No. They are different because they emit UV at different wavelengths. The filter is not causing the difference in wavelengths, the LEDs are. The two models have different LEDs. So the real difference is in the UV wavelength, and the filter on the V3 365nm acts to accentuate the 365nm UV wavelength.

With the V3 385-395nm model, there is “no” 365nm emitted in the first place. (We say “no” but in reality there is some flux in that region but it isn’t significant relative to the majority 385-395nm wavelength). In other words, by simply fitting a filter to the 385-395nm will NOT give you the same wavelength as the V3 365m and therefore it will not give you the same results. 

The difference between 365nm and the 385-395nm ultraviolet is that you’ll get different results. Not necessarily better, but different, since it depends on your usage. For forensic type work, professional stain detection, geology, cell staining, leakage detection, NDT, or in applications where you need high contrast in fluorescence, the 365nm is a sought after wavelength.

Also, bear in mind that some substances will only show up under 365nm UV, so that is also a key consideration. Artwork and antique appraisal is a good use case example. The 385-395nm wavelength is sometimes preferred for applications which need higher intensity UV where the higher wavelength will also perform. For example, miners, engineers, fishermen, fossil hunters, bone identification (human and otherwise), and scorpion hunters - to name a few user types - may prefer the longer wavelength and pound-for-pound higher relative UV intensity for longer range applications.

When we first introduced our V1 model to the market (back in 2015), it was a new design and approach which brought formidable hand-held UV intensity at the disposal of the user.  As you can imagine others tried to copy, clone, and imitate. But we don't stand still and we're not a one-trick-pony type of outfit. We don't want to imitate. That's not who we are. Instead, we want to innovate. So with our ears to the ground, listening intently to user requirements, we developed the V3 models which serve slightly different user requirements. Keeping us ahead of the game.

The key advantage with the V3 models is UV intensity, primarily resulting in allowing you to be more effective at longer ranges using the long throw of the beam. And close up it means you'll see more. High intensity also means being more effective under lighted conditions. And in the dark it's crazy effective.

(1) Possibly unlike other vendors, we are continuously upgrading all of our models as and when we identify opportunities to do so. UV user appetites seem to know no bounds. Improvements are continuous. So with a Lithium-ion rechargeable power source the V3 365nm models can support newer tech LEDs to give you even more UV power - at 365nm wavelength. That's more range and more UV intensity compared with many other 365nm flashlights. 

What's more we're taking the hassle away from you having to get and also pay extra for the extra bits-n-pieces to operate a rechargeable li-ion UV flashlight. At an inclusive price - no sneaky "you also need to purchase these" at check out! Your uvBeast V3 includes the accessories you need so it’s ready-to-use straight out of the box. It includes: Two 18650 Lithium-ion 3.7 volt protected cells (2600mAh capacity each); a flashlight extension barrel to fit an optional third 18650 size cell (to extend working time); a two-port 18650 cell charger with USB lead; a mains USB plug (for mains supply power); and spare O-rings.

(2) High intensity UV at 365nm - the UV gold standard.  The common gripe against UV at 365nm is low intensity. We wanted to change that with the power upgrade that a UV 365nm flashlight needs. Now you have long range 365nm UV, due to the higher intensity. This also means that ambient light won't be a show stopper for your jobs anymore. We've also addressed the other complaint with 365nm flashlights - flaky quality where they peak at just above 365nm towards 370nm. We've kept things tight at the 365nm bullseye.

(3) We think you'll be hard pushed to find a more intense 365nm UV flashlight at these prices. Along with the necessary top-notch quality of the UV beam, both of which need to be present to result in a great performing 365nm UV flashlight. Producing a high intensity UV beam isn't trivial. Yes, you'll come across many examples. But trust us, there is more to it than meets the eye. You'll not only need to confident with the intensity of the UV beam, but also the quality of the 365nm UV emitted by the LEDs.

(As a background please also see article “Is UV harmful to my eyes?”)

With regards to the uvBeast V3 365nm and the V3 365nm MINI, we do not offer the UV glasses with this product. The reason is because with these particular UV flashlights they are not needed. With our other models we do provide glasses since these emit a higher wavelength of 385-395nm UV. This higher wavelength contains majority UV but since it is close to visible light (~400nm) there is visible light emission.

This visible light (pertaining to 385-395nm models) can cause eye fatigue for some users after prolonged use. So the glasses assist in preventing that. Also, another function of the glasses is to block out visible light interference when observing fluorescence where sometimes and on some target objects it can be difficult to distinguish objects which are fluorescing, and the purple visible light interference emitted from UV flashlights at 385-395nm wavelength.

So, coming back to the uvBeast 365nm UV flashlight models. This flashlight emits a lower and more pure wavelength of UV at 365nm wavelength and consequently doesn't emit anywhere as much visible light and so therefore the glasses are not needed for this particular flashlight.

In addition, UV is classified into longwave and shortwave. Longwave UV also known as UVA is not harmful to skin nor eyes. Longwave UV (UVA) is ~300nm and above, and so the V3 365nm flashlight emits longwave (UVA) UV light which is not dangerous. Shortwave UV however aka UVB and UVC, is harmful due to the shorter wavelength, and is ~300nm and below. This type of shortwave UV has the known ability to damage human DNA (cancerous), and so therefore is treated with extreme caution.

Having said that, as with any powerful flashlight - including white light flashlights - looking at the beam directly will cause discomfort and so like white light flashlights should be used responsibly.

UV from the uvBeast is not dangerous to the eye. Please refer to the FDA's 21 CFR 1040 - PERFORMANCE STANDARDS FOR LIGHT-EMITTING PRODUCTS paper.

The FDA classifies "harmful" light emitters being laser emitters, sunlamps (for tanning), UV mercury vapor lamps, and medical UV devices.

And this is scientifically correct since the dangerous types of UV are:

1. UV-B and UV-C which are below 315nm which is also known as shortwave UV in the actinic region. Sunlight does contain UV-B which is why you'll see "dangers of sun exposure articles", whilst the Earth's atmosphere filters out UV-C from the Sun - good thing as it has DNA altering characteristics which is why it is used as a germicide

2. Sunlamps that are VERY high intensity which are designed for darkening the skin via exposure for several hours.

All current uvBeast models emit UV-A (above 315nm wavelength) which is not harmful to the eyes nor skin, and moreover the intensity is not that of sunlamps. Moreover the UV emission is at a wavelength of 365nm, or 385-395nm which is well above the dangerous "315nm and below" UVC region.

However, it is not advisable to look directly at the uvBeast since it will cause discomfort similar to looking at any intense light. The UV glasses which are provided with some of our models will assist in reducing the glare effects and any discomfort that some users may experience.

This is a good question because it's often asked. But there are differences which apply to LEDs and UV lights in particular. And this is important to note for UV users.

In summary, watts is not a meaningful measure for the intensity of LEDs (you can read below as to why). Lumens and LUX are not measures we use in the UV LED industry because these only apply to visible light LEDs. Instead in the UV industry we use radiant intensity and irradiance to measure how intense and how powerful a UV light source is. The below is a more detailed explanation for those interested. Otherwise jump to the end of this FAQ to read off the specifications.

"Watts" as a measure of brightness for LEDs is not a meaningful measure of brightness in the LED industry because wattage is talking about the energy it takes to produce a certain amount of light. This worked well with filament and incandescent lamps where the higher the wattage the brighter the light. The trouble is that the lighting industry has advanced such that wattage values are not directly translated into brightness - it's possible to have a lower wattage LED and yet it is a brighter light relative to another light source or LED with a higher wattage. Moreover, depending on the electronics and the efficiency of the LEDs, the energy (watts) supplied is NOT directly translated into light at 100% efficiency. Much if not most of that energy (wattage) is lost through heat whereby very little is actually translated into light. You could have a very high wattage LED, but most of that energy will not be directly translated into the useable light that you're after. So the LED industry has moved away from using wattage as a standard for brightness. So wattage doesn't really speak to how bright an LED light is.

So the LED industry mainly use terms such as Lumens, LUX, and Candela. Lumens is the measure of how intense the resultant or actual emitted light is and is measured in lumens. The higher the lumens the more intense the light emitted. LUX or luminous flux is the measure of light falling within a given unit of area. This is a measure of the density of the light emitted and how it's dispersed or spread. For instance you can have a very high Lumens rating  but a low LUX rating depending on how the beam is emitted. It's the difference between a 500 watt light bulb and a small 50 lumen flashlight. Which one is brighter? The 500w light bulb because it can light an entire room. Which one is more powerful over a given area? The 50lm flashlight because it channels it's light into a particular viewing area. See the relevance of terminology here to give a more meaningful understanding? (We won't go into candela, steradians, and the solid angle measure, nor the inverse square law of light, as it's a bit of an overkill for this).

Now here comes the twist with ultraviolet light (or radiation to be more exact). Note: Don't freak out with that word radiation, because it is just describing the energy along the electromagnetic spectrum where visible light is also a type of radiation along with radio waves.   

Lumens and LUX measurements only pertain to visible light. So this suits the regular flashlight industry and their users can happily converse with one another all day long. But UV is light which does not fall into the visible spectrum. So the UV industry to describe the attributes of their light sources cannot use terms such as lumens or LUX. This is only used as a measure of the light observed.

In the UV industry we use radiant intensity and irradiance to measure the same thing (Lumens and LUX respectively).

Radiant intensity is the measure of ultraviolet radiation actually emitted or output. Which is what you want or should know. It's the useable UV light you're going to use - remember wattage in a UV light is NOT meaningful as it attempts to describe the watts going in to power an LED semi-conductor. But that energy is mostly lost to heat, internal resistance, etc. And this can vary widely with systems being 80% efficient to 20% efficient. The input watts will mask this rather badly.

What's important to look out for is the energy that comes out of the business end - the actual radiation emitted. That's what actually and really counts. So radiant intensity of a UV flashlight is the actual UV energy emitted and is measured in watts or more typically milli and micro watts. This tells you the true intensity of UV being emitted.

Irradiance is like LUX but for ultraviolet light. Irradiance is the amount of ultraviolet falling on a given unit area and is measured in watts per square meter, or more typically milli or micro watts per square centimeter.

So, in a nutshell lumens and watts are not used by the UV industry to measure performance of UV LEDs. Instead radiant intensity and irradiance are.

Technical information we know, but we thought it deserves an explanation. 

Now you can make sense of the following.

Here are the specs for the V3 365nm:

UV wavelength: 365nm

UV Radiant Intensity: 1350mw

UV Irradiance: 5400uW/cm² from approx. 24 inch distance

Yes. For any type of assistance - for easy and accessible self-service - this is what we have put in place for you to ensure you get yourself up and running, as well as for any troubleshooting during or after:

1. On the back of the product packaging for critical operating instructions. Simple, but many a person is guilty for ignoring these

2. Instructional labels on the device itself 

3. Emailed instructions - if you gave permission upon purchase

4. Complete User Manual - downloadable from our website. This covers most if not all issues and procedures, including any further questions you may have

5. A Help Center on our website with questions and answers of the most common issues or queries

Consulting the above will resolve the vast majority of queries and will be the easiest. quickest, and most simplest way to address and fix any issues. Not to mention the best use of your time!

The most common "false alarms" are: not removing the battery insulation disc; incorrect battery orientation; under-charging the batteries; not following the correct charge procedure; thinking the battery is dead when it is just in sleep mode; and so on. Easy fixes. We won't mention the oft-used phrase RTFM, but unfortunately sometimes it can be true.

We also have support contact if all else fails at support@uvbeast.com