Cylume sticks? Good idea?

Lobo103

Lobo103

Joined
Jul 14, 2003
Messages
645
After reading Cody Lundins 98.6 Degrees I reevaluated some of the stuff that I carry in my kit. The one thing that struck me though is that his kit seemed a little light on night time signaling. The Flashlight and whistle would be good, but limited on time. I know the Cylume stick (glow stick) is a single use item but for miniscule amount of space and weight do you think its worth it to carry?
 
I'd think it'd depend on which size you want, and other specs. Regular size (4"?) or mini (1")? Which color? If regular, normal intensity or high? Perhaps a battery-powered one? (I've seen them in Brigade Quartermasters catalogue.) I've considered putting a mini one in my E&E kit, but I worry about the thing getting activated in it's package and being useless when I go to use it. For the time being, I've got a MiniMag Solitare in there. I know an LED would be better, but I'm having trouble finding a satisfactory LED (mainly Inovas).

Matt in Texas
 
I used to carry them in all my kits , and every os often I'd have to buy all new ones cuz they would go past expiration date. Then I did the math.... Waste of money IMO.
For the price of buying those each time I had to , I bought several cheap single LED's from Nitropak , they arent the best LED's money can buy but they work well as supplimental light and I would think the light one would put out is at equal to a glow stick or two. Plus they dont take up as much room.
Just an idea.
Todd
 
Just an idea, you could use a glotoob or a Krill (sp) lamp. I have a glotoob, it's bright enough to read by and be seen from quite a distance, it's practically indestructable and pretty small and light. Also, if you are wanting to be able to signal with a light of some kind, a small photon microlight is even smaller and visible from something like 2 miles.
 
Light sticks are great when they work. :rolleyes:

If they freeze they die, if they go over their exp they die, if the airtight package they are in gets a hole they die, for no apparent reason the die......

There are better signalling systems out there for the money that are more reliable. How about a good strobe light? Works for the military pilots should work for you.

Even better a good sized fire can be made with a 50 cent lighter. ;)

A "GOOD" whistle never runs out of batteries and is reliable

Skam
 
I use a glotoob myself. Great product, really, and you can always use it for mood lighting in the hot tub when you're not BOBing. .
 
ACMarina said:
I use a glotoob myself. Great product, really, and you can always use it for mood lighting in the hot tub when you're not BOBing. .
Click to expand...
"In the hot tub"? They're waterproof too? Sounds like a good deal. A big plus over any light stick is that anything battery powered can be turned back off and saved for later.

Matt in Texas
 
Totally agree with the consensus. I have a box in the house for emergencies because they are protected and with a box of 12 I'm sure at least two or three will work. Bottom line is you can buy small led lights that will do the job for less money.
 
I've not had any failures luckily.

We keep them around for electrical failures. A buddy had a house full of people when a storm hit, so he passed out some sticks, and everyone had no problems seeing their way around the house for the rest of the night.

I have also found that some "8-hour" ones will still provide enough light to read by after 16 hours.

I still don't/wouldn't stake my life on them though.
 
i cant remember the name, but its a light emitting crystal that nevers stops glowing, expensive, but its very bright any lasts forever. anyone know of these? i just read it in the sas survival handbook, so i dont know about them.
 
Some 3 x AA LED flashlights give light for hundreds of hours. The level declines after 100 hours or so, but the light matches a cylume stick for many hours after that.

How long do cylume sticks last?
 
The light-emitting "crystal" was probably a beta light - a small tube filled w/ tritium & a phosphorescent coating - it produces light, barely enough to read by - not at all as a bright as a Cyalume or LED light.

I had a though on the signalling idea - why not use a keychain LED light & put it inside an inflated balloon or condom - the slightly opaque nature of the balloon should contain some of the light and make a more diffuse/omnidirectional beacon - may work well w/ the flashing LEDs (i.e Photon III)

Sam
 
5 bucks will get you a single AAA cell LED (Dorcy) flashlight at wallmart. These ain't the best but they are moderately bright, cheap and last a good while. They arn't as nicely made as a solitare but the light lasts many times longer (solitare mini flashlights tend to eat batteries). When I get the time, I plan on taking one of the Dorcys apart and seeing if I can adapt the innerds to a solitare. If you can afford the room a 3 cell LED is the way to go as they last many times longer.
Enjoy!
 
Another issue with cyalume sticks is that, while great for limited light situations like wayfinding and reading, they're not designed--and not recommended--for signalling.

The soft, indirect, diffuse glow is not visible from a distance, and may not even be noticeable from a few feet away. For that, you'd want something incandescent like the LED solutions proposed above.
 
I still have a few I "accidentally" left in my pack when I was overseas. They are a 42hr stick and seem to live up to it from what I've seen. I have to agree that the LED light is probably a better idea, but I may still toss one or two in my kit. I just like the fact that you can tie it off to your gear and not only see but also be visible from Multiple directions (not always so w/ a flash light).
 
Lobo103 said:
I still have a few I "accidentally" left in my pack when I was overseas. They are a 42hr stick and seem to live up to it from what I've seen. I have to agree that the LED light is probably a better idea, but I may still toss one or two in my kit. I just like the fact that you can tie it off to your gear and not only see but also be visible from Multiple directions (not always so w/ a flash light).
Click to expand...

Another application for a glotoob. It's got a ring and you can tie it to your gear and it can be seen from all sides... at least whatever sides your gear isn't blocking ;)
 
check out the Garrity electric glow sticks... I had around 50hrs on one before my niece claimed it(and it was my test one... cut shorter, and thrown around... didn't die).

in my BOB, I carry:
*1/2 dozen of the batt powered ones, bright enough to read by if you hang one from the top of your tent.
*6-7 green chem sticks that were a buck each after halloween. Only glows for about 6-8hrs, but it's bright enough to see for 3 blocks away.
*2 12hr green in my kit, haven't had a failure on them yet(I just buy 2 at a time, been using the same type for about 5-6yrs).
(along with spare batts for my 2aa mag, x5, and garrity bullet)

Have 4 mini's in my everyday bag, not really that bright or long lasting(got 4hrs out of the one I tested), but they provide enough light to find your camp again, or mark off a woodpile.

For an LED solution, Garrity also makes a bullet... 1 LED, 3 AAA. Mine went a year on the same batts before being tossed in my BOB. The check 2 weeks ago says it still works(6months in my trunk in the cold). 120hrs on full, 700hrs on flash(slow or fast)... 5 settings total, little bigger than my inova x5.
 
The light sticks are great for kids. The first time I had my daughter sleep "alone" in her own hammock shelter I gave her one and it made all the differnce.

They make a decent signal device if tied to a string and twirled around. Mac
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top