Life jacket lights

[DannyB]

As part of my annual checks I check the replacement date on the lights, one of the jackets is a Spinlock one with a pylon light which has a test button. The expiration date is still eighteen months away but the test LED turned red, which is bad. On the second test there wasn't enough power to light the test LED, although the light itself still worked. I will replace the pylon light but it started me thinking about the other ones, the pylon light claims the test button indicates the light has a ten hour operating life, but other lights presumably just prove the battery has enough power to light the lamp for a couple of seconds. I've always assumed that the expiration date on these things would have a factor of safety, but now I'm starting to wonder.

 

[john_morris_uk]

To my horror and shame I checked our life jackets and lights this winter and discovered some lights that were several years 'out of date'. They all worked when dunked in water. Bright and flashing away merrily for hours. I gave up after a while and put them in the small electronic items recycling bin at the local recycling centre.

 

[KAL]

I had to return a new deckvest as the pylon light refused to work at all!

It was only because I was fitting Lifesavers to our jackets that I noticed the light wasn't even able to test, much less flash.

Maybe they've had a duff batch. Shows how worthwhile it is checking these things rather than relying on assumption.

 

[PurpleKate]

I had a similar experience with my spinlock with a years worth of expiry date but no light from the pylon light. Spinlock could have been more helpful immediately sending me a replacement free of charge

 

[DannyB]

I just spoke to Rob at Spinlock, and he is sending me a new one, great service.

 

[prv]

I just spoke to Rob at Spinlock, and he is sending me a new one, great service.

That "great service" comes a very poor second to the damn thing actually working when you find yourself in the oggin, though

Pete

 

[dom]

That "great service" comes a very poor second to the damn thing actually working when you find yourself in the oggin, though

Pete

+ Lots!
I recently challenged Spinlock about a light thinking they would instantly sort it. They however chose to hide behind the defence that the light was an extra and not a requirement of the ISO certification process. They also mentioned that the LJs were not sold as RORC compliant, where of course a functioning light is very much required.

It turns out that legally they're right, but it's a strange and worrying attitude from a purveyor of safety equipment. I shall personally avoid this brand from now on as there's plenty of choice in the market.

 

[prv]

It turns out that legally they're right,

Well, possibly as measured against ISO requirements and so on. But surely a light, with an important safety function, that fails within the manufacturer's formally stated lifetime, is a slam-dunk Sale of Goods Act liability?

it's a strange and worrying attitude from a purveyor of safety equipment. I shall personally avoid this brand from now on as there's plenty of choice in the market.

I think I will too after counting up the number of Spinlock (and only Spinlock) light failures reported in this thread.

Pete

 

[dom]

I think I will too after counting up the number of Spinlock (and only Spinlock) light failures reported in this thread.

Pete

Quite, I'm amazed to see how endemic this problem seems to be, in which light (okay terrible pun!) their legalistic attitude is an instant show stopper for me.

 

[DannyB]

I have to come to the defence of Spinlock. My light failed the Spinlock test, which apparently guarantees a ten hour life. When dipped in water, the light flashed away quite merrily, how long it would continue to flash I have no idea. I think that is the point, I have seven life jackets on board with three different types of lights fitted, the other ones simply have a test facility that proves it works or not, there is no indication of how long they will continue to work. There may be lights out there which offer the same operational indication as the Spinlock but I'm not aware of any. So when the new pylon light arrives I will fit it and wear it with confidence.

 

[prv]

I have to come to the defence of Spinlock. My light failed the Spinlock test, which apparently guarantees a ten hour life. When dipped in water, the light flashed away quite merrily

So yours failed the test a year early but at least still lit up, whereas three others described on this thread (KAL, PurpleKate, dom) failed to illuminate at all.

Forgive me if I decline to take those odds.




(Alright, I know it's not a valid survey as we're not including any that worked perfectly, but I still don't like the implications. I'm sure if anyone reading this had an early failure with another brand they'd have piped up, and so far they haven't.)

Pete

 

[dom]

(Alright, I know it's not a valid survey as we're not including any that worked perfectly, but I still don't like the implications. I'm sure if anyone reading this had an early failure with another brand they'd have piped up, and so far they haven't.)

Speaking of piping up, I found a McMurdo light on the boat from 2001, which had expired in 2005 I think ...set it off and it worked !!

Your point re small samples is perfectly correct, that said a 3-sigma event (absolute rock-bottom minimum for safety gear) should on a statistical basis not occur more than 0.1% of the time. In other words in a worst case scenario we should expect 3 failures in a sample of 3000 and it is highly improbable that so many of them would be concentrated on here. So no, I don't like these odds much either.

 

[Ruffles]

Our Aquaspec LJ lights were moved to the emergency spare LJs several years after their expiry date. They still work brilliantly.

Mind you the 4 replacements were £107.96. Ouch!

 

[DannyB]

I just received my new pylon light, and it has obviously been redesigned, although the concept is the same it is different. Eight hour life instead of ten, and the test is now a steady or flashing light instead of the red and green lights of before. The light itself looks much brighter as well, I think they have upgraded the LED.

 

[KAL]

So yours failed the test a year early but at least still lit up, whereas three others described on this thread (KAL, PurpleKate, dom) failed to illuminate at all.

Forgive me if I decline to take those odds.




(Alright, I know it's not a valid survey as we're not including any that worked perfectly, but I still don't like the implications. I'm sure if anyone reading this had an early failure with another brand they'd have piped up, and so far they haven't.)

Pete

Don't get me wrong. I love the Deckvest and the unit was replaced immediately by Force4, from whom I'd bought it in the first place.

I have every confidence that Spinlock would have replaced it too. My point is that I've learned not to take the promised functionality for granted and so check it myself. Only takes a few moments.

 

[dom]

My point is that I've learned not to take the promised functionality for granted and so check it myself. Only takes a few moments.

Good point, on which note I have recently discovered that Spinlock has in fact been approached by a number of people who realised that the LJ's they had just purchased, whilst technically new stock, were in fact manufactured some years ago and therefore had service items approaching the end of their 5 Yr life. Prob worth checking prior to purchase.

I'm not sure how these complaints were resolved, but I was personally taken aback by Spinlock's unhelpful and argumentative attitude.

 

[Steve Clayton]

Good point, on which note I have recently discovered that Spinlock has in fact been approached by a number of people who realised that the LJ's they had just purchased, whilst technically new stock, were in fact manufactured some years ago and therefore had service items approaching the end of their 5 Yr life. Prob worth checking prior to purchase.

I'm not sure how these complaints were resolved, but I was personally taken aback by Spinlock's unhelpful and argumentative attitude.

Something similar. Seago replacements for auto-inflates can be just the arming device or the arming + a gas cylinder.
In one chandlers t'other day I noticed that some arming devices were expiry 2018 and others 2020. - cost about £9
The arming device + gas cylinder stock had expiry 2021.- cost about £15