LED Roadflare

LED road flares are devices made to replace the traditional pyro road flare's  It's made to attract attention on the road in case of emergency. The ones I have are identical in construction as the powerflares (www.powerflare.com), but not marked as such.  I know them from the days I was working at the fire department and know how effective they are in the dark.

Currently not working for a emergency service, but i do have 4 powerflares in mine car. Just in case I need to stop on a dark road. Why 4? I need 3 to place a line diagonal and 1 in line with the car, to mark off a lane. When you only place one, you are not telling traffic what to do. You need to guide them to the next lane. If you are on the hard shoulder, beware that lots of traffic will be driving up to a meter on the hard shoulder.

When placing flare, make sure you are visible by wearing a safety vest and walk towards the incoming traffic. This allows you to see incoming cars. After placing the flares, get behind the barrier. If the traffic is to dangerous, get behind barrier immediately. Remember; safety first. If it's too dangerous, leave it as it is and go behind the barrier.

The one i'm reviewing is a version without any branding on it, so i do not know which manufacture it comes from. It does look and feel identical to the powerflares.  The version i'm using is the 'Amber' colored, non-rechargeable version powered by a CR123 lithium battery.

Things i look for in a roadflare
- Brightly colored, so I can find it.
- Small and compact for easy storage.
- Weatherproof
- Reliable and effective.
- Lithium battery powered for cold weather performance.
- Simple and not stuffed of things i don't need.

The LED flare in use:
- The 'on' button is not marked with any color  The button is molded with the rest of the material, making it very hard to see. Advise; take a sharpy and mark it.
- The 'on' button is a bit small and not as easily switch on with gloves.
- It has a lot of settings, most of them I don't need. 
- Great in the darkness, hardly visible during the day.
- The rubberish material get dirty quickly.
- The magnets are strong enough to stick to your car, on the metal parts that is. Obviously they will not stick on a plastic bumper.

- Being crush proof, it can be used as a emergency wheel chock.

Other things to be aware of
- It does not have any height, so some people will just drive over them and/or ignore them.
- Placing flares higher will make them more visible.
- During the day you will need something else. They are hardly visible during the day.
- In many country's LED flare use is not written down in the law.
- Choose the right color  as a civilian the 'Amber' colored one is the best. The other colors might cause legal issues.

Conclusion
- Great safety device for on the road, but only works well in the dark.
- They work best if you use several at the same time, to 'guide' the traffic.
- Lack of height, means a lack of a physical barrier allowing people to drive over them.
- Expensive to buy several ones.
- Well build.
- Mark the 'on' button with a sharpy.