Customer Reviews

Oregon Scientific UV888A Personal UV Monitor with Exposure Timer

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I purchased this before our trip to Florida because my 1 year old is a red haired, blue eyed boy and I didn't want him to get burned. We all know that you need to apply sunscreen before going to the beach but using this monitor to check the UV index showed that it would only take 10 minutes for him to burn so even just walking around the block would have been enough. For the first time ever I went to Florida and came back without a sunburn but a nice tan.

I use this meter to check general UV intensity - indoors, outdoors, in the car, etc. It's handy & lightweight, but watchout - I don't think it measures UVA. I've used it to check my indoor halogen lamps & it is sensitive enough to pick up UV from those. It also gives much higher readings at high altitudes vs. sea level, as expected. But if this thing does measure UVA (which apparently doesn't get filtered out by sun angle like UVB), it should be reading higher than 0 when I place it in full summer sun at 7pm, especially in New Zealand. I wrote Oregon Scientific but they couldn't tell me which UV spectrums it covers. Shame, cuz it's soooo much cheaper than the commercial-use UV meters.

It is becoming more obvious with each study that Vitamin D is crucial for maintaining health. Cancer patients are with alarming frequency quite deficient in Vitamin D, even in southern climes. People are afraid of sunburn and skin cancer and don't dare go out in the sun. This device measures UV exposure for 4 skin types and SPF - level 1 for no sunblock and on up. Once you input these two things, you are ready to go out safely in the sun, any time of day.

Go outside, press a button, and the monitor tells you how long you can stay in the sun right then without having too much UV exposure. Press another, and it counts down the time for you and an alarm sounds when it's time to go inside. It's perfect for sunbathing, taking a walk, etc. It can be a little tricky to set up, but after that, this sturdy little measuring device is quite simple to use. I believe cancer centers should be giving these to their patients.

I love gadgets so I could not pass this up since I live in the desert of So Cal. I have used it only to measure how bad the UV is on a given day and give me an idea what the risk is. I did not use the timer to push my exposure. It has a count down timer for how long you can be exposed based on the current UV measured. I always use a hat and sunshine when in the sun for more than a few minutes so I don't rely on the timer. (You can sure see the difference in UV levels from early morning to noon). The unit is suppose to allow you to select skin type, but I can't seem to be able to set it. It is why I did not give it 5 stars.

I ordered this product over the past summer. It was under $20 at the time and I figured it was worth a try at that price. I was VERY pleased by the performance of this product. I used it mostly to give me an idea of how high the UV rating was at a particular time. I really never used the timer or skin setting options. I really just wanted to have a second "opinion" (other than my own eyes) as to how hot the sun was and how bad the UV rating was so that I could determine how long my kids could be in the sun before their exposure risk increased significantly. I always still used sunscreen and hats.

I think this product is very helpful and worked exactly as stated in the ways that I used it. It also measures the current temperature, which was a nice extra feature. I kept it in a little cloth case in my purse all summer long so I would always have it handy. The battery lasted the entire summer and is still going strong. No big deal either way, though, because a replacement battery is only $2-3.

FYI, UV rays do not pass through most glass (like windows - some even have UV ratings imprinted in a corner - look at your car's windows), which is why this unit will register "0" when attempting to measure UV rays through a window. It's not the unit that is working improperly. In other words, that's why you won't get a sunburn on your arms when driving your car, or while sitting on your windowsill at home, unless you open the window and your arms are exposed directly to the sun's rays.

This is certainly one of the best products I've ordered through Amazon.com and with one of the best prices. It's definitely worth the small investment.

Purchased this item for a science experiment for my 10-year-old. It was simple to use and worked great! Worth what I paid and I'd recommend it to everyone. We're going to continue to use it for temperature readings and for uv readings when we're out on the lake.

Great product.... accurate and useful. I use it often. Seems to be well-made also... nice design and easy to read.

This is a great product. I have some skin problems and my dermatologist wants me to limit my exposure to UV. This little device gives a reading of the UV intensity. It is small and easy to carry around. It reads if the UV is extreme, high, medium, or low and gives the number of minutes you can safely stay in the sun. It helps me win the arguments with my wife when I want to go for a bicycle ride in the evening. I can pull out the meter and show her the be UV level is very low and that it is safe.

This does what it claims. My only complaint is that it is not that intuitive and the instructions are not as clear or informative as I'd like.

excellent device for preventing sunburn and other skin disorders. a must if you burn easily or go to an unfamiliar site.