Update on the review -

The light died at 1911 hours on 7/27. That's nearly 25 hours of light from that incredible little package. Up until about an hour before it died completely, I could still use it to read one word at a time in my completely darkened office. I could not read anything by the light of my three year old tritium filled GlowRing...

M

Talk to Evan over at TAD about what they have gone through to try to get NRC approval for tritium folding knife studs.

I am not sure that this is true. From what I have read (take with a grain of salt) tritium glow items can be imported for "non-trivial" uses. So a keychain would be a trivial use. Firearm sights are a ligitimate use.

I cannot confirm or deny this, but this sort of rule sounds like something a guy in Washington would make up. And if you go under the assumption that radioactive material is bad (true in many, but not all cases), then this rule makes sense.

Why take these over a photon? Wouldn't they need to be cheaper than the replacement battery of the photon to be any good? I guess they are lighter by a few grams and the shape may make them pack better into a micro kit.

Do you know if these lights are waterproof? Since they are bobber lights I thought they could be waterproof.

Frankie

Do you think it's less radioactive than depleted uranium? I've read things about this while looking into nuclear reactors and nuclear bombs information. I know it's a controversial issue but what I've read doesn't look good...

Frankie

I think you're mistaken about it just being a matter of filling out paperwork. I have a friend who actually attempted to set up a ligit. import business for the glow rings. DOE and NRC regulations prevented this. The glow ring emits more radiation than US standards for "novelty" items. US regulatory agencies, not the manufacturer, killed my friend's deal.

"Why take these over a photon? "

I would not take one of these over a photon if there was enough room for the photon. I see these as either a backup light in addition to a photon (or other good light) or to use in a micro-kit where space is very, very limited. Since they are very small and not very expensive, I think they would be fine for that use.

I have a Photon II on my key chain all of the time. The Photon is much brighter.

Just my opinion.

Yup, they're waterproof...



M

OK, I'm wrong. <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> I was expecting that tritum regs weren't super impressive just from the amount of it I own.

Actually, on second thought, I'm not terribly suprised. I seem to remember that a primitive H-bomb injects tritum between the fission core and the compression shell in the second or so before detonation. Although it would take a couple million watches and pistols to get enough to do anything with.

Stupid, silly guvment people.