A question of quality

The Swiss Beat Grossenbacher, Managing Director of Beat Grossenbacher GmbH, Dog & Horse Accessories, has been involved in the manufacture and testing of reflex products for over 20 years, increasing the safety of humans and animals in poor visibility. In order to achieve a maximum result here, the quality of the retro reflective material used is crucial, because there are quite big differences. Grossenbacher: "A cheap reflector is worthless in principle than a simple aluminum foil. For a high-quality product, the aluminum layer to which the glass beads are applied is stronger and, above all, significantly more glass beads are processed. Inferior articles reflect in part only about 30 meters. If a car approaches at 100 km / h, the maximum distance the foot can find to its brake pedal is at this distance. In the worst case, a collision of car and horse by inferior reflex products cannot be prevented. By contrast, high-quality products reflect at a distance of around 120 meters, four times as far. Accordingly, motorists become aware of road users earlier and can react early. And also the size of the reflective strips matters. A 50 mm wide strip is 30 to 50% more visible than a half as wide, one with 100 mm width reflects another 30% wider than the one with 50 mm width. "

Even with durability and abrasion, the difference in quality is noticeable. "For our most expensive products, we use a material that meets the standard even after 60 wash cycles." There are also qualitative differences in the fluorescent background material, not every yellow fabric found on the market has the desired properties, ideally, as Grossenbacher combined orange and yellow fluorescent material, as the two colors are perceived differently under different conditions. "This significantly increases your visibility once again.

Let there be light

So that you do not grope in the dark as a rider, a helmet lamp is recommended. As such, a headlamp comes into question, which is put over the helmet. Specialist retailers have also come up with a clever solution for this: Practical clip lamps are now available. Equipped with six small LEDs, the lamp can be easily attached to the shield of the helmet.

The luminosity of the products sometimes varies greatly. Depending on whether you want to have the near or far area better illuminated, you will certainly find the right model in the extensive assortments. Even with the headlamp, it is important to first get used to the light in peace and possibly with a second person who holds it. It may happen that the four-legged friend is frightened by the light cone suddenly appearing in front of him.