In praise of Lawson Glowire

**Mountainfitter** · 11-16-2018, 00:41

They are current products I cannot keep up with production on. For 2019 my goal is to have more inventory instock.. I make products for inventory but I also make lots of custom products. The entire month of October I pretty much just made lines for the military contractors I do business with. I make lines for all sorts of different industries. Every year I try to break away from doing it but it's hard to do as most of my business comes from it. So I have been very busy and alot of my products are out of stock at the moment or my inventory has not been updated. Also I am working on my website a bit which is why there is somethings that are not showing up..

**Mountainfitter** · 11-16-2018, 00:49

One thing I want to mention that I think is worth mentioning.. If spending money on Guylines, or hardware, or anything like this is not your thing. I totally get it. There are lots of cheap options out there.. People work hard for their money, so please spend it where you see fit. But please don't pay way more for something that's the same quality and made in the same factory overseas just because a cottage gear company is selling it with their brand on it.. I will explain below.

But first, Reflective Dust... I want to address this again as there is now someone complaining about my lines shedding reflective dust.. I have said this many times over the last month or so, but obviously my message is not getting through as it keeps coming up on Hammock Forums. The "shedding" is a by-product of ALL REFLECTIVE CORDS. It has to do with how they are made. Glass micro spheres are glued onto a very thin plastic film using a urethane type adhesive.. From there the wide rolls are slit to very narrow widths. This film becomes a yarn. It is then braided into the line. The glass beads will abrade off over time or with forced abrasion... I have customers with lines that are 8+ years old and they are still extremely reflective. So its safe to say the reflective-ness of these lines will outlast anyone's expectations. A loss of reflective-ness due to abrasion loss is a non issue unless your intentionally abrading your lines. In essence ALL REFLECTIVE YARNS are made the same way, but the 3M Scothlite that I use is the best. Its the best because it is the most reflective, the most durable, the strongest, and is Made in the USA. To my knowledge I am one of the only companies anywhere in the world that uses this yarn in a braided line. That is why everyone says "Lawson makes the most reflective lines".. Almost everyone else uses a much cheaper reflective yarn that is Made in China. They do so because of costs. It is roughly 1/4 the price of the 3M yarn. It is less durable and less reflective, but they do not care as they are using it because its "reflective enough" and they make ALOT MORE PROFIT. There is nothing wrong with profit. I make profit. Profit pays my bills and keeps me working. It allows me to buy things, grow my business, stimulate the economy, etc.. But my priority is making the best possible products. Not making the most profit off of them.. Back to the shedding. The reason why you cannot see the other lines "reflective dust" is because its not reflective enough to see. Its not because its not there. Its because the glass beads they use are not very round and so when you shine a light at them they do not reflective back at you like the 3M glass beads. Its why my lines are much more reflective then my competitors. Furthermore it is impossible to see the "dust" without a headlamp on or without a flashlight.. The author who keeps pushing this issue is only able to see the dust because its reflective and only because he is wearing a headlamp or using a flashlight to see it. It is not visible by the naked eye.. All the other microscopic dust and dirt all over his gear and on his floors and all over his house is not reflective so he cannot see it. So this happens with ALL REFLECTIVE LINES. Most are just not reflective enough to see. I hope this sort of clears this up, as the commentary that keeps coming up makes my Glowire seem like a really bad product when its not. Its the best.

Cottage Gear Makers and Back To The Top on Saving Money... Years ago I supplied reflective guylines and titanium tent stakes to about every cottage gear maker out there. Today I supply to practically none of them. And its not due to my lack of desire or my wholesale margins (which are good). It was way cheaper for them to buy stuff Made in China, then it was to continue to buy stuff made by other cottage gear makers, small mom and pops, or domestic manufacturers like me. Plus the whole idea of having their brand name on everything they sold was obviously appealing. Why would they want to sell Lawson Glowire at a standard markup when they could buy Chinese "Their Brand Name" Knock Off Glowire with a 400% markup. So by making a switch to Chinese goods/materials, it put more profit in their pockets. They knew that people loved the idea of buying from cottage gear makers, even it if meant all of the materials they used were the cheapest and lowest quality available. The reason I bring this up is because I mentioned at the top about saving money. I get offers daily from braiding mills in China offering me deals on reflective line. Usually the price is about $.05-07 per foot. That is $2.50-$3.50 per 50' hank. So the next time you buy a $15 hank of reflective cord that was made in China using cheap materials, sold by a cottage gear maker, please remember you are spporting the same tactics the big corporations use. Squeeze the middle man, water down the quality, knock off others products, falsly brand material/specs, and make excessive profits, etc. Rather then continuing to support this BS practice, please just buy the $5.00 hank of reflective cord on Amazon. It comes from the same mill in China and it saves you some hard earned money..

**Mountainfitter** · 11-16-2018, 01:05

All the time people ask to see what Glowire looks like while being made. So here is some Glowire being made on some of my bench braiders. Its a quick video I took with my phone.. The first braider is making lime. You can see the blue and red bobbins. Those are carrying the reflective tracer material around the machine. The machines are going pretty quickly so you have to sort of stare at the machines to see whats happening.. And as you can see, the machines are covered in so much reflective dust they can barely run... hahaha. Also to all the Cottage Gear Makers that sell Chinese line with your brand name on it, this is what the braiding process looks like... Now that your experts maybe you should raise your prices some..

**Snaps** · 11-16-2018, 01:32

Glad to see you back. I went on your website the other day in search of Survivalwire. I'll keep visiting now that I know you're going to try to stock up.

I only use Lawson Glowire for my tarp tie outs. I also have about 4-5" on every zipper pull. Seeing where the zippers are easily is nice. I fasten them with cord ends that I can grab with my toes if need be... ask me how I know...

**MikekiM** · 11-16-2018, 06:18

Thanks for posting here.. always wondered why we didn't hear from you on the this forum.. I now understand better.

Curious thing about the cord failure cmoulder posted.. I was with him and saw how the he rigged his tarp. First, a side comment about his skills... crazy good with cordage and he hung that tarp in a crazy tight set of trees. I grabbed the other primo set of trees!! But my comment is that all the ridge line cordage was doubled or tripled around the tree and nothing was hanging to the ground. Hard to think that single strand was gnawed at and all the other overlapping cordage was not. I'd be inclined to eliminate the possibility of something chewing it. I really expected that spot to be on one of the ground lines having taken a hit when pounding a stake in. Odd.

Either way, that Glowiire lit up like a flame thrower. I have reflective cordage (some Z-Line, some Atwood Micro Cord and some Amazon no name stuff) all over my gear and was setup a few yards away and the reflective difference was incredible.

Regarding the other 'wires'.... Thanks for sharing the background and differences. Noted. I just ordered some of the Ultraglide Bear Line.. crazy bright. Super sick. Arguably a bit too heavy for my primary bear bag line. I did make an Evo Loop out of about a foot of the Ultraglide to use in place of a biner on my bear bag and even that small loop of cordage up in a tree can be seen easily when light reflects off it.

2mm is the smallest Glowire? I would love something smaller..

**Intimidator** · 11-16-2018, 06:56

Originally Posted by MikekiM

2mm is the smallest Glowire? I would love something smaller..

I have been hoping for a high tenacity stiff 1- 1.2 mm Glowire for a long time. Love it for everything from stuff sack drawstring, to tarp tie outs, to replacement zipper pulls. I currently use some Chinese reflective 1.1 mm UHMWPE core/poly jacket cord that I buy in bulk pretty cheap, but as noted previously by Lawson in other places, this cord is kind of dumb because the jacket breaks before the core, and they don't melt together at all. I do have one version from Jeely Ropes that actually reflects really well compared to others, but it still has the problems I mentioned above. I think maybe John Abela had some samples from Lawson for a similar cord at one point (?), but not sure how that turned out.

**cmoulder** · 11-16-2018, 08:24

First, I am very glad to see you back, Lawson!

As you can tell from checking my order history — and my posting history on various outdoor forums — I am a huge fan of your products and recommend them often because I truly believe they are the best on the market. My gear pile is sprinkled through and through with various bits of your cordage and stakes and will remain so.

However, I'm more than a bit bummed that it was my very rare — and only, in fact! — negative experience that necessitated a response from you, and, thinking about it now, it would have been far more prudent (and fair to you) for me to use the cordage some more and try to figure out the cause of the issue before posting anything. As I indicated, I don't know what caused it and my only guess is the scraggly oak bark. The critter scenario seemed unlikely at the time but it is possible. And although I am pretty careful with my gear, it could also be user error.

I am sorry for stirring up unnecessary angst. This is a good reminder to proceed with discretion when there is an issue whose cause has not been determined.

**Mountainfitter** · 11-16-2018, 08:48

There is no need to apologize. Stuff happens with products in use. I was just saying that the cord did not come that way from my shop as a braiding flaw, that's all. Sorry if it seemed like I was blaming you. I sometimes get fired up.. Generally when cordage/rope/line is cut, its cut on itself or a slides across a sharp object while under tension. Watch some climbing videos of rope being cut while in use, it will blow your mind.. Either way you bought some new cord from me and that hank didn't meet your expectations for durability, and so I am happy to send you some more out for free as no one wants a core shot in their line. This goes for anyone and everyone and every product I make. I stand behind them because I personally make them and always choose to use the best materials and craftsmanship.. People work hard for their money, I want to make sure that if you buy something from me your completely happy with the purchase. So please send me the email with your info. I can't tell from your screen name on here what your real name is to look up your address in my system. Thanks!

**Mountainfitter** · 11-16-2018, 08:56

1.2mm reflective lines>> Yes I can make a reflective line in this size, but besides John Abela no one else has ever asked me to make this small of reflective line.. Has this now become a popular size? I see companies selling lines in this size but I just assumed it wouldn't be a hot seller. Maybe I will add some for 2019 to see.