Lawson goodies arrived!!

[Aerialtraveler]

Would you do me a big favor if you have a minute? Tie a few knots/rub the line together over your floor or table and see if it does this when hit with a flashlight:



I might sound like an OCD maniac, but this stuff is ALL over my basement and gear.

Yikes, that would be a deal breaker for me. Thank you for making me aware of this issue.

[curlymaple42]

I'm pretty sure, like 99% sure that Dutch does not sell Lawson lines. I am not sure if or when he did.



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[curlymaple42]

Thanks I'll give it another try. I purchased a bunch back in December 2016.

I'll test the Glowire for you later down in the basement where it is dark.

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[OneClick]

It depends on when it was purchased. Dutch did sell Lawson's Glowire for a while (last year maybe?), but moved over to a different variety.

I purchased a bunch back in December 2016.

Lawson Reflective Cord

Code: LAW002

But yeah, I remember Dutch switching recently. I'll give it another try.

[JPCPAT]

Would you do me a big favor if you have a minute? Tie a few knots/rub the line together over your floor or table and see if it does this when hit with a flashlight:



I might sound like an OCD maniac, but this stuff is ALL over my basement and gear.

At one time Dutch did sell Lawson Glowire, but he 100% does not now. I think the date mentioned was mid 2015.

IAC, I tried you experiment using a midshipman's hitch & a prussic. Slid them back and forth for about 5 minutes. Still reflected great, but there was some loss of "glow", but no sign of the reflective dust on your floor. I did it with 3mm Glowire I got directly from Lawson. Pretty sure what you got is not Glowire.

I got the Hungry fish cord winder, too, and it weighs even less than I thought. Got some of the new Statline and a bottle opener. Will review both after I get a chance to play with them. Unboxing impression on the statline is that it's dull, not shiny like Zing it. Might even hold a midshipman's hitch if you put an extra turn in it.

[OneClick]

At one time Dutch did sell Lawson Glowire, but he 100% does not now. I think the date mentioned was mid 2016.

IAC, I tried you experiment using a midshipman's hitch & a prussic. Slid them back and forth for about 5 minutes. Still reflected great, but there was some loss of "glow", but no sign of the reflective dust on your floor. I did it with 3mm Glowire I got directly from Lawson. Pretty sure what you got is not Glowire.

Yeah, above I mentioned that old order from December 2016. On the invoice it says:

Lawson Reflective Cord
Code: LAW002

So I will try some of the new non-Lawson stuff Dutch has. Almost twice the price now, but worth it IMO. Perfect size, weight, strength, with or without the reflective stuff is fine by me as long as it doesn't shed. I just had a bunch of this older stuff in a box and started using more of it lately.

[michigandave]

I've always been happy with Lawson's offerings and really like how the reflective tie out line works with my line locks on my tarps. Good stuff!

[Dutch]

At one time Dutch did sell Lawson Glowire, but he 100% does not now. I think the date mentioned was mid 2015.

IAC, I tried you experiment using a midshipman's hitch & a prussic. Slid them back and forth for about 5 minutes. Still reflected great, but there was some loss of "glow", but no sign of the reflective dust on your floor. I did it with 3mm Glowire I got directly from Lawson. Pretty sure what you got is not Glowire.

I got the Hungry fish cord winder, too, and it weighs even less than I thought. Got some of the new Statline and a bottle opener. Will review both after I get a chance to play with them. Unboxing impression on the statline is that it's dull, not shiny like Zing it. Might even hold a midshipman's hitch if you put an extra turn in it.

Yeah, above I mentioned that old order from December 2016. On the invoice it says:

Lawson Reflective Cord
Code: LAW002

So I will try some of the new non-Lawson stuff Dutch has. Almost twice the price now, but worth it IMO. Perfect size, weight, strength, with or without the reflective stuff is fine by me as long as it doesn't shed. I just had a bunch of this older stuff in a box and started using more of it lately.

I stopped selling Lawson about 2 months ago. OneClick's was Lawson's Glow Wire

[Mountainfitter]

The last time Dutch purchased cord from me was in early 2016. So a little more than 2 1/2 years ago. But Dutchware does sell a cord that looks exactly like mine that is not made by me..

OneClick, Your photo shows "reflective dust". I will explain whats going on here as I am familiar with it.

All reflective cords will do this. Its the nature of the beast. The yarn is made by gluing glass micro-spheres in a reflective matrix to a film on both sides then its slit to a very narrow width, creating a "yarn". There are some of these micro-spheres that just naturally fall off due to an over saturation of the matrix on the film. But since the micro-spheres are glued on, they mainly come off with wear and abrasion. Though as you can see from your photo. Even with that much reflective dust on the ground, the line is still extremely reflective. But abrasion is the number one issue here and mainly why you are seeing this.. That is why it is important that the reflective tracers are braided into the line as smooth as possible. Its my number one goal while braiding. Its also why I do not use an X pattern like Kelty Triptease. The X pattern raises the reflective tracers at the X intersection creating a premature abrasion point. Over time this pattern will prematurely wear the reflective tracer at the x junction causing the tracers to break and become non reflective at that point. The pattern I use doesn't have any wear points and is more reflective and more durable then any other pattern out there over the long term. It was chosen for function, not form. I "invented it". Others have copied it.. BUT its going to be even more pronounced as the reflective tracers used are not nearly as good. The reflective tracers I use are made by 3M. They are the best, the most durable, the most reflective, and by far the most expensive reflective yarn on earth. My cost is $70lb for this yarn. So its extremely expensive.. Other companies use a much cheaper reflective tracer that is Made in China (along with their lines). This knocked off yarn is about 1/2 as reflective and costs roughly $20lb. So the reason its used is due to the lower cost. Not because its better, not because its more reflective, not because its more durable. Its none of these things.. Its just cheaper. To quote the owner of Darn Tough. "Nobody ever outsourced anything for quality"..

I hope this information is somewhat useful. If you guys have any more questions regarding this or braiding in general please be sure to ask.

Thanks for all the business!
Lawson

[Baka Dasai]

I've used three reflective cords; Lawson's, Dutch's Reflect-It, and Dutch's Reflective Wire.

My experiences with each:

Lawson - this is by far the most reflective - it lights up like, well, a light. I've never noticed the reflective dust, but the one problem I have had is that some sections of the cord aren't as reflective as others - it's as though the reflective tracer got buried a bit deeper in those sections. Not a major problem, but kinda undermines the "this is the most reflective" claim. (Maybe the cord I got was from a defective batch? It's not too serious though.)

Reflect-it - about as half as reflective as the good sections of the Lawson cord. Consistent. Basically a softer zingit with an adequate reflective tracer. More prone to tangles due it's softness. Spliceable.

Reflective Dutch Wire - I like the thinness and stiffness of this cord, but the reflectivity is limited. It's there, but it's not lighting up like a light. I don't know whether this is because the reflective tracer is not very reflective, or if it's buried deeper in the cord.

For tarp guy outs I use the Reflective Dutch Wire. The virtues of thinness and stiffness outweigh the substandard reflectivity.