Q: What do these lamps cost? A: They range from cheap to expensive. Cost, weight, brightness, reliability and power consumption are the main concerns we would have when buying a portable lamp for field use. Q: What are the most important factors in considering a specific model lamp for field use? A: A lot depends on the individual. ![]() We believe that competition is good for our hobby and hope that eventually someone will figure out how to build a good cheap lamp so that everyone can afford to enjoy these wonderful glowrocks as we do. We build our own lamps for use in the field and at home, but we do not sell lamps – thus we do not have a hidden agenda. We have no field experience with any other lamp. Please keep in mind that we only have used two lights: the SuperBright made by UV Systems and the Way Too Cool line of lamps. That is the purpose of this FAQ – What to look for in buying a field lamp. We don't have the time or resources to devote to actually testing each lamp out there and providing a side-by-side comparison, but we do have the ability to point out what you should look for when buying a field lamp. But, we have not seen an independent comparison of lamps ( until now), and the advice we see coming from some manufacturers is (in my opinion) misleading and borders on dishonesty. In the last couple of years there have been several new manufacturers and suppliers of portable UV lamps – great news for the Glowhound's hobby. A lot has changed since, but the content is still valuable). If you get bitten by the "glowbug" you will soon be looking for a high-end mineral light. These lights are economical but really only "toys". ![]() Some have ridiculously low-power LW/SW bulbs, and filter windows so small you'll be lucky to light up a stamp. ![]() The small 4W/6W/11W shortwave lights are very low power and will only light up a small area, in spite of outlandish claims of UV power. Fluorescent tube blackights are longwave and really replaced by LED flashlights - fewer fluorescent minerals are found using a blacklight. Some low-power shortwave lights might be a way to see if you're really interested in the hobby before dropping several hundred dollars on a real light (but anything over $75 merits serious thought about a real light).īe aware that the really cheap ones are. Prices range from a few $ to a ridiculous price of $150. There are many entry level lights on the market. MinerShop offers state-of-the-art UV flashlights for rocks now! Shop these lights today. But expect to invest some money in serious lights if you catch the glowbug. ![]() There are lower cost entry level lights which will allow you to play around and learn - see if this hobby is for you. You can expect to pay >$240 for a reasonable portable shortwave field mineral light, and powerful home display lights can be a thousand dollars or more. If you are new to the hobby you might want to learn more about UV and the various light sources (shortwave, midwave, longwave, blacklight) before diving into the review. For reference, an example of these types of lights is listed at the end of this page. They are usually the cheap alternative and the buyer will be greatly disappointed. There are many different kinds of lights out there some are simply not suitable for fluorescent mineral collecting. The mineral lights needed to prospect for our magnificent glow rocks are expensive, and serious lights are only available from a few manufacturers.
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