Lighthouse Dual UV Lamp

Right off the bat the cover for the longwave bulb came off breaking two of the four tabs that hold it in place. The other two broke off while I was trying to get it back on ... Probably end up taping it. No instructions so after dealing with the longwave light cover I went online to figure out how to put batteries in the thing. Luckily there is no shortage of online material on how to actually use the light. I wear Uvex UV safety glasses while using the light because because shortwave UV is dangerous on the eyes (they have side shields). It's very easy to leave the light on because the slide switch does not have strong positive detents. Especially hazardous if the shortwave light is left as it can't be easily seen. I slip it back in the box whenever I lay it down. So why did I even give it 3 stars? Because there is nothing else I could find that's as convenient and affordable having both lights in the same case. It does work fine but the house lights must be dimmed because it's a very low wattage unit (probably part of the reason it's relatively inexpensive.) Bottom line ... handle with care and be careful to turn it off when not in use. Lighthouse could do better for the money.

The unit has a decent SW UV emission and works best under dim light to do any meaningful work other than identifying if tagging is present or not. The real issue is the LW which looks more like a blue flashlight with a unevem circular pattern. If you are studying paper types, this is not the best unit for the job since pattern is uneven.. Most LW use for stamp collectors is looking for luminescent ink or identifying if paper has brighteners.The switch has 3 positions with the center being off so easy to leave in on position since detent is not that strong.The constructions is very good compared to other units (have several other lamps and this was a Christmas gift) and has a little kickstand that I assume is for hands free use. There were no instructions included with unit so not sure if this was a return or not.

I like this light, and it is a good value. But the switch between short and medium wave does not have a good detent so it's hard to know if you've switched it off, or just switched it to the other wavelength.I would buy it again though, and I'd recommend it to others with the above caveat.Oh, and use care when inserting batteries. It's hard to see which way the +/- are supposed to go.

The light works, However, it came without instructions and I was getting ready to send it back and I discovered how it worked. The battery cover cracked in the first hour so I'm not confident on its longevity.. There were no instructions on battery insertion either so that was also trial and error.

It works though I feel it is cheaply made.I don't know, My expectations were not met. I figured Lighthouse would have a better product for the price.UV lights are dim and must be used in a dark area for it to work best.Better than nothing.

Works but need to pay attention as you use it to keep the illumination areas focused on the stamp and not on your eyes.

I am writing this review months after purchase. Very happy with this product; works just as well as the expensive Versalume light that I had before and it costs only a fraction. Highly recommend this product.

Great handheld dual band UV lamp is perfect. It works great for the price, very good price.