Technicolour Tyre Co (Scotchlite reflectives): still going?

[SA_SA_SA]

I wondered if the Technicolour Tyre Co for Scotchlite self-adhesive reflectives tape is still going?

Is there an alternative UK source? I can find iron on tape and black! 3M tape but not stick on...

[james01]

http://www.respro.com/products/industri ... es/ishots/

These are genuine Scotchlite, very effective. The patches are self-adhesive but can be ironed onto clothing for extra adhesion, mine have survived quite a number of washes.

[SA_SA_SA]

Thanks, but those are expensive and I just want a roll of tape.

Anyone else no any suppliers? Has the product been deleted by 3M?

[RickH]

Halfords do small rolls of red, white or yellow self adhesive, reflective tape for a fiver each (link).

Rick.

[tatanab]

A whole roll?

3M still make reflective tapes http://solutions.3m.co.uk/wps/portal/3M ... tiveTapes/
You can buy direct http://www.3mdirect.co.uk/search.aspx?s ... reflective
Or similar products in smaller quantities from http://www.glo-marka.com/index.html although it looks like you might have to contact them for a mail order list. This stuff one ebay looks to be the same http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/New-High-Inte ... 2a0f3025c8 and there is lots more on ebay.

[andrewjoseph]

i got a few rolls of white and amber tape from these people:

https://affixit.co.uk

[SA_SA_SA]

Thanks so far

but I liked the silver stick-on Scotchlite for its thinness and flexibility (stays on fabric easily).

On 3Ms website I can only find its marine equivalent where it is under a PVC coating to make it work 100% even when wet (from memory: standard Scotchlite is an AVERAGE of 60% as bright when wet).

I wonder if the "glass" (presumably plastic) balls mean they view it as too polluting and it has gone the way of kevlar marathon tyres for green reasons? Although PVC isn't a very green material: unclean to make, burns to give Dioxins....

[JEJV]

Thanks, but those are expensive and I just want a roll of tape.

Certainly sir.

But there are different kinds of tape, optimised for different viewing conditions and different kinds of mounting surface.

Diamond Scotchlite has the best performance at small entrance and observation angles. Needs a rigid surface with large radius of curvature (~15cm or more).
Won't work on a bicycle frame. Rarely usable on bicycles. This is the stuff used to outline the back of HGVs.

SOLAS tape works over a much wider range of entrance angles, but again is optimised for small observation angles. Works well on curved surfaces. Some versions suitable for use on fabric base.

Scotchlite 8850 (and similar) has reduced peak performance - at small entrance and observation angles - but better performance at larger observation angles than diamond or SOLAS.
Different versions available: sew-on, iron-on, self-adhesive. This is roughly what is used on EN 471 industrial "hi-vis" clothing


Now what do you plan to attach this tape to ?

And in what pattern do you plan to use it ?

If the answer is little bits here and there, you're not trying to be visible, you're just trying to show you care, or looking for a placebo.
To be an effective aid to visibility, bits less than ~25cm^2 ( 2"x2") in area are somewhat pointless. 50mm wide stripes 30cm+ long which outline you are more useful.

Little bits of reflective stuff just don't help. The visual system of the person who you want to see you will reject them as noise. Thats's why industrial Hi-vis looks the way it does.

[SA_SA_SA]

.....
Scotchlite 8850 (and similar) has reduced peak performance - at small entrance and observation angles - but better performance at larger observation angles than diamond or SOLAS.
Different versions available: sew-on, iron-on, self-adhesive. This is roughly what is used on EN 471 industrial "hi-vis" clothing


Now what do you plan to attach this tape to ?
And in what pattern do you plan to use it ?
If the answer is little bits here and there, you're not trying to be visible, you're just trying to show you care, or looking for a placebo.
To be an effective aid to visibility, bits less than ~25cm^2 ( 2"x2") in area are somewhat pointless. 50mm wide stripes 30cm+ long which outline you are more useful..

Thanks, that sounds like the one I like. The self-adhesive version is stretchy and thin, so once fitted looks like it was always part of the jacket (and doesn't come off because the fabric flexed unlike stiffer stick-ons)
I like to but some on my gloves (previously I used 1in by 2in, perhaps I should double that like you say). And in bands on yellow jacket / over shoulders etc. I can just use sew-on stuff for ankle bands and wide bands on windproof jackets.

The "better performance at larger observation angles" is another incidental reason why I like it.

NB despite google finding nothing for Scotchlite, searching for "Scotchlite 8850" found it: but still can't find UK sellers of small amounts.