Brinkman Maxfire Dual Xenon Rechargeable Spotlight - Review and How-To

**DLB** · 11-23-2009, 10:38 AM

Originally Posted by tWiStEd-tORqUe

i got one of these and tried it out on a friends car , i tried every possible angel to find swirls with no luck, once i pulled the car in the sun , the Swirls appeared and marked the spot , got the car back in the garage used the brinkman again on the same spot and still the swirls are not visible,, any tips

What worked best for me was to hold the light perpendicular to the surface then look at it from an angle.

DLB

Mike Phillips · 11-23-2009, 10:41 AM

What color is the car?

The Swirl Finder Light is not a replacement for the sun, it's just another option instead of the sun.

I always recommend people to check their car's finish in multiple "types" of light as different types of light will show different types of defects.

Light cars like white and silver metallic are harder to see defects on with any kind of light as compared to black or dark colored cars.

**OCDetails** · 11-23-2009, 10:44 AM

Awesome review, Mike. I just got my order with my light in it on Friday. I had a great time playing with it. I used it to charge the glow in the dark stars I painted on my son's ceiling. I've never seen them glow so bright! lol Gotta find uses for my detailing stuff in the winter, ya know.

I'm very much looking forward to using this next year. I'm glad I got to play with yours for a bit at SEMA. That is one cool flashlight and I was shocked it wasn't a hundred bucks too!

**tWiStEd-tORqUe** · 11-23-2009, 10:48 AM

Metallic Gray ,

Mike Phillips · 11-23-2009, 10:56 AM

Originally Posted by OCDetails

Awesome review, Mike. I just got my order with my light in it on Friday. I had a great time playing with it.

I'm glad I got to play with yours for a bit at SEMA. That is one cool flashlight and I was shocked it wasn't a hundred bucks too!

Hi Anthony,

Since SEMA I've give 2 of my personal Swirl Finder Lights away, one to Maarten in Holland who was at the Dallas, TX GTG and last Friday to a VIP interested in it after seeing it work on a black car that looked good until we shined the Swirl Finder Light onto the paint. All I have left is #3 for now so I'll have to pick up at least one more.

I number them so I can better remember which one was on the charger last.

Nick and I both signed Maarten's so maybe a picture of it will show up on a forum someday.

It's also a great flashlight just to keep in your car or truck or for around the house.

Mike Phillips · 11-23-2009, 10:59 AM

Originally Posted by tWiStEd-tORqUe

Metallic Gray,

That's what I figured... Metallic Gray is in the same family as light Metallic Silver. It's not that the Swirl Finder Light doesn't work because it does, but it doesn't work great on light colors.

There's also a difference between seeing horrendous swirls and light or shallow swirls, it could be the paint on this Mazda MX-5 isn't in too bad a shape to start with.

**ph16** · 11-23-2009, 11:32 AM

Mine is already wrapped and I'll see it underneath the tree in a month thanks to the Mrs.

**tWiStEd-tORqUe** · 11-23-2009, 01:48 PM

Originally Posted by Mike.Phillips@Autogeek

That's what I figured... Metallic Gray is in the same family as light Metallic Silver. It's not that the Swirl Finder Light doesn't work because it does, but it doesn't work great on light colors.

There's also a difference between seeing horrendous swirls and light or shallow swirls, it could be the paint on this S2000 isn't in too bad a shape to start with.

Thank Mike for the Info ,

**ATS*SOL** · 10-15-2012, 04:00 AM

just came across this thread thought it was just my eyes but yeah i see now why =) is the 3m sun gun a better light gun? i dont think ill ever buy one but is it "better"?

edit: just realized how old this thread is sorry.

Mike Phillips · 10-15-2012, 06:46 AM

Originally Posted by ATS*SOL

is the 3m sun gun a better light gun?

i dont think ill ever buy one but is it "better"?

If you define the word "better" to mean show swirls better than the Brinkmann Swirl Finder Light than the answer is "yes".

In fact, I'd say when it comes to revealing any type of swirls or scratches the 3M Sun Gun does such a good job, (at least on black paint and other dark colors), that it might drive you crazy trying to finish down to the point that you're happy.

If you can make paint look good using only the Brinkmann Swirl Finder Light than that's actually pretty good.