LED road flare

das_blinkenlighten

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Jul 16, 2012
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Hey folks. I recently purchased a FlareAlert Pro LED road flare:

It was a good idea but the build quality is terrible. It turns itself on from time to time, draining the batteries, and the waterproofing gasket falls out and is very flimsy, etc. Overall, not good.

It's magnetic (good for sticking to smashed cars) and fairly bright, not as bright as a 12V auto tail light, though.

I want something BRIGHT that I can put lithium batteries into and throw in my glove box until there's a problem. At that point I need to be able to stick it magnetically to things, or put it flat on the road, and have it be visible. It needs to be waterproof as it may be exposed to heavy rain. I would prefer to buy this product whole, not hack it.

If I have to hack it, I'm gonna get a couple PDW Radbot 1000 or Danger Zone bike lights and glue strong magnets on them, but I'd rather have something purpose built.

Preferably under $40. The PDW lights are $22-30, the FlareAlert Pro was $17; if it had been good, I'd have got three.

Edit: Battery life isn't a huge concern. I want VISIBILITY and the ability to use lithium primaries, because it's gonna spend 99% of its life sleeping in the glove box until it's busy possibly saving somebody's life.

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gunspease

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have you though about a light that you plug into your cigarette lighter, we have them in the work trucks they flash or can be on steady. I'm not sure of the brand I'll look next time I see one.
 

makapuu

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das blinkenlighten
I just PM'd you this.
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ikeyballz

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I really suggest a couple of glow sticks. Cheap, disposable, and itll work as long as you don't crack em.
 

guardpost3

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Downeast Maine
We use the FlareAlert units for our Lifeflight LZ kit. We are currently looking for an alternative for road use. We picked up three different LED "flares" and are currently using them to see how they do. One of them is the PowerFlare and one is an EFlare, the third is a cheaper noname one that I think is already acting up. I have to say the powerflare is pretty nice, and look great on the roadway at night. The eflare seems to be a bit more rugged and I like the way its designed to jam into the top of a cone but is not really designed to be tossed anywhere on the ground like the powerflare.
 

Samy

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May 12, 2011
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Australia
i like the look of the led-flare.com lights. I don't have any but they look pretty darn cool i might have to get a couple. They seem to be waterproof, have a magnet and they drive over them on the videos in their website. Looks like they have multiple modes programmed in too. Kinda looks like a hockey puck.



cheers
 

climberkid

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Jan 19, 2008
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Goldsboro, NC
I have 6 that I have used heavily over the last several years. Each and every one has been run over by fire trucks and 18-wheelers. My only gripe is that if they do get run over it almost always changes flash patterns. I have yellow housings with red LEDs.


-Alex
 

EpicATrain

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Jan 17, 2013
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I was about to start a thread about this but I figured I would bump this old thread. Since it's been more than half a year, any updates on the available LED flares out there? I'm seriously thinking about making a few of my own or upgrade cheap brands with brighter LEDs. Ideas? Good bad?
 

argleargle

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Jan 7, 2013
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I really suggest a couple of glow sticks. Cheap, disposable, and itll work as long as you don't crack em.

(yeah I know someone bumped an old thread, no big deal.)

LifeGear makes great LED glow sticks in various colors that seem brighter than the disposable chem one-shots. My particular red stick is much dimmer than my particular green stick. They come in many colors.

They have blinky beacon mode. Hundred hour runtime is claimed off 3 lithium buttons, and they claim they'll give you free batteries but I've lost my paperwork to do so on the 2 LG led glowsticks that I have. I don't like the side switch. I don't like how you have to cycle through all modes to turn it off. I don't like accidental activation of the side switch, so I tape some bent cardboard over it. I've taken them camping many times, slipping one into my hatband. They make great neck-hangers. They can't tail-stand, but they can HEAD STAND whilst the body-glow mode is on. They also have a standard reflector and emitter in that head. They have a survival whistle in the tail. A strip of aluminum foil down one side makes for a pleasant picnic-table work light. They are very cheap. I think I paid $4 each.

It's fun to put one on each end of the hanger string and swing them around at night with the body and light head on, but non-flashaholics don't understand the antics.

Also, hate to state the obvious but I doubt many LED road flares are actually brighter than a real road flare. Chemical road flares only burn for about 15 minutes, so that may be a concern. Plus, they double as excellent campfire lighters! :)

Some search terms:
LED road flare = emergency light marker = LED beacon = LED glow stick

________________________________________
Sent from my flashlight using its USB interface.
 
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bnemmie

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The UP
So which one is better? The ELF-2 from Led-flare.com or the PowerFlare PF-200? They both look pretty similar...
 

mcnair55

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Oct 27, 2009
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What is wrong with a proper lamp that all the big sheds sell.? They all seem to sell those million candle power jobbies that generally have about 3 functions.I have one under the stairs somewhere.Very bright in mode 1,Flo tube on mode 2 and a warning system on mode 3 for breakdowns,it is rechargeable as well and not very expensive.
 

oronocova

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VA
County comm has a new light. They describle as a landing zone ligt. 1xD battery with a dome diffuser. 3 mode, one is strobe. Kind of pricey IMO. If you could get Lithium D batteries it would be awesome. And i might would vet one if you could. Has a 1/4-20 attachment point for a tripod. You could make a removeable magnet for it.
 

Poppy

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Northern New Jersey
You may want to google "Evaluation of Chemical and electric flares"
https://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/grants/224277.pdf

This was a governmental study.

Personally I keep three mid size traffic cones in my trunk. I bought a few led traffic wands on ebay less than $20 each, and cut some pieces of PCV pipe to stick on top of the cones, and to act as a holder for the wands. They work better than chemical road flares, and do not have the inherent dangers associated with fire and toxic waste.

Also as pointed out in the above study, having the flares elevated makes a huge improvement for visability.
 

Roger Sully

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Sep 18, 2009
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New Jersey
Dorcy makes a 9 inch traffic wand and a stand for $29. I'm probably going to be picking up a few of these to keep in the trunk.
HDS has Lithium D cell primaries for $15 each or a 10 pack for $110.....I'm thinking some Energizer Max batteries kept separately?

Funny that they had to add this.....

Energizer® MAX® D batteries now hold their power for 10 years*.

* While not in use
 
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argleargle

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You may want to google "Evaluation of Chemical and electric flares"
https://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/grants/224277.pdf

Reading it now. I've been reading government documents for fun lately.

Also as pointed out in the above study, having the flares elevated makes a huge improvement for visability.

Most road flares can tailstand, but it's easier after they're about half-done. Wear gloves. Wash your hands and face afterwards, discard safely, don't discard unburned flares. I've used them for emergency light stuck into the ground before. Useful multipurpose emergency light emitter. Too bad about the fire risk. :(

Update: You can't get magnesium flares at most stores. The sugar-based ones are common. I really enjoyed reading that study, thanks Poppy! I was really surprised at the variety of stuff reviewed in that. I learned more about safety as well. Good read!
 
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tubed

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May 3, 2012
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surprised no one mentioned the Smittybilt UFO led road flares. $19 of high quality, bright, small enough to fit in glove compartement, magnetic, etc.
 
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