# Krill lamps?



## utomatoe (Mar 18, 2004)

What are your thoughts on krill lamps? I'm looking to get maybe a AAA to store away in the car/backpack. And an extreme AA version for nighttime use. Maybe a red?

Any comments on how waterproof they are? Might be useful when boating, or canoeing at night...


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## matt_j (Mar 19, 2004)

Hah. I love them. I used them for scuba, kayaking and camping. I never got to purchase the AAA ones only AA version. Here's a review of Krill lamps I wrote some time back:

Until last year I was using glow sticks for personal safety, emergencies, as temporary markers, reading lights and probably other 1000 different applications. I’m a kayaker, scuba diver, hiker, camper and probably like you I just love to spend my time outside. So the chemical glow sticks sounded good as an addition to my survival kit or as a basic light providing source. They are reliable, light and disposable. They may be not cheap but when bought in quantity the price is fair enough. So where does electronic Krill light sticks come in? Ok here’s the story:

Krill sticks are using electrical power (2 AAs) to stimulate an electroluminescent film placed inside a durable plastic tube. Originally they came only in green color. Lately new colors white, red, blue, white and orange were introduced. Krill lamps are durable, water resistant up to 160 feet (I tested mine down to 90 feet) and safe for the environment. Sounds good, right? Yes it is quite an interesting product. The advantages of Krill light over traditional chemical glows sticks are countless but they also fall behind in some fields. But lets start with benefits:

- On and off function. Sometimes you just need a light for 30 min or so. Traditional glow stick would have to be activated for about 6 hours plus. Big money saver.
- Price. In the long run you will be better of with the Krill lamp. $25 for their brightest model and set of batteries will make you break even in about two weeks of intensive use.
- Colors. Many colors to choose from allow you to be different and recognizable from the others. I use orange to distinguish a leader from the rest. Easy to find and follow. I use green and red as markers for my kayak. 
- Durability. Good underwater, fine when mounted on the deck of the kayak. Sizing makes it easy to attach to different parts of your gear, clothing and equipment.

And disadvantages:

- Colors. Even if Krill light has so many different colors to choose from with typical glow stick you have that variety at your finger tips for fraction of the cost. Plus Krill colors are not intensive enough. Example red stick looks little bit pinkish. White is grenish pink.
- Intensity. Only green model is intensive enough to provide any type of sufficient lighting. With Chemical lights every light is intensive enough and on top of that I can buy a high intensity white light. There is a new model available with red LED mounted on top. But why only red? 
- Price. A lot of times when separated I would throw a light stick on the ground in order to mark a turning spot for the rest of the group. Even if they take a short cut and light stick it’s not picked up I’m not going to be sad about a lost piece. I would be kind of angry if I lost a $25 light. Plus on the long enough trial I may very quickly run out of Krill lights to mark spots with.
- Power. It is still after all battery operated equipment. It means that in cold temperatures the life of the light will be short. Plus batteries do fail, short and die. 
- Durability. Yes the Krill light is waterproof and strong but I would be very skeptic about its toughness if dropped it on the rock, crawling or climbing. They are durable but not strong enough.
- Size. No matter with way you look at it it’s bigger and heavier than traditional stick. There is a AAA model that should solve the size problem.

So what’s the bottom line? Use both! Over the past year I became a great fan of Krill lights but when on the big outings I still have my chemical light as a backup. If you need an every day stationary light or marker Krill lamp will save you a lot. I use mine with rechargeable batteries and I can keep the light on all night long in the tent for about 4 or 5 days straight. That would cost me a lot if I wanted to do it with a chemical glow stick. When coming back or heading out when it’s dark Krill lamp make great safety lamp. They are soft enough not to destroy your night vision but strong enough for others to see you. They are great for quick map checks. They can be tied to a life vest, worn around a neck or strapped to a scuba diving vest. I use it as a locator for my pet by tying it down to his collar. The advantages and disadvantages presented above should only be used as guidelines in what’s best for your type of outdoor activity. I destroyed two of Krill lights when boats collided and housing was smashed and one got flooded when I tried to play with it under water. Something like that would never have happened with a chemical light. On the other hand I already saved so much money with casual use of Krill lights that the way I see it they already paid for themselves. 

I’m quite surprised that I don’t see more off them around. I own about 5 of their lamps and most of my friends also use them. As much as they have their disadvantages I find my self using them more and more.


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## AlphaTea (Mar 19, 2004)

I have owned a couple of the Green 180 AA Extreme models for about 3 years.
They rate high on the coolness scale. They are not bright enough to read by (IMHO) unless you are dark adapted by several hours, but they make excellent markers or nitelights. They can be seen from a fair distance, but they are not a substitute for a even a poor flashlight.
They are supposed to be waterproof to 150ft.
I think they might be EXCELLENT for night canoeing...


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## 83Venture (Mar 19, 2004)

I have the 2AA and like them for night lights. Lets you move around a room and get dressed without disturbing anyone. Included one with a bunch of other lights with my buddy heading over to the sand box. Have seen mentioned (Jack Crow?) that several people are in each tent and it's nice to have a low light source so as not to wake up the roomies when getting dressed etc. Did not know that it is made in AAA now, will have to consider getting one. From the Krill site it looks like it puts out the same amount of light as the AA but for half the time.


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## utomatoe (Mar 19, 2004)

Thanks /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif Looks like a few more lights to add to the collection /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif


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## stephenanderson2 (Mar 20, 2004)

I have a Krill also, and use it a lot for camping. For the same reasons as mentioned above. It seems pretty durable to me, and bright enough for night adapted eyes walk around with.
I also recently found out about Glo toobs, and am thinking of buying one or two. They run on LEDs and I hear they are much more durable, waterproof, and brighter.
http://www.glo-toob.com/ /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbsup.gif
This is starting to get really expensive /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/jpshakehead.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif


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## Charles Bradshaw (Mar 20, 2004)

I have 2 Krills, one 360 white regular, and one 360 green extreme. These are great for marking hallways at night during a power outage. Even the dim white one does a good job at this. I may get some 180 green extremes and/or 180 white extremes in 2AA.

They are not all that rugged, so you need to take care with them.


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## Phaserburn (Mar 20, 2004)

You might want to try a Glo-Toob FX instead of a Krill; brighter and more options.


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## utomatoe (Mar 23, 2004)

Interesting... I'll look into the glo-toob, any good source for them for shipping internationally (to Canada)?

Krills might make for better marker lights? Although the glo-toob sounds a lot more durable


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## Phaserburn (Mar 24, 2004)

Not sure what you mean, uto. The Glo-Toob, to me, is a much better marker. Brighter, much smaller and lots tougher. I have the green one, and it's a great light (lots of fun, too). The green is the brightest and hence more visible. Plus, there are NO green lights around, short of traffic signals, so you'll never confuse your marker for something else. It will function as a marker(strobe, high), emergency beacon (SOS), backpack "tail light" (blink, low), rave light (throb), tent light (high, low), etc. And, you can run it over with a truck and probably burst a tire. Nice design! Only downsides are an annoying sticker that wraps the outside with printing on it (removeable with some minor effort) and it takes an oddball battery, but one readily found for under 2 at Walmart.

My house can be difficult to locate; I regularly use my Glo-Toob FX as a marker for my driveway. It never fails to grab attention and comments.


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## utomatoe (Mar 24, 2004)

I don't have any first hand experience, but if the glo-toob is too bright, it might make for a worse marker at night, as it may ruin your night vision?

Can't beat the FX functionality. But those LR23 batteries are hard to come by (i.e. expensive). Too bad batterystation doesn't carry them... letsee what's on eBay.

Sounds like they are more durable as well.

What colors are reccommended for night? red and green?

Wow, between sammies and buying new lights, this has got to be my most expensive hobby, next to camera equipment /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif


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## Phaserburn (Mar 25, 2004)

The red would preserve your night vision, not the green. Green is the brightest of the colors. The FX isn't that bright, like a flashlight, so don't get me wrong. It's not an airport beacon. And, if it was too bright for your liking for any reason, (which I doubt), you could turn it to "low". Duracell/Walmart has the batts for around 2 for 2. I didn't think that was too steep. They do have a pretty good runtime, especially when using the various blinking modes. CPF'er Streak, if I recall correctly, is in South Africa where the Glo-Toob folks are, and has access/affiliation of some kind. He's a good source for answering deeper questions.


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## utomatoe (Mar 25, 2004)

Ok, looks like glo-toob will be my pick then. Maybe one in red and one in green. I'd like one more in blue, but I'm trying to cut back on my recent binge on lights /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif


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## Phaserburn (Mar 26, 2004)

Someone was selling Toobs on BST not long ago; they may have some left.


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## James S (Mar 26, 2004)

I have a Krill lamp, it's a very nice night light. I've used it in hotel rooms several times and it will run several nights on a set of AA's, no problem. 

They are just a plastic tube though, so aren't indestructible. But really, I'd expect they would be fine unless you took the batteries out and ran over them /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif

The Toobs are neat cause I think they are cast out of epoxy with an LED at the bottom that illuminates the resin. They are smaller, but heavier.

The only downside to them is that they do take that odd battery. If you want to standardize on AA's for the trip then the Krill is for you. Otherwise I think they are both pretty good products. I like the light from my blue krill a lot though.


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## Oni (Mar 29, 2004)

We use them on my S/R team as safety lights. We each have one on the rear of our helmets so we can find each other in dark canyons. We also use a different color on the helmets of our victims so we can identify them easily.

We also use a third color for trail marking. Finding our way back in the dark is easier when we mark the path with the occasional Krill. We found the cyalume sticks got too dim sometimes by the time we are making our way back out from a rescue, while the Krills remain at the same brightness.

We also carry cyalume as a back-up/altenative, but have had some problems...needing 4 to get 1 good one that lights up.


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## Bob Snow (Mar 30, 2004)

I hang my Krill at the top of my tent with a Traser keyring. Great as a night light for finding your way around without waking everyone.


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