The last bunch of UV-Killer Tests

UPDATED TESTS

The purpose of this report is to document additional tests I made on the UV-Killer product samples sent to me by Dan Gutting of Atsko, Inc. Let me repeat at the outset that I was on the record as highly skeptical of not only the claims of Atsko regarding this product. In fact the reason for this test grew out of a weblog entry I made on 9/22/2008 on Genesis 9:2-4 Ministries. Dan took umbrage with my assertions, and a conversation ensued. If you follow the link, and click on the comments, you can see what has transpired. Eventually Dan offered to send me a sample of UV-Killer to test. After the first set of tests,UV-Killer Test 081106 , Dan reviewed the results and decided to send me additional material, specifically three light sources:

• A compact fluorescent bulb

• An LED bulb

• A small key-fob LED flashlight that would be suitable for testing samples in a store or in the field.

All three seem to produce a heightened effect of UV fluorescence compared to the 75 Watt incandescent bulb I had used in the earlier tests. It definitely gave me reason to go back to the lab. Please refer back to the 11/6 tests for all the setup information. The compact fluorescent bulb made for the best illumination for photography. I therefore used that for the follow-on tests. I honestly expected to be eating crow by the time this was over.

Through all of this, this was just me in the basement with a light bulb and a camera. No deer were killed in the course of this test.

Here are the details: UV-Killer Tests 081211



My conclusions:

	After all this testing , do I believe the UV-Killer can darken the UV fluorescence of your clothing? Yes.
	Do I believe there are UV-Brighteners in detergent? Yes.
	Does UV-Killer do anything to them? I couldn't get the glow of washed clothes to read on my camera in the first place. Therefore, I was unable to test it. The one positive test was a glob of Ultra-Gain that had been left to dry on a patch of cloth for over a month. That is hardly a valid test on which to base an opinion.
	Do name-brand manufacturers produce camo that has UV-Brighteners. Yes.
	Does UV-Killer reduce their fluorescence? Yes.
	Does it amount to an appreciable amount? No. It does on copier paper, but I did not see a level of attenuation that I would consider substantial on the fabric. On camo fabric, that is already pretty dark. The attenuation is there but it only muddies the pattern. After the fabric if left to dry, I do not see appreciable darkening of UV fluorescence.
	After all this testing, and after 26 seasons of hunting do I think UV-Killer really does anything to enhance my chances of bagging a deer? I am wholly unconvinced it does. If a deer is scrutinizing me enough to see the difference, I am all ready busted. Either that or he's already on a one-way trip to my freezer.
	What would convince me? A double-blind test that shows conclusively that deer will run from a hunter wearing clothing that is not protected with the UV-Killer product versus a control. I would think a 20% difference would be reasonable to expect. I doubt you will see that study ever done.
	Do I have any suggestions: Yes, If you have a concern about this sort of thing, stick with dull camo patterns without a whole lot of contrast. Those bright white highlights are bright for a reason. Wash your clothes in sodium bicarbonate, and stay away from laundry detergents. What? You want brighter hunting clothes? Duh! A little dull and dingy goes a long way. Remember that almost my entire collection of camo clothes and camo fabric, collected since 1982 had a very small percentage of samples that would glow under the bulbs supplied by Atsko-- even a lot of the hunter orange stuff appeared dark under UV.