You should know by now that staying under the sun for long periods of time, especially when it is at its fiercest, just to get a lovely tan isn’t quite a good idea these days with the ever thinning ozone layer even if you have splashed generous dollops of sunscreen over you. After all, no point having a nice tan all over only to discover that you suffer from skin cancer many years down the road, right? Well, for folks who just love the summer sun and can’t get enough of it after the dreary winter months, here’s something that might help you manage your time under the sun – the UV Monkey from Firebox. What’s the UV Monkey, actually? Well, it isn’t some sort of simian creature that shoots out UV rays at people, but is actually a key-fob sized UV ray detector.

Before you head out under the burning, flaming orb we call the sun for some tanning sessions with your mate, expose the UV Monkey to sunlight and give it a few moments to discern just how strong the rays are at that point of time. This process takes but a few seconds, where a simple read out is presented on its purple scale. Individual parts of the scale will correspond to the UV warning scales used in national forecasts too, giving you a goo idea on whether or not to remain indoors and play some Xbox or wear nothing but a pair of shorts and bask under the sunlight just like your reptilian friends.

Since it comes in such a small size, it is suitable to be taken around wherever you go, be it hanging from your keys, attached to your beach bag or if you’re the more adventurous person, hook it to a part of your body piercing like some sort of modern cyber-tribal warrior. Firebox is currently carrying the UV Monkey for £3.95 a pop.