rfolster Posted May 15, 2015 Share Posted May 15, 2015 I need a new strobe light for my PFD. Suggestions? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rfolster Posted May 16, 2015 Author Share Posted May 16, 2015 Actually, just found this one this morning and have it ordered to arrive on Monday. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jason Posted May 16, 2015 Share Posted May 16, 2015 Actually, just found this one this morning and have it ordered to arrive on Monday.You might update your order to include a 2nd one in red: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pintail Posted May 17, 2015 Share Posted May 17, 2015 By <strobe> light, do you mean for emergency purposes -- or simply for other kayakers to be able to see you in the dark? If the latter, I have one or two of those little things you have featured in your attachment; but they are NOT going to be of any use to you (or the USCG), if someone is really searching for you in the dark. Much rather go to one of the big boating shops and buy a proper rescue strobe -- usually in orange plastic, having proper, stout rubber gasket and putting out <real>, bright white light.My 0.02... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rfolster Posted May 17, 2015 Author Share Posted May 17, 2015 Definitely for rescue purposes - I would not want to confuse anyone by using a strobe light simply for other kayakers to see me in the dark.I originally had one of the "proper" rescue strobes that failed after only having it for maybe two years. Perhaps I am being unrealistic, but I was hoping for something that would last longer and have a lower profile. The other rescue strobes tended to get caught on stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil Allen Posted May 18, 2015 Share Posted May 18, 2015 Just to state explicitly state what Rob almost said, strobes on the water are a sign of distress, and shouldn't be used for anything but that. I like the little clip on ones you found above. If I remember correctly they're either in steady or strobe mode depending on how you place the battery (memories getting poor here). Even though they're not very bright, the CG folks say they can detect them from about a mile away on a clear night with their night vision glasses.bestPhi Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rfolster Posted May 18, 2015 Author Share Posted May 18, 2015 Yes, Phil, they can either be strobe or steady depending on battery orientation. The manufacturer claims visibility from a mile away which comparable with many other PFD strobes. There are others that claim two or three mile visibility, but the size of the device presents a possible ensnarement hazard, which made this one so attractive. I just got it in the mail today and will be interested in comparing it with another "proper" strobe at camp some night. If it turns out that it just isn't as bright, I can always flip the batteries on this and strap it to my hat or helmet to make a nice running light out of it for night paddling. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billvoss Posted May 18, 2015 Share Posted May 18, 2015 The SOLAS rated gear, including strobes, tends to be more reliable than stuff with only a Coast Guard rating. I'm still carrying my original SOLAS strobe. However, it is rather large. (Takes two AA batteries.)I also have a little coin battery powered white light. When mounted on top of my helmet, I believe it meet's NH's loosely defined requirement for an all around 360 degree white light when kayaking at night. Though it is definitely not very bright. I bought it to meet the NH requirement as I understood it, without impairing my fellow kayaker's night vision. I had forgotten that it had a strobe mode. I would not want to depend on it in an emergency. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jason Posted May 18, 2015 Share Posted May 18, 2015 By <strobe> light, do you mean for emergency purposes -- or simply for other kayakers to be able to see you in the dark? If the latter, I have one or two of those little things you have featured in your attachment; but they are NOT going to be of any use to you (or the USCG), if someone is really searching for you in the dark. Much rather go to one of the big boating shops and buy a proper rescue strobe -- usually in orange plastic, having proper, stout rubber gasket and putting out <real>, bright white light.My 0.02...I find that the little one that Rob picked are much better than the old school orange ones. The orange ones based on an incandescent bulb, if you leave standard AA non-lithium batteries in them they tended to corrode and fail after just a couple of seasons. The one Rob picked is LED based, are brighter have a very long run time. For my $0.02 would go with current technology, it's smaller (less likely to get hung up on things in rescues) and works much better. The gaskets on the ones I received were your normal O rings just like the ones in the orange AA based strobes.The ones I picked up last year have a more secure clip than the picture in his link, hopefully the picture is wrong and that they didn't change the mount. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jason Posted May 18, 2015 Share Posted May 18, 2015 I find that the little one that Rob picked are much better than the old school orange ones. The orange ones based on an incandescent bulb, if you leave standard AA non-lithium batteries in them they tended to corrode and fail after just a couple of seasons. The one Rob picked is LED based, are brighter have a very long run time. For my $0.02 would go with current technology, it's smaller (less likely to get hung up on things in rescues) and works much better. The gaskets on the ones I received were your normal O rings just like the ones in the orange AA based strobes.The ones I picked up last year have a more secure clip than the picture in his link, hopefully the picture is wrong and that they didn't change the mount.Correction I based my post was comparing the gardian light to the Arc C-Light: https://www.acrartex.com/products/catalog/rescue-and-distress-lights/c-light-with-c-clip/#sthash.s1bhkwPs.dpbsI purchased a couple of them over the years, the most recent one is dead and no longer attached to my pfd. It seems that it's not a proper strobe, I treated it like it was one, reserving it for emergency use thus my references to it in the post. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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