Need a new scorpion hunting light

[The Electrician]

I received the Countryman EDC S+ today. I came with a nylon holster, a wrist strap, and no filter to remove visible light. I installed my spare filter.

I measured the current drain and it draws 1.45 amps, essentially twice what the Convoy and Jaxman draw. It has a slightly tighter beam, which by itself would make it appear somewhat more powerful. It does give noticeably brighter fluorescence of objects, but at a cost of half the battery life.

The double current draw compared to the convoy also causes the flashlight body to get warmer, quicker.

The slightly tighter beam plus double radiant intensity would mean that scorpions could be seen at a greater distance, but with half the battery life. YMMV

I think that for general purpose use, including good scorpion hunting performance, I would choose the Convoy S2+

 

[The Electrician]

News Flash!

The Countryman has a feature I was unaware of. It has 3 brightness levels, selected by rapidly turning on and off. After a brightness level is selected, the flashlight will remember that level for subsequent usage.

The current draws for the 3 levels are:

Low .050 amps
Medium .400 amps
High 1.45 amps

The medium level is brighter than the Jaxman. The low level is quite adequate for use checking currency and documents at close range, and other close work. The pink strip on a $100 is well lit up using low power. On low level, battery life would be more than 50 hours, and probably 7 hours or so on medium (assuming one is using a 3400 mAh cell).

I forgot to mention that the Countryman comes with a fluorescent green O ring.

This is now my preferred UV flashlight, with the only downside the tight beam. This could probably be changed by moving the LED with respect to the reflector.

Of course, the high price could also be considered a downside, but for a flashaholic, the mantra is "Price? What's that?".

 

[vortechs]

...the only downside the tight beam. This could probably be changed by moving the LED with respect to the reflector.

I think moving the LED height in the reflector would just produce an uneven beam pattern with rings and/or a 'donut hole' like you get with a Maglite. It would probably take a different reflector to widen the beam, unless the issue is the angle of the Nichia UV LED itself in which case it would probably take some optics to widen the beam.

 

[JayHawk]

Convoy S2+ update.
Been using it exclusivly all summer, somewhere in the neighborhood of 60 hours without any issues at all. It does get pretty warm with the high ambient temps in AZ, but it's not excessive. Scorpions glow brightly. I would absolutely buy another.

 

[Justintoxicated]

Convoy S2+ update.
Been using it exclusivly all summer, somewhere in the neighborhood of 60 hours without any issues at all. It does get pretty warm with the high ambient temps in AZ, but it's not excessive. Scorpions glow brightly. I would absolutely buy another.

nice the s2+ is an amazing workhorse light. my triples in s2+ hey real hot i wouldn't worry about the uv light to much, other than the danger of uv itself. A nice upgrade would be the filter for it. [emoji3]

 

[JayHawk]

Good point, I've used a filter since the second night with the light and it's much better with it.

 

[spotlight76]

I received the Countryman EDC S+ today. I came with a nylon holster, a wrist strap, and no filter to remove visible light. I installed my spare filter.

I measured the current drain and it draws 1.45 amps, essentially twice what the Convoy and Jaxman draw. It has a slightly tighter beam, which by itself would make it appear somewhat more powerful. It does give noticeably brighter fluorescence of objects, but at a cost of half the battery life.

The double current draw compared to the convoy also causes the flashlight body to get warmer, quicker.

The slightly tighter beam plus double radiant intensity would mean that scorpions could be seen at a greater distance, but with half the battery life. YMMV

I think that for general purpose use, including good scorpion hunting performance, I would choose the Convoy S2+

o which one you think is better, the Convoys or the Countryman? The 3w difference means that the
S

 

[spotlight76]

I received the Countryman EDC S+ today. I came with a nylon holster, a wrist strap, and no filter to remove visible light. I installed my spare filter.

I measured the current drain and it draws 1.45 amps, essentially twice what the Convoy and Jaxman draw. It has a slightly tighter beam, which by itself would make it appear somewhat more powerful. It does give noticeably brighter fluorescence of objects, but at a cost of half the battery life.

The double current draw compared to the convoy also causes the flashlight body to get warmer, quicker.

The slightly tighter beam plus double radiant intensity would mean that scorpions could be seen at a greater distance, but with half the battery life. YMMV

I think that for general purpose use, including good scorpion hunting performance, I would choose the Convoy S2+

So which one you think is better, the Convoy or the Countryman? The 3w difference means that the Countryman is much brighter?

 

[Technoman]

I've played with the cheap ones and the problem is not bright enough for any distance. I found this thread last month and went to Amazon and got the UVBeast. I don't think I've had this much fun with a flashlight in a long time. I'm getting the scorpions BEFORE they get in the house. The tomato worms don't stand a chance anymore either. Wife loves that! Might buy a small one for taking camping. Thanks CPF

 

[spotlight76]

UVBeast doesn't have a Nichia Led, i don't think it's a real UV.

 

[The Electrician]

So which one you think is better, the Convoy or the Countryman? The 3w difference means that the Countryman is much brighter?

I only saw your question today. My answer would be: If brighter is your only requirement, then the Countryman is better. Otherwise I can't say more than I already did in the previous post you quoted.

 

[LightObsession]

Coast has a new PX100 1AA light listed for $25 and the video on youtube shows it lighting up scorpions quite well.

No other info available on it, though.

 

[The Electrician]

The Coast site says it's a 400 nm light, not a 365 nm one: https://coastportland.com/product/px100/

 

[LightObsession]

The Coast site says it's a 400 nm light, not a 365 nm one: https://coastportland.com/product/px100/

Yes, but the video for that light shows it lighting up scorpions quite effectively, which is what this discussion is about, so does being 400nm, rather than 365nm really matter?

Also, when I talked to them on the phone, they said it lights up cat pee pretty well, but have no video of biological fluids glowing.

 

[The Electrician]

If you'll look back through the thread you'll see that there was considerable discussion about using UV flashlights for other things than scorpion detection, and for some of those alternative uses it was deemed important to have 365 nm. I just posted a fact about the Coast flashlight that might be relevant for some people.

 

[tommyid1]

I need a UV light for scorpions/animal detection

We just moved to Arizona and our place is having a problem with bark scorpions. They are the most dangerous kind in the United States and can be deadly to small children and pets. We have a 1.5 year old and two small cats. We have had the property sprayed but they keep getting in somehow. The exterminator said they should abate soon but until then I want the biggest best UV flashlight around to make sure my kid and my pets are safe inside and outside the house.
Size is not a concern so long as it's handheld. It's going to live at home on the counter. I was reading about some filters that cut out some of the purple glow to let you see small amounts of fluorescence better. Can you all help me out to get the best flashlight possible for a reasonable budget. Trying to stay around $50 is bucks but can go a bit higher if I need to. All the ones around town are garbage flicker. I want to be able to flood the backyard and see well but also be able to go around the corners and walls of my sons bedroom.

Thanks in advance!!!
Thomas

 

[usdiver]

Re: I need a UV light for scorpions/animal detection

Convoy S2 or S2+While I've not had one I ve never heard anything bad.
There's actually another thread here somewhere. You want a woods black lens or similar but you also need to be aware and understand any risks with using uv to be safe

 

[archimedes]

.... There's actually another thread here somewhere....

Yep, merged

 

[usdiver]

Yep, merged

You read my mind

 

[JayHawk]

Thomas
I've been using a Convoy S2+ nightly for a couple years and had no issues. It's working great for me.

You're welcome to use my backup UV light if you need it 'till you find something. Scorpions glow well but batteries (3 AA) only last about a week. I used Eneloops.