I have been thinking about getting a couple of tritium keychains. I'd like one to put on my dog's collar so I can see her in the dark. Just tonight I tripped over her when she was sleeping in a dark hallway, plus she likes to wander around the yard in the dark. First question: Is tritium safe to put on my dog's collar? Second question: Where is the best place to by it from cheaply? Third question: I assume green and yello are the brightest colors, right? Anything else I should know about tritium?
For the dog I'd get something battery powered, trit is not visible very far away and may not be tough enough for doggie use. JMHO
Safe?: Yes in that small amount pretty harmless Buy?: Steve Ku's sells premade keyfobs on his site velenodesigns: http://www.velenodesigns.com/html/tritium.html You can also check CPMF for B@rt thread as well if you just want the trit vial and make your own. I have dealt with both personally on many occasion and they both have excellent reputations. Brightest?: Based on B@rt's chart on his thread, Green is the brightest out of all the colors. In complete darkness it is pretty visible which is why it is so popular. If it isn't dark enough to see the trit then you should have no problem seeing the dog. If you position the fob on the collar it should be fine. The premade makers are made of a really tough plastic but I am sure you can latch it so the dog can't bite to chew on it. Some of my Tritium:
I suggest you use a Nitestik. When freshly charged it is by far much more visible than the corresponding tritium fob (I have both types) and this lasts for about 3 hours, then the two become similar. You just have to charge it for a few secs with a flashlight before taking out the dog and it does not emit any radiation. Not that the tritium fobs are dangerous but no radiation is no radiation ...
Tritium will be useless to see the dog in the yard. Even the green ones aren't super bright. You'll see a lot of "enhanced" photos on the internet showing this shining beacon. The reality is like brix's photo. It is a cool trinket, but not functional at all for distance application.Think of a glow in the dark item with an average charge. Not super bright or dull, just average. For marking the collar so you don't trip over the dog, you'll likely require a few tritium vials placed around the collar and unless you have a small dog, you'll likely still trip over it before you see the tritium. Even small vials of tritium are expensive so it will add up. Worst case, you can buy a green one and if it doesn't work out, stick it on your keys.
Trit tubes... Are they safe? Yes. I put one right up against a geiger-type rad meter, nothing above background. Are they expensive? Yes they are. I've got a green Merkava Glowring I from CPF on my keychain (love it). They're around $25 delivered. Are they bright? Depends. With light it's all relative. I can easily spot my keychain from 30' away in a completely darkened house. Green and yellow will be the brightest because the eye's response to light peaks in the greenish-yellow region. I have heard of people using trit tubes on dog collars before and they seemed to be satisfied. That being said, here: http://www.niteize.com/collections/pets
Trits are great for night sights on a handgun or for locating a flashlight on your night stand. On a dog, eh... they are pretty tiny so it may be difficult to see at a distance. What you could do is carry a flashlight so you don't have to walk in the dark!
Forget the trit on a dog.. Unless you have tritium hung around the entire color like a Christmas tree.. I had a nite tritium marker from merkava and while it is bright for its application as a keychain or torch marker on a table with line of sight (and a night adapted vision), it isn't the same on a dog. I had put mine on my pets collar and it is hard to spot unless the trit markers is in direct view.. If my dog is comfy on his own bed or spread flat on the floor, there is no way the trit is bright enough to be visible while hidden under or behind him.. The niteize option works better, especially if you want to spot the dog in the yard.. And plus 1 on what d50boy said, carry a torch while you walk around.. Gives u an excuse to have a moon mode torch lol.. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
One thing to know about tritium is they're not forever. The half-life of tritium is about 12 years. So after 12 years you'll be down to half the original brightness. Not saying for or against them. Just FYI.
Thanks for all the input! I may get a tritium vial for a keychain, but Ill look at the other options mentioned for the dog.
I want to attach some Tritium strips to some of my flashlights...do the strips actually exist or can you only get them in vials? If so, where can I get 'em?
Tritium is a gas and consequently must be kept in a vial. I bought the vials I use on my lights from CPFer Bart
By strips, you mean these? They exist, but they are more rare. Pricing and availability reflects this.
