What do people think of Illuminite?

[zpl]

Hi all,

So I bought an Illuminite cycling vest on Ebay. Testing it in a darked room, I noticed that I have to shine my flashlight on it from just about eye-level in order to see it light up. When it does, the reflectivity is spectacular, and covers every square inch of the vest, front and back. However, this makes me wonder if it will work well with drivers' headlights. I also have no idea how rain might change things.

I've read a lot of polarized opinions on Illuminite online. What have your experiences been with it?

I still ride at night with bright lights, front and rear. But I feel that reliable reflectivity is also a must and don't want to compromise there either.

Scott

[Haven_kd7yct]

I have an Illuminite jacket that I wear when walking the dog in the early (dark) morning hours as well as biking.

I've found that it lights up quite nicely when car headlights hit it, even from a bit of distance away. I know that they see me when I'm on the sidewalk with the dog, which is not directly in front of them-- I can see my jacket light up in the wash of headlights.

I know that I'm seen when I ride my bike in dusky conditions because my boyfriend pointed it out one evening-- I was riding home from work and he came up behind me in his car. He said he was impressed by how far out the jacket caught the headlights.

I also have a pair of Illuminite legwarmers, and they work the same way.

YMMV, but I really like this stuff!

[K'Tesh]

I've taken flash photos of my coat, vs illuminite articles of clothing, and my coat won every time.

I'm all for improved night visibility, but I think that PediGreen's Scotchlite tape's a better product.

Just my $.02
K'Tesh

[PDXGS]

Illuminite products tend to lose their retroreflectivity very fast with machine washing. So, wash it by hand and wash it gently, then line dry it and it will work well for a long time.
Cheers,
Jorge
PS- ScotchLite tape does work better but it wouldn't feel too good as a whole jacket-just my $.02.
Heck, SOLAS tape from places like WestMarine/Wor$tMarine works better than all of it but it feels like paint chips on bad duct tape!

[zpl]

Illuminite products tend to lose their retroreflectivity very fast with machine washing. So, wash it by hand and wash it gently, then line dry it and it will work well for a long time.


Thanks - tips like that are especially useful.

Scott