# Best Glow-in-dark/Reflective Tape?



## Pajamas (Jan 21, 2005)

What's the best Glow-in-dark/Reflective tape?

Needs to do both. What has longest glow time and is also reflective ? What's used on firefighter's jackets?

I've read about Glo-flex and I've read there is something better.

What is it? 

Thanks for any help!


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## Skylighter (Jan 21, 2005)

Pajamas,

A good glow tape is usually not very reflective and a good reflective tape is usually horrible at glowing. Although we don't currently sell it, we are testing glow tapes from several manufacturers now.

Anyone who has bought from us knows that like to have the brightest stuff around and we are trying to determine who has that now. Within a month, you should see some tapes added to our product line.

Danny Clark
Glow Inc.
www.glowinc.com


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## greenLED (Jan 21, 2005)

Check *this* out!


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## Pajamas (Jan 21, 2005)

I appreciate the info, I understand the dilemma well....I was asking to know what products out there has made sufficient "progress" to be actually useful?

Basically, what are the other GID/reflective hybrid products besides "glo-flex" that are currently available ?

Thanks for all the quick replies....


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## John N (Jan 22, 2005)

What do you want to do with it? 

You should get some Glo Flex and see what you think. If you look at the post GreenLED posted, near the end, there is another product, but I haven't looked at it.

I don't think there is much else out there that is a combo GID/reflective product. IMO the Glo Flex works reasonably within limitations. I'm not sure that it is feasable to make something much better due to the nature of the beast.

-john


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## Pajamas (Jan 23, 2005)

I think what I'll do is alternate small swatches of best GID and best reflector for my project.

Does anyone know if the readysetglo.com self-adhesive GID sheets are the same as the ones on extremeglow.com ? The picture seems to be identical.

Also, which is best GID? Is the Glo-Flex better (i.e. brighter and/or longer lasting) than the Glowreflect? How about compared to extreme glow? 

Thanks.


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## vcal (Jan 23, 2005)

[ QUOTE ]
*Pajamas said:*
Does anyone know if the readysetglo.com self-adhesive GID sheets are the same as the ones on extremeglow.com ? The picture seems to be identical.

Also, which is best GID? Is the Glo-Flex better (i.e. brighter and/or longer lasting) than the Glowreflect? How about compared to extreme glow?
Thanks. 

[/ QUOTE ]

I don't have any experience with the glo-flex, but I have _both_ the Extremeglow and the Ready-Set-Glo self adhesive glow paper sheets.

The Readysetglo sheet costs about $11.00, but is about 40% brighter than the Extremeglow, whose cost is about $3.00 per same size sheet. (approx). 

The Readysetglow $11.00 sheet is also twice the thickness of the cheaper one.


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## Pajamas (Jan 24, 2005)

Does the Readysetglow last longer or about the same time as the extremeglow? Is there anything else you get for the higher price difference besides the brightness other than what you mentioned?

Do you think the higher price is worth it (IYO)?

Thanks.


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## vcal (Jan 24, 2005)

After using both types for a lotta nights, I prefer the more costly Readysetglow. They both will easily glow many hours-although not brightly-especially after 6 hours.

-Initially the Readysetglow is about 40% brighter, but after 8 hours, it's advantage is more like about 25% -not tremendous but still easily noticeable to dark adjusted eyes.

I like the product so well that I consider the $11.00 spent, a cheap price to pay for what the quality is.


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## Pajamas (Jan 25, 2005)

Thanks for the info! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/goodjob.gif

The down side with the readysetglow is the shipping is so expensive!! 

/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/broke.gif - Ahhhh, such is the life of a CPF'r....


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## buba (Jan 25, 2005)

How about a group buy on the readysetglo product? I am almost out of the extreme glow sheet from the last group buy.


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## flownosaj (Jan 26, 2005)

If you want good reflective tape, try to get some 3M SOLAS 1" tape. It's the same stuff they use on marine safety equipment. 

I put some on the inside door frame and trunk of my cars and I can "spot" the stuff with a flashlight from all the way down the street.


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## Pajamas (Jan 26, 2005)

Is that 3M SOLAS stuff reflective only? Is it similar to red-white reflective tape on trucks? 

Do you know of a website/place to order from?

Thanks


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## flownosaj (Jan 27, 2005)

PJ-yep, it's only reflective, but it's good at what it does. It is similar to the red and white stuff, but I think it works better and at more angles than the generic stuff.

It's been a while since I bought my tape, but I'm sure googling it should turn up some stuff. Ebay is another great place for stuff like this if you can trust the seller.


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## John N (Jan 29, 2005)

Pajamas PMed me asking a bit more about the Gloflex and I figured I'd answer here the best I can.

I suspect he doesn't mind if I re-post the questions here.

[ QUOTE ]
1. Brightest yet longest lasting GID adhesive tape?
Glo-Flex, Glow Reflect, Extreme Glow 

[/ QUOTE ]

Answer is I don't know. When I purchased my Extreme Glow, it was about the best thing on the block. However, I get the impression from this thread that the Readysetglow product is better. I defer to those who have seen them both. Also note that I haven't really done any studies on how long this stuff glows. However, others here have and I'd seek out that info if it is importaint to you. When I looked at this stuff, I figured I'd get as good as was around, but didn't dwell on it too much. I didn't have specific requirements. [Edit: I see that Vcal/Doug was the one who did the GID painting stuff (see link, below) and he recommended the Readysetglow stuff in this thread. If you read his painting post, you'll realize he knows a lot more about this than most of us and I'd take his recommendation to heart!]

[ QUOTE ]
2. Brightest reflective tape?
Reflexite, 3M SOLAS, that red/white truck tape, Glo-Flex
see the www.Identi-Tape.com website 

[/ QUOTE ]

Again, I don't really know. I get the impression that Reflexite (the stuff they put on trucks) is some of brightest. I link to their web site in the thread GreenLED referenced. HOWEVER, the upside is there are reflective standards that the serious stuff like Reflexite reports (how visible). So, if you really want, you can probably figure out which is brightest by looking up the spec sheets and comparing. The downside is that when you are buying something at a shop you need to determine what exactly it really is they are selling. Also, less serious stuff probably isn't going to be rated (but then again, I doubt any of these will be contenders for most visible). 

Note on the web site you reference, go to Safety Reflective Tapes and then High Intensity Tapes. The stuff listed their is made by Reflexite and indicates it is 8-10x the stuff they have in their "engineering" products. It is available in 1-6" widths and various colors. Looks cool.

[ QUOTE ]
3. Hybrids like Glo-Flex: Are there any other options better that do both? 

[/ QUOTE ]

Gloflex and Glowrelect are the only ones I know of. Gloflex is the only one I've tried. I doubt you are going to find many more options here.

[ QUOTE ]
If it helps, I plan to put long lasting GID on certain household objects (like fire extinguishers). I want to put the reflective tape on my Turboflares for more visibility. The reason I listed the hybrid Glo-Flex in both the GID and reflective questions is the possibility to put it on everything. But only if it is close in comparison. I would think there are better lasting GID than Glo-Flex as well as brighter reflectors too.

[/ QUOTE ] 

Ah, finally something I may be able to help with!

This is exactly what I purchased Gloflex for. Ironically my main fire extinguisher has both Gloflex and Extremeglo on it.

I took and posted some pictures for you.

The first one is in the dark with freshly charged material. Top stripe is Gloflex, bottom is Extremeglo. 

Second pic is in indirect light with flash activated. This shows the Gloflex really does it's job as a reflective material.

Third pic is in the light.

Bottom are closeups of Gloflex glowing, and in the light.

In the end, I have a couple of comments and observations.

1) IMO you are way overthinking this. 

a) Almost any decent reflective tape will show up well when you shine a light on it. I would assume this means you have a smoke filled room and are flashing your flashlight around looking for the extinguisher. 

b) The glow stuff might help, but I don't really think any of these are going to be glowing very much at 3AM after the lights have been out for hours. 

c) If you are like me, your extinguisher is in a place that doesn't allow it to charge well anyway.

d) Hopefully your extinguisher is mounted somewhere and never moves. You should be able to find it w/o being able to see.

e) If things are bad you don't need your extinguisher, you need to get out!

f) There is limited amount of space on the extinguisher that doesn't have writing. Personally I don't think you should cover that. That makes using seperate GID/reflective materials difficult.

2) Gloflex works fine for this purpose. If you look at the photos, I think Gloflex is the perfect solution for this problem. It reflects peachy. It glows ok. It sticks good and is nice and wide. Also, if it is good enough for fire-fighters, it is good enough for me! 

3) Gloflex is thick and stiff. It is fine for fire extinguishers and flat surfaces, but not for small diameter stuff. So, for example, it doesn't wrap around flashlights well. Extremeglow wraps well, but it does tend to come off over time and isn't as durable as Gloflex and the other "plastic" type reflective materials. Glowreflect looks a lot more flexible, but I haven't tried it. I suspect it would be just peachy for this application as well. In the end, it is a real pain to get anything to stick well to small diameter stuff.

4) The Turboflares might be a bit of a special case. I would probably try to get some Reflexite and cut it to fit an the parts of the base that face traffic. GID material isn't going to help here at all. Then, maybe cut some GID material (one "square" of the Glowreflect would probably be good) and stick it on the top of the unit and the bottom of the unit to aid finding it in your car trunk.

5) I think the 3M SOLAS stuff that Flownosaj recommends is probably good, but I'd go larger than 1" if the application allows. I tend to like 2" for most things, larger for use in traffic. In the dog walkig threads I list the reflective vest I use. The reflective material around the waist is 3.5". When it comes to traffic bigger and brighter is better IMO!

6) If I didn't use Gloflex on my fire extinguisher, I'd probably just use a 2" strip of a good reflective material like Reflexite.

7) If you wanted to get really carried away, there was a post [EDIT: I found it. Here it is.] about how to mix glow powder with clear paint. I guess you could put a 2" strip of Reflexite on the extinguisher, and paint the rest with a clear paint with the GID material in it. As long as you didn't go too thick, you could probably still read all the instructions and stuff. Might be cool actually. I'd mask off the Reflexite and guage when painting. Actually, paint might stick to the small diameter parts better, anyway. I'd practice on something other than the fire extinguisher first tho. 

8) You might also consider a blinking LED by your emergency equipment as well. I suspect a blinking LED hooked up to a couple of "D" cells would run darn well forever.

9) Ok, maybe I'm overthinking this too! 

-john


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## Pajamas (Jan 29, 2005)

A big THANKS! to John N. and Greenlight (he PM'd me some info). Especially thanks for the pics!! They do make it easier to understand (even if a camera doesn't do justice to some things).
/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/goodjob.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/kewlpics.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thanks.gif

As always, there are some very smart and knowledgeable people on CPF (even if it is only a hobby!)./ubbthreads/images/graemlins/bowdown.gif


I emailed the Identi-Tape folks about the reflectors that I mentioned above. Here's what they said:

"The high-intensity silver is the brightest by quite a bit. It measures up to 800 cp./lux/sq.m. The SOLAS meets a minimum of 250, and the ODOT C-2 red/white conspicuity [tape on trucks] meets a minimum of 300 (each of the last two to meet their respective certifications)."

John - You are right, I am overthinking this. I have learned from experience that research is key to getting exactly what you want. Especially in the Internet age where there are so many options available.

PS - I never thought of searching for the dog threads! Very interesting reading.....it gave me some more ideas... /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/naughty.gif

Thanks to all.


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## John N (Jan 29, 2005)

Pajamas, good info on the reflectivity. I might have to pick some of that stuff up.

I found the specs on the Glo-flex web site about their reflectivity:

[ QUOTE ]

Reflectivity Figures as Tested by UL
*Product Condition*
Original 584 cd/lux/m2
After Heat Exposure 258 cd/lux/m2
After Rainfall 470 cd/lux/m2


[/ QUOTE ] 

-john


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## Pajamas (Jan 29, 2005)

Well that helps comparing then....

Looks like the Reflexite High Intensity is brighter than the Glo-Flex which is brighter than the red/white truck tape which is barely brighter than the SOLAS tape.

Thanks!


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## greenlight (Jan 29, 2005)

I think a tritium locator would be the best option for a fire extinguisher. Might impress the firemen after they are done with your home.


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## greenlight (Jan 29, 2005)

John N also got it right about the reflectors. Almost anything sold that is advertised as a retroreflector will be visible at night. Colored reflectors are rated and reflect at different levels, mostly lower than pure white. You can buy retroreflectors at craft stores and sewing stores. The ribbons with the glass bead reflectors are really bright and are easily sewn onto clothes. You can even cut away the colored part and sew thru the reflector.

Entire bolts of vinyl retroreflect can be bought at the fabric store. There are 2 different types, neither super reflective, but can be 2yds wide, so you could make an entire outfit. It is 10$ /yd. 

Check out the stuff on the traffic cones. You can drive around at night and turn your lights on and off and check out some osha approved reflective material. (don't get busted). You can see how reflexite wears/weathers with use. 

In reality, only a little bit of reflector is needed for night safety. I have personally almost ran down someone who was wearing all black at night with no reflectors on at all. It scared ME to death and the lesson I learned is to wear reflectors when I go out at night. Reflectors can save your life.


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## NewBie (Jan 29, 2005)

[ QUOTE ]
*Pajamas said:*
Well that helps comparing then....

Looks like the Reflexite High Intensity is brighter than the Glo-Flex which is brighter than the red/white truck tape which is barely brighter than the SOLAS tape.

Thanks! 

[/ QUOTE ]


There are different grades of even the 3M material:


Diamond grade 

Then 3M even makes glow in the dark materials, with 3 minute light recharge time:
3M glow in the dark








Then there are their 7 year rated retroreflector tapes:
3M retroreflector 7 year tape 

And 3M very high gain retroreflector materials:
3M very high gain 

Very high gain 

3M low cost retroreflector materials:
#M Low cost retroreflector materials 


3M clothing retroreflector materials:
Clothing retroreflectors

3M retroreflective inks, yarns, paints, transfer films, PSA, high gloss, Graphic Transfers, Fabrics:

3M retroreflective materials 

I find the SOLAS material very lacking compared to the other products for the light gain factor, but it is quite durable.

One MAJOR advantage of 3M SOLAS it that it is quite a bit brighter when wet, than most other companies products are when dry. Water decreases the effectiveness.
SOLAS 

SOLAS FAQ


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## John N (Jan 29, 2005)

[ QUOTE ]
*greenlight said:*
I think a tritium locator would be the best option for a fire extinguisher. Might impress the firemen after they are done with your home. 

[/ QUOTE ]

Actually, I was going to do this. You can get large markers via a company called Lab Safety. I went so far as to place an order, but then they called to verify my address to register the items with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Basically they want to account for these little critters until you return them for disposal. I chickened out and cancelled my order. It just didn't seem worth it. You can read about it here.

-john

Edit: A bit off topic, but there are also some good posts about tritium here and here.


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## John N (Jan 29, 2005)

NewBie,

While I'm sure these are all decent products, it is a shame they didn't make the cd/lux/m2 ratings for the various products easily available. Maybe it is available on their site somewhere, but it would be nice if you could get the specs easily so you can compare. Contrast this to Glo-flex who had a link directly from the product page. 

If you find this information, it would be great if you posted it so we could see how it stacks up.

-john


Edit: And I especially didn't appreciate their spec sheet for their "very high gain" sheeting. Basically, it sounds like they are saying that it is 3000x a white surface. Um? Doesn't sound very scientific to me.


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## NewBie (Jan 29, 2005)

Actually, if you think about it, it is very scientific.

Remember white surfaces have a lambertian reflection, so a ray is spread over 180 degrees on the reflection, where a retroreflector directs the ray right back at the emission source.

If you dig further, you wil find products with gains from 200 (as I recall, the SOLAS type stuff which has many grades), on up to 3,000x.

Ignorance is bliss.

What I find unscientific is the Glo-Flex, they don't define the light intensity or exposure time, nor the curves with time for their glow materials. Just some reflectance numbers.


However, 3M provided more precise information, and specific test measurement conditions, referencing the specific paragraphs of the standard tests for the NFPA of the SOLAS materials, where that other manufacturer just spouted off numbers:
http://cms.3m.com/cms/US/en/2-123/ilzerFE/viewimage.jhtml


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## John N (Jan 29, 2005)

Ok, then; I'm blissful. 

But I still don't understand why they use a different measuring mechanism, and I thought the whole point of a retroreflector was to put light back at the source. I also don't know why they don't provide easy access to their tech specs.

-john


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## greenlight (Jan 29, 2005)

The doors/stairs look very impressive under the right conditions. Like in a dark building under a power outage. The picture as shown may have had some help from a uv source.


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## NewBie (Jan 29, 2005)

Often times they do, see the SOLAS material:

http://cms.3m.com/cms/US/en/2-135/cirueFW/view.jhtml

Read the web page, look in the lower right


You could have read the FAQ link I provided, here is an extract:

Will 3M&#8482; Scotchlite&#8482; Reflective Material work when it is raining?
Under heavy rainfall (12.7 mm or ½" per hour) Scotchlite&#8482; reflective material retains 60% (new material) of effective reflectivity. For example, 3M Scotchlite&#8482; Reflective Material 8910 Silver Fabric which is typically demonstrates a brightness (coefficient of retroreflection, Ra) 500 cd/lux/m2 when dry, retains 300 cd/lux/m2 in rainfall conditions. Did you know we are brighter wet than many competing products are dry?


Sometimes you just need to take a moment with the search engine, to find the orginating division within 3M that makes the stuff, as sometimes it is just sold through another division for a specific application.

Luminous material 



Often other manufacturers try to trick you with their specifications, like <font color="red"> </font> *Glo-Flex*,
who looks to be quoting their retroreflector brightness instead of their glow numbers in their technical datasheets.
Watch for the Paragraph heading, there is one for retroreflector under reflectivity and one for Photoluminescence (which is left unstated or graphed)

http://www.gloflex.com/PDFs/Technical-Data-Sheet-Two-Tone.PDF


On a side note, there is a big difference between the high gain and low gain materials. The higher gain materials have a lower acceptance angle. They will throw back an absolutely astonishing amount of light at you, it seems at times to be unreal. The low gain materials throw back less, but work over a wider angle.


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## IsaacHayes (Jan 30, 2005)

Hmm. This cool stuff. I like the picture Jar posted with the glow in the dark door/stairs.

Do any homeimprovement stores sell any decent quality reflective tape? I'm thinking some on a flashlight with some glowpowder would be nice. Also I'd like to have some reflective "markers" to test flashlights or for navigation purposes...

What color tape is best? White? Or does the florecent chartruse (green-yellow) show up better because of the color?


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## IsaacHayes (Jan 30, 2005)

The best combo I would think would be to get 2 tapes for each purpose. Cut them in half and stack them above/below eachother.


Of all the colors, (blue, red, green, yellow, orange) which one is the most visable?

Also for white, which is better (white, silver)?


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## Pajamas (Jan 31, 2005)

IsaacHayes,

The best color reflective tape is silver/white as it is the brightest. All do really well, but depending on the color, it might not be as bright as the silver. Keep in mind they all would still reflect adequately for most purposes.

As for the combo idea, it would depend on what you are trying to do with it. To make it easy, think of it this way:

Use reflective when you have a light source, use GID when you likely won't. So if you want to be seen by cars at night, use reflective, not GID. Use GID to see things when power suddenly goes out, not reflective (would need a flashlight then).

Hope that helps.


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## greenlight (Feb 1, 2005)

No reason to put reflectors on your flashlights. Do you use a headlamp to find a flashlight in the dark? Really, a small reflector applied to a tree or an obstacle will draw attention to a potential hazard, and that is a great use. You probably wear some reflectors too. How many more do you really need on you?

BTW, a powder coated reflective flashlight WOULD


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## greenlight (Feb 1, 2005)

No reason to put reflectors on your flashlights. Do you use a headlamp to find a flashlight in the dark? Really, a small reflector applied to a tree or an obstacle will draw attention to a potential hazard, and that is a great use. You probably wear some reflectors too. How many more do you really need on you?

BTW, a powder coated reflective flashlight WOULD be pretty nice!


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## Pajamas (Feb 4, 2005)

Well I got my order of the Reflexite High Intensity from the www.Identi-Tape.com website...

I ordered the 1" gold and the 2" silver plus some 1" long lasting GID tape. Pretty impressed. I put the 1" gold in between the legs of my TurboFlare 360s. I got the TF360s for $5.25 each (bought 10 of them). The gold reflexite matches the gold/yellow of the TB360s. Makes them actually look like they came manufactured with the tape.


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## greenlight (Feb 5, 2005)

Their prices are pretty reasonable for a 10' roll. 

Also, notice how they indicate the washing ability for some of their products: "SEW-ON RETRO-REFLECTIVE FABRIC is best for jackets, sweatshirts, safety vests and packs. The silver-gray material is ANSI (American National Standards Institute) Level 2 certified. These materials will survive 25 machine washings at a warm temperature setting (105ºF) with only a nominal reduction in reflectivity."


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