Helmet light question.

[firemoose827 324]

Hey everyone. I had a quick question that I was going to throw into the "Whats on your helmet" thread but it was closed so, sorry for the repetition.

I saw the add for "Buddy Lights" on the home page for this site and was curious to see if anyone out there has one of these, or had one, that could tell me if they are good or bad. I usually use the garrity's myself but find them difficult to operate with gloves. The helmet mounted flashlights usually just cause a bulky snag-hazard, and my hands are usually full of tools instead of a light-box or some other hand-held light so I was curious about these little gadgets and how well they worked.

Any info would be greatly appreciated as I am looking into buying one.

Thanks all in advance.

Moose.

[Guest bibbles10504]

From what I understand those buddy lights are not really to give you more visibility. They are so other people can see you (and the light from your helmet) better. I suppose they will give off a little light but probably not too much. Have you ever thought of a survivor light?

[firemoose827 324]

From what I understand those buddy lights are not really to give you more visibility. They are so other people can see you (and the light from your helmet) better. I suppose they will give off a little light but probably not too much. Have you ever thought of a survivor light?

Oh, I was assuming that with the LED lights that it was a "flashlight". Ok, I guess I will call the company and find out for sure. I know that they also have different colors and use them for an accountability system of some kind; like blue for firefighters, red for officers, etc.

Thanks for the heads-up brother. I will let you know what I find out from the company.

[Guest]

I got one of those LED head lamps that I got from Target for like $14.99 or so. I think it works great. You turn your head and the light is there. You don't have to fumble for a flashlight to see something that's in your hands.

It works well in smoke conditions and is great for the middle of the night MVAs.

It was cheap, so if it breaks or melts or whatever, I'll just get a new one.

It doesn't stick out of your helmet to get tangled in stuff.

[Guest bibbles10504]

Jonesy... No problem, let us know what you find out.

I have a survivor and I think it works great.... Im not sure about adding any more weight to my helmet, so i think i'll stick with the survivor light

[HFD23 37]

go for a survivor or vulcan, vulcan is very bright, and the leds on the rear make it easy to see your fellow FF's or even to mark a door when searching a room by leaving the light at the door. also both are hands free the helmet mounted lights are not that brite, and just add weight..

Edited July 2, 2007 by HFD23

[firemoose827 324]

Jonesy... No problem, let us know what you find out.

I have a survivor and I think it works great.... Im not sure about adding any more weight to my helmet, so i think i'll stick with the survivor light

Hey bibbles,

just talked to a rep from "Buddy Light" and they say that the white light is a flashlight. The colored ones are more for marking and accountability. But they are made as "Marker/Flashlights". Thanks for the input!

Survivors have their own charger bases, right? And they clip to the bunkers? Are they still pricey? Do they stand up to the heat and abuse?

I appreciate the info.

Moose.

Edited July 2, 2007 by Jonesy368

[DOC22 1]

Here's the Link to the Buddy Light Website:

http://www.buddylight.com/

[Guest]

How good are the Garrity lights?

Thanks,

Jared

[Guest bibbles10504]

Moose, the survivors do have their own charger, you can either get a fast charger or a steady charger. Both stand up to the heat and abuse. they have a clip on the back which clips onto your jacket. A lot of jackets now come with a spot to clip them on on your right chest. You can either get the LED model which has a very good battery life or the older model.

http://www.thefirestore.com/store/category...d_511_survivor/

Thats a link for pricing... hope that helps

Edited July 2, 2007 by bibbles10504

[tjd1012 5]

How good are the Garrity lights?

Thanks,

Jared

for the price you can't beat them,the led seems to be a litlle better in smoke conditions than the regular bulb one

[x635 4,066]

Actually, I had the chance to test this out. The BuddyLight helmet LED system that's on EMTBravo.com is very lightwieght with a long battery life, it provides great lighting without being bulky or obtrusive, is very rugged, and it makes you more visible to others inside a fire building, on a roadside, or on a dark scene.

Additionally, purchasing BuddyLight helps support EMTBravo.com and this forum!

I heard a rumor that this item may be available as part of a Bravo Points contest this fall.

http://www.buddylight.com

If you do purchase it, please let them know you found out about it here!!

[Guest]

Actually, I had the chance to test this out. The BuddyLight helmet LED system that's on EMTBravo.com is very lightwieght with a long battery life, it provides great lighting without being bulky or obtrusive, is very rugged, and it makes you more visible to others inside a fire building, on a roadside, or on a dark scene.

Additionally, purchasing BuddyLight helps support EMTBravo.com and this forum!

I heard a rumor that this item may be available as part of a Bravo Points contest this fall.

http://www.buddylight.com

If you do purchase it, please let them know you found out about it here!!

So Seth, if you had to choose between a Garrity LED light and a BuddyLight, which would you choose? Which one is better in smoke?

Thanks.

[x635 4,066]

So Seth, if you had to choose between a Garrity LED light and a BuddyLight, which would you choose? Which one is better in smoke?

Thanks.

I'm definetly getting myself a BuddyLight for my helmet when I return to work. Really impressed with it.

[Guest]

I'm definetly getting myself a BuddyLight for my helmet when I return to work. Really impressed with it.

Thanks.

[firemoose827 324]

Actually, I had the chance to test this out. The BuddyLight helmet LED system that's on EMTBravo.com is very lightwieght with a long battery life, it provides great lighting without being bulky or obtrusive, is very rugged, and it makes you more visible to others inside a fire building, on a roadside, or on a dark scene.

Additionally, purchasing BuddyLight helps support EMTBravo.com and this forum!

I heard a rumor that this item may be available as part of a Bravo Points contest this fall.

http://www.buddylight.com

If you do purchase it, please let them know you found out about it here!!

DOH!!! I just put in the order for one yesterday afternoon and didnt know about how it will support the site. I would have told them if I knew, sorry brother. Maybe I can call them up and say that I found out about it here and that it is a good product, they love that stuff!

Thanks for the input everyone. I will let everyone know how well they work when I get mine and test it out.

Bibbles, I took your advise and brought the specs for the survivor I found online to our Lt in charge of purchasing and he is looking into buying them for our interior FF's. Thanks brother.

Have a great day.

[houlidsa 76]

the Survivor LED lights are now offered with alkaline battery pack so no charger is required. So you can buy just the unit ready to go for about $50.00

[Guest alsfirefighter]

As I've gotten older I've grown to prefer the vulcan light over the survivor. I also like the LED feature on them for many of the reasons already mentioned. One of the things with the survivor light to me was that when crawling it basically points to the ground, the older models had metal clips so if you got hung up on the light you had to remove it or cut your entanglement if it was complicated. The newer ones have a plastic clip so if you have to move in a hurry it will break much easier.

I like the concept of the buddy light. Anything that can assist with speeding up the primary search process by making it easier to keep track of your partner if you seperate in a room is a plus.

[PVFD113 6]

I also have had the opportunity to try out the buddy light. Awesome product!!! Only issue--make sure you do not store anything on top of your helmet or store it up side down. Accidental activations are possible. It has happened to me a few times-something falling on it--but the battery life is incredible. It fits on most helmets with some modification--take your time and do it right. It does keep the light focused on where you are headed. Try it you will like it.

[xfirefighter484x 234]

This is the light that I have on my helmet. The only drawback is the thin elastic band that wraps around the helmet. Other guys using the same light have had it fail due to the high heat, but I guess that just means I haven't been in a hot enough place yet

It has 2 white "spotlight" LEDs, 2 white "floodlight" LEDs, and 2 Red LEDs. It has 4 modes, the 2 spotlight LEDs on, the 2 Floodlight LEDs on, all 4 white LEDs on , and just the Red LEDs on.

It has a ratcheting base, to pivot straight ahead, or anywhere to 90* straight down, which is GREAT when filling out paperwork at that 3AM MVA.

The following is just a link for picture and reference online, I bought this light at Wal-Mart for $14.99. If ya break it, its cheap enough to buy another. It runs on 2 AAA batteries, so theyre easy to replace when they die!

http://store.botachtactical.com/en6ledhe.html

Edited July 3, 2007 by xfirefighter484x

[firemoose827 324]

This is the light that I have on my helmet. The only drawback is the thin elastic band that wraps around the helmet. Other guys using the same light have had it fail due to the high heat, but I guess that just means I haven't been in a hot enough place yet

It has 2 white "spotlight" LEDs, 2 white "floodlight" LEDs, and 2 Red LEDs. It has 4 modes, the 2 spotlight LEDs on, the 2 Floodlight LEDs on, all 4 white LEDs on , and just the Red LEDs on.

It has a ratcheting base, to pivot straight ahead, or anywhere to 90* straight down, which is GREAT when filling out paperwork at that 3AM MVA.

The following is just a link for picture and reference online, I bought this light at Wal-Mart for $14.99. If ya break it, its cheap enough to buy another. It runs on 2 AAA batteries, so theyre easy to replace when they die!

http://store.botachtactical.com/en6ledhe.html

Hey XFirefighter, nice light. Does the light housing itself take the heat? Have you ever experienced melt or malfunction due to heat? Decent light for 15 bucks, Ill have to go to Wallyworld tonight and check on them.

Thanks.

[xfirefighter484x 234]

Hey XFirefighter, nice light. Does the light housing itself take the heat? Have you ever experienced melt or malfunction due to heat? Decent light for 15 bucks, Ill have to go to Wallyworld tonight and check on them.

Thanks.

The casing holds up relatively well, I mean, as well as can be expected of cheap plastic, not the thermoplastics of Survivor lights, etc...

I think that if it is hot enough to melt the unit, the elastic band would already have melted away and the light fallen away anyways.

Although I haven't seen any melting or malfunctions due to heat personally, I have seen the Garrity lights become, well, puddles. It is possible the the people who have these haven't been in situations where this could happen.

It does provide some substantial lighting for a small light in smokey environments, and is perfect for plain dark environments, i.e. outside at night, and if you do take it into a building and get it ruined, it is just a cheap $15 more for a brand new one!

Edited July 3, 2007 by xfirefighter484x

[JohnnyOV 2]

I'm definetly getting myself a BuddyLight for my helmet when I return to work. Really impressed with it.

I had the joy of testing out the earlier model of the buddy light as well. I was really impressed with the visibility it gave me on a highway scene in the middle of the night. I tested out the blue colored one, and found out it was not to be used as a flashlight, but more as a visual acuity system. People rolling up on scene said they could see me from 1/2 mile to 3/4 mile down I-95 at night...but that was without rigs surrounding me.

Only down side I found on the earlier model, and i dont know if it has been fixed, is that the lights have to be fully replaced when the battery runs out.

Other then that, I have only good things to say about the earlier model, and hope to see everyone testing these lights out to see if they work for your department.

Alex Vergo

[firemoose827 324]

Well, I got the light and its on my helmet. Its pretty bright!! Here is a photo of it, not too bulky and it works well. Easy to install also for all of you worried about that. The light is off in the picture, it was too bright for the camera to get a visible picture!!

Edited July 5, 2007 by Jonesy368

[Ladder44 73]

how about maybe putting the helmet in a dark room and taking a picture behide it to see how bright it acually is??

[firemoose827 324]

how about maybe putting the helmet in a dark room and taking a picture behide it to see how bright it acually is??

Im not sure how well that would work but I will try it this evening...be back shortly.

[Guest partyrock]

How well do these light work with smoke? I've become a big fan of Pelican products because of the cleaner beam that cuts right through the smoke better than survivor.

[firemoose827 324]

How well do these light work with smoke? I've become a big fan of Pelican products because of the cleaner beam that cuts right through the smoke better than survivor.

Works very well in smoke. The LED lights cut through it well, not as well as some other products but for the hands-free application I desired, it works well. Easily turns on and off, with or without gloves. Works well at night MVA's also, you have light where you need it as you use the tool to extricate.

Sorry...havnt gotten down to the firehouse to take those pictures yet, will try to do it today!

Moose