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This review is for the 100-LED "Scorpionator" flashlight. I go on nightly scorpion hunts around my home in Arizona and find that the 'purple' UV flashlights you see all around in Walgreens, Lowes, Home Depot, Bug and Weed Mart, etc. are the the best for hunting scorpions. I had recently purchased another UV Flashlight from Amazon: LEDwholesalers 395 nM 51 UV Ultraviolet LED flashlight Blacklight 3 AA, 7202UV395, but although super bright and has great reviews (why I bought it), it does not light up the scorpions nearly as well as the purple flashlight. I tested them side by side on scorpions found in the back yard, and no question, the purple flashlight illuminates scorpions *significantly* better. I do have smaller UV 'purple' flashlight which I think is 39 LEDS, it works fine, and illuminates a scorpion just as well as the 100 LED version, but the 100-LED version is a game-changer because of the power and distance it provides. Scorpions can sometimes be cagey and sometimes disappear before you can get a light on them. That's when the 100 LED version comes in, it allows to scan from a longer distance and spot them easily. My 'kill count' is higher and I can do a hunt much quicker.
Now the downside, and unfortunately it's significant. The flashlight uses a LOT of power remember you are powering 100 LEDS from 4 AA batteries! I get about 1 hour of use before the power of the light reduces significantly. The solution for this, I found, was to use rechargeable batteries, and change them every several hunts.
But that's not the real downside, as I don't have a problem charging and changing batteries. The problem is that aside from the main LED fixture, and aside from the apparent quality metal housing, the electrical contacts and wiring on the inside of the flashlight don't hold up or match well to the power requirements. The unit runs 'hot' and will, over time, cause the electrical system to deteriorate and eventually, probably, short circuit as happened in my case. You will start to see erratic, random behavior from the light as a warning that your electrical contacts are on the fritz. Sometimes the flashlight doesn't turn on (or turns on after repeatedly turning off/on the switch), or stays on for a while then turns off, turns on very dim, then turns on full brightness and then randomly back and forth between the two. Eventually, the flashlight will develop a short and that noxious, acrid smoke you are smelling is the smell of your plastic housing melting inside the case (what happened to me). Maybe I have a faulty flashlight, but I took my burnt 100-LED flashlight to an electrician, who actually showed me the exact problem: the flashlight generates a lot of heat (pulling 2 amps), which, over time, melts the plastic around where the spring connects to/from the battery case, causing a faulty connection. The spring starts melding with the plastic and soon after.. the acrid smokey smell of the flashlight burning up.
It's a great flashlight at $48, but be aware that you are probably going to start having the problems I described above over time
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This light shows scorpions. It lights them up and no mistaking that its a scorpion. I have already used it with success. It also lights up other stuff. We have had fun with it. It shows bacteria. We have used it to check how clean our rooms were. Somebody told me to take it next time we go to a hotel. It is really cool! My hubby though tells me that if I play with it I need to wear special uv glasses so I don't hurt my eyes. He says these lights are used in auto mechanics to check for leaks and uv glasses are a must.Best Deals for Scorpion Master 32 LED Ultraviolet Flashlight
I use this UV light to kill Arizona Bark Scorpions in my back yard. I'm sort of an expert because I've killed over 300 scorpions over the last 4 years and 156 in 2010 alone. When this product works it does a great job illuminating scorpions. The problem that I have with it is that the batteries only last 1 to 1.5 hours. Which for me is 2 to 3 back yard scorpion hunts. I did 54 scorpion hunts in 2010 so changing the small AAA batteries every 2-3 hunts is a real pain. Even worse though is that the light will cut out and I have to shake it to get the light to come back on. This is quite an impediment if I am right in the middle of snatching a scorpion. AND the light cuts out more often as the batteries get lower. Usually the first trip out on new batteries is pretty good with maybe 10-20 cut outs in a half hour. But the second trip gets worse and the third trip is usually quite a pain having to constantly shake the light to get it to come on.If you are only planning to go out to look for scorpions a few times a year then this UV LED will probably work just fine. If you are planning to do more you may want something that is more commercial strength. I just ordered the Streamlight 51010. It has 3 C batteries and promises 160 hours of UV LED use. If I only get 1/3 of that I will be happy. The only downside I see is that it is expensive. But for me it is worth the money.
I use 12 inch long needle nose pliers. I spot the scorpions with the LED light (usually low on block walls) and then move in fairly slowly. If they are adults they almost always stay where they are. I move the open end of the pliers to just above the scorpion (like 1/4 to 1/2 inch they rarely move) and just clamp down and grab them. (If you miss they will take off and are hard to get) Once I have the scorpion in the pliers I crush its head and throw it into a bucket. I used to carry around a jar of alcohol and throw them in there to kill them but I do this so often that it became too much of a hassle.
If they are in a crack looking out you can try to grab their heads but they will disappear when you get close. I am hardly ever successful trying to get them this way. If I do see one peaking out of a crack I don't even try to grab them anymore. Instead I burn them out with a propane torch.
I coached softball with a guy that owns his own exterminating company. He uses the exact same technique that I use to handle scorpion infestations. Though he does not burn the scorpions out of cracks. He sprays them with a pesticide that has a hose nozzle like the ones found on WD40 cans. He says that pesticides don't generally work on scorpions but will if you spray it directly on them.
The tiny juvenile scorpions are very kiddish and will take off running about half the time when they detect you. Most of the time I just smash those with my foot since they are so small.
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