Best selling glow sticks in 2022
Why do you need glow sticks?
Glow sticks are definitely the #1 supply for glow in the dark parties. There are 2 main types of glow sticks: flexible long glow sticks with which you can form all sorts of shapes: bracelets, necklaces, eyeglasses, flowers, balloons, cartoon characters, etc. and thick whistle shape glow sticks which deliver a strong glow and can also be used for safety and emergency purposes. People also use the thick ones for camping, trekking or cycling.
Most of these glow sticks deliver a long lasting glow of 8 to 12 hours, which gives you plenty of glowing time for a neon party.
Glow sticks are very easy to use: you simply have to crack them to activate the glow. They don’t need to be charged with ambient light beforehand since they produce their own glow via a chemical reaction.
Bear in mind that you can’t reuse or freeze these products after activating them. These glow sticks are safe to use but we advise you not to give them to very young children since they could be tempted to chew them (and you don’t want to see the fluo liquid glowing into their mouth even if it’s labelled as non-toxic).
500 glow sticks Best Price
Whistle shape glow sticks Best Value
458-piece glow sticks set Glowing Pick
Frequently asked questions about glow sticks
Theoretically you can’t freeze or re-use glow sticks. But if you’ve just used them for a short time, you can always try to stick them into the freezer, get them out and let it thaw before shaking them to reactivate them. Bear in mind that the neon effect will slowly fade away.
Glow sticks are not phosphorescent. They produce light on their own via a chemical reaction between a color dye and hydrogen peroxide + diphenyl oxalate. These 2 compounds are gradually used by the chemical reaction. When one of these 2 runs out the chemical reaction comes to and end and the glow stick stops emitting light.
The liquid is advertised as safe / non-toxic but we don’t advise you to try. The liquid could cause some bad reactions such as mouth or throat irritation. Keep your small kids away from glow sticks.
There are 3 compounds in the plastic tube of the glow stick: the dye (which sets the color), a base catalyst and diphenyl oxalate. This mixture will react with the hydrogen peroxide contained in the tiny glass vial you’ll crack to activate the glow stick.
Several patents were published in the mid 1970s. In January 1976 a patent was issued for the Chemiluminescent Signal Device. It recommended a single glass ampoule that’s suspended in a second substance. When broken and mixed together, they provide the chemiluminescent glow. Another patent issued in December 1977 added a small steel ball to the mechanism, shattering the tiny glass ampoule when the glow stick is exposed to a shock (you just need to shake the sticks, not to crack it).
Glow sticks can be used for safety and emergency purposes. They’re part of the basic kit of military forces, campers, recreational divers and boaters.
