REVIEW: Adventure Lights Trilobyte Gen 4 Distressmarker

A Trilobite is a type of ancient giant isopod and has little to do with the Trilobyte Distressmarker from Adventure Lights. There are millions of years of evolution between them. And you can tell that with the Trilobyte, as it is the most advanced helmet blink light we have ever tested. Today, we will present it to you in detail.

At its core, the Trilobyte is a helmet blink light with dimensions of approximately 82 x 56 x 32 mm (L/W/H) and a weight of about 88g. It is made of plastic and equipped with a lot of technology and bright LEDs inside.

One special feature is that it is one of the few helmet lights that is powered by an AA battery. In our opinion, a big plus.

The battery cover is securely screwed down, making the Trilobyte waterproof up to 100m. So a little dive with it is not a problem.

The Trilobyte is equipped with the best hook-and-loop fastener we have come across.

For those who want to be extra safe, the Trilobyte offers a 5mm lanyard loop on the front and back. 550 paracord will secure your VIP light without any problems.

The Trilobyte is operated by two side slide switches and two side buttons. The buttons usually need to be pressed simultaneously. Overall, the Trilobyte helmet blink light can do a lot and we want to explain it to you in detail.

We found this instructional image on the internet and you can see all the functions of the little blink light.

Basic Functions of the Trilobyte

On the left side, the slide switch has three positions marked with one to three circles. On the other side, the slide switch (the main switch) is marked with a circle, a vertical line, and a horizontal line.

To turn on, slide the right switch to the "vertical line" position, then the Trilobyte starts in IR mode with continuous light by default. This is also the setting for your self-programmed blinking pattern, but more on that later.

If the right switch is slid all the way forward, it starts blinking at 48 BPM. Each switch position is also announced to you through vibration. Continuous light vibrates once, blinking twice.

With the left switch you switch through the brightness in IR mode and the visible colors, but we are currently in IR mode. To switch to color mode, the side buttons must be pressed simultaneously for three seconds. After vibrating twice, you can now switch through White (o), Green (oo), and Red (ooo) as shown in the picture. Also, the Trilobyte vibrates again according to the number of circles. If you want to go back to IR mode, you can hold the two side buttons for one second or simply turn it off and on again.

A real special feature of the Trilobyte comes to light when it's traveling in packs. The blinking synchronizes with all other Trilobytes in the vicinity. You can see that well in our video. Anyone who has been out in a team knows how chaotic it blinks when all the men activate their helmet lights.

The image compares the normal blinkers with the Trilobyte. The whole team blinks uniformly and is therefore easier to capture. This is very advantageous when a morse code has been stored as a blinking scheme. With normal blinkers, the morse code would be difficult to detect, but with the Trilobyte, it's not a challenge.

Extended Functions of the Trilobyte

The basic functions are actually easy to learn and implement. Select the mode with the right switch and the color or brightness with the left one. Switch between visible and IR with both push buttons. However, if you hold the push buttons for 6 seconds, you enter the programming mode of the Trilobyte.

The exact switch position for this is to have both toggle switches in the middle position. Now you can save your own blinking pattern. All you need is a flashlight, an IR emitter, or the sun.

We have to admit, we didn't manage to program the Trilobyte with sunlight, but it worked great with a flashlight in a dark room.

The Trilobyte can do much more than just be programmed. It can also transfer the programming to other Trilobytes. For this, the newly programmed Trilobyte must be put into "SEND" mode. We are still in programming mode, so after holding the push buttons for at least six seconds.

All other Trilobytes that you want to give the same blinking pattern to must be put into receive mode. So turn it on, preferably switch to visible light by holding the push buttons for three seconds. Then switch to programming mode and push the left switch to the front position. Wait a moment, and all Trilobytes should be blinking synchronously in the same pattern. You can see that very well in the video.

Morse codes for different teams are no problem with this. You exit the programming mode by holding the push buttons for 1 or 3 seconds to return to either IR mode or visible mode.

Using the Trilobyte

Once you understand how the individual functions are controlled and how programming works, the Trilobyte is simple to use.

The Trilobyte has another function to offer, the IR-Detect mode. You enter this mode by moving the right switch to the front position (-) in programming mode. If the sensor then detects IR light, the Trilobyte vibrates 5 times and blinks 5 times. This is a useful function because it means that if someone targets you with a weapon laser or rangefinder at night, the vibration of the Trilobyte immediately warns you of the danger. This is innovative and can be life-saving.

CONCLUSION: The Trilobyte Gen 4 is a helmet beacon of the latest generation and almost like something from a science fiction novel. Its range of functions is extremely extensive, and it can do everything you could wish for - all in just one device. We particularly liked the blink synchronization and the relatively simple programmability, which can also be done in the field. The IR laser warning is innovative.

The Trilobyte Gen 4 is available at ACT in Black for 499 EURO in Black and TAN. Also available at Reconcompany for 519.95 EURO.

ACT in Black on the internet: actinblack.com

Adventure Lights on the internet: adventuretactical.com