Someone recently gave me a little keychain light as a gift. It is one of those ASP Saphires. It has good solid construction and it fairly bright. My only problem is that it has a blue LED. I simply dont know where it fits in. I know red is good for keeping your night vision, green is pleasing to the eyes, and such and so on, but I dont know what to use blue for. I think I read that it is good for map reading, but I am barely old enough to sit in the front seat. So can someone help me put this light to good use?
What are blue LEDs useful for?
- Thread starter Mags
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Cornkid
Flashlight Enthusiast
Yes, Blue LEDs are used by hunters and crime-police to spot blood. The blue beam is excellent for spotting anything red.
-tom
-tom
greenLED
Flashaholic
I get a headache if I read at night using a blue LED. I'm not sure if it's the color or the intensity, though. I'm inclined to think it's the color because this doesn't happen with other green, red, white, or yellow LED's I read with at night.
blackout
Newly Enlightened
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Blue increases contrast.
greenLED
Flashaholic
blackout, love the avatar
ditto on the yellow, mags
ditto on the yellow, mags
PhotonWrangler
Flashaholic
They're good for signalling in a crowd. They really stand out against the visual clutter.
sotto
Flashlight Enthusiast
IMHO, blue LEDs cast the most visible beam under dark conditions. My little blue LED Peak Hi Power McKinley has a very visible beam, much more so than my white and green McKinleys.
So blue is a more visible color than others in the entire spectrum? If this light was red, I would have used it for navigating in the dark or something, but it is hard to think of what to use it for because most of its uses are things done by adults, or things that I most likely won't experience for quite a while.
Sub_Umbra
Flashlight Enthusiast
Mags, I like dim white for map reading. Blue makes the water invisible.
Blue lights are used quite a bit in technical theater. Human eyes are much more sensitive to blue light than red so for many things blue beats red hands down backstage.
Aside from blue flashlights backstage blue is also used quit a bit for lighting technical spaces for props, fly ops, etc. For some reason which I don't understand it is easier to completely hide an area backstage that is lit in blue than most other colors. (Keep stray light from being seen by the audience during dimly lit scenes and blackouts)
If you work with blue light enough you eventually get to where you can do quite a bit with it.
Blue lights are used quite a bit in technical theater. Human eyes are much more sensitive to blue light than red so for many things blue beats red hands down backstage.
Aside from blue flashlights backstage blue is also used quit a bit for lighting technical spaces for props, fly ops, etc. For some reason which I don't understand it is easier to completely hide an area backstage that is lit in blue than most other colors. (Keep stray light from being seen by the audience during dimly lit scenes and blackouts)
If you work with blue light enough you eventually get to where you can do quite a bit with it.
Sub, thanks for the chart. I had a flash egr done on my eyes and it mapped what colors I can and can not see. I have always found the bluish leds work better for me for reading than white, but never tried a blue led light. I have no idea where to get one frankly. As for blue leds, Ive seen them in police lights, but the internal ones on the unmarked cars and the light bars of regular cars. Man, they are bright. Not too visible in the distance.
scudinc
Enlightened
Let's be honest: The main reason we buy blue LEDs is because they look cool.
TRC
Newly Enlightened
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[ QUOTE ]
scudinc said:
Let's be honest: The main reason we buy blue LEDs is because they look cool.
[/ QUOTE ]
Yes, I just bought some of those nice, inexpensive coin cell lights to use as give aways, or stocking stuffers in the unlikely event that they make it to Christmas, but I bought 2 blue ones just to play with.
It's interesting trying to navigate my house by the blue light; everything looks strange, and it seems to mess up my depth perception, as well. Walking ouside, with more uniform colors, is easier.
The ones I have are a nice royal blue color, and very, very bright!
The blue light seems to bother my cat a bit; she gets a bit agitated; I'm not sure if she can/can't see well in the blue light, and/or the extreme color shift bothers her, but I no longer use the blue LED when she's in the room. But hey, cats are weird, in any event /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif
I'd have to agree that a blue LED light would be ideal to signal in a crowded, darkened area; the color really stands out.
An EternaLight with 4 blue LED's in 'dazzle' mode would be pretty neat!
scudinc said:
Let's be honest: The main reason we buy blue LEDs is because they look cool.
[/ QUOTE ]
Yes, I just bought some of those nice, inexpensive coin cell lights to use as give aways, or stocking stuffers in the unlikely event that they make it to Christmas, but I bought 2 blue ones just to play with.
It's interesting trying to navigate my house by the blue light; everything looks strange, and it seems to mess up my depth perception, as well. Walking ouside, with more uniform colors, is easier.
The ones I have are a nice royal blue color, and very, very bright!
The blue light seems to bother my cat a bit; she gets a bit agitated; I'm not sure if she can/can't see well in the blue light, and/or the extreme color shift bothers her, but I no longer use the blue LED when she's in the room. But hey, cats are weird, in any event /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif
I'd have to agree that a blue LED light would be ideal to signal in a crowded, darkened area; the color really stands out.
An EternaLight with 4 blue LED's in 'dazzle' mode would be pretty neat!
Icebreak
Flashlight Enthusiast
Mags -
Blue LEDs will fluoresce some objects.
If you mess around with electronics, it can be useful to know that the print on circuitry stands out under a blue LED.
If you fish at night, a single blue LED can be a nice addition to your tackle box. Some lures will flouresce under a blue LED so they become easy to differentiate and identify. If your fluorescent bobber is floating 30' feet away and you lose track of it; you can sweep the water with a single 5mm blue LED and your bobber will blaze right up.
If you use the TV guide from the Sunday newspaper, a blue LED can make it easier to use. If there is a special program you don't want to miss, you can highlight the listing with a yellow highlighter. This won't ugly up the guide like circling favorites with a black pen would. Next Thursday night when you want to watch a little TV; you can shine your ASP Sapphire at the guide and that program you may have forgotten about will light right up.
This method is effective and courteous. Possibly other members of your household will decide to use this method. They may decide to use another highlighter color. Yellow, orange and green seem to work best.
Have fun.
---------------
- Jeff
Blue LEDs will fluoresce some objects.
If you mess around with electronics, it can be useful to know that the print on circuitry stands out under a blue LED.
If you fish at night, a single blue LED can be a nice addition to your tackle box. Some lures will flouresce under a blue LED so they become easy to differentiate and identify. If your fluorescent bobber is floating 30' feet away and you lose track of it; you can sweep the water with a single 5mm blue LED and your bobber will blaze right up.
If you use the TV guide from the Sunday newspaper, a blue LED can make it easier to use. If there is a special program you don't want to miss, you can highlight the listing with a yellow highlighter. This won't ugly up the guide like circling favorites with a black pen would. Next Thursday night when you want to watch a little TV; you can shine your ASP Sapphire at the guide and that program you may have forgotten about will light right up.
This method is effective and courteous. Possibly other members of your household will decide to use this method. They may decide to use another highlighter color. Yellow, orange and green seem to work best.
Have fun.
---------------
- Jeff
Sub_Umbra
Flashlight Enthusiast
[ QUOTE ]
TRC said:
...The blue light seems to bother my cat a bit; she gets a bit agitated; I'm not sure if she can/can't see well in the blue light, and/or the extreme color shift bothers her, but I no longer use the blue LED when she's in the room. But hey, cats are weird, in any event /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif ...
[/ QUOTE ]
Funny you should mention that. Whenever our cat climbs up on something he shouldn't be on my wife hits him with the beam of a piercing blue 3AA Trek2 (Tektite). It stops him in his tracks. Once she has his full attention she only has to tell him to get down. My wife calls it 'The evil blue light of discipline!'
TRC said:
...The blue light seems to bother my cat a bit; she gets a bit agitated; I'm not sure if she can/can't see well in the blue light, and/or the extreme color shift bothers her, but I no longer use the blue LED when she's in the room. But hey, cats are weird, in any event /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif ...
[/ QUOTE ]
Funny you should mention that. Whenever our cat climbs up on something he shouldn't be on my wife hits him with the beam of a piercing blue 3AA Trek2 (Tektite). It stops him in his tracks. Once she has his full attention she only has to tell him to get down. My wife calls it 'The evil blue light of discipline!'
greenlight
Flashlight Enthusiast
Poor cat!
ledvador
Newly Enlightened
i'm wondering witch blue is used for forensic stuff, royal blue, dental blue, or regular blue?
who knows?
who knows?
r2
Enlightened
I think there was a thread a while back about blue light that suggested it can damage your eyes over time. Some sunglasses specifically filter out blue light, and the result is meant to be easier on your eyes.
I don't remember the details, but I would avoid intense blue lights unless you have a specific reason to use them. I've also noticed that intense blue lights can give me a headache easier than other colors, and it takes longer to recover after being blinded by blue light. A quick google turns up this link, among others:
Blue light hazard
YMMV,
Russ
I don't remember the details, but I would avoid intense blue lights unless you have a specific reason to use them. I've also noticed that intense blue lights can give me a headache easier than other colors, and it takes longer to recover after being blinded by blue light. A quick google turns up this link, among others:
Blue light hazard
YMMV,
Russ
