Dr_Pain
New member
- Nov 28, 2012
- 2,196
- 0
I just added this little "toy" to my shopping cart around Christmas, saying "what the heck, might as well try it!, it's only a $30".
I had read a couple of good comments on the light and with the coupon and free shipping.... why not!
Brinkmann Swirl Finder Light, Xenon detailing light, Brinkman spotlights
Well, after my first experimentation with it, it kept the label "toy". I am not going to say that there is a huge learning curve but you do have to play around with it a little to get the right reflection and for me it was not worth the hype (at this point).
I normally work under T5 high intensity fluorescent lighting and have a 1000 watts work light on tripod (my hot as HELL light!!), but always find myself bending and twisting trying to catch the right reflections, and most time I end up having to wait to bring the car into the sunlight to see the finer defects. Kind of a pain if you work at night or on cloudy days... or if it is raining outside.
I really thought that the Brinkmann would be my go to tool after reading the comments but found myself still labeling it a "toy"...... that is..... until I finally "got" how to use it. It took some reading of Mike's article http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/how-articles/21345-brinkman-maxfire-dual-xenon-rechargeable-spotlight-review-how.html and a little practice, and THEN it became a "tool"
Instead of breaking my back twisting and bending to catch the reflection of the T5s, or the tripod light, I maneuver the Brinkmann around. MUCH easier!
In addition, the convenience of having a high intensity Xenon light in hand (that you can bring closer or further) helps show more. See the following examples
This is T5 lights:
This is the Brinkmann: (you can see a small comparison of the swirls with the T5 edging the picture)
And this is a picture of the swirls with my 1000w tripod light:
The Brinkmann is a cleaner more intense and more maneuverable light source, and does not burn your skin to a crisp. I have nothing better on hand that allows me to see the rocker panel reflection without having to bend to the floor to see my other fixed light source. This light solved that!
WHAT, no negatives???? Well, I do have a couple of negatives. I do have to say that I find it a little harder to use on lighter colored vehicle. Being that it is a serious light, it does tend to flash you for a few seconds if you reflect the light directly into your eye (by mistake or intentionally), and it takes a few seconds to regain your visual acuity. Definitely not as bad as a welding flash, or staring at the sun during an eclipse, but a lot more inconvenient than looking at the direct reflection of a T5.
Would I buy it again? I would. I do need to experiment a little more with my available flashlights including my weapon lights..... but I am a little scared to put a 1000 lumen weapon light reflecting on a panel without proper eye protection though.
Hope you enjoyed the review. Feel free to comment or ask questions.
I had read a couple of good comments on the light and with the coupon and free shipping.... why not!
Brinkmann Swirl Finder Light, Xenon detailing light, Brinkman spotlights
Well, after my first experimentation with it, it kept the label "toy". I am not going to say that there is a huge learning curve but you do have to play around with it a little to get the right reflection and for me it was not worth the hype (at this point).
I normally work under T5 high intensity fluorescent lighting and have a 1000 watts work light on tripod (my hot as HELL light!!), but always find myself bending and twisting trying to catch the right reflections, and most time I end up having to wait to bring the car into the sunlight to see the finer defects. Kind of a pain if you work at night or on cloudy days... or if it is raining outside.
I really thought that the Brinkmann would be my go to tool after reading the comments but found myself still labeling it a "toy"...... that is..... until I finally "got" how to use it. It took some reading of Mike's article http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/how-articles/21345-brinkman-maxfire-dual-xenon-rechargeable-spotlight-review-how.html and a little practice, and THEN it became a "tool"
Instead of breaking my back twisting and bending to catch the reflection of the T5s, or the tripod light, I maneuver the Brinkmann around. MUCH easier!
In addition, the convenience of having a high intensity Xenon light in hand (that you can bring closer or further) helps show more. See the following examples
This is T5 lights:
This is the Brinkmann: (you can see a small comparison of the swirls with the T5 edging the picture)
And this is a picture of the swirls with my 1000w tripod light:
The Brinkmann is a cleaner more intense and more maneuverable light source, and does not burn your skin to a crisp. I have nothing better on hand that allows me to see the rocker panel reflection without having to bend to the floor to see my other fixed light source. This light solved that!
WHAT, no negatives???? Well, I do have a couple of negatives. I do have to say that I find it a little harder to use on lighter colored vehicle. Being that it is a serious light, it does tend to flash you for a few seconds if you reflect the light directly into your eye (by mistake or intentionally), and it takes a few seconds to regain your visual acuity. Definitely not as bad as a welding flash, or staring at the sun during an eclipse, but a lot more inconvenient than looking at the direct reflection of a T5.
Would I buy it again? I would. I do need to experiment a little more with my available flashlights including my weapon lights..... but I am a little scared to put a 1000 lumen weapon light reflecting on a panel without proper eye protection though.
Hope you enjoyed the review. Feel free to comment or ask questions.
rops:
Learning new techniques every day.