ODEO Flare
The ODEO laser flare is not SOLAS or Coast Guard approved. And I don’t agree with the company’s referral to the product as a substitute for approved pyrotechnic hand-held flares, which are best activated to help rescuers pinpoint your location when they are seen or heard in the vicinity. (Aerial flares and Mayday calls are better for summoning help.) But I still think it’s a great supplement to boaters’ safety kits.
My test sample burned bright for five hours and continued to emit a bright, if diminished, omnidirectional beam for hours after that. It floated, and continued to operate when submerged. Generating no fire or hot slag, it’s safer to use than a pyrotechnic flare. The supplied lithium-ion battery pack is said to have a shelf life of 14 years. $239.95; odeoflares.com
