- Joined
- Aug 7, 2009
- Messages
- 251
So, I've been looking at this item for quite a while and I really like the look of them for emergency signalling, especially the 5-minute ultra-orange variety. I'd keep one in a survival kit and one in my pack, most likely.
I suspect that this video does not show the actual brightness and it does not show the swinging in full circles technique that one would use to signal. I've read elsewhere that they'll glow for about 30 minutes, but the first 5 is the most intense:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y3YZUaf8Tv8
These weigh 44.5ish grams a piece. They're waterproof. They come in a hard plastic tube so they should be quite crushproof. They don't need or use fire, unlike signal flares. They have a printed shelf life of 2 years from date of manufacture, although I suspect that they'd still work fine for at least another year past that. Additionally, if need be they're an available short length of cordage and provide a short, hard plastic tube.
The main downside is that they're damn impossible to get. One guy on ebay is selling them, but I found out the hard way that they are old. 5 years and 8 months expired and he doesn't say a word about that. I sent an email about getting my money back. Botach claims to have them in stock, but I've read way more than enough horror stories to not want to get anywhere near them. Another few places sell them, but by the case of 50, which is several hundred dollars or individually for $12 or so- a bit steep IMO (plus, I don't know if they're also selling old ones).
Does anyone have a good source of these which are definitely new or have any experience using them? I'm tempted to count my relatively small losses and play with these even though they are quite expired just to see how they handle.
I suspect that this video does not show the actual brightness and it does not show the swinging in full circles technique that one would use to signal. I've read elsewhere that they'll glow for about 30 minutes, but the first 5 is the most intense:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y3YZUaf8Tv8
These weigh 44.5ish grams a piece. They're waterproof. They come in a hard plastic tube so they should be quite crushproof. They don't need or use fire, unlike signal flares. They have a printed shelf life of 2 years from date of manufacture, although I suspect that they'd still work fine for at least another year past that. Additionally, if need be they're an available short length of cordage and provide a short, hard plastic tube.
The main downside is that they're damn impossible to get. One guy on ebay is selling them, but I found out the hard way that they are old. 5 years and 8 months expired and he doesn't say a word about that. I sent an email about getting my money back. Botach claims to have them in stock, but I've read way more than enough horror stories to not want to get anywhere near them. Another few places sell them, but by the case of 50, which is several hundred dollars or individually for $12 or so- a bit steep IMO (plus, I don't know if they're also selling old ones).
Does anyone have a good source of these which are definitely new or have any experience using them? I'm tempted to count my relatively small losses and play with these even though they are quite expired just to see how they handle.
