ust StarFlash Floating Signal Mirror with Compact, Lightweight Design, Targeting Star and Lanyard for Hiking, Camping, Backpacking and Emergency Situations

is this US Special Forces caliber quality? No, if that's what you need or want you'll be spending a lot more than what this costs. My kids and I love to scuba dive. We've been diving for about 16 years and have never been lost or left behind but every once in a while you read about a diver or a couple who did get separated from the boat - sometimes they float out there for a long time before being rescued, sometimes they're never found, and sometimes they make a movie about them :). Earlier this year we were diving off the coast of West Palm Beach, FL - a great place to do terrific drift diving in the strong gulf stream current. A diver from another boat was missing and a full on search was initiated. Sherrif's helicopters were flying up and down the likely miles of ocean the diver was likely to be in, USCG fast boats were patrolling, and all of the local fishing and dive boats had their eyes on the water. This went on for a couple of hours then my new daughter-in-law spotted the exhausted diver several hundred yards off of our boat captain's stern. The captain radioed the Coast Guard whose fast boat was actually closer to the diver than we were and had missed him completely. We were thrilled to have been part of the rescue but seeing his little head bobbing in that vast water made me realize difficult it is to actually find someone out there. We all carry inflatable devices called "safety sausages" which are brightly colored and rise to about 6 feet above the water to make it easier to spot us if this were to happen but when I saw these signal mirrors I picked them up and we all "trained" with them and now carry them in the pocket of our BCD when we dive. Obviously we hope to never need them but now pull them out and flash the boat just for practice any time we can. Scores of other divers who have seen them have said they will also be picking them up.

I originally bought the larger ACR HotShot mirror because I didn't think a diminutive 2x3" mirror would be bright enough to do its job. Well, long story short, while the HotShot is almost an inch bigger each direction, the surface of the acrylic coating is wavy and uneven. At just 3 feet, the distortion is horrible. That means lots of light sent off at random angles instead of at your target.The StarFlash, on the other hand, has a bright, crisp image. The reflected light actually goes where you aim it. So even though it's a tiny little thing, it's significantly brighter than the HotShot, throwing an image that rivals a glass mirror. Not to mention that it's a full ounce lighter than the HotShot.(See my customer image for side-by-side comparisons of the reflected images.)I have read complaints that it scratches easily. No big deal. I just grabbed an extra cloth for cleaning glasses, put a hem around it, and made a little pouch. The mirror pulls out bright and clean every time.

It arrived in the mail today and I took it right outside and started experimenting. I was able to direct a blinding flash of light way down the street with plenty of accuracy. License plates and reflective signs blocks away were lit up blazingly bright by my little mirror. I couldn't have been more impressed.The packaging (and the back of the mirror itself) directions say the mirror even works in hazy weather. That doesn't mean that it works in heavily overcast conditions. I tried and couldn't even get a weak reflection onto my own driveway.It's still a pretty awesome little mirror. It is thicker than I thought it would be. Probably too thick for your average person to be willing to carry around in their wallets, but I have put mine in my wallet. Maybe I'm a dork, but I think it's cool and "I'd rather be looking at it than for it" if I unexpectedly need it.Two other notes: it makes a great little mirror for makeup or plucking or whatever you need on the go. AND it floats!I love it!

The build quality of this is generally fine, and the optics of the mirror generated a very clear, rectangular sun "print" at about 40 feet when I tested it in my back yard. Says it floats and given the foam pad that is glued to the back of it I'd guess that's true. The design flaw is with the center aiming star, which is not only unnecessarily complex but quite poor quality visually. The star aiming thing rotates in the center of the mirror for no reason at all--imagine a mirror spinner device. Even if it jammed it wouldn't matter but why not keep it simple and knock a few $$$ off the price? The more serious issue is the cloudiness and obscurity you get looking through the center star aiming device. It is very hard to actually SEE your target, in my case my house just 40 feet away! Now imagine you're bobbing alone out in the Coral Sea, left behind by your diving boat, in 2 foot waves, and you're trying to aim this at a boat or plane off in the distance. There is water on the star aimer and in your eyes in this hypothetical case making it even harder to see through it (hope you don't need glasses!). I've seen other similar products with this issue as well, and I think the solution is to buy a simpler device, or just punch out/drill out the star aimer for a totally unobstructed view of your target.

Easy to use and once you get the hologram in sight it sits right on target. I used it on a clear day and once I got the hologram and pointed in the clear sky like I was searching for aircraft, I could always see the hologram. Afterwards when I moved away I turned it around to look at the hole on the flash side. It caught a bit of sun and it was not pleasant. It is bright and will easily blind you. Yeah,,,I know...color me stupid. :o) I also tried it indoors using the kitchen ceiling light. Works that way also. I keep it wrapped in tissue paper and stored in a duct tape reinforced RPM 5 chewing gum pack. perfect fit.

Compact, great quality, great value, and useful for emergencies.

The mirror is solid, small and light; so you have no excuse not to pack it before you head out in the woods. I think I can line up a distant object (search party, aircraft etc.) and start flashing quicker without the whole process required to use the little star-shaped peep-hole. It does work, in theory, but I found with bright, direct sun it's fairly abusive to the viewing eye which basically has the focused rays of the sun directed into during the entire process. Great piece of survival kit, star-shaped hole notwithstanding...

An excellent piece of equipment, Combine with the UST floating whistle and the ability to get others attention , during an emergency on the water.

The "aiming" point is super blurry.Does not reflect powerful enough.

El espejo es de tamaño de tarjeta de crédito, muy fácil para llevar en el equipo para emergencias, su claridad y pulido brindan un reflejo muy nítido y visible a más de 1 km, que es hasta donde lo he probado.

Für den Survival Rucksack gekauft. Auf der Verpackung und auf dem Spiegel sind Anweisungen, wie er zu benutzen ist; prinzipiell kinderleicht. Sehr stabiles Material. Kleiner Nebenvorteil, warum dieses Produkt in den Survival Rucksack gehört: Man hat einen Spiegel um sein eigenes Gesicht zu betrachten.