Wagan EL4340 FRED PRO Flashing Roadside Emergency Disc LED Flare 6 Flash Modes for Roadside Security, Warning Flashing with Magnet and Hook for Vehicles and Boats

This review is based on a comparison between the Wagan EL2639 FRED light vs. the Smittybilt L-1409 UFO light. Neither light has yet been field tested or tested against time.I wanted to buy about 6 of this type of light, and was leaning toward the Smittybilt, based on the slightly higher rating and the fact that it uses a CR123 battery. But because of the significant price difference (78% more for the Smittybilt at the time of this writing) I decided to buy one of each and compare them myself, to see if the price difference was worth it. Here are my preliminary observations of the two lights:Outer construction\design:Both lights are made very well, with a seemingly durable rubberized plastic (Orange vs. Black) molded around a water-tight inner housing made of a seemingly durable clear plastic. This inner clear plastic appears to be of equal thickness and durability on the two units. The outer rubberized plastic is a bit more robust feeling on the Smittybilt because it has 18 outer lugs vs. 12, and the lugs are bit larger. However, this also means that it has smaller LED window areas between each lug. In comparison, the Wagan has about 9/16" spacing between lugs vs. about 5/16" on the Smittybilt. This becomes very noticeable when viewing the unit from the side with the lights on, especially when viewing the Smittybilt in line with one of the 3 triangular points where you see less of the LEDs. Note: There are no LEDs at these 3 points, so although there are 18 lugs, there are actually 15 LEDs vs. 12 in the Wagan. Although the Wagan has fewer LEDs, I like having the larger window area for each one, as it makes them stand out more from the side. Also, it is worth considering the color of these units. Orange is certainly more visible when the lights are off, making it easier to find.Winner - WaganSwitch:Both lights use a similar electronic switch in which the button is flush with the housing. The Wagan is much easier to push and cycle through. The Smittybilt is much more difficult to push, however this may not be a bad thing if you are concerned about accidental activation in a pack or something. Although I don't foresee the Wagan turning on accidentally since the button is flush.Winner - WaganAccess cover construction\design:Both lights have a similar removable cover to gain access to the batteries. The Wagan is round and it`s the back cover. The Smittybilt is triangular and it`s the front cover. They both require the user to remove 2 screws and gently pry up on the tabs - Wagan has 2 tabs, Smittybilt has 3. I had no problems in removing either one, and they both had a nice tight fit without being too tight. These covers have seals which are what make the unites water-proof. The Smittybilt uses a standard O-ring design found in many flashlights. It is replaceable, if you can find one of the same size. The Wagan uses a thicker integrated rubber seal that is molded right into the cover. It is not replaceable, but I doubt it will wear out any time soon.Winner - TieInner construction\design:The Wagan has a battery compartment & circuit board which is secured to the housing with 2 screws. Everything stays in place when changing the batteries. Also, the switch is on the opposite side of the circuit board, so it cannot be disturbed while changing the batteries. The Smittybilt also uses a similar circuit board but it's just loose in the housing, as it's held in place only by the 2 screws (& posts) which hold the access cover on. Once inside, the entire circuit board is free to come out. In fact, it will come out when trying to change the battery. The battery "compartment" is very flimsy as there are no screws holding it to the circuit board. It just presses in place around the battery, while the battery just sits between two metal contacts on the circuit board. It appears cheaply designed with little thought. Also, the switch on the Smittybilt has a 5/8" long x 1/8" diameter plastic extension which goes up through the access cover to the push button. It sits right next to the battery "compartment", which made me feel as though I needed to be very careful when trying to remove the battery. And replacing the battery is not real easy compared to the traditional battery compartment found on the Wagan. The batteries are MUCH easier to replace on the Wagan. This inner construction on the Smittybilt surprised me, given the 78% higher price.Winner - WaganModes:Both lights have pretty much the same 9 modes to choose from, however the Wagan also has an additional flashlight mode with 3 white LEDS. This is a very nice additional mode, as it can be very useful when all you need is a small flood light, perhaps for reading a book, looking at a map, or a tent light, etc.Winner - WaganOperation:To access the modes on both lights you just push the button repeatedly until you get to the mode of your liking. Both units turn off by pushing and holding the power button for a few seconds. The Smittybilt will turn back on in the last mode in which it was used. The Wagan will always turn on in the 3 white LED mode which I much preferred.Winner - WaganMagnets:Both units have equally strong magnets which work great. However, upon close examination I noticed that the magnet on the Smittybilt appears to be just glued in place, whereas the Wagan appears to use a magnet with a 1/16" step (5/8" diameter as measured from the outside, 11/16" diameter as measured from the inside). This step should prevent the magnet from ever coming out the back side.Winner - WaganWater-proof\buoyancy:I placed both units in a pail of water and neither of them leaked during this short test. I pushed both units to the bottom of the pail and let go. Both units surfaced (floated) without any problem, but the lighter weight (5.4 oz. vs. 6.9 oz.) of the Wagan caused it to surface quicker.Winner - TieBattery:The Wagan uses 3 readily available AAA batteries. The Smittybilt uses a single CR123 battery. It is my opinion that a light of this type ought to have lithium batteries inside, to withstand a wider range of temperatures. Although you can buy lithium AAA batteries, they will cost more than a single CR123 battery. This is purely subjective, but I prefer using a single CR123 battery. Having said that, there are more options with the AAA configuration (e.g. heavy duty, alkaline, lithium). If the run times listed on the packages are correct, you will get anywhere from a little more (10 hrs. vs. 9 hrs.) to a lot more (100 hrs. vs. 38 hrs.) run time with the CR123 Smittybilt, depending on the mode. However, these run times may be more evenly matched if using lithium AAA batteries in the Wagan.Winner - Smittybilt for me, but depends on each user.Additional features:The Wagan includes a hinged hook which will allow for hanging from a hood latch, a tent loop, a tree branch, etc. It only opens 90 degrees. Although useful, it would have been nice to see it open 180 degrees. But given that the Smittybilt doesn't even have this feature, it's a nice touch.Winner - WaganPrice: Winner - WaganSummary:I can honestly say that I am not sure why the Smittybilt is sold at a higher price, given that they are both made in China, and given that I found nothing that leads me to believe it's a better product. With the exception of having a bit more robust outer rubber plastic, it did not excel in any one category. In fact, my analysis led me to be glad I didn't buy more of these based strictly on review ratings. I plan to buy more of the Wagan units.My guess is that all the positive reviews for the Smittybilt unit were not based on a comparison of these two units. Although a nice product, and worthy of a recommendation, the Smittybilt is no where near the value of the Wagan.I don't intend to talk down the Smittybilt or it`s makers, nor would I say that the 4 & 5 star reviews for it are unreasonable, but this is a great example of things being relative. By itself, I probably would have given the Smittybilt 4 stars. But compared to the Wagan, I cannot give it more than 3 or 3.5 stars, while I give the Wagan 4.5 stars.My suggestion to the makers at Smittybilt would be to focus more design time on the entire product. As it is, it appears, upon initial analysis, that the focus has been strictly on the appearance of a sturdier built unit. It is possible that this unit can handle more abuse, I don't know, but if it can, it is not evident upon my desktop analysis. Perhaps some day I will torture test them by driving over them. Until then, I will just see which one lasts longer under normal use.Notes: Both units came with batteries included. Also, the brightness of these products are pretty much identical, as they should be with ANY battery-operated device using these cheaper LED bulbs. They should all (including those not tested here) be about the same brightness, which is plenty bright for their intended purpose - to be seen.

Great product and bright lights. Must have in every car. The only thing that is not good to me is the price. Too pricey- hoping the seller would decrease the price so I can buy more.

The media could not be loaded.  Please do note that we bought these emergency lights several YEARS ago and the set has been kept in a vehicle for emergencies. One of the LEDs is out but otherwise it still works like new, after all this time. The batteries these are running on, in this video, is after being in these lights for a couple years. They require a screwdriver to change the batteries. This set we received has many different settings and is awesome!

Does exactly what it needs to do. Nice storage case and stores compactly. I just wish the battery compartment didn't require a screwdriver to open it.

Functions easily

I wanted this product for over a year. I held off because of the reviews about the battery drainage issue that I saw on Amazon. I emailed Wagan in December of 2014 asking when they would have this issue resolved. They assured me that they had a solve, and would be implementing it into their production process in early 2015. In December of 2015, I saw they were on sale, so I picked up a set. They arrived in time, and well packaged. I LOVE the product. These things appear nearly indestructible. The orange feels like hard rubber, and the clear plastic seems very strong.I didn't have any trouble opening the unit up to try it out. Some folks mentioned having difficulty here, and I didn't seem to have any. I removed the screws, and then used the screwdriver to press up on the two tabs to force the upper and lower assemblies apart. When I did, I found a date stamp. It was marked April 2015. I wasn't sure if this date would have the battery drain issue so I called Wagan. I talked to their rep, and explained my concern. He informed me that they didn't know the date of the change in their process and the only way for me to ensure there was no battery drain was to try the unit, and then set it aside for a month or two and try it again? I explained that I wasn't comfortable being the quality control for their company, and that I would need them to check. He informed me that there was nothing more they could do. I hung up disappointed in the response I got so I emailed Wagan. They agreed that I could ship the unit back to them, and they would test it. If they found that the units had the battery drain issue, then they would replace them with units that had been verified not to have the problem.I took them up on their offer, and shipped the units back. From there, they emailed me and confirmed receipt as well as to state they had checked my units and did not see the drain issue happening. They then shipped the units back to me.So, if you order these units, check you date stamp. If it is after April 2015, you're probably in the clear. They do have a 1 year warranty, and explained that if a customer sees the issue within a year of purchase, they will replace the lights free of charge (although you'll probably have to pay to ship the lights to them) I would suggest validating them just in case. These come with a small carry bag to store the lights in. I actually put another 9 aaa batteries along with a small screwdriving in the bag with the lights. Granted, I probably won't need them, but since the space is there, I thought it was better to be safe than sorry.Again, I love the product. The service was good. The only reason for 4 stars instead of 5 is because of the hassle of having to return the units and then get them back weeks later. Why Wagan doesn't know when this change was implemented into their process is beyond me, but they stood behind their sale, and I appreciate that.

Ideal for classic cars without emergency flashers, or any car, to use in conjunction with emergency flashers. In the dark they give added warning to others if you break down, They are magnetic, they have a variety of flashing modes. A great gift idea.

Batteries leaked inside units batteries had to be replaced and units cleaned before used

Received product as posted and I'm pleased with the quality. I haven't gotten a chance to use it for its intended use but tried it upon opening the package. The lights are bright and I don't have any doubt about its effectiveness at night or in an emergency situation.The only small problem I had was determining the order of the different light modes. When I went through the different modes, it almost seemed inconsistent with the ordered list on the package. I wish it came with a proper list indicating the order of the flashing modes.

Después de 7 meses de su compra, las he ocupado 2 veces. Una sin lluvia y la otra en la lluvia.Su brillo es bueno, si hace que se note bastante que hay un auto. En lluvia, son todavía mejores.

Compact, easy to store. Haven't had to use it so can't comment on its effectiveness. Otherwise, it might get 5 stars.