Alternative to the Sun Gun, Not Quite as Pricey, Any Good?

[Bill D]

Piggy backing on yesterday’s discussion of an alternative to the Brinkmann light:





http://www.autopia.org/forum/car-detailing-product-discussion/136490-alternative-brinkmann-dual-xenon-2.html



and discussions about the Sun Gun :





:http://www.autopia.org/forum/car-detailing/134229-inspection-lights-car-detailing-brinkmann-vs-sun-gun-vs-other-sources.html



I just discovered a Sun Gun alternative (http://www.detailersdomain.com/Infratech-CM5300--COLOR-MATCHER-CM5300-Ligthing_p_194.html[/URL) that is pricey but not as pricey as the Sun Gun and claims to have some decent advantages over it.













Being I have zero experience with any of these lights, I’m hoping someone does. Please feel free to discuss your thoughts. Thanks!

[Thomas Dekany]

I definitely recommend the Infratech. The only negative is that is isn`t cordless.

[Accumulator]

Bill D- I dunno if it looks all that ergonomically friendly, but it might be just great...hard to tell until you use it I guess.

[Bill D]

I definitely recommend the Infratech. The only negative is that is isn`t cordless.



Yeah, I noticed that might be the strongest strike against it for some, but if pros like you use and recommend it, I`d guess it`s fantastic for us enthusiasts. Heck, some of us currently use corded incandescent trouble lights.

[Bill D]

Bill D- I dunno if it looks all that ergonomically friendly, but it might be just great...hard to tell until you use it I guess.



Another good point, I wonder if that would be an issue in a "marathon inspection session" with potential fatigue and all...

[the other pc]

Yes, as long as you don`t mind dragging a cord around the Infratech works well. It`s not as "handy" as as SunGun but you never have to worry about batteries running down.



For looking at surface defects I do prefer a single lamp. I find that multiple light sources (or worse, continuous large light sources like fluorescents) tend to blur the image of the defects. If I were to buy an Infratech I`d remove one of the lamps and keep it as a spare.



I did find waving a sheet metal box close to paint to be rather scary. I`d wrap the edges and corners with some sort of high temp silicone rubber to cushion any accidental bumpage (being careful not to cover any vent holes).





pc.

[Accumulator]

the other PC- Since you mentioned multiple/continuous light source, I`ll take this opportunity to give you props for first mentioning "point source lighting" :bow

[Kevin Brown]

I think you`ll all enjoy this read over on DW:



:dance: :dance: :dance:How to make a $400.00 Sun Gun replica for $20-$30:dance: :dance: :dance: (http://www.detailingworld.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=205820)

[Bill D]

I think you`ll all enjoy this read over on DW:



:dance: :dance: :dance:How to make a $400.00 Sun Gun replica for $20-$30:dance: :dance: :dance: (http://www.detailingworld.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=205820)







Kevin Brown and his treasure trove of info strikes again! Thank you sir! :bow



Wow! I`ll have to go and spend some time carefully reviewing that home made Sun Gun thread. Ingenious! Not sure if I have the aptitude or the patience myself to try my hand at it, but it sure looks cool!

[togwt]

Start by looking at the surface in a darkened room, once your eyes have fully dilated, turn on a bright Halogen light beam. Direct the beam away from you and at a low angle and from various directions (you’ll be able to see even the most minor paint film surface imperfection) this is 100X more sensitive than viewing a vehicles paint film surface in normal light.



This viewing technique is an adaptation of “Dark field microscopy” used in many scientific fields. Direct or cloudy sunlight, shaded, low-angled, directly overhead or light reflected from other surfaces, or the type of artificial light the surface is viewed under can all influence what surface imperfections can or cannot be seen

[AuAltima3.5]

I just use a high power LED flashlight. It was a gift for xmas. Works pretty good, but can only see small areas.

[Accumulator]

Kevin Brown & Bill D- Heh heh, that`s one "time vs. money" decision I`d find pretty easy to make ;) Cool work though, and actually the write-up makes it sound pretty straightforward.



TOGWT- Yeah, people seem to overlook the need to work in an otherwise dark environment. IMO that`s one big part of duplicating the "filling station lights at night" situation where marring is so obvious.



And yeah#2 on the need to vary the illumination and viewing distance/angle. I`m really not kidding when I say I spend about as much time inspecting as I do correcting.

[dschia]

How different is the infratech from the standard halogen lamp?

[the other pc]

Kevin, I should have known you`d have something amazing to add to this (or any conversation). :hifive:



Accumulator, your welcome.



dschia, depends on what you mean by "the standard halogen lamp." If you mean those rectangular worklights that everybody seems to have, this is hugely different.



But as pointed out in the article, both the 3M SunGun and the guy`s homemade version use standard MR16 lamp elements (which are commonly available from lighting suppliers).







pc.

[Bill D]

If someone is real handy and has plenty of time on his hands, he could start up a little side job building those things for some of us here.