Friday, July 12, 2013

Review : FibreFlare High Intensity LED Device

Staying visible is important if you happen to ride your bicycle or run in the early hour of the day or in the late evening. Being visible will heighten the chances of you being visible to to other road users. I have always had fascination with light emitting gadgets and it wasn't long before I started looking for something that will increase my visibility while riding my motorbike in the late evening or night. 
Safety First. Always.
Hi-viz jacket and huge reflector might help a little but these need 3rd party light sources aka lights from other vehicles to bounce it off those reflective stripes. I would need something that will flash and bright.
Introducing the FibreFlare
I first saw this at the motorbike shop where i purchase my bike from. It did not catch my attention the first time mainly due to the anxiety that I had thinking about riding a clutch bike - which I've never ridden before. I vaguely recalled asking the shop to inform me when the light for the helmet arrive.
By stroke of luck, i chance upon FibreFlare one day when researching for "helmet LED lights". Taking it a step further, I decided to contact the official distributor for Malaysia and I was pleasantly surprised that they wanted to meet up with me. 
FibreFlare Malaysia is 100% locally owned and the team actually uses these products in their daily life. Suffice to say they are made up of cyclists and motorcyclists which appreciate an increased level of visibility on the road. It did surprised me when I found out that the place I bought my motorbike was the "operation" office of FibreFlare Malaysia! 
From top : FibreFlare Full Size, MicroFlare Single and MicroFlare Duo
My interest in FibreFlare has moved from an user to a possible reseller. I need to earn some income to supplement this blog and my sports. What better way to do it? If you are interested in this product, do read on as I will share as much information as an end user (to date, almost 3 weeks of usage) and answers any queries. Until the agreement is firmed up with the distributor, do visit the list of reseller here to view/see/buy this product

Product name: Fibre Flare full size. 
Available colours: Red, Yellow, Green and Blue.
Price: RM124 each (RRP). 
Inclusive: 2 AAA batteries and 2 silicone ladder slings.
Warranty: 12-months.
Specs:
1. Length: 292mm.
2. Power source: 2 X AAA batteries.
3. Battery life: 75+ hours (strobe), 25+ hours (solid).
4. Visibility: 300+ meters (omni-directions; all directions).
5. Fibre optic core: 10mm OD.
6. Mounting options:
a. Utility clips on both ends.
b. Silicone ladder slings (fastens on object from 10mm – 60mm).
7. Housing covers: Water resistant and impact resistant.
FibreFlare Full Size secured on my belt loop
One AAA Battery at each end of the FibreFlare
The unit is not as heavy as it look despite the full (almost) 300mm length. The visible light are from about 150mm length with the balance used to house the batteries and the mounting loop. I secured it rather easily on my belt loop and use it when I take the dogs out for a walk. 
One thing I really wanted to verify is the visibility of the FibreFlare that claimed to be visible up to 300m. So, i took it out for a run on a dark hazy night. I experimented with both STEADY and BLINKING mode to see which will provide the best visibility. I found a stretch about 200m straight line near my home and made my wife to take a video of me jogging. 
The FibreFlare certainly stayed visible for 200m. The darkness at the end was because i was removing the FibreFlare from the back and bring it to the front. As you can see, the unit at Flashing showed better visibility as the blinks captured the attention better.
The FibreFlare is useful for anyone that wants to stay visible actively in darkness. Applicable to all cyclists, runners, motorist and even safety personnel. Here is a small review of the FibreFlare Full size to help with better understanding of the product. 
Wait up for more of the FiberFlare range of products review. If you are interested, please drop me an email at info@tristupe.com and I will assist you in getting one.

No comments:

Post a Comment