A great little UV light!

[LilAlex]

I have always used a cheap little UV penlight that I got from Esslinger whenever I want to check for fluorescence in a colored stone. But I started reading a bit more and learned that the cheap ones are mostly ~ 395nm with tons of spillover into visible (violet) light. That's what mine was -- looked like a tiny, old-school "blacklight." There are much better ones that are mostly 365nm with a cutoff filter that eliminates almost all visible light. (Note that both 365nm and 395nm are "long wave" UV and the only thing I was interested in.)

So, based on lots of positive reviews on Amazon -- mostly from the dog urine, coolant leak, and yooperite crowd (!) -- I got the LIGHTFE UV301D. It uses a disposable AA battery although for a few bucks more there is the UV301A model powered by a rechargeable lithium battery. It was $31 but after letting it marinate in my cart for a while, I got a discount coupon so it was $28. It's tiny but feels well made with a machined aluminum case and push-button rubberized on/off on the back end.

Here it is next to my old standby and a quarter for scale:



It is amazingly bright. Practically zero visible light but the fluorescence off a piece of plain white paper in a dark room is almost blinding.

As a test case, here is a pendant that we got from Inken a while back -- a vivid unheated 2-ct-ish pink sapphire in a handmade platinum mounting. Excluding the bale, it's maybe 5/8" or ~ 15mm top to bottom. (And my wife absolutely loves it -- can't omit that fact -- my blah ambient-ceiling-light photos below showcase the center stone adequately but do not do justice to the "bling" factor of the double row of melee!)

All the following photos undersell the fluorescence with either of the UV lights although they are completely representative of the differences that the eye "sees." They were all shot in RAW with minimal post-processing (plus white-balance correction on the ambient-light ones) on a delayed shutter release at high ISO with a tripod-mounted macro lens and full-frame DSLR body.

Under ambient light:



With my trusty old UV penlight:



With the LIGHTFE UV301D:



Just so amazing to see the sapphire light up like a pink/red LED only 10X brighter -- and the cool and varied fluor in the diamond melee with the various blues and even an orange and a green. The tiny red "specks" must be secondary reflections of the bright red off the front surface of the lens "filter" and then off the shiny metal. Even the lint on the faux suede pouch behind the pendant lights up.

Here is another series where I tried to better capture the varied fluor in the melee between the the 6:00 and 9:00 positions:

Under ambient light:



With my trusty old UV penlight:



With the LIGHTFE UV301D:



I am just blown away by the difference!

On the downside, though, I did learn that the "is-it-or-isn't it...?" slightly discolored patch on the carpet definitely is -- and that our never-had-an-accident pup has officially outlived his reputation...

 

[Mrsz1ppy]

I have always used a cheap little UV penlight that I got from Esslinger whenever I want to check for fluorescence in a colored stone. But I started reading a bit more and learned that the cheap ones are mostly ~ 395nm with tons of spillover into visible (violet) light. That's what mine was -- looked like a tiny, old-school "blacklight." There are much better ones that are mostly 365nm with a cutoff filter that eliminates almost all visible light. (Note that both 365nm and 395nm are "long wave" UV and the only thing I was interested in.)

So, based on lots of positive reviews on Amazon -- mostly from the dog urine, coolant leak, and yooperite crowd (!) -- I got the LIGHTFE UV301D. It uses a disposable AA battery although for a few bucks more there is the UV301A model powered by a rechargeable lithium battery. It was $31 but after letting it marinate in my cart for a while, I got a discount coupon so it was $28. It's tiny but feels well made with a machined aluminum case and push-button rubberized on/off on the back end.

Here it is next to my old standby and a quarter for scale:



It is amazingly bright. Practically zero visible light but the fluorescence off a piece of plain white paper in a dark room is almost blinding.

As a test case, here is a pendant that we got from Inken a while back -- a vivid unheated 2-ct-ish pink sapphire in a handmade platinum mounting. Excluding the bale, it's maybe 5/8" or ~ 15mm top to bottom. (And my wife absolutely loves it -- can't omit that fact -- my blah ambient-ceiling-light photos below showcase the center stone adequately but do not do justice to the "bling" factor of the double row of melee!)

All the following photos undersell the fluorescence with either of the UV lights although they are completely representative of the differences that the eye "sees." They were all shot in RAW with minimal post-processing (plus white-balance correction on the ambient-light ones) on a delayed shutter release at high ISO with a tripod-mounted macro lens and full-frame DSLR body.

Under ambient light:



With my trusty old UV penlight:



With the LIGHTFE UV301D:



Just so amazing to see the sapphire light up like a pink/red LED only 10X brighter -- and the cool and varied fluor in the diamond melee with the various blues and even an orange and a green. The tiny red "specks" must be secondary reflections of the bright red off the front surface of the lens "filter" and then off the shiny metal. Even the lint on the faux suede pouch behind the pendant lights up.

Here is another series where I tried to better capture the varied fluor in the melee between the the 6:00 and 9:00 positions:

Under ambient light:



With my trusty old UV penlight:



With the LIGHTFE UV301D:



I am just blown away by the difference!

On the downside, though, I did learn that the "is-it-or-isn't it...?" slightly discolored patch on the carpet definitely is -- and that our never-had-an-accident pup has officially outlived his reputation...

So glad you two got that pendant! I had admired it on Inken’s site. Fun to see the UV quality difference illustrated so well.

 

[maru8888777]

The UV light is great, but I also wanted to comment on the pendant. That's a beautiful piece. I eyed it for a while too... the milgrain! the bright pink! lovely.

 

[LilAlex]

Thank you, @Mrsz1ppy and @maru8888777! This post was not meant as a humble-brag -- it was the first thing I grabbed to test that light and I saw that galaxy of multicolored fluorescence and had to take some photos. But, in truth, I didn't want to not say where I got it, etc., this being Colored Stones and our being so happy with it.

The pendant was a bit of a happy accident. Inken was sending me something else to review and asked if there was anything I wanted to see in person that she could tuck in the package while we're at it. I said I had always admired that pendant and was curious about it but I cautioned her that we were unlikely to buy it. She seemed a little puzzled that it had not sold yet and was confident that I would like it. Totally not our style (or so I thought) and my wife already wears a small rubellite pendant fairly often so another pink pendant shouldn't have been a priority. Also, it's hand-forged and I was a little reluctant given the ever-so-slight asymmetry in the photos, etc. Plus, for things like this, I am more focused on the center colored stone (is that where most of the "value" is -- dumb, I know) whereas my wife is more inclined to just love something for the whole look (like a regular human). But as soon as I saw it in person, it completely knocked me out. Very solid (heavy, even) and nice visual presence for the compact size, nice frame for the pink. The rose-gold back is almost like a coin with pierce-work. My wife couldn't wait to try it on (and she is bling-averse). And Inken made an extra loop in the chain so she can wear it at 16" or 18".

We are super-happy with it -- and it has even made me question my taste (!) in terms of relying solely upon vendor photos no matter how good they are.

 

[CBianco]

I had been eyeing that pendant for ages! Glad you got to see it in person and decided it was a keeper! It looks phenomenal in your photos

 

[elle_71125]

I freaking love fluorescence in gemstones and diamonds.
That UV light looks amazing so I just went ahead and ordered it.
(I have several pets so I’m sure it will also come in handy in other, less exciting, ways).

Ps. Love your new pendant too!

 

[ItsMainelyYou]

Ooooooh, I'm getting one.
That pendant is beautiful, and the dork in me is duly impressed with the fluorescence.
On, off, on, off, on, off.

 

[LilAlex]

That UV light looks amazing so I just went ahead and ordered it.

I know, right?!

There are a bunch of similar ones but they all have a sizable percentage of scathing reviews whereas this one mostly won't work if you neglect to pull out the tiny piece of cardboard that blocks one of the battery contacts.

If you have Amazon Prime and you use the Offer Code LILALEX, you will get free shipping! (You will of course also get free shipping without that Offer Code.)

If you're busy, do not "test" it in the bathroom. Just sayin'

 

[elle_71125]

I know, right?!

There are a bunch of similar ones but they all have a sizable percentage of scathing reviews whereas this one mostly won't work if you neglect to pull out the tiny piece of cardboard that blocks one of the battery contacts.

If you have Amazon Prime and you use the Offer Code LILALEX, you will get free shipping! (You will of course also get free shipping without that Offer Code.)

If you're busy, do not "test" it in the bathroom. Just sayin'

Oh no! You've just guaranteed I'm going to try it in the bathroom. I dread to think what I might see in there.

 

[LilAlex]

Oh no! You've just guaranteed I'm going to try it in the bathroom.

Well, if you're an all-female household, maybe no worries. But for our kids' and guest BR -- even though they look immaculate (and we have even had "professional assistance") -- under UV some of the walls (yes, walls) look like Helter Skelter. I'll add in a "male dispersion pattern." Floors and fixtures look nice, though!

So my wife has been overseas and I can't welcome her back next week with "Want to see something cool and gross?!" So I spent a good bit of time wiping down all the BR walls, etc. And lest that elevate your opinion of me, know that if I asked her to guess what I did today, cleaning the (already-clean) bathrooms would not be among her top thousand guesses.

Related: We were just doing some reno work on a condo (not our career) and I was impressed that all the toilet seat metal hinges and bolts and water intake were pristine (!). My wife said, "You know, I wonder if it was just a single woman living here" and I said "I am 100% certain!"

I will never bring this light on vacation.

 

[ItsMainelyYou]

Well, if you're an all-female household, maybe no worries. But for our kids' and guest BR -- even though they look immaculate (and we have even had "professional assistance") -- under UV some of the walls (yes, walls) look like Helter Skelter. I'll add in a "male dispersion pattern." Floors and fixtures look nice, though!

So my wife has been overseas and I can't welcome her back next week with "Want to see something cool and gross?!" So I spent a good bit of time wiping down all the BR walls, etc. And lest that elevate your opinion of me, know that if I asked her to guess what I did today, cleaning the (already-clean) bathrooms would not be among her top thousand guesses.

Related: We were just doing some reno work on a condo (not our career) and I was impressed that all the toilet seat metal hinges and bolts and water intake were pristine (!). My wife said, "You know, I wonder if it was just a single woman living here" and I said "I am 100% certain!"

I will never bring this light on vacation.

Yes, you will.

 

[yssie]

Oooh.

I just got a good UV light too. Good meaning - y’know, like yours, better than the one that was basically a light with a purple filter. Had a grand time finding all the fluorescence in all the bling things - I’ve got a weird amount of green and orange fluorescing diamond melee.

Had a less grand time inspecting the floor moulding and carpet on the stairs.


Back when I travelled like a maniac for work - my cohort would always want to meet for a drink and some prep twenty minutes or so after we arrived at our hotel. And I was always the last one. Never thought anything of it. Then one time one of my coworkers needed something right away, and I told him to just come to my room to chat, and he saw me doing my Normal Thing and putting my own sheets and pillowcases on the bed, and… “Oh! So that’s why you always take so long! We all always wondered what the h*ll you were doing. I seriously can’t wait to explain this”.

^ Substitute for carrying the UV light. But know that others will judge you.

 

[LilAlex]

I just got a good UV light too. Good meaning - y’know, like yours, better than the one that was basically a light with a purple filter. Had a grand time finding all the fluorescence in all the bling things - I’ve got a weird amount of green and orange fluorescing diamond melee.

Yes! What did you get? Did you get a fancy 3-LED one? Looks like this one will "reach" 20 ft if it's dark and the target is fairly fluorescent (that's about as far as I could look in my house and I did not want to be a weirdo outside on a Friday night).

And yes on the orange and green fluor (!):

 

[yssie]

I got one called UV Beast - the mini. The name was a turnoff at first but it had good reviews. Lots of reviews from folks who search for rocks with funny names… Seems to be a true 365nm which my old definitely wasn’t!

The beam goes a long way but it’s really narrow. If that makes any sense? If I was actually using it to search a room for something I imagine it’d take forever, because I’d have to scan the place in 10-12” segments… That was the consistent negative in the reviews. Not really an issue with bling though.

You’ve got orange and green and purple fluor melee in there!! Wild. Michael Robinson (back in his RDG days) made a stunning floral piece with diamond melee that was patterned in both colour and fluorescence. Pretty big piece too. I can’t even imagine how many hours and headaches it must have taken. I had the privilege of seeing it in-person several years ago - its owner is a very lovely PSer! I’ve wanted a piece like it ever since but I know I wouldn’t be able to stomach the PITA fee that any vendor would assign such a project

 

[LilAlex]

I got one called UV Beast - the mini!

Yes -- that was the one I initially picked out but a bunch of the reviews (modest percentage, though) were like "stopped working [shortly after purchase]." So I got fixated on this one. I'm sure both are great! And certainly worlds better than what I had been using.

Oh a fluorescent mosaic of diamond melee would be incredible -- maybe I can do that for my passwords or something.

 

[yssie]

Yeah. If mine kicks it I’ll try yours!

A reasonable UV light, a reasonable loupe, a reasonable pair of calipers. I wish I’d just bought “reasonable” up front.

 

[LilAlex]

So this just popped up in my feed from Lotus and I thought it was timely, if others can find it:






They like the Convoy S2+ UV light which is not on Amazon and is apparently only distributed through this one channel.




I do not know anything else about it but it looks interesting. (I think i have all the UV lights I need now.)

 

[Avondale]

Oh, the convoys are some of the best. Mine is a convoy, got it from a specialised shop that sells them. But even the basic model (which costs about as much as your Amazon uv torch I think) is perfectly sufficient. So far I’ve provided two jewellers with convoys, they always love mine when they see it.

 

[Demon]

I have always used a cheap little UV penlight that I got from Esslinger whenever I want to check for fluorescence in a colored stone. But I started reading a bit more and learned that the cheap ones are mostly ~ 395nm with tons of spillover into visible (violet) light. That's what mine was -- looked like a tiny, old-school "blacklight." There are much better ones that are mostly 365nm with a cutoff filter that eliminates almost all visible light. (Note that both 365nm and 395nm are "long wave" UV and the only thing I was interested in.)

So, based on lots of positive reviews on Amazon -- mostly from the dog urine, coolant leak, and yooperite crowd (!) -- I got the LIGHTFE UV301D. It uses a disposable AA battery although for a few bucks more there is the UV301A model powered by a rechargeable lithium battery. It was $31 but after letting it marinate in my cart for a while, I got a discount coupon so it was $28. It's tiny but feels well made with a machined aluminum case and push-button rubberized on/off on the back end.

Here it is next to my old standby and a quarter for scale:



It is amazingly bright. Practically zero visible light but the fluorescence off a piece of plain white paper in a dark room is almost blinding.

As a test case, here is a pendant that we got from Inken a while back -- a vivid unheated 2-ct-ish pink sapphire in a handmade platinum mounting. Excluding the bale, it's maybe 5/8" or ~ 15mm top to bottom. (And my wife absolutely loves it -- can't omit that fact -- my blah ambient-ceiling-light photos below showcase the center stone adequately but do not do justice to the "bling" factor of the double row of melee!)

All the following photos undersell the fluorescence with either of the UV lights although they are completely representative of the differences that the eye "sees." They were all shot in RAW with minimal post-processing (plus white-balance correction on the ambient-light ones) on a delayed shutter release at high ISO with a tripod-mounted macro lens and full-frame DSLR body.

Under ambient light:



With my trusty old UV penlight:



With the LIGHTFE UV301D:



Just so amazing to see the sapphire light up like a pink/red LED only 10X brighter -- and the cool and varied fluor in the diamond melee with the various blues and even an orange and a green. The tiny red "specks" must be secondary reflections of the bright red off the front surface of the lens "filter" and then off the shiny metal. Even the lint on the faux suede pouch behind the pendant lights up.

Here is another series where I tried to better capture the varied fluor in the melee between the the 6:00 and 9:00 positions:

Under ambient light:



With my trusty old UV penlight:



With the LIGHTFE UV301D:



I am just blown away by the difference!

On the downside, though, I did learn that the "is-it-or-isn't it...?" slightly discolored patch on the carpet definitely is -- and that our never-had-an-accident pup has officially outlived his reputation...

Very interesting. I have a longwave UV light & a longwave/shortwave uv light. Based on your pictures I ordered and just received this light. This light is the first time I've picked up a pinkish/orangish color in an accent diamond. I've got a few diamonds that phosphoresce and I'll be interested to see if there's any difference in the length or intensity of that with this light. Thanks for posting.