Kevin B (RPS Coach) Posted July 7, 2008 Share Posted July 7, 2008 We had a chance to fire off some flares in a controlled setting over the weekend. All flares were Orion. Of the four handheld, one was a dud. Of the three pencil flares, there were no duds. The pencil flares were a tad brighter and seemed to have a longer hang time. That being said, the pencil flares were more complicated as well as significantly louder with a much larger recoil. Although models may differ, the pencil flares had to be loaded by screwing on the flare and then unscrewing the spent cartridge before loading again. Given the condition under which these may be needed, it seems like a complicated procedure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnHuth Posted July 7, 2008 Share Posted July 7, 2008 Testing flares on the 4th of July, huh? I used to do that until my wife put her foot down. I got to the point where I said that they were due to expire anyway, and this was the only way I could dispose of them. She didn't buy that one, either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kevin B (RPS Coach) Posted July 7, 2008 Author Share Posted July 7, 2008 Testing flares on the 4th of July, huh? I used to do that until my wife put her foot down. I got to the point where I said that they were due to expire anyway, and this was the only way I could dispose of them. She didn't buy that one, either. It helps when your wife is right next to you firing them off as well Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Sylvester Posted July 7, 2008 Share Posted July 7, 2008 Didn't get free fireworks this year so I tried to fire a couple of outdated flares and they were both duds...I thought one might go off.. So I threw them in the fire and they went off after a few minutes.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeffcasey Posted July 10, 2008 Share Posted July 10, 2008 there is another story here, several years old...I looked for it in the archives (I know it was posted previously) but it seems to have vanished. let us just say that 4th of july, an island in maine, and (sorry to say) alcohol were involved. the idea of testing flares on 4th of july seemed .... brilliant!! everybody had old flares they had been carrying forever. we tested about a half dozen of them, perhaps half or so worked, before ...er... mishaps surfaced. the remaining details are hazy.... and I won't definitely admit to being there anyhow. if any of the others present at the time will admit it, they might have some clearer recollections regarding brands, treatment (i.e. dry box vs wet in vest pocket) and performance. (Actually, I think all of mine worked...they were Skyblazers or Skytracers, several years past expiration, but always kept in drybox.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gillian Posted July 10, 2008 Share Posted July 10, 2008 i wish firing off flares wasn't so expensive because it was definitely a lot of fun even though it was a very serious business of testing our preparedness - having a few beers and saki corteousy of Peter also enhanced the experience - definitely get rid of the pencil flares - no fun to fire and sort of painful on the hand, although if you really need to use is, what's a little recoil burn? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.