Anyone else got a "Nite GlowStick" (Trit) (Im somewhat underwhelmed by it)

[AnthonyMcEwen2014]

I just received mine and while I never expected it to be super bright I am a bit underwhelmed...

People here said they have been able to read newspapers with a trit vial six inches away, well I can read like a word or two at a time if I hold it like 1" or less away, and as for creating a glow so you can find what its attached to even if its not directly in sight (line of sight / LOS) I don't think that's possible with this I wouldn't see it under a bed even if it was just under the bed by like an inch, it dose however glow enuf to see it in zero light conditions such as in garage or under stairs cupord.

The reviews on Amazon's were good, and I have seen the pictures in the trit torch thread, and I deffintly don't think this is as bright as some of them? I can't tell really.

Many I was just expecting to much? I wouldn't say its extremely dim but k wouldn't say it "Glows" the vial inside lights up but there's no glow from it, and the plastic tube is in doesn't light up.

I most certainly can't read maps by it.....

I know the disposable glow sticks you get at fireworks night or party's are much brighter than this is...

I paid £12.95 delivered if it it makes any difference, maby there cheap for a reason? As I noticed in the market place the vials are about At mimum I have seen the same price I plaid for this, but that's just the vials not a whole key fob. While keyfobs go for a bit more.

Many I should cough up for one of those awsome ones the custom makers on here do, would it be a lot brighter, or am I expecting to much?

 

[Ken_McE]

Re: Anyone else got a "Nite GlowStick" (Trit) (Im somewhat underwhelmed by it)

I just received mine and while I never expected it to be super bright I am a bit underwhelmed...

Did you get the exact same item from the same vendor that people wrote about here, or do you have some sort of generic item from some random Chinese vendor?

I know the disposable glow sticks you get at fireworks night or party's are much brighter than this is...

Chemlights are good for a night. Trits are good for a decade.

Many I should cough up for one of those awsome ones the custom makers on here do, would it be a lot brighter, or am I expecting to much?

It is easy to find cheap trits. What you have to consider is how did they make it cheap? The CPF stuff is usually expensive because we focus on getting the highest possible quality, not the lowest possible cost. You have to make your own decision on what works for you.

 

[AnthonyMcEwen2014]

Re: Anyone else got a "Nite GlowStick" (Trit) (Im somewhat underwhelmed by it)

I belive nite is the brand, and it was sold through amazon, I think it may have just been a dud as its £12 wich is not far of the $25 dollars I have seen he same size I think vial going for on CPFMP, although I do think they are also of lower quality like said. as for the chemlights I was just using them as an exsample for contrast, even the cheapest chemlighs I have seen are much better than this, I think I will in the new year get one from on this site. I think it may have something to do with pressure as the higher the pressure the more gas you get so I am assumeing it has less gass and may have been old stock and maby the phosecent coating on the vial was not of quality ether way I think I can get better. BY THE WAY you have the same name as my dad yet and the same first three letters of surname...I genuinely thought I was being stalked by my dad until I saw your post count and jhon date ( cant be him as he has no instrest in this!!) I hope!!!!

 

[StarHalo]

Re: Anyone else got a "Nite GlowStick" (Trit) (Im somewhat underwhelmed by it)

Trits are for locator use only, something you look directly at to locate an item, not something that emits light for you to work by. This doesn't sound all that useful until you're in a pitch black area and there's the tiny green light revealing plainly where your flashlight is..

 

[TEEJ]

Re: Anyone else got a "Nite GlowStick" (Trit) (Im somewhat underwhelmed by it)

Being 100% night adapted makes an enormous difference, and, some people simply have better night vision in general.

I have some trit stuff, from Mercava for example, which, during the day in an ambient lit room, has no perceptible glow. When going to bed with one on the night stand, its not noticeable except after a while as a glowing point.

If I get up at 3 am, that same trit is bright enough to cast shadows on the wall behind it, and is lighting up the room enough to see where I'm going. Obviously, it is not getting brighter while I'm sleeping...I'm merely getting better night adjusted.

The difference is that dramatic though...and probably the difference you seem to be describing?

IE: If not completely adapted, I could not read with it either. Even with full adpaptation, I would get eye strain say trying to read an entire book...but, in a pinch, I COULD easily read map to see where I was, etc.

 

[AnthonyMcEwen2014]

Re: Anyone else got a "Nite GlowStick" (Trit) (Im somewhat underwhelmed by it)

As to the last two replys I get that, and never expected it to be bright enuf to read a book, but with dark adapted eyes (sometimes I dont sleep and just lay there in my room with no lights on or even any mobile devices) (and I have reasonably good night vision as I can see pretty well after I have dark adapted eyes and can see stuff in my house or outside the house even when they have turned off the street lights (if there's a moon out)(aka its not cloudy)

But mine with dark adapted eyes is a little brighter and will create a barely noticeable reflection on a wall 6-12 inches away or directly behinds it (I hand it off a peg on a door next to a wall)

But I have tryed reading a map and no luck (can't see anything on the map that would be of use and that even only for about 6 inches around the vial)

It most certainly dosent create shadows.

Just to state I never expected to be able to work with it, it claims On the box it is viasable from 30ft away which is possible but that's only ten Meters, and its only just viable that far way.

So even as a locator its not great, I would not be able to see it under a bit of paper or under a bed / chair like some members have said is possible.

This almost confirms to me that to have not revived anything of quality or at least its very old stock?

As you guys have said yourself what the limits of them are and they dont exceed what I would except from this. I have no illusion that it could be used for more than locating a torch or something or very limited tasks like illuminating a map (which can be easily done for well under a lumens worth of out put)

So all in all I think I will try again in the new year with something of quality and maby something that can hold mulipal vials (I have seen some on CPFMP that fit on a keyring and hold two or four vials.

 

[AnthonyMcEwen2014]

Re: Anyone else got a "Nite GlowStick" (Trit) (Im somewhat underwhelmed by it)

Thank you by the way for all your help!

 

[TEEJ]

Re: Anyone else got a "Nite GlowStick" (Trit) (Im somewhat underwhelmed by it)

There are larger and smaller vials as well...and, that makes a proportionally large difference.

Some colors are also brighter than others, with greens typically being the best in that regard.


I MOSTLY use trits for markers not as "flashlights", as they are simply better as glowing locator beacons than as lights for illumination...but, for those who want a firefly mode so dim that they can't tell if its on during the day....a trit IS the best solution.

If you think about a lit cigarette not being an especially bright flashlight, but sometimes being visible a mile away in pitch blackness, you can see that being SEEN is not hard to do...so a range claiming that a trit is visible at XXXX feet or meters should be considered in that context.

 

[gravelmonkey]

Re: Anyone else got a "Nite GlowStick" (Trit) (Im somewhat underwhelmed by it)

FWIW, I've got a 3mm*23mm vial in a Merkava Tec isotope fob I got through a website called survivaldepot.co.uk as I wanted a UK based seller for speed/customs/etc. I was actually surprised at how bright it is when I first got it, I can't read maps or navigate around a dark room (do some CPF'ers have super night vision!?) but I can see it easily without night adapted eyes, and it fits on my keys nicely :twothumbs.

I've been eyeing up one of the military tritium betalight map reader things, I don't quite have the ££ for one right now though.

Veleno Designs crank out some nice looking fobs, but again, I have nil funds to be spending on 'novelty' stuff at the moment!

Edit: Whoops, that first bit sounds like a sales pitch/shill , I'd just lowered my expectations to the point where I was certain I'd only be able to see the damn thing with night adapted eyes.

 

[AnthonyMcEwen2014]

Re: Anyone else got a "Nite GlowStick" (Trit) (Im somewhat underwhelmed by it)

Thx I'll look those up...I wasent even expecting anything bright, then mime arrived and it was even dimmer than expected, haha sad face!!!

Cheers guys!

 

[gravelmonkey]

Re: Anyone else got a "Nite GlowStick" (Trit) (Im somewhat underwhelmed by it)

Thx I'll look those up...I wasent even expecting anything bright, then mime arrived and it was even dimmer than expected, haha sad face!!!

Cheers guys!

You probably had normal expectations, maybe I should stop being such a pessimist! From what I gather, all the nice bright photos of tritium vials are done with long exposure shots and sometimes a UV light to excite the phospher coating.

There's a UK ebay seller selling tritium vials under the name of 'jmg4lyf'. Looks a bit sketchy at the moment, but who knows, once they've built up some good feedback, I might take a punt.

For an alternative, there's a glow in the dark powder called 'ultra V10' or something, (I think it's what I've got anyway), if it's fully charged up it's BRIGHT for about 30mins and easy to spot in a dark room for another 6+ hours. Cheaper than trits if you just want to mix it with clear epoxy and 'paint' dots of it onto stuff.

Don't drop any of it, it'll drive you mad trying to get the 'Milky Way' effect out of the carpet!

 

[Ken_McE]

Re: Anyone else got a "Nite GlowStick" (Trit) (Im somewhat underwhelmed by it)

Son, if you want a bright trit cheap this might do. It's £32. You'd have to get it through customs and mount the tubes in something stiff to protect them:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/EVENLITE-Self-Luminous-Power-Free-Tritium-EXIT-SIGN-880-12-6-/331062791409?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4d14e14cf1


Bring it around when you're done, I'd like to see how it works.

 

[StarHalo]

Re: Anyone else got a "Nite GlowStick" (Trit) (Im somewhat underwhelmed by it)

You'd have to get it through customs and mount the tubes in something stiff to protect them

lol, and then find a place on your flashlight for a vial the length of a pencil..

 

[AnthonyMcEwen2014]

Re: Anyone else got a "Nite GlowStick" (Trit) (Im somewhat underwhelmed by it)

Hmm lol! But I'd be BRIGHT!

So many things I want to buy right now XD! (Not sign sized though) I'm tempory going to use a I3s on low as a marker for my keys...he he!