Stay GLow extravaganza

[stevekt]

Very tempted by the Stay Glow options. Any testimonials to why I should go Glow?

The Stay Glow knives are no different from standard Victorinox SAK's except the bright yellow scales glow in the dark. The glow in the dark part is a bit of a gimmick because they do need to be exposed to bright light before they can glow. Most often you'll have your knife in your pocket where it won't be exposed to light. So if you were to pull your knife out of your pocket in a dark environment and drop it, it would just as hard to find as a normal SAK. However, the bright yellow is highly visible should you drop it on the ground in the day time. It will stand out boldly against grass, dirt, leaves, etc.

I suppose your could "charge" it with a flashlight or something before heading off in the dark. There was a experiment on sosak to document how long the scales would glow. Off hand I don't remember what the findings were.

Another thing to note is that the Stay Glow scales feel more like nylon Econo than cellidor. There is a faint texture to them, not smooth like cellidor. It seems to give a slightly better grip and is likely a bit more scratch resistant. The logo is screen printed, unlike the cellidor's inletted sheet metal logo.

 

[Saunterer]

The glow in the dark part is a bit of a gimmick because they do need to be exposed to bright light before they can glow. Most often you'll have your knife in your pocket where it won't be exposed to light. So if you were to pull your knife out of your pocket in a dark environment and drop it, it would just as hard to find as a normal SAK..

I wouldn't call it a gimmick. I EDC various Stayglo models, and sometimes they stay in my pocket all day long and never get used in a day's time. (I know, I know, this sounds bad coming from a knife knut.... :barf When I place them on the nightstand, when I get up in the morning, which is before sunrise, I can see a faint glow of it. Mind you, it is probably recharging just a bit from the ambient light through my clothing and my eyes are dark adapted from just waking up. But I definitely wouldn't call it a gimmick.

There was a experiment on sosak to document how long the scales would glow. Off hand I don't remember what the findings were.

That was me. Unfortunately I can't pull them up on SOSAK anymore and I lost quite a few of my pictures when my Windows machine formatted my external hard drive on a fresh install (still don't know how that happened ) so I can't remember the results. I'm thinking it was around 4 hours or so.

I did find my old article on www.sosakonline.com, but it doesn't have all the text I submitted. http://www.sosakonline.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=32&Itemid=35

 

[samhain73]

felinevet, can you help me find me a cybertool 34 with stayglow handles? I've seen them elsewhere, but would rather help support your charity if possible!

 

[stevekt]

Oh, they'll definitely glow as advertised, if you charge them. Most people keep their knives in their pockets where they'll likely not be exposed to light. Even in your photos the knife is not visible after a few hours and that was after they were exposed to direct sunlight, not sitting in a pocket. Stay Glows are very cool knives but don't expect to keep it in your pocket all day and still have enough juice to signal a plane with it, let alone find it after it's been dropped.

 

[samhain73]

I've got a climber in my back pocket at all times(my true edc) and also a classic that I keep on my keychain, and they glow like crazy for a 10-15 mins, then fade slowly, just like any other GITD material. But they glow somewhat for hours, and recharge easily. If you dropped one in the dark, you could find it easily with a flashlight.

 

[Saunterer]

Even in your photos the knife is not visible after a few hours and that was after they were exposed to direct sunlight, not sitting in a pocket.

Yep. Very true. But in the text I wrote I stated that the human eye is more sensitive than a digital camera. Studies have even shown that the human eye can detect single photons; something a camera can't. But that is another discussion. But I clearly could see the difference where the camera didn't. As I posted, most of my text is lost so that review is incomplete as of today.

I just paused typing this post and went outside to see if I could see my Stayglo hiker in the dark. My eyes are adjusted to indoor lighting and my EDC hasn't been used since early this morning, and yet I could see it from 10 feet away when I laid it on the ground. I live in a low light area so there were no lights to assist me. Even better when I looked 15 degrees or so, above/below it, it really stood out. Plus, if you drop your knife in the dark; chances are you are in the dark and your eyes have already adapted to the environment.

You have any Stayglo SAK's to compare to?

Plus no one ever claims to be able to signal aircraft with them. Just being able to find them in dark.

 

[stevekt]

Your article is still there. You have to log in.

My point is that yes it glows. The more exposure to light, the brighter it glows. The less exposure, to light the less it glows. Sitting in the pocket it obviously will get very little light and the glowing effect will be minimal. In a situation where you might need a bright highly visible glow, such as suddenly dropping it while outdoors at night, chances are good the knife has been sitting in a pocket for the past few hours and will not provide as much visibility as you'd like.

Does it glow? Yes. Does it glow brilliantly? Yes, under the right circumstances. Will it glow enough when you need it? Probably. Will it glow brilliantly when you need it? Not likely.

 

[stevedenver]

simply-some plusses of stay glow

GITD stuff is one of those little kid fascinations that remains with me-(i remember when glow in the dark stuff was purple and green only)

when i have exposed my knife to the last of daylight-or a bright flashlight
it will glow-and
it will glow faintly, but visibly, virtually all night-

when freshly charged in full sun-the ambient reflection off the scales is very very bright-bright enough to walk in total darkness for a few minutes -provided your eyes have adjusted

and after many hours
you could find it in pitch dark room or tent-thats one plus-however ridiculously unlikely a function-

secondly-while red is very visible-imho the yellow is more so, and i think its got something to do with the wavelengths the human eye sees most easily for color-ive noticed that the new highway dept signs here in CO now use this seemingly exact shade of yellow-which simply jumps out against the background landscape, in sun, or overcast or grey weather

so does the stay glow -among rocks and grass and fallen twigs and the like-even in shaded areas-it just jumps out-and more so as the light fades-while red, say at dusk or later, will appear more grey

as noted the scale's plastic material is like the eco -slightly textured nylon? and possibly less likely to show minor scratches than highly polished celidor-but the logo is ink not inlay

what i like -yellow is also a very non threatening color to most -as compared to bad a$& black, etc

and relatively speaking-you just dont see stay glow SAKS by and large-

for most of us, its unlikely to leave a knife unattended-but i have found sometimes sharing stuff and some arent as careful about returning things or leaving things lying about, or somewhere around camp or in the yard, etc-(i also use nylon cord with reflective threads for a loop /lanyard which can help when searching with a flashlight-

im sure there are many who find the color non traditional, or even garish

i dig it-but if all SAKs were stay glow-im sure id want red or something else again

 

[Gene]

Hi felinevet,
Sorry, I didn't get your e-mail but I received your PM. Thanks so much for all your help my friend!

 

[AlexSchira]

Hmm...You guys are definitely making headway in emptying my wallet...

Pros:
Day/Night visibility
Suitable charging/glow time
People-friendly
Possibly scratch-resistance/Improved grip
Unique take on a classic

Cons:
Price
Availability, has to be semi-custom in nature
Price compared to standard red
Not traditional
Cannot signal an airplane

Eying the Super Tinker either way. My Tinker is nice, but the scissors and hook options are just enough to be complete for me. Looking for a comfortable, people-friendly multi-tool geared more for the civilized world on my more laid-back times. The Stayglow has a style to it, having such a well-known tool with a high-tech update is a unique statement. And the performance benefits in low lighting would certainly warrant it seeing some unique usage.
Might even see some use by my other half, leaving something friendly and highly visible around promises it'll see some use.

 

[stevedenver]

i suggest you contact central valley and simply ask him to make exactly what you like

fwiw my stay glow ranger cost $1 less than a discount red ranger-

cant beat that

as for your wallet

id guess around here many of us just slowly grow the collection-and shopping online and not at retail makes a very big difference

 

[Gene]

Just wanted to update that I replaced the scales on my 30+ year old Champ and these Stay Glow scales are great!

Even if they didn't glow in the dark, (which they do nicely), I'd still want them. You can spot your knife from a mile away even if they're not charged with light. They feel good in hand. They're just a very nice all-around upgrade.