The Blincc Hex 360 degree reflector tape for bikes has smashed its Kickstarter goal in just two days

I have some black retroreflective on my Altura hi-viz. It does work, but not as effective as the regular variety. I find I have to be looking directly on the light's axis to get any effect, and even then it's not as strong. Not sure if the same applies to the proper 3M tape.

I use some cheap yellow reflective tape bought off amazon. £4 for a 2.5m roll.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01M04O8R9

The adhesive is pretty good although probably not as good as 3M and I have cut into smaller strips for the bike and my helmet. 

The tape on my helmet is flaking off a little due to repeated washes over but its been on there since i bought the tape earlier in the year this January.

I might give your 3M tape a go.

I think the "blinking" refers to their original product the "Blincclip" which (supposedly) appears to blink as a result of being free-swinging from the saddle and so sways between more- and less-reflective angles as you are riding.

That's not to say there isn't also a lot of marketing BS in there...

Hmm, thus stuff is not a mirror, it's retroreflective, so the variation in angle should make little enough difference. That's kind of the point.

I think the blinking relates to their previous product, not this one. As it is mounted on the saddle rails, it swings back and forth and appears to 'blink' as it swings into and out of a light source - have a look at the footage on the kickstarter. 

Yes, I know - I presume it's that yellow thing hanging from the saddle in the picture above. It's not going to move in and out of the beam, it is only going to sway a bit. So it should continue to reflect back to source regardless of the precise angle it's at. Maybe they just made a virtue out of inferior retro-reflectives!

I don't know how retroreflectives behave / are supposed to behave. I'm just saying that in the short video on their kickstarter, it appears to reflect different amounts of light as it swings, which gives an appearance which could be described as blinking, if you thought that was good marketing. Whether one wants a blinking reflector is another matter.   

I was hoping for an explanation of that, and of how it can reflect through 360 degrees. Perhaps even a video demonstrating these properties. But none. A very disappointing "article" from road.cc, which seems to have taken to regurgitating press releases with no testing or even critical reflection (sorry) on the claims.

Bmblbzzz wrote:

I was hoping for an explanation of that, and of how it can reflect through 360 degrees. Perhaps even a video demonstrating these properties. But none. A very disappointing "article" from road.cc, which seems to have taken to regurgitating press releases with no testing or even critical reflection (sorry) on the claims.

The review tried to throw some light on this but it just went in all directions...

I suspect 360 degrees is just a cool name for "wide angle" but if they really had done this you'd need to wrap your whole bike and yourself and be using some of this.

I think the 360 degrees bit is a bit of 'creative language' hiding the assumption that you install it on at least two opposite points on the wheel, as directed - i.e. between them the two sections should provide reflection in any given direction.

chrisonatrike wrote:

Bmblbzzz wrote:

I was hoping for an explanation of that, and of how it can reflect through 360 degrees. Perhaps even a video demonstrating these properties. But none. A very disappointing "article" from road.cc, which seems to have taken to regurgitating press releases with no testing or even critical reflection (sorry) on the claims.

The review tried to throw some light on this but it just went in all directions...

I suspect 360 degrees is just a cool name for "wide angle" but if they really had done this you'd need to wrap your whole bike and yourself and be using some of this.

Thank you! That's doubled my audience...