Swirl Finder

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B00st4ddicted

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Hi Guys,

I am not sure if my post is ok to post here or not, so if I am out of line, please delete my post admin. I currently have a small LED flashlight J5 that is 300 lumin. Somehow I feel like it is not bright enough and I am not really finding much swirls with it or it really could be my eyes =). I understand there is a Flex Swirl Finder, but from the reviews, a lot of people are just saying it's an expensive bright flashlight. Any recommendation on a swirl finder that doesn't break the bank? Again, admin, if I am out of line, please feel free to delete this post. Thanks!
 
I agree paying $50 for the one with the Flex name on it is silly. Just go to Walmart and get that Atomic Beam flashlight for $20 that is advertised on TV all the time. It is a 5000 lumen flashlight with Cree LEDs. Its the brightest LED flashlight I've ever seen. It is very well made too. I bought 3 more of them for around the house. If you put Lithium Ion batteries in it it is claimed that the brightness increases to 13,000 lumens. I have not tried it yet. I keep forgetting to buy some rechargeable Li-ion batteries

It should be plenty bright enough for you.
 
Sometimes the brightest will blind out the imperfections.autogeek has a new light and it's magnetic it's pretty cool.its 149.00 not bad for everyday use a professional.If not buy what you can afford and make it work.
 
B00st4ddicted said:
Hi Guys,

I am not sure if my post is ok to post here or not, so if I am out of line, please delete my post admin. I currently have a small LED flashlight J5 that is 300 lumin. Somehow I feel like it is not bright enough and I am not really finding much swirls with it or it really could be my eyes =). I understand there is a Flex Swirl Finder, but from the reviews, a lot of people are just saying it's an expensive bright flashlight. Any recommendation on a swirl finder that doesn't break the bank? Again, admin, if I am out of line, please feel free to delete this post. Thanks!
Click to expand...

Haven't used a flex unit to comment, but my RUPES LL150 LED Penlight is well worth the few bucks it cost. Small, durable, and the color emitted is different than a typical over the counter LED as it's not pure white, thus is works great on lighter colors. That said I do use both types to inspect paint but when I"m on lighter colors or cars that aren't completely obviously torn up, Rupes is the key for me.

I'm doing a white car today so I'll see if I can get picks comparing the two I use. Off to go wash it now.
 
I have the Scangrip 3 light set and it's as good as it gets... expensive though.
 
I will say that 300 lumen is pretty darn dim. Find an LED flashlight with T6 LEDs in it and that should do the trick. Those can be had anywhere from $5 to $20 and your lumen output will be at least 1000 lumen if not 2000. Darn bright light that works really well. I don't know what the FLEX light could possibly show that my 1600 lumen light isn't showing, but I suppose I could compare them and find out.
 
DBAILEY said:
I agree paying $50 for the one with the Flex name on it is silly. Just go to Walmart and get that Atomic Beam flashlight for $20 that is advertised on TV all the time. It is a 5000 lumen flashlight with Cree LEDs. Its the brightest LED flashlight I've ever seen. It is very well made too. I bought 3 more of them for around the house. If you put Lithium Ion batteries in it it is claimed that the brightness increases to 13,000 lumens. I have not tried it yet. I keep forgetting to buy some rechargeable Li-ion batteries

It should be plenty bright enough for you.
Click to expand...
Don't want to argue, but this is NOT a light I'd recommend for swirls. More distance and less brightness really helps highlight swirls, in my limited experience. A grocery store parking lot at night is great for this. Not a lot of light and far away. I use an LED multi-brightness flashlight in low mode to illuminate swirls and it works pretty well. Still need to get the light away from the car.
 
For another point of view I have tried the Flex,Scan grip,led light bar,and different overheads all with different results depending on the paint color. I can find swirls very simply with solid colors but some metallic paints need special light to find them in my case. Nothing kicks me in the nuts better than finding a 1'' long thinner than a babies hair swirl after I do my finishing celebration dance. I still have not found my perfect portable light that works on every paint type.
 
:idea:

You can always contrive one
to call your very own.

I call mine:
Bob's Brillante Como El Sol Pistola®


picture.php

​


Bob
 
FUNX650 said:
Bob's Brillante Como El Sol Pistola
Click to expand...


Roberto's Brillante Como El Sol Pistola*

Trust me, no one in Mexico knows what a Bob is... Not to mention, they'll wind up calling you Bub.. You don't wanna be known as Bub, do you? Lol.



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
OptimumAutoSpa said:
I have the Scangrip 3 light set and it's as good as it gets... expensive though.
Click to expand...

I agree, very good lights. I have only the Colour/Sun Match & Penlight.
My favorite that I use the most is the handheld rechargeable Colour/Sun Match,
then the Scangrip flashlight to double check.
The fact that they are not super bright seems to help. The Flex light that I still have,
did not catch swirls on lighter colors, up to dark grey.
ScanGrip's Colour Match is worth the money, and watch some Vids on how to hold them. Good Luck.
 
RippyD said:
Don't want to argue, but this is NOT a light I'd recommend for swirls. More distance and less brightness really helps highlight swirls, in my limited experience. A grocery store parking lot at night is great for this. Not a lot of light and far away. I use an LED multi-brightness flashlight in low mode to illuminate swirls and it works pretty well. Still need to get the light away from the car.
Click to expand...

Dude, you don't use it in the tight focus beam. I pan it all the way back into to flood light mode. And there are 3 brightness modes if you find the top setting too bright..

If I could afford Scangrip or 3m Sunguns I would have them, but I can't. Still say you paying a premium for the Flex name on it.
 
I understand. You were commenting on the brightness, so I assumed you were saying more brightness is better for finding swirls.

Full disclosure: I'm a flashlight nerd and have many LED lights. I need to get a Xenon to see how it compares.

My limited testing shows that that medium-ish brightness works pretty well, as does a flood shaped beam rather than a spot (in agreement with what you wrote.) 300-500 lumin output works for me, but this of course will vary on the shape or the light exiting. As a guideline, this is the sweet spot for the lights I have. Dimmer is too dim, and brighter is too blinding.

I tend to get the best results by having the light about 20 degrees off the axis of my eyes (horiz and/or vertical). I've also had good luck with the light and my eyes about 30 degrees off a panel on opposite sides, so about 120 degrees horizontal difference between my noggin and the light source. Doing this I can see far more defects than is healthy for me. :)

I have not tried different LED colors. Doubt it would help, but maybe.
 
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