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This year while searching for unique gifts, I stumbled upon the TOSY LED disks. I knew right away it was UltraLED all the way, so I wound up ordering 8 of them in various colors, both black & white disks, as Christmas presents. As I had hoped, the kids were blown away & loved them. Here are my thoughts on the TOSY UltraLED 360 LED Ultimate Disk...
THE DISKS: The disks are 10.5" in diameter, weighing in at ~175 grams. They are manufactured from a thick, durable, plastic. White disks are solid white, while the black models are black with a touch of silver speckling visible throughout. Topside sports nice ribbing for grip & structural integrity. The TOSY branding & ring matches the LED color. It is molded into the disk & includes a smart 3-D holographic design that looks really sharp. The rim is a softer material that offers good grip & protects the LEDs.
ELECTRONICS: The electronics & controls are well-designed & nicely integrated on the underside. A USB-C port is provided for recharging the integrated 300 mAh Lithium battery (50 mAh on 36-LED models). The charging port is covered by a soft rubber plug to keep out dirt & moisture. The port cover is tethered to the disk to prevent loss. No need to remove the screws. Just grab the edge with a fingernail & pull it open. Replace it fully into the port when charging is complete. The LEDs are embedded around the rim of the main disk, then sealed & protected by a resilient but softer material that offers a nice feel & grip. Black or white disk, the rim is a semi-translucent off-white color. The wires for the LEDs are fully integrated into the plastic & well protected.
The disk is said to be waterproof. While I would avoid water if possible, & not leave it in water for extended periods, as long as the USB-port cover remains in place, it should be fine with mild exposure to rain or an occasional dunk. The disks float if they go in the water. Included in the package is a mesh carrying bag, a short USB-C to USB-C charging cable, & an instruction manual. If you don't have a USB-C power adapter, any USB-A to USB-C supply & cable can be used for charging.
CONTROLS & INDICATORS consist of two flush buttons on the electronics module with tiny green LEDs indicating current settings. A Power indicator LED displays available charge level. The left button offer a choice of 6 brightness levels including no light (3 plus no light for the 36-LED models). The right button offers 6 light duration (Timer) modes: 0 (lights only while in the air), 8, 30, 120 seconds after a toss (0 & 8 seconds for the 36-LED version) Both models provide 7" & 10" "Ultimate" modes. In Ultimate mode the LED blinks once per second for 7 or 10 seconds, followed by a long blink. The goal in Ultimate is to get rid of the disk before the long blink.
36 or 360 LED, both are 175 gram disks. They are well-balanced & fly extremely well. I have to reiterate just how nicely the electronics are designed & integrated. The module is extremely thin & tapered into the underside of the disk. Not saying it can't happen, but you are unlikely to accidentally hit a button thanks to the flush control buttons.
TOSY LISTENS: I just discovered these a couple weeks ago, but I read many of the reviews before ordering. TOSY has been listening to its customers. First, both 36 & 360 models now include "Lost Mode". In any light mode except "Off", & in any timer mode other than "Ultimate" modes, after a toss the disk will flash once per second for 5 minutes. When you pick it up the "Lost Mode" flash will cease. Second, the rim material has been changed to a semi-translucent material that acts as a diffuser to conceal the individual LEDs & distribute the light more uniformly.
PHOSPHORESCENT BONUS: On the newest models, not only does the rim act as a diffuser, it is also phosphorescent! It self-illuminates for a time after exposure to light. Great addition TOSY!
COLORS: In order of brightness - GREEN, BLUE, PURPLE, RED. Green, Blue, & Red are all vivid & accurately rendered. The Purple model is bright, but to me it has more of a pinkish tone rather than purple. These things are bright & super cool. When you start tossing them people will notice & you can expect lots of curiosity from inquisitive onlookers. You may even find some new friends & participants!
CHARGING & USE: Charging a 360 LED model requires 30-45 minutes depending on state of discharge. The power LED blinks green while charging & turns solid green when charging is complete. The power LED is tricolor & also serves as a battery level indicator. Green = Full, Yellow = Medium, Red = Low, Flashing Red = Very Low/Recharge. Brighter settings will deplete the battery faster. In use brighter settings become unavailable as the battery is depleted. The "Extreme" brightness setting is intense & unnecessary for play in total darkness. The default brightness setting is plenty bright. For maximum battery life, choose the lower settings. With Lost Mode now being available & automatic in all but "Ultimate" modes, setting the duration to 0 is fine as you can easily find the disk even in total darkness. This will maximize battery life. At medium brightness, 0 duration, expect 500+ throws on a charge.
COLD: Cold weather means the Lithium battery will expire more quickly. Of course cold weather also means you probably won't be outside for extended periods, so I don't see this as an issue.
DURABILITY: It's only been a few days, but thus far all the disks are holding up fine, even with a bunch of kids beating on them. Personally, I favor using these on grass but I am picky & don't like to beat stuff up. How well they hold up with repeated smashes into buildings, trees, or pavement I cannot say? Again, so far so good.
AUTO OFF : After 10 minutes of non-use, the indicator lights will go dark & the disk will enter Standby Mode. To reactivate it, press any button or just toss it. It will always return to the default settings after waking up. To force it off right away, press & hold either button until the lights turn off. This places it in Standby Mode.
LOCK MODE: To save battery life & force the disk into LOCK MODE so it can't wake up from bouncing around or extraneous movement, PRESS & HOLD BOTH BUTTONS for several seconds until the indicators flash & go dark. To exit LOCK MODE. press any button so the indicators light up, then toss the disk.
CUSTOMER SERVICE: In the course of ordering all these disks from Amazon I wound up receiving one of the older pre-Lost Mode models. Obviously I wanted all of them to have the Lost Mode feature so I contacted TOSY on Facebook. They responded quickly, were extremely pleasant, & shipped me the latest model as a replacement direct from the factory. Thank you very much TOSY!
PROS: Bright, Cool, Wow, Awesome! If you enjoy tossing a disk in the dark, this is THE ONE! Great customer service.
CONS: None so far.
CONCLUSION: Yes these are expensive compared to a plain disk, but well worth it. The electronics are well-designed with excellent integration & features. The disks fly well. Your kid can be an overweight, sedentary, couch-tater, lost in the insane world of Tik-Tok or robbing & running down old ladies in the latest iteration of GTA. Or they can be outside getting some fresh air & much-needed physical activity. I'm a fan of the "you only live once" philosophy, so I opted for the 360 LED versions. If that is a bit much, save some coin & go for the 36-LED model. Either way, the TOSY LED & UltraLED Ultimate Disks offer a lot of fun & a whole new way to enjoy tossing a disk!
