DGX Ultra-Viz™ Retroreflective Line
- Round braided polyester line that features a retroreflective stripe
- Line diameter of approximately 1.8 mm
- Engineered high-tech product with exceptional strength, abrasion and UV resistance
- Vibrant blaze orange and fluorescent Chartreuse colors will not run or bleed
- Our bulk spools are mostly cardboard made from recycled paper
DGX Ultra-Viz™ Retroreflective Line
Want to see for yourself? There is a free sample offer of our Ultra-Viz line in the Tek-Tip at the bottom of this page.
Our DGX Ultra-Viz™ Retroreflective Line is round braided polyester and includes a retroreflective nylon strand impregnated with tiny glass micro-beads (<100 microns) that makes the already vibrant line even brighter. Similar to the way SOLAS tape works, when light shines on the reflective strand the light retroflects back toward the source of the light. This property can easily be seen in one of the "More Views" above. To activate the nylon strand's retroreflective property, we shone our DGX 600 handheld light on the spools and took the photo in a darkened room without additional flash. The brightness of the retroreflection and the appearance of the line have not been enhanced post production.
Custom manufactured for Dive Gear Express, our DGX Ultra-Viz™ Retroreflective Line is high-tenacity, abrasion and UV resistant line that also resists twisting or kinking and has minimal stretch. The line has negative buoyancy in both fresh and salt water. Traditional white nylon line used on reels is difficult to see in open water, but our Blaze Orange and Fluorescent Chartreuse colors stand out like neon, allowing easier line management with nearby divers. The durable color of our Ultra-Viz line also remains vibrant over time, unlike the "wash-out" fading typical of ordinary nylon cave line that has been dyed orange. We also offer a Super White color which includes the retroreflective stripe.
The technical specification for the diameter of our DGX Ultra-Viz™ line is approximately 1.8 mm which does not fit nicely into the archaic 'twine' size code numbers that might be familiar to long time cave divers. Describing the diameter using size codes, the line is somewhere between #21 and #24. Regardless, the 1.8 mm polyester line in water is stronger than #36 nylon and thinner than #24 nylon so you will be able to load plenty of extra on the reel.
| Brand | DGX |
|---|---|
| SKU | DX-ULTRAVIZ |
| Weight | 1.000000 |
Customer Reviews
Orange or Chartreuse; which is better?
Traditional braided white nylon line is difficult to see in open water, but our Hi-Viz line stands out like neon, allowing easier line management with nearby divers. View the twenty second video of two divers on their stop during a training dive to watch the Hi-Viz Blaze Orange line in action. One of the divers is also carrying a backup spool loaded with Hi-Viz Blaze Orange, can you find it?
There is no easy answer regarding choice of color. Different colors are seen to differing degrees by the human eye, meaning people are more sensitive to some colors than others. Peak sensitivity is at portion of the visible spectrum where yellow transitions to green. With that in mind, most people will have the highest sensitivity to a yellow-green color (aka chartreuse, greenish-yellow) just by the nature of how the human eye sees colors. Yellow-green is somewhat more visible in dim light due to the Purkinje effect, however orange color is still on the brighter end of the spectrum making it highly visible too. Orange also provides more contrast with some backgrounds, especially those common to diving.
Another thing to consider is there are an estimated 300 million people with some degree of color vision deficiency - most of whom are male; about 1 in 12 men are color blind (8%). Color vision deficient individuals may better perceive orange due to contrast. The choices of orange and chartreuse have been extensively studied by human factors experts for applications such as transportation signage and high-visibility clothing.
We are not aware of any studies specifically for diving applications, however the other studies along with the science and the experience of our customers provides some guidance for our recommendations. In well lighted conditions, the blaze orange color is highly visible and by far the most popular color selected for safety items. Studies suggest the best compromise choice for all lighting conditions is the fluorescent chartreuse color. Regardless, it is proven that adding a Retroreflective stripe to either of those colors will greatly increase their visibility.
