Product Review: Nite Ize’s SlapLit
Who doesn’t remember those slap bracelets from our childhood? The stinging and oddly fascinating bracelets that unroll into a semi-rigid stick that you can then smack someone with in order to get it to conform around their arm. How could one of those be even better: make it glow. Seriously. This old-school slap bracelet has gone under a (slight) re-vamp with the SlapLit from Nite Ize, in order to create an easy way to add safety or visibility to a late night run, bike ride, or game in a dark area. The red-illuminated band has two settings: solid lighting and flashing.
It fits comfortably around the arm, the light is not too bright to annoy the wearer, but enough to adequately increase visibility. It stays around the arm. It does sting to put on (at least, if you do it the way it should be done and slap it on), although I suppose if one were to do it carefully and as I‘m sure the company expects, it could easily be pain free.
Realistically, it’s a fairly simple product that does exactly what it is meant to do. For some reason, it evokes a sense of childish glee that may be completely unintended. It makes me want to go play tag in a dark, wooded area or insist that all of my friends need to be more “safe” and wear these at all time. Whether, you’re looking to recapture your childhood or want to make sure you’re visible when you’re out in the dark, the NiteLite armband will do the job.
Everyone at our office is entirely obsessed with this now.
Added Note:
They also have a smaller version for a dog, the PetLit, that is a small round light up button that can be attached to a dog collar via a metal ring. Although, It isn’t particularly bright and it also seemed to get in the way of the chain collars. If you let your dog run around in a dark backyard or are worried about walking on dark street, I suppose it could be useful though. Even so, it’s just far less fun that the arm band.
SlapLit Price: $11.99
PetLit Price: $4.49
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Kristen Micek (@KristenMicek) holds a BA in English with a minor in Digital Cinema from DePaul University, where she is currently pursuing a MA in Media and Cinema Studies. She is a Digital Media Strategist at Kambio Group and Senior Editor at SocialTechPop. She's been published in NewCity and contributes film reviews to CrimeSpree Magazine. Kristen is always trying to learn about the newest technology trends, as well as spending an inordinate amount of time watching movies and reading.