Forums > Technical Discussion > Flow lights 0.0?

Posted: 26th Nov 2007
I have a mate who just bought a set of flowpoi trio, first time I spoke to him he was raving about them. Apparently really nice constrution, cool looking, best handles he has ever used etc...

Spoke to him after the performance he purchased them for and the reviews had certainly dropped. Apparently the casings are fantastic but the lights had a habit of forgetting the pattern when hit, going off etc...

Don't have much more details than that yet though, hope to have a spin with them in the next week or so though

They were my #1 choice at the moment as well (hyperlights are just too far out of the budget ) so im pretty keen to find out more about these problems.

"In the end there is only fire and a waterfall"

Posted: 26th Nov 2007
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fzjJc4vY4Tg

i had some of the old flowtoys when they were using streetlights, and they were very good, though the streetlights let them down, however have seen and tried the new flow lights and they're wonderful, I would definitely buy some if I wern't about to get hyperlights

UCOF "evolution: Poi -> stick -> hoops -> devil stick -> juggling club -> juggling ball -> crayons."

Supergroovalsticprosifunkstication
In other words, it's the thumps bump

Posted: 26th Nov 2007
I have a pair of Duos with the flowlights in them. They are freaking awesome. Of all other glow products i've tried, and there have been a LOT, these are by far the best.

That said, like every product there are issues. I've never had the problem of them changing pattern when hit though.

The good:
*many awesome modes
*Bright
*uses easy to replace AAA batteries
*burn at full bright till the batteries die, no fade down issues. (however you also never really know when the batteries are gonna go...)
*Really long battery life though
*pretty sturdy construction mostly

The bad
*the duos and trios come in a tube which itself is great, but I feel the caps need work. The cap is on the outside end and I've had it fly off many times, sending lights off into space to be tracked down. Could always just add some tape for extra support though
*My flowlights themselves started splitting at the seams. Apparently they are made to snap together head to tail but the ones I have weren't sized just right. The new flowlights are supposed to have better construction now.
*kinda pricey for what they are, but not to bad

so all in all, great product, minor issues in my opinion. I'm still gonna buy a set of Trios despite any issues I've had.

As I said, best glow spinning product on the market right now (hyperlights aren't on the market yet so no one go getting all upset please)

I once learned every move that there was,
Every style, Every technique.
Then I woke up, and forgot it all,
So now I struggle to dream.

Posted: 27th Nov 2007
I have oggz that i made into poi. When my hyperlight arrive I will be looking at selling them. Ive got the triple pack and modified two of them into poi by punching holes and fitting brass hoops then attatcing lace through them. They are great to spin and are rechargable.

Posted: 30th Nov 2007
>>Edited now that I have the FlowLight Staff in my own hands>>





Oh...my.

Well, Christmas was indeed early this year. I have my staff with FlowLights. (I have a post in the Glow Staff FAQ thread that explains why I made this particular choice of staff)



I spent far too much time just switching the modes around. So much fun!



I'm really happy with the quality of the FlowLights. Now, I did have a bit of trouble getting used to putting in and taking gout the batteries. DON'T put a battery into a FLs backwards! They're a pain to get back out when you do that.



They're nice and bright. It's a different kind of light than I have with my other glow toys. I have the HOP jailhouse glow-poi and they're nearly the same brightness, but the light is diffused in the HOP ones, so the FLs seem to have a "sharper" light. Of course, I'm comparing apples to oranges here, as those are single balls in socks compared to a string of leds in clear casing.



I can see where the casings might be a bit fragile when you do wrong things to them. Like I tried to link two, but had one turned toward me and one away and they really didn't seem to like that, and I could see someone splitting the seam if they forced it (I heard a disturbing creak when I tried, before I figured out I didn't line them up right). But when done properly they seem sturdy.



I was able (by deliberately trying) to recreate the mentioned problem of changing the mode when hitting the tubing really hard. However, looking at the structure, it looks like it's because the tubing is semi-flexible and the switches stick out from the light. I wonder if sticking a foam or other cushiony material dot above and/or below the switch would keep the tube from hitting it hard enough to alter the mode?



Unfortunately I wasn't able to put this sucker to a real test tonight, as on my way into the sporting good store to get some grip for it, I tripped over the curb and royally scratched up my glasses (and many body parts as I landed on my nose), leaving me one eye down and not really in the mood to play. I'm going to the eye doctor for some contacts tomorrow and will really put the staff through its paces tomorrow night.



Michelle
EDITED_BY: mparker (1196485896)

Posted: 9th Jan 2008
hi, I produced the flowlight, with the help of 3 good friends, and I don't spend much time on forums but I came across this thread and I think I can help with a little info. here.

some faulty flowlight behavior is not uncommon, but not normal, and usually easily fixed!
a flowtoys product can always be sent back for repair/replacement, but first you might want to try one of these quick fixes for the flowlight:

electronics:
1. is the battery low? try a battery that you are sure is good. (due to the voltage converter required for the light to run on a AAA, it can be very hard to tell when the battery is low and the light may appear faulty)
2. is the spring loose? try bending the spring forward with the tip of a key or similar abject, so it squeezes the battery better, we have found a few that are not sprung properly.
3. have the battery or spring contacts got black marks on them? this is usually oxidation caused by vibration, clean them with petroleum jelly/vaseline if possible, otherwise a clean cloth will do, but some protective coating like petroleum jelly or mineral oil will help prevent future contact failure.

plastic shell:
it's unusual for a flowlight to break inside the tube, but the shell can split or crack if hit just the wrong way. luckily this is easily fixed with a little crazy glue, or clear tape in a pinch. also if a cracked flowlight is in a tube it should still work ok.

it is rare that any problem is not fixed by one of these steps, but if none of this works, we'll take care of it!

incidentally, I just did some more impact testing to be sure and when in the polycarbonate tube, impacting cement hard enough to break the light, I could get it to shut off, but I could not reproduce "forgetting the pattern when hit" or "changing the mode when hitting the tubing really hard".
the button is actually slightly recessed, for that reason, but if anyone can confirm that this has happened, I would love to know!
we (Prisna and I) are always looking for feedback and ways to improve our designs, so feel free to contact me directly!

addressing the durability limits of the flowlight:
we were suprised to find that injection-molded polycarbonate is not nearly as impact resistant as the extruded polycarbonate that our tubes are made from, though it is still the best plastic for the job. so we can't recommend hitting anything hard with an unprotected flowlight! the current flowpoi system works well and is versatile (different lengths, interchange the lights etc.) but we are developing a light-weight soft protective "skin" for the flowlight, similar to something you'd put on an i-pod, but more...interesting
they should be available this summer, particularly good for people who like spinning glow-sticks.

ok, I hope this was helpful, and if you have any friends who might benefit from this, pass it on!

--sean

find your flow...

Posted: 9th Jan 2008
I think when you order flowlights from Flamma Aeterna, you can get them in a clear soft tube which seems like it would be a better option.

O.B.E.S.E.

Owned by Mynci!

Posted: 22nd Feb 2008
What are water flowlights like compaired to beaming balls from here?

I want something more bright than oggz to pass the time until hyperlights are eventually released

Posted: 4th Apr 2008
Beamers=Disco Balls

A problem with beamers is that that they four leds facing all in opposite directions, which gives them a very disco esque display. A cool effect of this is you'll see different lines from them fluctuating like led photons flying along. A problem, is the actual poi are not fully lighted. I put them in long sports socks, aimed one of the LED's up the sock, and it diffused really nice ^,^; Makes em looks OH so beautiful (but of course they'll never change color which I don't mind too much). And of course, heres the olbigatory "BEAMERS WILL CRACK YOUR SKULL IF YOU USE THEM" that has to be said any time beamers are mentioned.

Posted: 5th Apr 2008
Flowtoys were great the first weeks I used them, altho then they started to seriously forget their sequences and also started to not start at all, also some lights started giving up. Sometimes the on button were somehow not working correctly. It's an awesome product by all means except that it has a few functionality use problems that needs sorting out i bought the trio and right now there's two of that trio that is fully functioning. I'd say that's not very good but if you look at them feature wise they are among the most awesome glow poi around.

It's just sad that, living in Sweden it will cost me quite a bunch extra to send them and get them fixed or else I would.

There is definitely a lot of potential in flowlights but it needs just a lil bit more tweaking and working to get it into the awesome product it's supposed to be.

Posted: 8th Apr 2008
Have you tried talking to them about it? From the postings I've seen from them (scroll up) it sounds as though they're as committed to their toys as I am - I'm sure they'd be able to give you some advice on how to fix them or maybe offer a replacement if they're faulty? Can't hurt to ask either way

Cake or Death?

Posted: 15th Apr 2008
i recently bought a set of flowlights (the water variation) and they're kickass. i bought just the lights, which yes are a bit pricey but in the long run you'll be saving money since they're a bit more durable than the average LED glowstick. i actually have my flowlights wrapped thoroughly in cling wrap to practice with them as you still see the lights and it kinda adds a cool effect to is as well as reinforcing them, cuz if you klunk somethin hard enough with a nekkid flowlight you do run a huge risk of cracking it at the seam. i personally recommend flowlights to all y'all.. cuz like i said they're kickass. and the stickers they send ya make bangin bumper stickers.

i just got my colecord set after waiting like 6 friggin years ffs (damn you international shipping) and i slapped a large metal keyring at the end and put my flowlights and a regular chemical glowstick on them, and that turns into a freakin' spectacular poi experience with some really cool looking light effects, it's got perfect weight to it too.. photos and video coming soon. don't ask me how soon cuz i can't give you a roundabout. at all.