Photo time....
Colour is deeper and more vibrant in reality:
Underexposed to better show the middle of the beam:
Forensic edition next to regular white 4+ :
Shone through the UV-blocking goggles, notice not all the light is blocked out, but also notice just how bright the un-filtered light is:
And an example of its fluorescing capabilities, first in plain view:
Now with the goggles on:
So although the light emitted isn`t true UV, and although the orange lenses don`t filter all the blue light, it`s still a very effective little thing. I`m not a forensic scientist so couldn`t begin to say how useful or accurate it would be in place of other illuminators, but as a flashlight nut it`s a cool toy and interesting too.
Just in case anyone wonders, the beam is not 100% perfect. The clear lens of the blue Luxeon LED together with the smooth reflector does make for some slight rings in the outer reaches of the side-spill, and there is a hint of the "grill" effect and a slight shadow that the structure of the blue die gives in the middle, but on the whole the deep blue is just so overwhelming to the eye that it isn`t much to be bothered about.
It`s one to be used with care of course. The intense deep blue, though very pretty, could cause harm to your eyes if abused. And as with other light-related injuries, the damage is cumulative, not becoming evident right away either. Signs of "damage" to the eyes are dryness or a stinging sensation a half hour or more after exposure. So keep it out of reach of kids and those who would be inclined to look right down the barell then push the power button /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/eek.gif
