Links to the Revival Gear hat light are Amazon affiliated links. As an Amazon affiliate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Darkness surrounds you. Consequently, each step becomes a mystery. Any dips, cracks, gaps, or other obtrusions in the landscape hidden away. An especially troubling scenario when living with cerebral palsy (CP). Seeing the path ahead allows you to mentally prepare for your body’s next moves. Take that away and SMACK! A sudden step down, no matter how slight, leads to a fall. Or maybe a lurking rock sends you stumbling. Again, creating the same result. A fall.
To the inexperienced, the solution may seem simple. “Grab a flashlight!” Such an uncomplicated remedy grows complicated once you factor in a physical disability. Cane and walker users in-particular come to mind. A walker leaves you without a spare hand to hold the suggested flashlight.
Meanwhile cane users, yes, possess an unoccupied hand. Yet filling the free hand could cause uneasiness. I know I prefer keeping a hand free. The free hand keeps me ready in case I still fall. If able to plant my palm down where I am falling, I gain greater control over the situation. Minimizing potential harm.
Hopefully by now I successfully established why a flashlight remains a problematic answer to maneuvering in the dark with CP. Fear not though! I do hold an alternative recommendation. Use a hat light! Today I will specifically share my experiences using Revival Gear’s hat light. Shall I begin to shed light on the product?
Clip and Click
Revival Gear’s hat light clips onto your standard baseball cap. Clipped on correctly, the hat light’s sole button rests underneath your cap’s bill. Turning the light on requires a single finger. Click the button until you get the setting you wish to utilize. In all the hat light includes four different light settings- high, low, ultraviolet (UV), and strobe. Watch the video below to see each.
Decisions regarding which setting to use depends upon your activity’s duration. As you might assume, the high setting offers the brightest light. Resultingly, the high setting lasts the shortest time. Two-and-a-half hours according to the Amazon product description. A timeframe I can validate based off my experiences using the hat light.
Contrastingly, the UV setting lasts four times as long! Providing light, albeit at a dimmer level, for up to 10 hours! Charging afterwards proves straightforward. A USB cord comes with the hat light. The small end goes into the light and the bigger end goes into your computer’s USB port. If you maintain the fine motor skills to charge your phone and plug in a flash drive, you should find no issues charging the light. When plugged in, the light’s button turns red. Upon charge completion the button switches to green.
Green Means Go
Like a traffic light, seeing green indicates go time. Approval to pursue whatever activities you desire. Personally, the pursuit triggering me to purchase a Revival Gear hat light involved my marathon ambitions.
Entering the 2018 Towpath Marathon I sought to finish the 26.2 miles in under 10 hours. The prior year I needed almost 12 hours to finish! Starting the marathon early in the 5am hour provided one slowdown. Think back to the scene I described to begin this post. I faced those exact challenges. Unable to see, I moved gingerly. Attempting to avoid unseen intrusions. A failed endeavor given I stepped right onto a monkey ball and went crashing down.
Learning from my 2017 marathon, I bought my Revival Gear hat light. Thanks to the light, I gained a fighting chance to obtain my sub-10 goal. Plus, more unexpected benefits.
Lighting Up the Possibilities!
Shortly after the 2018 Towpath Marathon, I found myself in growingly darkened situations. Sundown happening earlier in the evening threatened my ability to participate in the writing group I joined over the summer. Held at the nearby library, I walked there and back. Suddenly the walk home meant walking in the dark. Increasing chances, I fall. Or worse, go unnoticed by traffic. I shudder thinking about the latter. Oppose to letting the environment dictate my participation in the writing group, I turned to my Revival Gear hat light. Wearing the light ensured me safer passage walking home.
Furthermore, the hat light became an asset during power outages. Wearing a hat with the hat light attached amidst blackouts has offered a safe and easy way to move room to room. No worries relating to lighting a candle or accidently knocking into a lit candle and causing a fire. Anxieties not exclusive to me. Something a past #CPChatNow discussion supports.
Most recently I grabbed my hat with the hat light to attend my friend’s bonfire. Already night and unfamiliar with her yard, I figured the light would prove useful. While correct, the bonfire also exposed a drawback. A glare, to incorporate light related terminology.
Disruptive Glare
“I cannot look at you” the friend next to me stated. “That light is blinding me.”
“Sorry” I quickly apologized, looking away to click through the settings and turn off the hat light. Throughout the night I continued the pattern. Clicking the hat light on before maneuvering around. Then looking away and clicking through the settings to turn the light off.
Nonetheless besides disrupting face-to-face dialogue, the Revival Gear hat light contains no major flaws. A nitpicker could complain the strobe setting lacks functional purpose. Unless attending a rave. Or, needing to repeatedly click through the button to get to your desired setting and turn off the hat light annoys. I counter the annoyance criticism. Arguing, albeit a bit annoying, the one button operation makes the hat light simple to operate.
Revival Gear Hat Light Final Verdict
The simplicity to use stands a main reason I recommend the Revival Gear hat light. Overall, the benefits the hat light provides outshines any product flaws. Ultimately, I would say the Revival Gear hat light helped to make me feel liberated. Enabling me to walk more safely in the dark. Plus keep me prepared for power outages.
Again, I recommend the Revival Gear hat light. What about you? Do you or your loved one find traditional flashlights inconvenient? What flashlight alternative do you recommend? Share below in the comments.
Until next time, remember. Don’t blend in. Blend out!
-Zachary
