Pains-Wessex flares
I went to buy some hand held flares but all both West and Boaters World
had were the Orion flares. I was told that Pains Wessex flares were
recalled. What is up with them?
The Orion flares are worse than useless. 2 yrs ago, I fired off a bunch
of old flares at News Years. The 6 yr old Pains Wessex parachute
flares worked well although one out of 3 failed to deploy its chute.
The little pen fired rocket flares workd very well (I forget the brand)
but they are no longer available. Of 15 old 12 guage Orion/Olin
flares, some only 2 yrs old and some 9 yrs old, all but 1 fired but
many of them failed to go very far. Many of the older ones either
failed to ignite or burned so little as to be useless. ALL 12 OF THE
OLIN/ORION HAND HELD FLARES FAILED. This includes 3 that were less
than 2 yrs old. In fact, the only way I could get them to ignite was
to light them from a Pains-Wessex hand flare. The Orion flares then
burned with a truly wimpy amount of light. Thus, ORION flares are
worse than useless and give people a false sense that they have safety
equipment when they really do not.
So, I didnt buy any flares. Anybody know what is going on with
Pains-Wessex? |
Frogwatch
Nov 29
2006
|
| If Charlie will re-read my post he will see that even the Orion hand
held flares that were current failed whereas ALL the expired Pains
Wessex flares worked. The 12 guage Orion flares seem to be OK because
they are sealed well against moisture. My assertion that Orion hand
held flares are not only useless but dangerous is correct in light of
their failure rate even for current flares. |
Frogwatch
Nov 30
|
| As previously advised in this thread, forget all the little toy junk
that just barely manages to get "Coast Guard Approved" stamped on the
cartridges and step up to SOLAS flares.
Yes, they cost a lot- but nothing compared to the cost of your boat,
and if you ever find yourself in that rare situation where a bright and
functioning flare makes the margin of difference between saving a boat
or being rescued vs. the unthinkable alternatives you would probably be
willing to take out a second mortgage to buy them if you could only,
somehow, get some aboard. |
Chuck
Nov 30
|
| ¦I went to buy some hand held flares but all both West and Boaters World
¦ had were the Orion flares. I was told that Pains Wessex flares were
¦ recalled. What is up with them?
¦ The Orion flares are worse than useless. 2 yrs ago, I fired off a bunch
¦ of old flares at News Years. The 6 yr old Pains Wessex parachute
¦ flares worked well although one out of 3 failed to deploy its chute.
¦ The little pen fired rocket flares workd very well (I forget the brand)
¦ but they are no longer available. Of 15 old 12 guage Orion/Olin
¦ flares, some only 2 yrs old and some 9 yrs old, all but 1 fired but
¦ many of them failed to go very far. Many of the older ones either
¦ failed to ignite or burned so little as to be useless. ALL 12 OF THE We've high humidity on the west coast of Florida and thunderstorms
every afternoon in the summer.....
Humidity ruins them. Get a sealed box or tube to put them in. Something
with a rubber gasket in the lid. Tape up the seams on the outside. Before you
close it put it in the sun open so the air inside will dry out. Put some silical gel
packages inside. Don't open it again till you need it. Try to store it in a cool
place but not down in the bilge where it's sooo damp and humid.
They'll last ten years. Cheers,
Ellen |
Ellen
Nov 29
|
| You lazy sod, 2 seconds with google and you'd have your answer. Cheers
Marty |
Martin
Nov 29
|
| Both the Pains Wessex and Orion flares were stored in identical manner.
The failure of the Orion flares is inexcusable. |
Frogwatch
Nov 29
|
| Pains Wessex recalled the WHITE anticollision flares, not the red
distress flares. So, why are there no distress flares available? |
Frogwatch
Nov 29
|
| They were recalled because unlike the Orion flares, they failed BEFORE the
expiration date. Hard to see how a flare not being up to snuff AFTER a plainly
disclosed expiration date can be considered a measure of quality. CWM |
Charlie
Nov 29
|
| >had were the Orion flares. I was told that Pains Wessex flares were |
Wayne.B
Nov 29
|
| Thanks Wayne, I'll keep that in mind. |
Tim
Nov 29
|
| FWIW: Have some OLIN 12ga red flares, pull date 9/95. Just fired one
off, worked perfectly.
JR
|
JR
Nov 29
|
