TEC Accessories Embrite Glow Fobs Discussions | Drop

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Oct 13, 2016

12 hours my ass. I hit these things with a 2.5 watt UV laser, and they didn't last for more than about an 45 minutes. I left them out in the bright sun for 6 hours today, then put them in a dark room where they didn't even last an hour.
Next time these things come up, just save your money. I bought two of them and that's just going to be a $40 write off.

TECENG

536

TEC Accessories

Oct 14, 2016

rezin8I think the fact that you used a laser may be the issue. A laser is a single wavelength, if it is not the exact wavelength of the peak performance of the glow material that is used, it will not have the same effect as using a broadband UV source (like sunlight). Can you indicate what the wavelength is of your laser? Also, viewing the glow fobs in a dark environment where you may have come in from a bright environment will have an effect. Until your eyes are dark adapted, the glow effect will be minimized.

rezin8

Oct 14, 2016

rezin8The big laser is 355nm, but I also have various diodes in the 1w range ranging from 405nm down to 315nm. But it's not the laser that's the problem. I don't expect the general public to have access to various high power laser diodes. The problem is I left it out in the sun on a cloudless day for 6 hours and you come in here trying to tell people "viewing the glow fobs in a dark environment where you may have come in from a bright environment will have an effect". You do realize that it only takes a minute or so for your eyes to adjust to the light change, right? I said it didn't even last an hour, which means I obviously viewed it for that long.
You guys need to face it, this Embrite stuff isn't good, and you're lying to buyers. I'm assuming you're using europium-doped strontium aluminate in these due to the price and the fact that zinc sulfide would be much dimmer and not even last this long. But, if you know anything about chemistry, you'll know that there's no way in hell SrAl2O4:Eu is going to glow for 12 hours. You can't store enough of that stuff in this vile to last that long. The volume of the cylinder is 0.763 cc, and you need the polymer in there to suspend the SrAl2O4:Eu, so you have just a few milligrams of the active ingredient. The laws of nature won't allow that much substance to emit that much light over that long of a timescale. Quit lying to your customers.

TECENG

536

TEC Accessories

Oct 14, 2016

rezin8rezin8, let's keep this on a civil level please. No need to accuse us of lying to our customers. I only inquired about the laser as you were indicating that the glow fobs did not work after you hit them with a laser. The wavelengths you reference are definitely outside the primary excitation range of the glow material so they would not have as much impact than using sunlight. I just want to make that point clear. I know that you also put them in the sunlight to "charge". My comment about dark adapted vision was based on previous history with customers who charge up the glow fob and put it in a dark room, and periodically check on it to see how well it glows. They come in from a well lit room or outdoor sunlight, look into the dark room, and think the glow fob doesn't perform well. I have actually had people tell me they charged it in the sun all day, brought it into a well lit room, and compain it doesn't glow. So I am not trying to deceive people, just trying to set a fundamental baseline so people understand this is a glow-in-the-DARK product and the effects of the perceived brightness when factoring dark-adapted vision.
We have more information on our website as to what to expect with our glow fob product performance. Unfortunately Massdrop listings do not get that detailed. Personally, I have an Embrite glow fob attached to a flashlight sitting on my nightstand. It only gets indirect room light during the day, and when I go to bed, I can easily see the glow fob. When I get up at about 5:00 AM, I can still see it glowing. Does it glow as bright as when it is first charged? Of course not. And we don't claim it to work that way. But I can see it well enough to find the flashlight it is attached to. It will have diminishing glow intensity over time, and that will also be based on the prior exposure level to light, and the type of light used. The following image is a time lapse snapshot comparing the Embrite glow fobs to our prior glow fobs, and they are easily twice as bright. But it does not show them in an environment that gives you any sense of true intensity but the exposure has been adjusted to be representative to what the naked eye will see:

Claiming that these do not glow longer than an hour is really doing a disservice to both us as a company and Massdrop members. Also claiming random variables does not work here. You are making assumptions about the composition of the Embrite pellet that are incorrect. And your statement "The laws of nature won't allow that much substance to emit that much light over that long of a timescale" is also misleading. We DO NOT claim the glow fob will glow at a high level of intensity over 12 hours. Perhaps this is what you assumed, but we do not make such claims.
If you want to argue this further, please contact me through the link on our website.

rezin8

Oct 16, 2016

rezin8I don't need to argue this further with you. I did my own test and I'll let the video speak for itself. I'll also let the people purchasing this item make their own decisions based on this test. I should also note that the excitation wavelengths for strontium aluminate range from 200 to 450 nm. The laser used in this video is 445 nm.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ze4sXo_lJWo

bsastor

779

Oct 16, 2016

rezin8Thank you rezin8 and TEC representative for your inputs with your in-depth knowledge (chemistry!) in the product. (Also great video and is that the spyder laser? great laser btw. can blind a martian from earth with that baby.) Personally i have no fantasy about his fob glowing for 12hrs or anything like that. During my daily usage, i can really see it glow in slightly dark environments (Company warehouse with the lights OFF and only light coming from the corridor.) But if i were to put it on my desk (Florescent lighting) with my keys for a whole day and then throw it in my bag when i knock off, i can barely see it when i reach home in 1hr. But it is technically still glowing. So there. TEC was claiming that embrite is better than their older model fob and i totally agree. So really the consumer has to do some homework before making a decision. As for whether this price is worth it, in my opinion after comparing with a NiteStik the TEC fob is a tad on the high side (more than double the price of NiteStik) but not that ridiculous either. NiteStik is powder form protected by poly-carbonate casing. If there is another competitor product that's similar i would like to know. (bsastor@yahoo.com.sg) Thanks!

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rezin8

Oct 16, 2016

bsastorYes, it's a Spyder III Arctic laser (2.5W, 445nm). I also have a Lunar (1W, 405nm) and the Krypton (1W, 520nm) from them, and a few homebrew 1W diodes ranging from UV to IR.
I'm not saying that it's not better than their old pellet. It obviously is. The old one was probably zinc sulfide whereas the new one is europium-doped strontium aluminate. The strontium aluminate should be an order of magnitude better than the zinc sulfide; i.e. it should be 10 times brighter and last 10 times longer. My argument is that they are saying these things glow for 12 hours, and I gave these things every chance possible, even pumping them with more light than they could ever imagine. I could pump these things with enough light to melt them and they still wouldn't last 12 hours.
I don't have a problem with TEC's products. If you notice, the tritium fob I used in the video also came from TEC (the Isotope). I think they make great fobs, I just think they should be more honest with their customers about their products. If you sell something and say it'll last 12 hours, it better last 12 hours. Hell, if it lasted 10 hours, I wouldn't have said anything. But to last an hour or so? That's just false advertising. I'm not the only one saying it either... check their Amazon reviews.

AJAugust

353

Nov 26, 2016

rezin8I have a feeling you held back LOL. You're likely very detailed, pragmatic, and you understand "order". Totally appreciate that. I mean this in the most complimentary way..., the world needs and retain geeks like you!! Thanks for the video and thanks for shining the light on this. Yes, pun very much intended, LOL.

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