Brinkman Dual Xenon/LED EXTINCT?

I know the Dual Xenon was discontinued, but I thought the LED was still available?

If not, Flex make a good LED swirl finder light.

The Dual Xenon one is discontinued, and I haven't even seen a used one on Craigslist or Ebay. From the few reviews and thread I found on the new LED version. It's a POS not even worth buying. Which sucks because I'd like a light like that. I know cheapy LED flashlights do the same thing. But the Brinkmann just looks like a professional tool.

The brinkman light in all it's versions are a poorly built light. I'm glad their gone. I had such a bad experience I will Jo longer buy any brinkman product. Customer service stinks.

I love the Brinkmann Swirl Finder Light. I have articles in the forum world going back to around the year 2002 I think when I first started using them.


For photography work I have yet to find a light that works as well as the original Brinkmann Swirl Finder Light.


The Brinkmann Swirl Finder Light
Even though we documented the swirls using the sun we also want to use the Brinkmann Swirl Finder light before, during and after our work.






For showing large groups of people the before and after difference

I have yet to find a light that works as well as the Brinkmann when it comes to educating people on paint defects and especially when doing before and after demonstrations.

Here I'm showing a large group of people the before and after difference on a 1969 GTO Judge after performing a TEST SPOT as a part of our 3-day Detailing Boot Camp Classes.










For marketing purposes, I have yet to find a light that works as well as the Brinkmann and I've probably introduced this light to more people on the face of the earth than anyone.


The first time I demonstrated the "Cruel Master" aka the Brinkmann Swirl Finder Light he thought it was pretty cool. When it came time to shoot this segment he used it to light up a patch of scratches so the camera guys could pick them up on camera.




On the set of Motorhead Garage with Sam Memmolo and Dave Bowman.




And here are the cameras getting some close-up shots as I light up the finish using the Brinkmann Swirl Finder Light.





I would love to seen the original Brinkmann Swirl Finder light brought back to the market. I believe in them for all the reasons listed above and a few more non-detailing related reasons.


Maybe someday....

I agree that they work really well.

Maybe I got lucky, but mine is still going strong after about 8 years!

Just get the blue and white one while you can.

They are so good that the manufacture cannot keep up with the demand.

Kyle_Elantra said:

Just get the blue and white one while you can.

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I found 1 place with 14 reviews of that model, 1 1/2 stars average reviews. I know it's a bit over a dozen reviews, but that's not good at all.

The Scangrip Sunmatch light looks sweeeeet, it's expensive but if I had $150 laying around it would be mine.

Brinkman quality sucks. Will not buy again.

there are too many options nowadays to worry about that junky lamp. i know it has its fans but there are other things that can do the job and are better in one or many ways.

headlamps, handhelds, DIY...tons of reliable, affordable options.

Not too mention the fact they don't support it with spare parts. One of my bulbs went out, can't find them on their website or anywhere else. Bummer.

What is a high quality version of the Brinkmann were available including spare parts?


I'll stick by what I wrote in my first reply when it comes to actually using the "light" that comes out of the unit to,

1. See for yourself the before and after results.
2. Show or reveal to others the before and after results
3. Capture and photograph swirls via cameras and video

I've used a lot of lights in my life and when it comes to the above 3 things I still say the Xenon bulb and the light spread pattern by the design of the Brinkmann works better than anything I've used.

Plus the marketing side cannot be beat. Everything else is just a flashlight.

Mike.Phillips@Autogeek said:

What is a high quality version of the Brinkmann were available including spare parts?


I'll stick by what I wrote in my first reply when it comes to actually using the "light" that comes out of the unit to,

1. See for yourself the before and after results.
2. Show or reveal to others the before and after results
3. Capture and photograph swirls via cameras and video

I've used a lot of lights in my life and when it comes to the above 3 things I still say the Xenon bulb and the light spread pattern by the design of the Brinkmann works better than anything I've used.

Plus the marketing side cannot be beat. Everything else is just a flashlight.

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Why doesn't AG sell them?

Rsurfer said:

Why doesn't AG sell them?

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The silver xenon bulb Brinkmann swirl finder light was discontinued by the manufacturer.

That's why we nor anyone else continues to sell them.


(I have my own stash)

Mike.Phillips@Autogeek said:

What [if] a high quality version of the Brinkmann were available including spare parts?

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I have a Brinkman dual xenon, which has been dead for some time (won't hold a charge). It died over a period of several months, gradually giving practically no usage time for each apparently full charge. If you search, this is not an uncommon problem. I read where one person replaced the battery and it ended up dying again, so it might not be the battery so much as the charging circuitry inside is just not well-matched to it. Batteries for this thing cost (with shipping) as much as the whole light.

Anyway, this thread reminded me I wanted to take my Brinkman apart to see if I could power it externally, since I did like the light it put out.

After taking it apart (it was definitely not designed with disassembly in mind), the battery is a 6V, so I powered it with a variable power supply to see how much current it draws and how much the brightness goes down with a lower voltage.

Then I went to my big box of retired AC/DC wall warts. I didn't have a 6V unit with enough current so I settled for a 5V 3.8 amp unit (you only really need about 2.5 amps, and 6V would be better if you have it). Snipped off the end, added about 15 feet of wire from an old 16 gauge extension cord, and wired it into the light. Total cost $0.

The light is a little dimmer running at 5V than at 6V, but I don't think it's enough to matter. I remember it being a tad too bright for white cars anyway. If it ends up I need it brighter, I can always buy a 6V 2.5A wall wart for around $8-10 bucks.

Yep, it now has a power cord tethered to it. Not ideal but not a huge deal.

Frankly I'm glad they are kaput. I bought two and the battery in the first one lasted only a few months. The second lasted about a year - or +. The lights were quite good, the batteries were crap. Even if they were still available I would certainly not buy another........EVER.

RTexasF said:

Frankly I'm glad they are kaput. I bought two and the battery in the first one lasted only a few months. The second lasted about a year - or +. The lights were quite good, the batteries were crap. Even if they were still available I would certainly not buy another........EVER.

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Ended up with four of them. Bought two and AG replaced both of them and they are all in the trash. I wonder why they are no longer made.

RTexasF said:

Frankly I'm glad they are kaput. I bought two and the battery in the first one lasted only a few months. The second lasted about a year - or +. The lights were quite good, the batteries were crap. Even if they were still available I would certainly not buy another........EVER.

Click to expand...

Yup, same experience. Never again.