SVP 1166 Teardrop... good purchase???

[griffith809]

I am a police officer who does volunteer firefighting on the side. I have been looking for a dash light for my vehicle and really like the idea of a rotator over LED which I am so sick of looking at. I went through several choices and have really taken a liking to the SVP 1166HM Teardrop by SVP/Star. At 160+/- flashes a minute and the metal base, it seems like a pretty good choice. I noticed some older model “Fireballs” and such around the firehouse so I assume this is a pretty popular light style. I found them for around $40.00 online and think I should get one. Good purchase???? My other choice was a Five-0 Emergency Beacon with the flash mirrors. I have wanted one since seeing it as a child but unfortunately they are hard to find…


Btw, this will be dash mounted in my 2005 Ford Escape.

 

[rick h.]

You cannot go wrong with a teardrop . If you can get your hands on one of the fireballs they have more of a collector value

 

[TheGatekeeper]

Great light, with a particular rotating pattern due to the flat shape. Used one for years, still have it somewhere. Very reliable piece of equipment. RCMP in Canada used those a lot in the 90s..


Now for a dashboard use, I'm also a fan of multimirrors (which has the option of dual color as well) which spectacularly enhance the flash rates.


I would not recommend the Five-O though, but would suggest you pick a FireBeam FB3. Goes to 1500 fpm with the multi mirrors "Ultra Flash" attachment, and using half-domes you can run two colors.


Next best thing would be the Code3 Dashlazer with its tri-mirror shield, although this one is a bit noisy...

 

[Hoser]

I would agree on the Firebeam3 is a good choice, you can get them in single speed or dual speed. You should be able to find one here in ELB classifieds used for around $50 with flash mirror.

 

[Lt.214]

I still use one as a "throw light", good all around light for dash/throw application, just not so much as the primary light. I don't know the response distance, time and traffic you would encounter. These all factor into how much lighting you would need.


I started with one of these and nothing else in 1991. I didn't have far to the station(under a mile) and it was fairly rural so lighting wasn't a huge consideration. I just tossed it on the roof and went.


I'm a big fan of the teardrops, however I would suggest a few additional lightheads to the front and you should be golden.


Chris

 

[griffith809]

I still use one as a "throw light", good all around light for dash/throw application, just not so much as the primary light. I don't know the response distance, time and traffic you would encounter. These all factor into how much lighting you would need.

I started with one of these and nothing else in 1991. I didn't have far to the station(under a mile) and it was fairly rural so lighting wasn't a huge consideration. I just tossed it on the roof and went.


I'm a big fan of the teardrops, however I would suggest a few additional lightheads to the front and you should be golden.


Chris

Good points, I live two blocks from my station and its a town of approximately 400 people.

 

[TheGatekeeper]

Damn, you could almost jog over !


You don't even need lights at all...

 

[patrol530]

The 1166 is a good choice, I've got a half dozen of them in my collection. The model with the brass worm gear on the motor is exceptionally quiet, compared to the plastic on plastic drive trains.

 

[foxtrot5]

You don't even need lights at all...

Someone revoke his ELB card!

 

[JPolston]

I'm in the same boat as you as for the living so close to the station thing, but I'm not quite as close. I happened to just be given a teardrop that was my uncles and I use it as my rear warning for now, being that I have an LED dash light next to my mirror. The problem is, either the bulb just burned out on me or the wiring came undone in the plug and I haven't gotten around to getting either/or fixed up.


Here's the thing for your situation, while you can't go wrong with a teardrop, you're not going to get much warning if it's just a drop. That means, why just leave it on the dash? A person who responded before this mentioned he used his as a throw light, why not do the same? If you get one with a mirror, then you don't have to worry about anything, those mirrors work ridiculously well. I'll take my LED dash light over any mirrored light, but that's me. A guy on my dept. has a firebeam and he loves it, other than the fact it doesn't offer rear warning so he's actually looking for a mini lightbar.


While on that subject, if you only get a teardrop set only on the dash or a firebeam/dash laser, what are you going to do for rear? I preach rear warning a LOT, learning from problems I've had while responding to calls. You'll never know when you'll be out of town and your dept.s tones will drop and you need to get to station or the scene. Rear warning is very very importante.

 

[JazzDad]

Damn, you could almost jog over !

But he should have one of these: http://elightbars.org/forums/f24/new-jd-8000-taking-orders-now-27321/#post234582

 

[TheGatekeeper]

Oh man that's hilarious !


Thanks, I had missed that thread ... :thumbsup:

 

[griffith809]

I purchased the light today from Whelen, Able 2 / Sho-Me, Axixtech, Code 3, Carson Sirens, Star/SVP, Tomar, Nova Electronics, ECCO - LSH Lights for $39.99 plus s/h in blue. As for the rear warning I have a blue double strobe or two blue Deck Blasters I can put in the rear. Our fire department somewhat frowns on responding direct unless you are an officer so that situation for lighting on my vehicle will be slim to none. Thanks guys for the input… now I just have to wait for the box to get here!


ALSO… how hard are replacement domes to get for this light? I would like to get a red one as well since I am in law enforcement??? Price???

 

[TheGatekeeper]

I purchased the light today from Whelen, Able 2 / Sho-Me, Axixtech, Code 3, Carson Sirens, Star/SVP, Tomar, Nova Electronics, ECCO - LSH Lights for $39.99 plus s/h in blue. As for the rear warning I have a blue double strobe or two blue Deck Blasters I can put in the rear. Our fire department somewhat frowns on responding direct unless you are an officer so that situation for lighting on my vehicle will be slim to none. Thanks guys for the input… now I just have to wait for the box to get here!

ALSO… how hard are replacement domes to get for this light? I would like to get a red one as well since I am in law enforcement??? Price???

Your link ends up on a generic page. Which beacon did you pick?

 

[griffith809]

Your link ends up on a generic page. Which beacon did you pick?

Sorry about the link. I typed in the name of the website and it linked it. I purchased the 1166.

 

[TheGatekeeper]

Excellent choice !


You should have no problem finding a red dome, although at that price you might as well get another one altogether in red !

 

[griffith809]

Well it came into today. It was only lost in shipping for about 2 weeks. I have been using a dashlaser since then and it looked really good. I compaired the two and the dashlaser was a lot brighter. A friend said I could possibly change the bulb in the 1166. Possible and with what?

 

[dmathieu]

Yes, a 795X will make a big difference.


50 Watt halogen with a vertical filament to fill the reflector properly.

 

[griffith809]

Yes, a 795X will make a big difference.
50 Watt halogen with a vertical filament to fill the reflector properly.

Heat issues?

 

[dmathieu]

Heat issues?

I would say no. Most of the teardrops changed over to halogen, including the 1166, and the Federal Fire Ball. The Fire Ball actially uses 55 Watt, not 50 Watt.

 

[mdlighting]

Get one of these and increase the amount of flashes http://www.edarley.com/universal-tri-flector

 

[TheGatekeeper]

Very 80s look !! :crackup:

 

[Richard P]

I would say no. Most of the teardrops changed over to halogen, including the 1166, and the Federal Fire Ball. The Fire Ball actially uses 55 Watt, not 50 Watt.

be careful, some of the small star lights use a dual contact 27 watt halogen, the hotshot II does. the 1166 may also. but the rest of star rotators, with a 795x are amaxing. a guy I work with has the 400 series with the 2 dual parabolic rotators (same reflector as the teardrop and hotshot) and its very bright and it has 795x bulbs. heat wont be an issue

 

[CodeMan]

After looking for a cadet (discontinued) then the dashlaser (didnt have the extra 84.00 in the budget) found the 1166hm for 50.00, so I too just ordered one of these as 2ndary lighting. The listing read 60FPM, then today i read on another listing it's 160FPM. O.O Gawd i hope that was a type-o and the light is really 60-90 FPM's . Another plus is the on/off switch in the plug.


I used to have a FB-1 and the slow rotating and longer reflector punch time is a plus for the older lights.


1st Question: Why the faster FPM's on rotating lights?


2nd Question: Is there a way to slow it down to 60-90 FPM?


3rd Question: why the change from round reflector to square?


Thanks in advance,


Codeman

 

[ClintonPSE]

The 1166H actually spins at 80FPM +/-10%.


My opinion on your questions:


Why the faster FPM's on rotating lights? Because the theory is a faster speed helped convey urgency. Not sure how much that works on a single beacon....


Is there a way to slow it down to 60-90 FPM? YES. Change the worm gear on the motor. Star (and I'm sure others) makes a high speed and a standard speed worm gear.


why the change from round reflector to square? Multiple reasons. The rounded reflector may cast a more directed narrow beam of light, making it 'punch' more but for shorter duration. The square shape could cast a wider beam, increasing the visible time to the eyes seeing it. Or, the factory only wants to make 1 mold for reflectors and it is shared with other models. Generally speaking, products change for one of two reasons. It's safer or its cheaper.

 

[TheGatekeeper]

Funny you should say that... As a teen when the first FB made it to the French police, I thought there was nothing more beautiful than a Code 3 fast moving Peugeot with a very slow FB on its roof nonchalantly revolving at 90 fpm...

 

[CodeMan]

The 1166H is a nice light, used it this past weekend. I will be calling star to find out about a slow speed worm gear ( I imagine the shock, what? you want it slower?!? ) 160 FPM is a bit much since its my secondary. I will have to upload a night vid, I thought the cadet, and firebeam were discontinued & only code 3 & Star have the remaining quality throw lights.?.


Back to the 1166H one thing i love about this light, the on/off switch on the cig plug!

 

[CodeMan]

Called and spoke with Star today, they were very helpful... And looked at all the angles to try and assist me.


But in the end they said there was no way to change/lower the 1166H 's speed from 160 FPM to 90 FPM. They went on to say the 160FPM is the set speed for this light. and changing the shaft gear would not help.


They suggested either the 1169H(pancake) or the Hotshot for the slower speed that is desired as they use a diiferent motor..


They are the manufacturer so im guessing they are correct . :undecided:


Comments?


Im saddened that i miss read the add and thought 60 FPM, but hey thats on me... thanks for the previous tips and comments.. and i'll use this till it dies or some one proposes a another way becides replacing the motor its self.

 

[ejwa]

I emailed the same question about my 1166 last year as well and found out several key pieces of info. As you, I prefer the slower 80-90 fpm pattern. To me, the pop of the flash is longer and more brighter than the 160 fpm pattern. What I was told was SVP ordered the 1166 from another factory and rebadged the light as their own. When Star bought out SVP, Star decided to make the light in house, as they do with other models they sell. Hence the rectangle shield instead of the round shield. Also, Star uses a differnet motor for the rotator than SVP. They told me the best way to see if the light has a slow speed instead of the fast speed is to look at the gear used to rotate the shield. The older lights that have a 90 fpm pattern have a white, flat gear that the worm gear of the motor attaches to. If you see a black, barrel shaped gear that the worm gear attaches to, then it is a newer made model and hence a faster rotating shield. Another clue is the magnet. The older units had 3 small magnets and the newer ones have the one dounut magnet.


I also took as trade another 1166 but the original SVP motor had been replaced with a Code 3 rotator motor. Works just as good speed wise, but turns in the opposite direction.

 

[CodeMan]

I emailed the same question about my 1166 last year as well and found out several key pieces of info. As you, I prefer the slower 80-90 fpm pattern. To me, the pop of the flash is longer and more brighter than the 160 fpm pattern. What I was told was SVP ordered the 1166 from another factory and rebadged the light as their own. When Star bought out SVP, Star decided to make the light in house, as they do with other models they sell. Hence the rectangle shield instead of the round shield. Also, Star uses a differnet motor for the rotator than SVP. They told me the best way to see if the light has a slow speed instead of the fast speed is to look at the gear used to rotate the shield. The older lights that have a 90 fpm pattern have a white, flat gear that the worm gear of the motor attaches to. If you see a black, barrel shaped gear that the worm gear attaches to, then it is a newer made model and hence a faster rotating shield. Another clue is the magnet. The older units had 3 small magnets and the newer ones have the one dounut magnet.

I also took as trade another 1166 but the original SVP motor had been replaced with a Code 3 rotator motor. Works just as good speed wise, but turns in the opposite direction.

Wow your even more informative than customer service at Star! Mine is the newer model (black gear / dougnut mag) the square reflector does produce a nice punch when attatched to a dead batt. thus slower speed.. opcorn:


So im guessing the white gear doesnt effect the flash as the motors different, hence them saying the light comes stndrd at 160fpm, which gives a punch every few rotations and how you look at the reflector. :duh:


Sadly since fedsig,whelen, ect. have discontinued their dash/throw lites. Star seems to be the last ones making the rotation style dash throw light. I did see a walmart rotator that the guy added a brighter bulb so it didnt look like a cruise light when activated and could be seen well at night and so/so during the day..


But I digress, Thanks for the information and future information on this topic.

 

[ejwa]

Thats why I am grateful to find this site. If my lights break down or are damaged beyond repair, I can find another light or parts here. I like LEDs to a certain extent, only they are not a true 360 degree warning lights. I have seen vol ff dress up the front of their POVs like a Christmas tree with LEDs and nothing on the back. They resort to using their four ways. To me, the reason to have a warning light is so you don't have to use four ways.


One more thing. As long as rotator motors are being sold to replace old motors, then you should be able to keep the tear drop going. Wirering is very simple and mounting the motor to the base plate should be easy. Just be creative. :2thumbs:

 

[Richard P]

Thats why I am grateful to find this site. If my lights break down or are damaged beyond repair, I can find another light or parts here. I like LEDs to a certain extent, only they are not a true 360 degree warning lights. I have seen vol ff dress up the front of their POVs like a Christmas tree with LEDs and nothing on the back. They resort to using their four ways. To me, the reason to have a warning light is so you don't have to use four ways.

One more thing. As long as rotator motors are being sold to replace old motors, then you should be able to keep the tear drop going. Wirering is very simple and mounting the motor to the base plate should be easy. Just be creative. :2thumbs:

in my ten years of funning rotator lights, 7 years same bar, ive yet to have a rotator fail, they dont happen as often as everyone thinks

 

[CodeMan]

Thats why I am grateful to find this site. If my lights break down or are damaged beyond repair, I can find another light or parts here. I like LEDs to a certain extent, only they are not a true 360 degree warning lights. I have seen vol ff dress up the front of their POVs like a Christmas tree with LEDs and nothing on the back. They resort to using their four ways. To me, the reason to have a warning light is so you don't have to use four ways.

One more thing. As long as rotator motors are being sold to replace old motors, then you should be able to keep the tear drop going. Wirering is very simple and mounting the motor to the base plate should be easy. Just be creative. :2thumbs:

Great point! Im guessing the selling points are amps and light longevity. all my old dash lights still work bulbs may be blown but the rotators still spin.

 

[CodeMan]

Code 3 Eteardrop?


might be a secondary option?


http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=code+3+teardrop&FORM=HDRSC3#view=detail&mid=88925C254C1F139D6D6C88925C254C1F139D6D6C