And you probably won't find anything brighter without an arc welder. They are just a little more hassle than battery powered strobes.

I have used them for years, but I am darn careful when I do.

A quoat from Eflares News letter... U.S. Police Switch to Eflare
Police forces in the U.S. are switching over from their previously popular old-style pyrotechnic flares to Eflare HZ510 red.

http://www.eflarecorp.com/news-stories/Eflare%20News%20May%202009.pdf

I don't know much about the Eflare, but the Power Flare is made in the U.S. and is designed to put up with expected abuse like being run over by a truck. I even believe Doug Ritter has them in his trunk kit. I've met these guys at SHOT Show and like them alot, they stand by their product. You are going to pay for quality, but they are worth checking out.

Craig.

I have and use both; pyro flares and strobe flares. That said, when making kits for others I don't include the pyros. The benefit of a brighter signal doesn't outweigh the chance that someone who has never used one before will inadvertantly do something to make their situation worse.

I do also take one or two camping. There's not much that will work better to start a cookfire in a downpour.

While that may be occurring in some limited locales, my experience is the traditional road flare is still is widely used by both police and fire/rescue agencies.

Pete

We still use them. I remember the first time that I lit one twenty years ago as a rookie, at an accident scene... screwed up a brand spankin' new pair of highly flammable uniform pants and performed a very comical roadside dance. Lesson learned.

This is what I currently have in the car - REI sells it for kayaks but it's also designed for road safety.

This is a worthy research subject. The Power Flare is intriguing so I may get one to try out and compare. And I may also carry a traditional flare, or two. Redundancy in this arena has merit.


http://www.rei.com/product/785182

The Seattle Sports HydroStar S.O.S. Deluxe light features a bright xenon strobe light, a suction base and a magnetic socket.

* Mounts easily to boat decks of fiberglass and plastic kayaks; magnetic socket attaches to the side of a car for roadside safety lighting

* Attaches to a PFD to become a personal safety beacon; features a handy attachment clip and cord

* Waterproof to 50 ft.; includes batteries

One thing that REALLY worries me RE the electronic flare replacement - retreval

Being out in traffic is bad - being stuck out in traffic is VERY bad - having to go back and retrieve your "flare line" - shudder

OSH just ran an ad for road flares on sale for $1/each, not sure if that's a good deal or not. These are the ones you ignite with the cap/cover.

A lit flare, waved in a wide up/down motion is hard to miss, even at a distance. The only thing that matches is the red/blue police overhead lights.