Green Rescue Laser Flare owners' comments??

Anyone purchase one of these and have any comments?

I have yet to get a green one, but I own a Greatland Red Laser Flare. It is very impressive and I hear the green is even better. We played with mine during a training exersize and from a little over a mile away (per GPS) it presented to the observer as a big red light "as big as a stop sign" and was easily visable. The observer noted it was more visable than either my SDU 5/E or MS2000 strobe when observed with the naked eye, but was less visable through night vision.

In my opnion, worth the money if you are going to be traveling in the back country. But get a PLB first!

http://www.equipped.org/rescuelaser.htm down towards the end right before Conclusions.

If money isn't a consideration, the green is significantly superior to the red for land use. Easier to aim and much greater range. I recommend the green to all my clients. On the water, stick to red since the green doesn't work well with NVGs and the USCG uses NVGs for all night searches.

Thanks, this and any other input from real owners is greatly appreciated--particularly regarding durability of the green RLF device, and other practical use advise/comments. And I am considering the personal locator beacon option/alternative.

As for durability, they are being used by U.S. Special Forces in the Sandbox. 'nuf said.

If financially viable, get the PLB first.

Now this is the kind of input I was looking for. Thanks, Doug, and all. I often find myself boulder-hopping in the canyons along streams around here. So, the PLB would still be the preferred option then, given that canyon walls can sometimes restrict the skyview?

I suppose the real answer is "Get both."

We tested PLBs in a deep narrow canyon and they worked. The signal will also bounce off the rock walls as well. You may or may not get to the GEO Sat, but the LEO Sats will pick you up. Sure as heck a lot more likely than hoping an aircraft conveniently overflies your location at just the time you need it and you can hit it and get their attention with the laser flare in the brief moments it is visible from the bottom of the canyon.

FWIW, These turned up on Kevin Kelly's Cool Tools site, for use as a pointer by astronomy buffs. (At least, I assume these are the same thing...)

A laser pointer is not the same.

Personally, I wouldn't want to rely on a basic green laser pointer as an emergency rescue signal device. My understanding is that green laser pointers can be susceptible to shock damage, and can get out of "adjustment"--very undesireable in an emergency.

The Rescue Laser Flare (RLF) product, at least the red one and presumably the green one also, have been thoroughly designed and tested for ruggedness. Also, basic lasers are adjusted for a point beam, while the RLF projects a line beam to make it easier to hit or "light up" distant objects as the sky/horizon is being swept.