EFLARE PROTECTOR 510


Eflare Protector 510, retail $49.95 (www.eflarecorp.com/500.htm)
Manufactured by Eflare Corporation (www.eflarecorp.com)
Last updated 08-23-06




The Eflare Protector EF510 is a non-incendiary (does not use fire) electronic emergency flare that uses eight amber-emitting power SMD LEDs and a kind of magnifying clear bezel to produce its light. It flashes at approximately 2Hz (two flashes per second), emits an amber light, and is totally weatherproof, so you can turn it on, set it out, and not have to worry about the weather.

It comes in a "day glow" fluorescent yellow-green body, so it's easy to find in your car trunk, glovebox, or wherever you keep it.

The EF510 replaces the EF500 that used to be on this web page.


SIZE



To use the EF510, feed it first (see directly below), and then you can go to town.

Grasp the unit by its green body with one hand, and use the other hand to firmly twist the clear bezel clockwise (as if tightening it) approximately 1/8th of a turn to switch it on. Firmly twist the bezel approximately 1/8th of a turn counterclockwise (as if loosening it) to shut it off.

Press the unit firmly in the center of its included black rubbery base to make it wind-resistant - it won't very readily blow over that way.



To change the batteries in the EF510, unscrew and remove the tailcap, dash it to the ground, and stomp on it with old or used bowling shoes...O WAIT!!! YOU'LL NEED THAT!!! So just set it aside instead.

Tip the two used D cells out of the barrel and into your hand, and dispose of or recycle them as you see fit.

Insert two new D cells in the barrel, button-end (+) positive first. Screw the tailcap firmly back on, and there, you're done.
Aren't you glad you didn't stomp on that tailcap now?

Due to the intermittent (flashing) nature of this product, I cannot take a current usage reading with the instruments at my disposal.

Battery life is advertised at 50+ hours.

There is a low battery indicator LED that will come on when the batteries need replacing; I cannot test this until I have two D cells that are circling the drain though. The label on the side of the EF510 reads that this LED is yellow.



The EF510 appears to be reasonably sturdy at absolute minimum, but because of its all-plastic construction, I'll forego the smack test.

Water-resistance appears to be excellent. There are O-rings at the tailcap and at the bezel; these help seal out things like rain, mud, water, dust, pee, and other nasties. I turned the EF510 on, threw it in the cistern for three minutes, then ran it under the faucet (while it was still turned on). When I dried the outside off with some toilet paper, no water was found anywhere inside of it.

When I performed the same test on the EF500 I had on this web page earlier, I drowned it in the toilet. No really, I did. Water entered the battery compartment and got as far as the clear bezel; I had to dry it out for at least a day before all the water was gone.

The main part of the beam is annular (doughnut-shaped), and is angled slightly upward, so it is visible to oncoming traffic.

The unit is said to be non-damaging if it were to be struck by a vehicle; though I have no way to verify this first-hand.

The EF510 is outfitted with two clips on the body, so it may be clipped to coats or other heavy clothing articles so you can use it as a personal safety beacon, or clipped to traffic cones.



Bad photograph showing the EF510 in its "on" cycle.
See the movie below for a better look at it.


Spectrographic plot
Spectrographic analysis of the LEDs in this flare.
Ocean Optics USB2000 Spectrometer on loan from TWO-CUBED.


Quicktime movie (.mov extension) showing the EF510 in action.
This clip is approximately 1.6 megabytes (1,629,012 bytes) in length; dial-up users please be aware.
It will take no less than five minutes to load at 48.0Kbps.
I cannot provide it in other formats, so please do not ask.
Light is significantly less reddish than it appears in this movie.



TEST NOTES:
Test unit was sent by M.C. of Alliance Fire and Rescue, Inc. and was received on 03-31-05. It replaces the EF500 I purchased on Ebay and received on 03-21-05.

Unit was made in Australia. A light's country of origin really does matter to some users, which is why I mentioned it here on this web page.


UPDATE: 03-22-05
I heard via email from one of the United States distributors for this product, and here is a portion of text from that email:

I did a sales demo last week at a customer and they wanted to see what would happen if run over by a vehicle. We drove a full size SUV (Mercury Mountaineer) over the unit including the lens portion. The unit was scratched and significantly marked with asphalt. It did not crack and with one short twist was blinking away.


UPDATE: 07-02-05
I took this product to the bottom of the front porch, energized it, deployed it on the concrete sidewalk, and did two things: one is that I kicked it on its front so it sailed approximately ten feet away, and two, I hit it with a metal cane as if I were getting a golf ball out of the bunker on a par-4 hole at the local golf course. No damage was found after either hit. I think I hit it low, as if I had hit a golf ball with my golf club's hosel, but I still hit it.


UPDATE: 03-21-06
It has been brought to my attention that the URLs to the Eflare are no longer functional; this is beyond my control and there's nothing I can do to repair them.


PROS:
Tough, durable construction
Somewhat water- and weather-resistant
Reasonably bright, attention-getting flashes
Uses batteries that are easily available & relatively inexpensive


CONS:
None that I have found to date


    MANUFACTURER: Eflare Corporation
    PRODUCT TYPE: Electronic (non-incendiary) emergency flare
    LAMP TYPE: Power SMD LED and 5mm LED
    No. OF LAMPS: 9 (eight power SMD and one 5mm)
    BEAM TYPE: 360° horizontal, narrow vertical axis
    SWITCH TYPE: Twist bezel on/off
    BEZEL: Plastic (possibly acrylic) dome protects LEDs
    BATTERY: 2x D cells
    CURRENT CONSUMPTION: Unknown/unable to measure
    WATER RESISTANT: Splash-resistant at minimum
    SUBMERSIBLE: No
    ACCESSORIES: Wide rubbery base
    WARRANTY: Limited lifetime

    PRODUCT RATING:

    Star Rating





Eflare Protector 510 * www.eflarecorp.com/500.htm






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