Guardian Angel Wearable Safety Light Review
By: Tyler H
Approximately a year and a half ago, I was scrolling through social media and found a video of a wearable light that can provide 360-degree illumination. The video talked primarily about trying to reduce the number deaths and injuries of people that work along the roadway, by increasing visibility. What caught my attention is that this light not only acts as body worn equivalent to those cool light up shoes I never had as a kid, it can be a hands-free flashlight! After watching some more videos, reading some reviews, and checking out the Guardian Angel website; I decided to spend the $99.99 and buy the red and blue police safety light.
The first day that I walked into the police department wearing this new light, I got offered $20 to turn on the flashing red and blues during my next foot pursuit. I also got a bunch of questions on why I would buy this light when we have flashlights that are issued to us; let me tell you why I would buy this light any day of the week!
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What really makes this light shine, is the ability to have a flashlight that I don’t have to hold with one of my hands. With the touch of a button, I can have a red or white light flashlight that has three different dimming options. Working night shift, I am almost always speaking with people, doing field sobriety tests, searching vehicles, and whatever else the shift gods throw at me in the darkness; a flashlight is a vital tool. The Guardian Angel allows me to accomplish these tasks while being able to keep both of hands free, gone are the days of holding a flashlight under my armpit while taking notes, talking to a suspect, or doing field sobriety tests. The battery on this light also lasts significantly longer than by flashlight. I can get a solid two weeks out of my Streamlight, while I preventatively charge the Guardian Angel once a month.
The flashlight part of the Guardian Angel, is both where it shines, and where I have my complaints. There is no way the Guardian Angel can compete with my Streamlight in terms of brightness; I will still always use that light on traffic stops and for instances where I need pure light output. My only other complaint, is that you cannot turn the red light off without having to cycle through the white light. While sitting in my patrol vehicle, or speaking with an officer outside, I hate having to turn on the white light to turn the flashlight off. It tampers with my eye’s adjustment to the dark, and blows my position if I am trying to stay concealed in the darkness outside of my vehicle.
What Guardian Angel designed this light for, and what one of my friends with Highway Patrol loves about this light is its ability to illuminate your position from 360-degrees. This light is bright! Guardian Angel says that the LEDs are rated to 5+ miles of visibility, and I can say that they are almost as bright, and possibly just as bright, as the emergency lights on my patrol vehicle. If are working a car accident on a dark highway, trying to get someone to find you in a dark wooded area, or whatever you are doing where you need people to see you; this will get it done! Now, you may not want to have the light as bright as my patrol vehicle, the flashing red and blue can be dimmed just like the flashlight portion of the light. You also may not want full 360-degree illumination, you also have the option of only activating the front or rear lights on the Guardian Angel; this is the function I normally use when needing red and blues.
The Guardian Angel has a Neodymium magnet that attached to several different mounting systems, and just about anything a magnet will stick to! Driving a slick top patrol vehicle, I often wish I had more lights on the side of my vehicle to make it more noticeable. I can actually take the Guardian Angel off of my shoulder and place it on the side of my patrol car allowing me to increase how visible my patrol vehicle is on the side of the highway. Doing so, I have actually forgotten my Guardian Angel on the side of my vehicle when responding to code to a call for service. To my pleasant surprise, this magnet held the light to side of my patrol car in its flashing red and blue glory, over pot holes and rough alleyways, for me to pull it off and put it back on my shoulder as a flashlight when I got to the call for service.
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Not only is magnet incredibly strong, so is the light! Guardian Angel states that these lights are waterproof, dustproof, and shockproof; from what I have seen and experienced, I believe them! I have worn this light every day in the rain, snow, subzero temperatures, temperatures pushing 100, even in the middle of small wildland fire, and it was never failed me. I’ve also seen videos of this light being ran over by a car, being caked in mud, thrown down a street, even read a review of a guy dropping it out of his second-floor window, and these lights refuse to die!
The Guardian Angel lights are great lights and they are not just for law enforcement! Guardian Angel has designed these lights for anyone needing to be seen, they come in different color options that suite professions such as roadworkers, miners, tow trucker operators, EMS, and even firefighters! Guardian Angel has even made a completely infrared wearable light the produces no visible light! This is a great option for military members and even those late night, night vision only LARPing sessions in the backyard with friends!
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Overall, Guardian Angel makes an exceptional lighting option for anyone who needs to be seen or is looking for a cool hands-free flashlight you can wear around town! With the increasing number of officers and roadworkers injured by passing vehicles, I would highly recommend this anyone working along the roadways. It is a lightweight, high visibility light, that has exceeded my expectations and is worth everything I paid for it!
