Hey all, I just bought a blue, fully functional, 13 strobe Heliobe for $30. How much of a good deal would this be considered? What is YOUR opinion of the strobe Heliobe?
Opinions on the Tomar Heliobe?
- Thread starter lotsofbars
- Start date
Lol it was a really bad deal, he he he, you should sell it to me for what you paid for it :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:
The bad parts are they're ugly, they weigh a lot, & the strobe modules are sealed; meaning you can't change lens colors (easily).
BUT the good parts are it'll probably last forever, they're durable, 10 year strobe p/s warranty & the sealed strobe modules are waterproof. Also I've found that the black plastic endcaps make the bar look less ugly lol.
BUT the good parts are it'll probably last forever, they're durable, 10 year strobe p/s warranty & the sealed strobe modules are waterproof. Also I've found that the black plastic endcaps make the bar look less ugly lol.
cajunblitz said:
Haha, I know that much, but I just wasn't sure of the quality of the Tomar bars. Since I've posted the topic, I've done research on them, and they seem extremely durable and worth the price. Ten year warranty? Wow. One thing I'm noticing about the bar is how much the supplies flash, so I'm kinda thinking it'll go through strobe tubes quicker than say a Whelen bar. Also, as someone else pointed out, all the lights ARE sealed, so that's a pain if say I wanted a red bar out of my blue bar. But it's ok, I like the blue. I never thought they were especially ugly, though.
lotsofbars said:
The constant flashing is by design, as that is the NEOBE pattern, which in some circles is called the "never dark" pattern. I've seen many strobe light bars shuffle through patterns and at some certain times, the whole bar is unlit. You won't have that problem with the Tomar bars.
As stated elsewhere on this board, the power supplies don't burn through strobe tubes any faster than any other brand. Keep in mind that the Tomar power supplies are 65 watts total running 4 to 6 mixed style fixtures, so when you break that down it really isn't overpowering the tubes. I've seen some 8 year old bars out there still running their original fixtures.
Changing colors is as easy as changing the sealed fixtures. There are quite a few folks out there (myself included) that have an abundance of used and new fixtures available to do that. I am a fan of Tomar products as you may have figured out by now, so I think you've got yourself a fine bar for the money.
Tomar makes some great stuff but their 930 bar is butt ugly. Their 925 bars in the Jetstream style housings were much more wind resistant and better overall IMO, even with the double flash pattern.
We just removed one,that went into service in 2001,on an E.M.S.command unit.It never had any repair work oders on it.Replacement got a Scorpion.
03crownvic said:
As I said before, I don't really think they're too ugly… things like the Code 3 360 are ugly (and I have one, too), but the Heliobe seems to be a pretty good design, especially with the front two corners of the bar having intersection-style lights. They are ridiculously heavy, though.