Shining a Light on Active Products
Active Products –The Company Active Products was formed in 2003 with several
ambitious targets. Principally these targets were to be involved in the
import, manufacture and distribution of promotional and core range products. Also, the company aimed to grow quickly and
offer excellent service levels and the ability to react quickly to challenges in the market. Currently the company has a focus on torches
and gardening products and with its experienced management team has a healthy number of well- known customers in the UK including B and Q, Homebase, Tesco, Halfords and even the Metropolitan Police. Active Products also category manage own label
torches and gardening products in FOB programs for a number of large retailers in the UK market. The company has also established a range of
gardening products – Flexi-Tubs, buckets, garden sprayers and watering cans. The Flexi-Tubs have multiple uses in the garden
such as holding compost, soil, weeding, rubble, general garden waste, cut grass and leaves. They can also be used in the home for laundry and storage for childrens’ toys etc – making them a very versatile product. The garden sprayers have innovative designs and
the watering cans are aimed at the higher quality market. Another completely new product is the “No
Weed” Dansand Block Paving Sand. This sand is endorsed by Tommy Walsh, the famous TV Presenter.
New Torches from Active Products – Shining Brightly Active
Products has quite a portfolio of torches in its catalogue and I was sent a couple from the range to review – a head torch and a large flashlight. I would say a complete contrast from each end of the range, but an interesting comparison perhaps. What the two
products have in common is a CREE LED light bulb. These bulbs are not only very energy efficient, but they emit double the light compared to ordinary LED bulbs. The CREE light bulbs also claim to have a 50,000 hour longer life than ordinary LED bulbs because they generate a lot less heat and use less energy. Now I have no way of testing these claims in a short review, but Active Products offer a standard Three Year Guarantee if the product is registered after purchase. All the products are tested to ANSI standards. The headtorch comes in a plastic blister pack that
can be hung up in a freestanding or counter display stand. Good quality name brand batteries are clearly included and there are icons on the packaging that summarize the torch’s features. These include an on/off motion sensor, a flood and four spotlight
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beams, an eight hour average battery life and IPX 4 standard water resistance. Clearly aimed at the Tradesman and outdoor sportsperson, it has the features that fishermen and campers and quite a few others might need. Once I had got the torch out of the
packaging and inserted the batteries I began to discover just how sophisticated this little headtorch is. No doubt due to the advanced electronics that can be packed into devices these days, it is a world away from the torches I used as a kid. The body of the torch is only 6cm
long 5cm wide and 4 cm deep, but it is very light and the head strap supports it very well and feels comfortable. A hinge on the bottom of the casing allows the user to focus light where it is needed. Two switches control the array of functions. The left hand switch, coloured orange, controls three functions, simple on and off, selecting infra red light and selecting emergency mode, where the infra red lights blink at intervals. As anyone who has seen some of the recent TV wildlife documentaries, you will know that infra red light still enables us to see in the dark but doesn’t seem to frighten off animals. A orange ring on the front of the torch is rotated
to give a wide range of beam width from spot to flood in a smooth progression. The right hand switch selects a very useful function – the motion sensor. Once selected, all the user needs to do to switch the light on or off is to pass a hand in front of the light. This could be very useful in some circumstances, for example for someone who is working in total darkness who needs to switch a light on quickly and without the hassle of reaching for a recessed switch. There have been many times when I have been working in a loft or confined space where the ambient light is good enough for general work, but where sometimes a shaft of light is needed on a specific point. This function is the perfect answer. In fact the more I used this
little torch the more I liked it. I ended up wandering around the house for half an hour or so trying out all the functions and being quietly amazed at just how useful a device it is. And comfortable to wear for extended times too. Definitely a good ‘un this! Somewhat larger and much more powerful with
a full 220 lumens of light power is the High Performance Rechargeable spotlight. This is clearly a powerful light, and when I tried
shining it down to the bottom of my garden to test how far the spot beam reached I felt very self- conscious that I might be accused of breaching privacy since the light beam reached right across the road and beyond. With a simultaneous flood and spot beam, this CREE bulb has a claimed life of 100,000 hours. This
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Independent Review by Peter Brett
amounts to a working life of eleven years, so it should last more than a camping trip….! The target market for this torch will definitely
appreciate all the features built in. For example, it is waterproof to IPX4 standard and is able to withstand a drop from 1 metre onto a hard surface. It has an adjustable stand so can be used hands-free, as well as a strong nylon shoulder strap so it can be carried easily. Since this torch is rechargeable, it should never
run out of battery if due care is taken. A fully recharged battery lasts up to five hours so should easily manage the usage required from a police or ambulance team in a shift. I am not really surprised that these torches from
Active Products have found a ready market in the UK, they are well made and do what the specs say they should. The super bright LEDs have a lot to do with how effectively they perform and how well the battery power lasts. Definitely worth a closer look. Although I had no opportunity to test the sand
itself, Active Products has broadened their product offer by launching two new products for gardeners. These are the NO WEED block paving sand and NO WEED stone paving dust for paving. Both of these products are used in place of ordinary paving sands and contain a weed inhibiting formula. The formula will apparently be effective for many years and is very easy to use and is recommended by TV Presenter Tommy Walsh.
Reply No. 222
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