Sunlite SL20/BLB 20 Watt Spiral Energy Saving CFL Light Bulb Medium Base, Blacklight Blue

I have no complaints about this product; it performs exactly as expected.

We intend to use it as part of our Halloween display. When I saw the word "blue" in the title description of this item, I was a little worried that it wasn't a true 'blacklight', but now that I have it in hand, I can confirm that it works great, and has produced excellent results with our flourescent paints. Now that I know the bulb meets our needs, I intend to purchase several more, to incorporate into our Halloween displays.

This light gives off a lot of visible purple light and not much ultraviolet. I doesn't make things glow well, and the visible light masks much of the glowing of objects. I'm comparing it side-by-side to a fluorescent tube backlight that I've had for many years.

This is a reasonably priced solution if you need a black light. It fits into a standard lamp socket and provides a decent amount of true "black light;" enough to show off dayglo colors and make white clothes glow that beautiful, deep blue. This light works a whole lot better than other "spiral" type "black light" bulbs I've seen.

It's only 20 watt so don't expect the amount of light you'd get from a four foot tube but this is a whole lot easier to handle and to fit in a tight space. You should also plan to use it without any kind of lampshade. It's just not bright enough to penetrate. Use it in a clip on utility light with a reflector to focus the light and protect the bulb, or something similar.

Handle with care, of course.

I would give this light four and a half stars if I could and five it it was only a little brighter. Really, it's a good bulb.