Can you recommend a Sun Gun?

[rsvgreg]

I was handed one of these a couple of weeks ago by a detailer with a small stand at the Bury St Edmunds 'Cars on the Green' show. I was impressed with the level of detail the gun revealed and, as my wife and kids keep going on at me to think about birthday present ideas (The AMG GTS is out apparently) one of these seems like a good idea.

A quick ebay search revealed just one Sun Gun (£55) clearly advertised as 'Not 3M' so I set about a search for a 3M Sun Gun. Not much on Ebay but a wider search revealed that these cost upward of £400 and it seems that getting the correct bulb in your Sun Gun is vital, obvious I guess when you think about it.

So I turn to the forum for so help, advice and recommendations. £400 is still a bit steep, while at £55 I might be buying an up market torch.

Your input would be much appreciated.

 

[Rosso1]

I dont see the point in more expensive models for instance you have Maxabeam and Megaray but these are even more expensive.

If you are a professional detailer i can understand someone wanting to spend this sort of cost but i would be happy with the results from £55 model and really another thing is how often would you use it?

 

[J LAD]

Cheapest option - simply pull the car out into natural light on a sunny day and view from all angles. This will show all paint defects to the full. I do this regularly after machine polishing as its the best test of your work.
Halogen lights - you can pick these up for around £20, position them on stands at the side of the car while you are working - downside is they get bloody hot.
Neon gas -strip lighting - you can now get these in " daylight form " ie they are supposed to be as close to sunlight as possible. Again set them up at the side of the car.
LED hand held lights - loads to choose from on the market at varying prices.
Most pro detailers will use a mixture of the above as they give different results or feedback.
But you cannot beat good old mother nature to pick out those swirls!

 

[pallasar]

From the voice of experience...buy a simple cree torch and that will show you everything you need to see. I bought a Laser branded one years ago and still use it to this day with perfect results. Cost me about £20. You simply don't need anything else to get the job done