What is the deal on "swirl Lights"?

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southmsfiveo

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I've seen these swirl lights being talked up and used to help spot swirls. I want to know what makes an otherwise regular light a swirl light. Is it the color of the light emitted? Is it the use of a particular bulb? Or is it simply a nice flashlight bright enough to overpower the ambient light?
 
I used to use my garage lights to locate swirls, now I find swirls they can't. And it literally drives me fukking insane. Don't get one. I have one and hate what it shows me
 
In my experience (not as much as others here) you want a light with a small, singular source of light. You do not want a flashlight that has a reflector in it, otherwise you're getting the light and reflected light and it isn't very good.

The best ones that I've found are the outdoor, waterproof LED lights. You don't have to worry about splashing some water their way and they have a singular LED in the center that works great as a swirl finder.
 
I had a brinkman that AG sells and dropped it and it broke after a few months and worked great looking for swirls. My only complaint is that it was large and bulky. I recently purchased an LED flashlight off amazon. It was $30 after shipping and seems to be much more durable and much smaller and works just as well IMO.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Thanks for the responses so far. It seems to be the light deal is maybe a combination of factors.
1) more of a white colored light such as LED
2) handheld so the light can be moved around
3) fairly bright so you can see it in the sunlight or bright shop

Does this cover the criteria?
 
southmsfiveo said:
Thanks for the responses so far. It seems to be the light deal is maybe a combination of factors.
1) more of a white colored light such as LED
2) handheld so the light can be moved around
3) fairly bright so you can see it in the sunlight or bright shop

Does this cover the criteria?
Click to expand...
The use of multiple light sources will often offer more opportunities
to discover swirls and other paint blemishes, than the use
of any single type of light source.


IMHO:
For all intents and purposes...It depends on the intensity-levels
of the swirl-finding missions, that a person wants to embark upon.


Bob
 
The best swirl light is free. It's called the sun. Nothing works as well.

1. Identify your defects.

2. Do your test spot.

3. Pull car into sun to inspect test spot.

4. Repeat a successful process on the rest of the car.

IME anything else can bite you in the nutz.
 
swanicyyouth this is pretty much my take away on the matter of swirl lights. Thanks!
 
I don't need any help being noticing pita swirls. If I can't see them they aren't bad enough to matter.

That said I can see where they would be helpful if you detailed for a living
 
swanicyouth said:
The best swirl light is free. It's called the sun. Nothing works as well.

1. Identify your defects.

2. Do your test spot.

3. Pull car into sun to inspect test spot.

4. Repeat a successful process on the rest of the car.

IME anything else can bite you in the nutz.
Click to expand...


The sun can actually "bleach" things out and hide some defects. An overcast day shows more than a sunny day
 
i have a Black Diamond headlamp spot that is handy. the color temp is surely 5k.
41cDo1%2BqVtL.jpg


i like it for interior detailing and when the sun goes down right as i'm ending a wash, but it's a good "swirl finder" too.

i also have a first gen LED mini Maglite that is a good secondary light, as it's handheld...color temp is similar to the headlamp.

for mounted lamps, i run 5k 1300 lumen Sylvania single diode LED floods
washer8_zps227e9d9d.jpg

washer10_zps43ab12cf.jpg


that idea came from Zach McGovern.

i also have some mobile standalone halogen floods i can position. like Bob said, sometimes it can help to have several different light sources.
 
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