Product Review: Guardian Angel from 425, Inc.

Quite often, personal visibility is essential to EMS providers, whether it is at a roadside, a wooded area or in a crowd. With the increased focus on safety, it has become important for people to see you as easily as possible, and at a good distance.

425, Inc., located in Franksville, WI, has created the Guardian Angel, a personal safety/visibility device, using LED lighting to help providers increase visibility. The company co-founders are a police officer and firefighter, giving a unique public safety perspective on their product. The company describes the device as a “wearable, portable lightbar.”

The Guardian Angel is designed to give the user 360 degree visibility, depending on where the device is placed on their body. It is equipped with strong magnets, allowing it to be worn on turnout gear, coats, pants, vehicles, safety vests and most metal surfaces. A suction cup window mount and a shirt clip are available as accessories, though are not included with the base device.

The LED lights are arranged in a manner that allow the wearer to choose which lights are on—front, rear or both—and a “panic button” feature can turns all the lights on or off. The lights can switch between static and blinking modes, and the device comes equipped with a light that may serve as a flashlight.

The battery is advertised to have 93 hours of continuous use. An AC/USB charger is included with the device. 425, Inc. offers 10 different light color combinations designed for law enforcement, fire and EMS.

For the purposes of the review, Guardian Angels with a red/red, red/white and green/green color combination were used. Neither the window mount, nor the shirt clip, were provided for the review.

To test the strength of the magnet, the Guardian Angel was attached to a standard EMS duty jacket, a standard work shirt and a turnout coat. During vigorous activity (running, jumping, etc.), the device held its original position on each without moving or falling off. At 6 ounces, the Guardian Angel is relatively lightweight.

Additionally, the Guardian Angel was mounted to an automobile and driven at 25 MPH for a short distance, during which the device held its position throughout the test. The device was also attached to the frame of a bicycle and remained in position for the 30-minute bike ride.

To test water resistance, the Guardian Angel was submerged in water for approximately 15 minutes. The device remained lit throughout the test, and also turned on immediately after being out of the water for an hour.

For the battery life test, the Guardian Angel was fully charged as per manufacturer’s directions. It was turned on with all the lights illuminated and was still functioning after 72 hours of continuous use.

Additionally, the device was charged via both the AC and the USB, and was able to be charged without issue.

For the illumination test, the Guardian Angel was turned on with all the lights in both a static and blinking illumination mode on a clear night. It was still clearly visible from a distance of 3/4 of a mile. Unfortunately, it couldn’t be tested in a “crowded” situation.

To evaluate the durability of the Guardian Angel it was dropped down a flight of five steps, during which it continued to function. It was also thrown across concrete, as well as “skidded” across concrete, and it continued to function. For the final durability test, the Guardian Angel was driven over by a truck weighing over 15,000 pounds. Though the device did suffer some cosmetic damage, it continued to function without issue throughout all the durability tests.

From a cost perspective, the Guardian Angel device is priced on the company website at $199.95 per device. The window bracket assembly is priced at $34.99, and the shirt clip, car charger and replacement AC adaptor are $19.99 each. The device does come with one AC charger.

In a time where safety and visibility are paramount, the Guardian Angel device definitely serves its intended purpose quite well.

For more information on the Guardian Angel device, visit www.425inc.us.