# Reflexite tape vendors



## rodar y rodar (Jul 20, 2007)

After seeing Squidward`s tape comparrison and reading all the related comments in agreement, I decided to go with some of that Reflexite stuff from Identitape. $12 for 15 feet isn`t bad, but they want another twelve to ship it, which is absoultely uncalled for, IMO. For you guys who have it, did you all order from Identitape? Just bit the bullet for their outrageous shipping fees, or was it cheaper in the past? I Googled around a bit, but can`t find it cheaper- most is two inch wide and I haven`t found anywhere besides Identitape that sells rolls less than 30 feet long. If I can`t find the same stuff cheaper, I don`t know if I`m gonna just shell out to the guys or go with a less expensive (including shipping) product.


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## Mr. Versatile (Nov 24, 2005)

The shipping cost should be punishable by making them slide down a 10 foot rusty razor blade into a bucket of iodine. I bought the tape because like you, I couldn't find it anywhere else.


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## JCavilia (Sep 12, 2005)

The problem is their 25$ minimum order. When you order less than that, they add 5$ handling. If you buy 25$ of stuff, shipping is like 7.50. Personally, I had no problem finding some other stuff to order to fill up the basket. The Solas tape for bags and the like is very useful, and I bought some duct tape in various colors for some uses around the house. They also have real gaffer tape, way stronger than what you can find at most local hardware stores.


That's no help if you don't need any of that other stuff, but that's how it is. They're a good outfit, and I've always gotten excellent quick service, but they're oriented toward larger bulk orders, so they charge a premium for handling very small ones. The market for this material isn't too big, otherwise there'd be a competing store selling it cheaper. I don't know anywhere else with that selection, and their price for Reflexite is by far the lowest I've seen. You can buy lesser grade reflective tape at local stores, but Reflexite is much brighter.

I try to think of it in comparison with other stuff we buy for this sport. $25 is a cheap tire. Being visible to the driver behind me is priceless.


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## rodar y rodar (Jul 20, 2007)

That makes sense, JC. I didn`t notice that they knocked off the $5 hadling fee for $25 orders- makes sense to order a few rolls and see who else I can sell them to locally. Maybe even one of the LBSs or the familiar faces I see hanging out at them. It sure seems like they could sell a few cases of it within a year`s time, but none of them I`ve checked with carry it. Neither does the saftey suply place in Sparks that I hit up occasionally for vests, glasses gloves, etc.


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## Squidward (Dec 18, 2005)

I'm tempted to split an order with you but I'm pretty happy with the SOLAS stuff so the Reflexite stuff had better be a marked improvement for me to "upgrade". JCavilia or Mr. Versatile, your thoughts?


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## Mr. Versatile (Nov 24, 2005)

I love the stuff. It's more reflective than anything I've seen. I especially like that it's very visible from low angles. Some reflective materials work well only if you're directly in line with them. The adhesive is also good. Mine has been on for a couple of years through rain, snow, heat, and gloom of night. I've had no issues with it. BTW/FWIW I bought the white because according to their data it's the most reflective of all..


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## rodar y rodar (Jul 20, 2007)

The tape itself really isn`t expensive. $12 for 15ft works out to only .80/ft. The more the merrier of course, but I`d bet you could deck a bike out pretty good with five feet of it. I`m tempted to buy a 150 ft roll at .50/ft and sell it "No minimum" for .80/ft plus actual shipping cost. It does sound like a PITA and a chance to loose a little cash, but I`d probably stand a good chance of covering the extra cost within a reasonable time and help a few people out at the same time. Does that sound like a dumb idea?


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## Squidward (Dec 18, 2005)

If you do it then I'm down for 10-20 feet of it. Having it is better than not and I'm running really low on the SOLAS stuff so I've been conserving it.


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## JCavilia (Sep 12, 2005)

Squidward said:


> I'm tempted to split an order with you but I'm pretty happy with the SOLAS stuff so the Reflexite stuff had better be a marked improvement for me to "upgrade". JCavilia or Mr. Versatile, your thoughts?


According to the published specs for both products, Reflexite is fully twice as bright as SOLAS at the angles that matter for us. Looks that way to my eye, too (I use both for different applications). SOLAS is the best for flexible materials like panniers, but on hard surfaces like bike frames and parts, you can't beat Reflexite.


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## TeamCholent (Apr 20, 2005)

Which of the tape did you guys buy?
Adhesive or sew on.
Did you attach it to your bike or clothing, bag??


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## JCavilia (Sep 12, 2005)

> .Which of the tape did you guys buy?
> Adhesive or sew on.
> Did you attach it to your bike or clothing, bag??


For the bike:
http://www.identi-tape.com/hi-intensity.htm

For bags:
http://www.identi-tape.com/solas.html

For clothing:

If you know how to sew:
http://www.identi-tape.com/sew-on.html

If you don't sew:
http://www.identi-tape.com/iron-on.html

I put it on just about everything, including my shoes, gloves and helmet.


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## TeamCholent (Apr 20, 2005)

Thanks, that'll do just fine.


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## pswann (Apr 30, 2003)

rodar y rodar:

I'd be in for 5 feet if you end up placing an order for white reflexite hi-intensity.

Pswann


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## rodar y rodar (Jul 20, 2007)

Okay, here`s the deal. I just ordered 150 ft of the silver Reflexite . According to Identitape, orders received by 3PM MST go out the same day, so by UPS snail rate from somewhere in CO to Reno, I ought to get it Mon or Tues. I checked USPS website and they offer small flat rate boxes, which will work fine, for ~$5 to anywhere in continental US. I`ll post back again when it comes in and start taking requests at that time.


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## rodar y rodar (Jul 20, 2007)

A lifetime supply of silver Reflexite just showed up at my doorstep. If you guys still want any, PM me with a mailing address and requested quantity. It`ll be .80 per foot plus shipping. It looks to me like the flat rate boxes run $5- after I send one off I`ll know for sure whether I misread something. I`m going to do up my commuter tonight, making note of how much tape goes on it and post a pic of "bike with X feet of tape" so you can get a guestimate how much it takes. I`m thinking that one bike doesn`t likely need a full 15 feet.


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## Squidward (Dec 18, 2005)

Y G P M


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## rodar y rodar (Jul 20, 2007)

rodar y rodar said:


> I`m going to do up my commuter tonight, making note of how much tape goes on it and post a pic of "bike with X feet of tape" so you can get a guestimate how much it takes. I`m thinking that one bike doesn`t likely need a full 15 feet.


Here`s what I ended up with. There`s about 5.5 ft on the bike (frame, fork, rack) plus (32) 3 x 3/4 pieces on the spokes. I got kind of carried away putting it on the frame (it was fun- ask any six year old about stickers if you don`t believe me) and it eats it up faster than I expected. For the wheels, I decided to go with the spokes rather than the rims, but it`s already trying to unfold. I`m going to take that off and put it on the rims instead.


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## JCavilia (Sep 12, 2005)

*Unsolicited advice*



rodar y rodar said:


> Here`s what I ended up with. There`s about 5.5 ft on the bike (frame, fork, rack) plus (32) 3 x 3/4 pieces on the spokes. I got kind of carried away putting it on the frame (it was fun- ask any six year old about stickers if you don`t believe me) and it eats it up faster than I expected. For the wheels, I decided to go with the spokes rather than the rims, but it`s already trying to unfold. I`m going to take that off and put it on the rims instead.


Looks pretty good, but I'd add a lot more on the rear-facing surfaces of the fenders. They're silver anyway, so it's not too conspicuous in daylight. I pretty much cover all that surface on my winter commuter.

I would also add some on the crank arms (not sure from the pics -- maybe you did). Put it on the front and back of the arms, so it's visible when they're vertical -- makes a nice up-down motion when viewed from the rear.

I'd probably put more on the rims, too. Visibility from the rear is what's most important. Side-facing reflection from the spokes doesn't really matter that much, IMHO, since you're only illuminated at that angle when crossing in front of a car, and the sighting will almost always be too early to matter (you're gone by the time they get there) or too late (you're not in the headlights until you're right in front of them). You'll only get hit broadside if you cross close in front of a car, and you just won't be in the beam until it's too late. For that situation you need something else -- I like a blinking light on the helmet front, that I can aim at drivers.


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## rodar y rodar (Jul 20, 2007)

I think you`re right, JC. I was thinking about side visibility when I put it on the spokes because it`s always been cross traffic that`s given me problems (a few close ones, no actual collisions yet). But I can see your point about that view being too early or too late. I guess the only good defenses for driveways and side streets are a good headlight and staying awake.
Yeah, I have a narrow strip around the ends of the cranks and up the edges.


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## Squidward (Dec 18, 2005)

Do you use panniers? If so then place them on the bike before putting the reflective tape because you might put reflective tape in a place that the panniers would cover up.

I, too, kind of went crazy putting reflective tape onto my bike. I tried to apply it in a way that a motorist who might only see the reflection from the tape would instantly think "BIKE!!!" so I put long strips of it along the top, seat, down, and head tubes as well as the front fork, chain and seat stays. Putting tape onto the rims, concentrating them to two patches opposite to each other, should make for an interesting look at night without the glowing halo effect. I like putting reflective tape onto moving parts because the eye picks up on movement far better than they do static items, which is why blinkies are better at getting driver's attention than a fixed light, even though the light is attached to a bike moving along at 15 MPH. Evenly spacing the reflective tape around the rim would result in a glowing ring to the eyes and this seems to become static at speed.


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## mechBgon (Sep 28, 2009)

I was scrounging for Reflexite's top-of-the-line stuff (V82) and it's not easy to get hold of. Night-gear.com has 1-inch width in 18-inch increments, so I ordered some silver to put on my silver Soma. I wish they'd lay off the Reflexite logos, because then it would blend in even better, but it isn't too bad. The attached photo is an animated GIF showing what it looks like with/without camera flash.

Someone mentioned the reflective-sidewall Grand Prix 4000. You can get those at biketiresdirect.com. Panaracer has the T-Serv available with reflective sidewalls if you want something slightly beefier, yet still not a total boat-anchor tire, try aebike.com for the T-Servs.


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## paul2432 (Jul 11, 2006)

I ordered some tape from Rodar and received it yesterday. Thanks for the fast shipment.

I'll post some photos with the tape in the next few days.

Paul


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## rodar y rodar (Jul 20, 2007)

Good job with that tape, MechBgon. It really blends in when it isn`t flashed, too. Did you stick it directly to the bike, or do the electrical tape thing?


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## mechBgon (Sep 28, 2009)

rodar y rodar said:


> Good job with that tape, MechBgon. It really blends in when it isn`t flashed, too. Did you stick it directly to the bike, or do the electrical tape thing?


I stuck it directly to the bike. I agree that removing reflective tape tends to be difficult, because it comes off in tiny bits! :mad2: 

For people who live in the United States, the Peterson Manufacturing reflective tape found at Fred Meyer and other locations is fairly good, including good reflectivity at severe angles. The retail package looks like the picture below. It's $10 for four pieces. Like many reflective tapes other than SOLAS, it doesn't conform to multiple-axis curves very well, so if you want to stick it to your fenders, try cutting it into small strips and applying them crosswise.

For those of you who may be looking at other brands besides Reflexite, 3M's Diamond Grade tape has some exceptional reflectivity, and eBay is one place to find it. *However*, Diamond Grade is thick and stiff. If it's stuck to something that forces it to bend a lot, it may peel itself off. I see they've got an even more advanced version of Diamond Grade, 3M DG3, but I don't know where to buy small amounts of it. DG3 is apparently designed to combine high long-range visibility with improved short-range visibility.


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## rodar y rodar (Jul 20, 2007)

mechBgon said:


> I agree that removing reflective tape tends to be difficult, because it comes off in tiny bits! :mad2:


I don`t think you`d have a problem, being as your frame is so Smoothie.


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## Squidward (Dec 18, 2005)

mechBgon said:


> For those of you who may be looking at other brands besides Reflexite, 3M's Diamond Grade tape has some exceptional reflectivity, and eBay is one place to find it. *However*, Diamond Grade is thick and stiff. If it's stuck to something that forces it to bend a lot, it may peel itself off.


I may have bought some of this stuff from eBay. Someone is selling their scraps of 3M reflective tape in batches of 2X3" in packages of 10 and I bought two of them. They're business card thick. Three of them stacked together feels like a credit card and are about as flexible as one. They don't like to bend and the sticky isn't strong enough to hold it in a smooth gentle curve so it will pull off. Also, when peeling the backing off, you can actually separate the clear plastic outer protective layer from the white reflective layer instead of the protective backing so be careful trying to do this. The reflective layer actually seems like it is quilted onto the protective layer in a diamond pattern. Now that I think about it I should have thrown a few of these into the letter I sent to rodar y rodar 

I'll do a comparison test of the Reflexite vs. SOLAS and, maybe, the 3M stuff when I receive the Reflexite stuff from *rodar y rodar*.


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## Squidward (Dec 18, 2005)

*Initial impressions*

I had received the roll of Reflexite tape from _rodar y rodar_ and here are my impressions.

I had cut out three pieces of reflective tape, all of them 2" X 1", one each from SOLAS, Reflexite, and 3M, and stuck them to a piece of PVC pipe. During the day, in a dark garage, the Reflexite and 3M tapes seemed to reflect better than the SOLAS tape did. I was excited but really wanted to see the difference at night. When I got home from work I put the pipe in the dark walkway between my neighbor's and my house then shone a dim flashlight (Mini-MagLite with a Nite-Ize 3 LED drop-in) at it. The SOLAS and 3M tapes clearly outshone the Reflexite tape in this comparison. I tried it from different angles and distances with the same results. The Reflexite tape was placed between the two other tapes and you could see two bright spots with a not-so-bright spot in between them. Because I had stuck the tapes to a round pipe I could compare the amount and quality of light reflected from the different tapes at different angles of attack. The Reflexite and 3M tapes reflect best at anywhere from about 45 degrees off axis to 0 degrees (dead on). The SOLAS reflected from about 80 degrees off axis to 0, making the surface area that reflects back at you higher. If you can see the SOLAS tape it is reflecting light back at you unless you are looking at it on edge. That is its greatest advantage. The Reflexite and 3M tapes have a bright hotspot in the middle, the 3M stuff being brighter than either of the SOLAS or Reflexite tapes but it just about disappears at higher angles of attack. The Reflexite tape is probably a hair brighter in its hotspot than the SOLAS tape but the SOLAS tape more than makes up for it by having a larger reflective surface area. Moving the light away from my head but still shining the light at the reflective tape shows that you pretty much have to be close to the light source in order for the tape to appear reflective to your eyes regardless of which tape you have. All three dimmed at about the same rate as I moved the light further away from my head. I didn't have my camera available last night so I did not take any pictures but I'll take some tonight when I get home from work and report tomorrow afternoon.

My thoughts are: at dusk or dawn when there is more ambient light the 3M and Reflexite tapes are brighter but the rider and the bike, as a package, would be visible anyway since the sun is on the horizon. After dark the SOLAS and 3M tapes are brighter and from a longer distance. This would seem to favor the 3M tape but the 3M tape has issues of not being reflective at higher angles of attack and flexibility issues (there aren't too many large, flat surfaces on bikes).

Conclusion: Is there a clearcut winner of all three of these tapes? Nope. Not in my opinion. My bike shall remain covered in SOLAS tape with bits of 3M tape strewn about on it but it will now have some bits of Reflexite tape stuck to it as well to augment it during low ambient light situations.


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## mechBgon (Sep 28, 2009)

Thanks for the update *Squidward*, looking forward to the pics  

It's worth noting that 3M's SOLAS and Reflexite's SOLAS use different reflective technology. 3M's SOLAS uses encapsulated-lens whereas Reflexite's SOLAS uses prismatic. From your prior photos, you have Reflexite SOLAS. So for those who are making a buying decision, just be aware that the different brands use different technology.

I have some Reflexite SOLAS on the way to stick to my helmet, since it should conform to curves fairly well. Can't wait to play with it


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## rodar y rodar (Jul 20, 2007)

Yeah, thanks for the comparisons, Squidward- it sounds like a pretty good method. I have to say though that I`m a little disapointed in the Reflexite`s results. Out of curiosity, how are you guys sticking the SOLAS to hard surfaces? I thought it only came in iron on and sew on flavors.


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## Squidward (Dec 18, 2005)

The SOLAS tape that I had bought was adhesive backed. It's really sticky but will slowly unstick itself over time.

Here are the pictures as promised. They're not as good as I had thought they would be but I had just ridden home and it was cold last night! From top to bottom: SOLAS, Reflexite, 3M. I'll try to take a closer shot of the tape showing what I mean about the different angles of attack in terms of the reflectivity of it. The first picture shows the tapes themselves and the patterns that they had made on/with them. The second picture shows the reflective quality, though a bit over exposed, with the light source close to the lens. The last picture shows the reflective quality with the light source placed about 18 inches to the side of the lens. The two latter pictures were taken with the settings set to manual so the exposure values are the same. Yes, the LEDs in the light (in this case a cheapo 5-LED headlight) are really bluish.


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## Squidward (Dec 18, 2005)

Oops, edited the wrong picture. Here is the correct one for off-axis light source.


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