Anything better & stronger than Brinkmann MaxFire Dual Xenon?

ZoranC · 06-04-07, 12:27

Well, my eyes are not what they used to be. Or MaxFire is not strong enough to easily reveal swirls to those of us that don't have best trained eye, especially when used outside. Or both.

In any case, are you aware of anything (easily portable) that would be even better / "stronger" in revealing swirls than MaxFire?

themightytimmah · 06-04-07, 04:53

3M's Sun Gun is pretty much the top of the line in this regard, but it's quite pricey. It's sold to the bodyshop market for paint matching - it really does quite the job of replicating the sun, too.

ZoranC · 06-04-07, 11:17

Quote:

Originally Posted by themightytimmah

3M's Sun Gun is pretty much the top of the line in this regard, but it's quite pricey.

Ummmm, please allow me to add "... and that will not cost me another one of my firstborns" to the description

I'm not looking for necessarily cheapest, but that's way out of what I can justify.

Anything else? Would 1 million candle focused spotlight work? What kind of flashlight / spotlight would work best?

Accumulator · 06-04-07, 12:07

Quote:

Originally Posted by themightytimmah

3M's Sun Gun is pretty much the top of the line in this regard, but it's quite pricey. It's sold to the bodyshop market for paint matching - it really does quite the job of replicating the sun, too.

My good painter has one of those, and while it's great for paint matching and texture evaluation, it doesn't work very well for swirl-spotting. Using it, I can't see stuff on the Jag that I *know* is there. The marring that drives me nuts is invisible under that light, but under my incandescents it's obvious. I played around with it quite a bit and was prepared to buy one, until I found that it just doesn't work well for this application.

ZoranC- It's not just a question of brightness or even daylight-color, but also of *contrast*. I still do my final inspection under old fashioned incandescent lighting. My hand-held trouble light cost maybe $20, plus a few more for the 300w bulb and it works better for spotting marring than anything else I've ever tried (no more surprises under the gas station lights at night

). Use it in an otherwise dark shop, that's very important, and vary the angle and distance from the paint. Also vary your viewing distance and angle and make sure you're focusing on the surface of the paint, not the reflections in it.

ZoranC · 06-04-07, 12:23

Quote:

Originally Posted by Accumulator

It's not just a question of brightness or even daylight-color, but also of *contrast*.

I definitely understand. Something that will be sharp without blinding.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Accumulator

I still do my final inspection under old fashioned incandescent lighting. My hand-held trouble light cost maybe $20, plus a few more for the 300w bulb and it works better for spotting marring than anything else I've ever tried

Believe it or not I've considered that and am still not discarding idea.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Accumulator

Use it in an otherwise dark shop, that's very important ...

That's the part I can not do. I don't have a garage to work in, much less shop. I have to be able to do it outside.

SilvaBimma · 06-04-07, 01:54

Interesting question, I've never found the Brinkmann to be that helpful. I ended up returning mine for the $20 credit. Halogen's seem to pick up large amounts of damage, but of course the Sun is the ultimate defect spotter.

Less · 06-04-07, 02:09

Quote:

Originally Posted by ZoranC

Ummmm, please allow me to add "... and that will not cost me another one of my firstborns" to the description

I'm not looking for necessarily cheapest, but that's way out of what I can justify.

Anything else? Would 1 million candle focused spotlight work? What kind of flashlight / spotlight would work best?

"Another one of your firstborns?"

How many firstborns do you have? What did you get for the other one?

ZoranC · 06-04-07, 03:15

Quote:

Originally Posted by Less

"Another one of your firstborns?" How many firstborns do you have?

Literally? None. Jokingly (because it was meant as a joke)? As many as can fit in a joke.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Less

What did you get for the other one?

Obviously not enough

Accumulator · 06-04-07, 07:38

ZoranC- Ah, yeah...I forgot your working environment

SilvaBimma- Oddly enough I sometimes see stuff under the incandescents that I can't see in natural sunlight. Same example: the Jag looks a *lot* better in the sun than it does in my shop. Heh heh, my painter thinks I'm nuts to stress about marring that's only visible under such limited/weird conditions and he's probably right

kleraudio · 06-04-07, 07:45

Hey George,
I almost forgot about the incandescent lighting that you told me about. Definitely gonna make a trip to Home Depot this weekend!

Thanks for refreshing my memory!

Jim

Bob_G · 06-04-07, 08:12

You could try one of these. Lumens/dollar it's about the best you could do for a flashlight I think. Here's a review.

ZoranC · 06-04-07, 11:15

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bob_G

You could try one of these. Lumens/dollar it's about the best you could do for a flashlight I think. Here's a review.

It is hard for me to say would it work or not without knowing what kind of light is my target and what kind of light that flashlight is outputting. I don't think lumens play too much of a role as long as it is causing contrast. Fluorescent lighting is not putting out many lumens yet it is revealing flaws real good. I have a feeling distance from paint surface matters a lot. Beam has to be narrow focus.