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E-Flare/
EF520 Rating
-5 Stars = Highly Recommended - Best In class
ABOVE,
Left, E-Flare and Base
| Right, Paired E-Flares
with kit carry bag
ABOVE,
Left, Wide webbing accomodation
| Right, detail of battery
compartment open
ABOVE, E-Flare
in action
ABOVE, Left,
E-Flare-520 size reference
to...
| Right, Priority1LSS-SafetySite
flare/flasher
Description.
The E-Flare-EF520
is one of a series of compact hazard warning beacons
for professional use. Specific domains of use include:Emergency
Services, Police, Fire, Rescue and Ambulance, Traffic
Management,Accident Warning, Trucking, Transport Roadside
Breakdown, Industrial Safety ,HazMat Spills,Helicopter
Landing Zones,Private, Commercial and Military, Mining,
Personal and Family Protection and Aviation Runway
Lighting. E-Flare offer two versions of the extremely
popular compact hazard warning beacons, the EF400
series consumer model and the EF500 series professional
model. Both series, although based on the same LED
technology and rugged durability, offer some very
different features and colors .Warning beacons are
designed to alert a potential rescue personnel or
oncoming traffic to the presence of an abnormal situation
while not contributing to any escalation of the event.
Hence the device must:
- Be attention
getting in a wide range of ambient lighting and
weather conditions
- Not dazzle or confuse the
viewer
- Allow the viewer to judge
how far they are from the beacon
- Not be inherently dangerous
The E-Flare EF520 uses Superbright
LED's arranged in two arrays of four LED's (Eight
in total) that are constantly on for as close a simulation
to an incendiary flare as one is likely to achieve
with current LED technology.The Superbright LEDs form
an ideal source from an efficiency and safety perspective.
The LED has a high output per watt and does not contain
any high temperature elements. As the light is generated
in monochromatic (pure color) there is no light lost
passing through a colored lens or filter.
The perceptual result is stunning! the head of the
activated E-Flare 520 appears to be burning red hot
and bright. Though not as much of an attention getter
as flashing or strobing LED's, the result is nonetheless
extremely effective and minimizes some of the inherit
drawbacks of strobing or flashing lights *(Tutorial).
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Sales Source:
www.alliancefireandrescue.com
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Specifications for EF-520
- Body Color:Hi Viz Yellow, Base color:
Black
- Emitted Colors: Red(tested) + Amber,
Blue, Green & White + Dual colors- available
- Beam Brightness:25,000 Millicandela
- Power Source: 2XD cell batteries
- Can be submersed underwater up
to a depth of 1 meter for 20 minutes (tested)
- Fabrication:ABS
Body, Polycarbonate dome, Rubber Base- 'O'Ring sealed
through out
- Dimensions:Total H=7.75", Dome
H=2.13" / Rubber Base, 6.25" Dia (Carry
Tote for 3 sets =9"X6"X3.5" - 3.0
oz)
- Net weight:466gms /16.4oz (with
batteries)/ Rubber base = 4.9oz
- Run Time:Up to 50 Hrs to 50% (Tested)
on one set of batteries
- Noticability: more than 1 mile (tested)
- Detailed
cutaway with nomenclature
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Evaluation Results & Conclusions...
Ease of Use
Excellent . Requires very little learning
if any. Intuitive functional model. No cognitive overhead
. There are no visible buttons to press, or switches
to throw, so we turned the dome instead.With a turn
of less than 5º of arc the E-Flare came on to full
brightness immediately . Reversing the direction turns
the unit back off. Since there is only one setting
for the EF-520- Constant On, there is nothing else
to learn. The substantial rubber base is equally intuitive
to use. The side with spiked feet goes down and the
E-flare is seated into a form-fitted hole in the center
of the base on the top side. That makes for a very
secure and snug fit. The E-flare can then be placed
in a desired location for maximum visibility. Holes
on the base accommodate a wide variety of attachment
options that may include nails, spikes, bolts or rope.
They also happen to nest- making them fit in less
space when stacked 2-3 up in the carry case.Two high
strength clips on opposing sides of the E-Flare body
are ideal for attachment to road signage, webbing,
belts or any edge up to .25" in thickness.The
E-Flare body section is chamfered, making it inviting
to grip with a hand or to tie a rope or tape around
it. When the batteries become low, an indicator light
towards the top of the dome comes on to signal that
a fresh set is needed.
5 points
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Task performance optimization
Excellent . Accomplishes the task of making
an otherwise unnoticeable scene very noticeable- signaling
caution, hazard or a need for help. Since E-Flares
are available as a kit, we tested the ease of use
of a kit in a simulated roadside breakdown.
The kitbag design encourages a quick removal
from an automobile trunk (boot). The High visibility
yellow of the bag itself, makes it quick to find even
in the darkest and messiest of trunks. Once out of
the vehicle, a single zipper opens the entire top
, allowing for removal of the flares and bases. We
walked away from the rear of the vehicle and dropped
one base down and plunged the first flare into it
and without taking our hand off of it- turned it on.
We then walked with the bag to the second location
(eight paces from the first) and repeated the operation
again. In 20 seconds, both flares were properly situated
and lit from the moment the trunk was opened. Retrieval
involved a simple pickup of each flare with base still
attached.ince the flares can be snuggly attached to
their bases, they never inadvertently separated.
We performed two additional simulations:
A) Pushover Test - The angle at which the flare would
fall over
B) Wash Away Test - Amount of water pressure at 12"
for 3 seconds required to move a flare a distance
of more than 12" on smooth clean concrete pavement.
Both these tests help to predict the stability of
the flare if either bumped by a passing person or
vehicle or if used in a tempest of high wind and rain.
A) Result= 46º tilt required to topple the flare if
pushed from near its highest point
B) Result=Pointed at flare near base/ 65 PSI
Based on the forgoing we tentatively rate the E-Flare
520 with base and carry case, a score of
5 Points
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Durability
Long term and stress tests have not been
performed. First impressions are that in normal use
they are durable. Though the battery compartment tail
piece is threaded to permit a 'start' at 4 points,
it was often tricky to get the tailcap on . A little
too much diligence was required to properly start
the threading without damaging threads on the flare's
body. Based on our trials, we have provisionally given
this product a durability rating of:
4.5 points
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Adaptability
The body of the E-Flare 520 has two long
opposing webbing clips , for attachment to belts or
to nylon webbing. The bases have rubber cleats making
them grip to various road surfaces from gravel roads
to smooth concrete. The holes piercing the bases allow
for additional anchoring possibilities to ensure that
they remain immobile. In addition, they are small
enough in stature and bright enough to be effective
when placed inside standard 18" traffic cones.
In addition to providing a stable foundation
in dry weather, the design of the base encourages
the free flow of water through it- minimizing the
potential for it being carried away by a stream of
flowing water or a torrential downpour.
5 points
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Pros > 1) Extremely effective alternative
to chemical based or incendiary flares 2) Economical
in the mid to long term. 3) Continuous illumination
avoids the adverse effects of strobing lights 4) High
level of usability and ease of use 5) Predicted to
be stable and resistant to toppling and flooding 6)
Heavy-duty build quality 7) Commercial grade but useful
to consumers 8)Compact 9) Compact nesting and stowage
configuration 10) Approved by highway transport and
standards authorities 11) Low battery indicator 12)
Fit in standard traffic cones 13) True hemispheric
field of visibility 14) Excellent kit design.
Cons > 1) Slightly pricey for
consumers on a tight budget
2) No dual mode models- either flashing
or constant only models.
Rating -5 Stars = Highly
Recommended - Best In class
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