Updated with review> Swirl Finder Light

[redvitesse]

I have 4, 500W halogens high mounted in my garage but I find it tough to spot my progress on side panels especially when I get ambient light when working during the day with garage door open.

Did a search here and on other detail forums for what most are using for a swirl/imperfection finder light and after seeing the mixed reviews for Flex and the somewhat high cost of Brickman I went ahead and ordered the following on amazon>
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Just wondering if anyone else has this light? (Astro Pneumatic Tool 50SL Sunlight 400 lm CRI 97 Rechargeable Handheld Color Match Light)

Limited reviews but the price point looked good and I like the idea of the magnetic end for placement and rechargeable battery. Will report back with a review once I have a chance to use it. Hopefully it will be a keeper!

[redvitesse]

Update with Review>

So I have used this Astro Branded color match light for about 4 months and on 2 full paint corrections and another spot correction on a friends car. When I purchased it there were only about 5 reviews on Amazon which were good but limited. As of today there are 36 reviews that are mostly glowing.

This light is actually marketed more for bodyshops to replicate natural sun light and aid in paint matching. I can however attest that it does a great job for spotting paint imperfections most notably swirls, acid rain spots, ect. For the price point it works amazingly well especially considering that similar lights cost close to twice as much.

What sets this light apart:
2 brightness settings
Rechargeable with a base station much like a cordless phone.
Features a charge indicator bar.
Folding hanger hook.
Has a magnetic base on the light.
This last feature is very handy as you can place the light on panels with an adjustable head so that you can focus the light to the area you are working on or under the hood of a car when doing engine work.

Once fully charged I have been able use this off and on for a good 4 hours without running out of charge.

If your in the market for a good swirl finder light or even a shop light with the magnetic base and small retractable hanger hook for less than $70 it is hard to beat. It also has a nice weight to it and feels good in the hand.

If I had a complaint it would be that the base has little weight so you have to hold the base with one hand while pulling the light out with the other.

If anyone has an questions please feel free to post up.

[jeff@autocouture]

Originally Posted by redvitesse

Update with Review>

So I have used this Astro Branded color match light for about 4 months and on 2 full paint corrections and another spot correction on a friends car. When I purchased it there were only about 5 reviews on Amazon which were good but limited. As of today there are 36 reviews that are mostly glowing.

This light is actually marketed more for bodyshops to replicate natural sun light and aid in paint matching. I can however attest that it does a great job for spotting paint imperfections most notably swirls, acid rain spots, ect. For the price point it works amazingly well especially considering that similar lights cost close to twice as much.

What sets this light apart:
2 brightness settings
Rechargeable with a base station much like a cordless phone.
Features a charge indicator bar.
Folding hanger hook.
Has a magnetic base on the light.
This last feature is very handy as you can place the light on panels with an adjustable head so that you can focus the light to the area you are working on or under the hood of a car when doing engine work.

Once fully charged I have been able use this off and on for a good 4 hours without running out of charge.

If your in the market for a good swirl finder light or even a shop light with the magnetic base and small retractable hanger hook for less than $70 it is hard to beat. It also has a nice weight to it and feels good in the hand.

If I had a complaint it would be that the base has little weight so you have to hold the base with one hand while pulling the light out with the other.

If anyone has an questions please feel free to post up.

Great review! thank you! i'll be grabbing one for myself!

[BayE30]

That's not really a swirl finder light, its a light to replicate sun light to check color in paint, we use them in our body shop all the time. This specific light is a good product, but nothing beats pulling your car out into the sun to check for swirls.

[redvitesse]

Originally Posted by SFCM3

That's not really a swirl finder light, its a light to replicate sun light to check color in paint, we use them in our body shop all the time. This specific light is a good product, but nothing beats pulling your car out into the sun to check for swirls.

Thanks for your reply but you may have missed a few points. I noted previously this is marketed as a sun reproduction light for use in body shops for color matching but it excels for my intended use of spotting paint imperfections when doing detailing/paint correction indoors.

Much like the more expensive products that are dual marketed for both correction and color matching such as the 3M Sungun, Brickman swirlfinder, and Scangrip Sunmatch (which this product copies) this can be used for paint correction. I have used the Brickman and the Flex light and this product is better for the price in my opinion given the features.

As far as pulling the car into the sun, as most professional detailers and experienced hobbyist know, using proper prep, technique, products, and working super clean is the way to a near perfect show quality finish.

Pulling a car out into the sun every 15 minutes to check your progress when correcting paint is not only impractical but would possibly allow contaminants to settle onto the paint that could be introduced into the polishing pad so not super clean.

Also sorry to disagree, but using proper lighting that highlights imperfections to a greater degree than the sun alone, is what ensures the best finish to show when out in the sun. That being said, do you need a hand held swirl finder light as a weekend warrior? Probably not, as a good $25 halogen work light will get the job done but if you pull out the orbital more than once a year it is useful.

I learned to detail in the 80's back when all we had were rotary polishers that seemed to weigh 20 pounds, micro fiber cloth was in its infancy, and it was called cutting and buffing not paint correction

[ppatel14]

Originally Posted by redvitesse

Thanks for your reply but you may have missed a few points. I noted previously this is marketed as a sun reproduction light for use in body shops for color matching but it excels for my intended use of spotting paint imperfections when doing detailing/paint correction indoors.

Much like the more expensive products that are dual marketed for both correction and color matching such as the 3M Sungun, Brickman swirlfinder, and Scangrip Sunmatch (which this product copies) this can be used for paint correction. I have used the Brickman and the Flex light and this product is better for the price in my opinion given the features.

As far as pulling the car into the sun, as most professional detailers and experienced hobbyist know, using proper prep, technique, products, and working super clean is the way to a near perfect show quality finish.

Pulling a car out into the sun every 15 minutes to check your progress when correcting paint is not only impractical but would possibly allow contaminants to settle onto the paint that could be introduced into the polishing pad so not super clean.

Also sorry to disagree, but using proper lighting that highlights imperfections to a greater degree than the sun alone, is what ensures the best finish to show when out in the sun. That being said, do you need a hand held swirl finder light as a weekend warrior? Probably not, as a good $25 halogen work light will get the job done but if you pull out the orbital more than once a year it is useful.

I learned to detail in the 80's back when all we had were rotary polishers that seemed to weigh 20 pounds, micro fiber cloth was in its infancy, and it was called cutting and buffing not paint correction

Thanks for the review as I've had my eye on it for sometime now but haven't pulled the trigger due to how it would do on various colors. Do you have any thoughts on the Astro Pneumatic 200SL compared to the 50SL?

[redvitesse]

Originally Posted by ppatel14

Thanks for the review as I've had my eye on it for sometime now but haven't pulled the trigger due to how it would do on various colors. Do you have any thoughts on the Astro Pneumatic 200SL compared to the 50SL?

Sure thing happy to do the review. The Astro Pneumatic 200SL and 50SL lights are in my estimation cheaper copies of the Scangrip Multimatch2 and Scangrip Sunmatch. Unfortunately I have not had the opportunity to use a Scangrip product but from what I have read online, Scangrip makes some excellent products. But again the cost is 4 times the price of the Astro equivalent.

With the Astro 50SL,this has two intensity settings just like the Scangrip Sunmatch which aids in doing light colored cars such as white since a super intense light can overwhelm or flood the area you are working on.

With the Astro 200SL there are also two light settings but the Scangrip equivalent Multimatch 2 has about 5 brightness settings. Do you need that many? Again for the price difference probably not a deal breaker.

The reviews as you may have seen on Amazon for the Astro 200SL total 5 and are mixed but when you factor two bad reviews have to do with the product being purchased as a warehouse open box deal and missing pieces like the stand. This means 3 true product reviews with 1 panning it as unreliable.

While I have not had the opportunity to use the Astro 200SL there is a video review on youtube that shows the product as being of decent quality. Again given the price point of <$150 you could probably do a lot worse.

here is the review:

If you end up taking the plunge on the 200SL do please post up your thoughts.

[BayE30]

Originally Posted by redvitesse

Thanks for your reply but you may have missed a few points. I noted previously this is marketed as a sun reproduction light for use in body shops for color matching but it excels for my intended use of spotting paint imperfections when doing detailing/paint correction indoors.

Much like the more expensive products that are dual marketed for both correction and color matching such as the 3M Sungun, Brickman swirlfinder, and Scangrip Sunmatch (which this product copies) this can be used for paint correction. I have used the Brickman and the Flex light and this product is better for the price in my opinion given the features.

As far as pulling the car into the sun, as most professional detailers and experienced hobbyist know, using proper prep, technique, products, and working super clean is the way to a near perfect show quality finish.

Pulling a car out into the sun every 15 minutes to check your progress when correcting paint is not only impractical but would possibly allow contaminants to settle onto the paint that could be introduced into the polishing pad so not super clean.

Also sorry to disagree, but using proper lighting that highlights imperfections to a greater degree than the sun alone, is what ensures the best finish to show when out in the sun. That being said, do you need a hand held swirl finder light as a weekend warrior? Probably not, as a good $25 halogen work light will get the job done but if you pull out the orbital more than once a year it is useful.

I learned to detail in the 80's back when all we had were rotary polishers that seemed to weigh 20 pounds, micro fiber cloth was in its infancy, and it was called cutting and buffing not paint correction

No need to be sorry. you have your own opinion. I just happen to work in an industry full time where I have to deal with customers on a daily basis who complain about swirls in the sun, vs in our polish stall which has more than ample lighting, and checked with a light like this one.

But what do I know, I have only been working in the auto industry for the last 20yrs. my first job when I was 14 was detailing black stretch limousines, worst job ever.