such. Having an ultra violet light seems like it would be cool and I would be willing to pay the extra price for it but I do not want to sacrifice any brightness or clarity compared to the plain white LED. Anyone have any suggestions? Pictures would be awesome too. Thanks guys!

Don't have the regular X5. . .but the UV version I do have and it is not very bright to the naked eye. But that's the point. . .most of the energy should not be in visible light. I have several other UV LED flashlights, and none cause flourescence as bright as the X5 UV. All my UV lights are LEDs, the tube type lights put out much more energy. But for an LED, I haven't seen one more effective. I got mine on sale, Meridian Tactical was closing them out for $40 just a couple weeks ago. I am very happy with my X5UV!

Hey Brad and Aloft, welcome to CPF and why dontcha stay awhile!

I love my X5Ts, though they certainly aren't my EDC or most used lights. The regular X5T, which Chris now sells for about $30, and the UV (about $40, and I paid more for each of them) are tough, aesthetically pleasing and functional.

The UV, in my opinion, fluoresces things well (credit cards, money, vaseline glass) but puts out too much blue light, so as to obscure some detail. The Countycomm keychain UV puts out more blue light, and gives much less detail. THe guy in Hong Kong that sells on Ebay, has a better UV, and cheaper, at least it was when I got my X5T-UV.

As to the regular X5T, you don't worry about breaking it, it's great to use to around the house, sucking out the old 123 cells, as well as in the glove compartment.

I would not consider the two interchangeable at all. You might want a blue X5T, which is likely brighter than the white LEDs, but you sacrifice some color rendition and depth, so I like white LEDs better. The UV has its niche, hunting scorpions (never done that) and checking the toilet bowl (have done that, luckily not much to see), but is not good for general use, particularly since people like to look into the ends of flashlights, and UV ain't good fer yer eyes.

So, get both (an oft heard mantra around here), but be aware that there are a lot of brighter and smaller torches to be had.

welcome again,
daloosh

The only NUV LED lights that are comparable to the Inova X5T UV are the Vector 7, the Vector 4 (both use lenses to focus the LED beams), the UView MicroLED Lite (I believe it has 12 LEDs), and the Pelican M6 6 watt NUV LED modification.

All of the lights output radiation peaking at 400-405nm, except for the Pelican modification which is 395nm.

Mine kicks butt!

Brad,
the two are not comparable at all. The UV version makes you see things that react to UV light and pretty much ignores the rest. on non-fluorescent surfaces it is a pale purplpe-white light and of not much use, while on white paper for example it kicks butt.
The White LED version is a general illumination tool of mid-brightness with good runtime and quite rugged and lets you see everything it can reach with a (theoretical) good color rendition.
two different animals ... a specialized UV unit and a general tool.
bernhard

I have one of those and really like it. It appears to not throw much light until I shine it at the Pelican stock (fluorescent yellow) on the shelves and then WOW! Works great for minerals that glow too at night.

The X5 UV is really the best bet for LED. The trick is using the proper eyewear when using it. The special amber lenses will filter out the blue and allow you to see the fluoresced "stuff".

Can someone point to a good pair of amber glasses? Or is it just any amber pair of glasses?

Thanks /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Remember, the human eye is not very sensitive to 400-405nm, don't "stare" into the LEDs trying to see how much "light" it puts out - try pointing them at the same FL items

As Craig has reminded us several times; we only have one pair of eyes - and can't go down to 7-11 for "eyeballs in a can"

Our MC20-400, uses 20xHigh power NUV LEDs

http://www.ledmuseum.org/uv20.htm

I have sold a ton of these X5-UV with no complaints. I have played a lot with one as well. You wont be dissapointed.

Chris