Which solarmeter should I buy?
- Thread starter JaySparks
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This model has been popular for some time now: https://www.solarmeter.com/model65.html
I think this new model is worth investigating though: https://www.solarmeter.com/model65r.html
I think this new model is worth investigating though: https://www.solarmeter.com/model65r.html
The current standard is the 6.5 model.
I have the solar meter 6.5 and I am happy with it.
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The two mentioned above are the same meter with different graphics on outer the case of the second one listed to make it easier for reptile lovers to translate the readings into the Ferguson zone level required for their particular reptiles.
What is the difference between 6.5 and the 6.2 model. The way I was understanding it is the 6.5 model tells you what UV level your animal is receiving and the 6.2 model tells you what UVB your bulb is giving out.
Is that correct?
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I am not certain of that. All I know is that I called the company to find out which of their meters was best for checking what is necessary for reptiles and was told by the engineer to use the 6.5 model ONLY for measuring the UV output of lights for reptiles. Here is the comparison sheet from the company web site. It is not clear to me after viewing this what the difference between the 6.2 and the 6.5 models is. Maybe you can contact the company and ask them directly and let everyone know what you learn.
https://www.solarmeter.com/pdfs/compare-2017.pdf
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I have both. Everyone used to use the 6.2 model, and that one gives you a readout in micro watts per cm squared. The 6.5 model is what most people switched to a few years ago, and this model gives a readout in "UV Index". Here is how it was explained to me: The 6.2 model measures a broader spectrum of UVB, and the 6.5 model measures a narrower cross-section of the UVB spectrum, which happens to be more in the range of what our reptiles need. This is my paraphrasing of what the man at Solarmeter told me. I hope I've recounted it accurately enough here.
The 6.2, as @Tom states, measures in µW/cm2. That is simply the INTENSITY of the UV light energy reaching the meter. It is calibrated to read primarily UVB light, so it is a good indicator of whether you bulb is still producing adequate UVB if you take periodic reading to compare when the bulb was new.
The 6.5 gives the bioactive UVB reading available in the light. It reads wavelengths that are only in the bioactive range, but weights the result to correspond to what portions of that wavelength range is most active in the production of D3. So it is the best (by far) way to gauge how much D3 producing light is reaching your tortoise. Not just the overall intensity of the UVB in general.
So with the 6.5, you KNOW that your tortoise is getting the desired amount of D3 producing light AND have a way to know when you need to replace a bulb, or if it is still good.
The development of these meters was the principle way the real issue with eye burning/damaging CFLs and some other UVB bulbs was uncovered. Previous meters were simply measuring overall UV intensity and not specifically weighted to UVB. But as manufacturers met the demand for better UVB producing methods for designing bulb, the UVB portion of the light emitted started becoming a much larger percentage. So a bulb with the same intensity now can produce 4 or 5 times the UVB. It took meters that were primarily reading just the UVB portion of overall UV light to uncover just how extreme this was with some of the bulbs. SO... It is very important to know what the bioactive reading is that a bulb produces, not just the intensity of the light.
So does the ferguson zone method relate to overall UV(6.2 meter) or the UVB portion(6.5 meter)?
Scrub that last question. The 6.5 meter relates to the ferguson zone.
