Nite Ize MTLP-08-07 MeteorLight K-9 Led dog ball, Disc-O

I purchased a few of these last year because I need a way to exercise my Corgis on a daily basis (a tired Corgi is a happy Corgi, but they build up energy fast!) despite not getting home until after dark in the fall and winter months. I tried a couple of the "glow-in-the-dark" balls but they are not very bright or they are too soft and the glow doesn't last more than a couple of minutes. So I did a bit of casual research and found this product, thought "what a great idea!" and purchased one.The first ball lasted about two days. Now I know I have the only Corg in the world that can compete with the old James Bond villian "Jaws" but I had hoped for a little better durability. The dog was able to somehow work the plug for the LED/Battery Module loose and the module plus it's holder fell out of the ball. I was able to find both pieces and reassemble the ball, but it continued to fall apart every few throws until the holder for the LED module was lost. I contacted both the vendor I purchased it from and they replaced it with no questions asked. After I received the replacement ball, it to lasted only a few days before failing again in the same manner as the first. I contacted Nite Ize to express my disappointment with the product and its design. Surprisintly (in this day and age anyway) I received an email from a Nite Ize customer support representative within a day or so. I explained my issues with the product as well as my desire to purchase a couple of LED modules and thier holders. I was informed that I could not purchase these parts seperately but they did send me two replacement balls as well as a couple of LED modules + their holders at no cost. I still had the same issues with the product but I was able to continue using them by using the spare parts and mixing parts from the previous balls as necessary and was able to get through until the days once again lengthened enough to go back to our standard "Chuck It" balls. I also had problems with the lights turning themselves off after a moderate bounce but I solved that by using the "Chuck It" to lob the ball at a shallower angle so that it rolls along the ground with only a couple of short hops and when I replaced the batteries in preperation for this seasons use, I bent the prongs for the batteries down a bit so they held the everything more securely and so far so good for this season.I think this could be a really "killer" product with a little redesign (even though I'm not sure exactly what should be changed) and I would like to be able to purchase some spare LED Modules & holders rather than having to purchase new balls when I'm no longer able to repair them. The actual balls are extremely durable (remember my iron-jawed Corgi) and the worst damage I've seen to one is some surface scuffs where the pups have dragged them across the gravel driveway.PROS:Very bright LED. It's easy to see buried in several inches of snow or buried in a litter of leaves or other yard debris.It floats!It looks so COOL at night (and even a bit spooky!) when you just see the little ball bobbing over the ground.The Corgi's LOVE them!Fairly good battery life, about two weeks of 45 minutes/day of use.CONS:LED module/holder falls out of the product way too easy but you can't pry it out to change the battery!LED module is sensitive to moderate jolts and will switch off the light and eventually fail completely.

I bought my first Nite Ize ball for our rescue border collie. She HAS to chase a ball to the point of exhaustion practically every day or there's no living with her. Since I have a long commute home from work, it is almost always after dark when I get home, so I needed some way to play fetch with her in the dark. I bought the Nite Ize because it is bright enough to see even at a long distance in the fog and because it stays on until turned off rather than shutting itself off after a few seconds like my first light up ball. She loved it and so did I until we started having problems. Now I have just placed an order for my 4th ball in about as many months.I use a Chuck-It to launch the ball through the trees and into the open area of our back yard. I never had any problems with it, even when I threw it really high, but that may be because the ground is so soft in our yard. Then one night I misjudged my throw and it smacked into the trunk of a tree just a few yards away. The ball, the plug, the light, and the batteries all flew in different directions. I was able to find all the parts, but on of the leads going to the LED had broken, so the ball was dead.Then I ordered the second one. On the second throw, I hit the very same tree with the same results. So I ordered a third. This time I was very, very careful to avoid the ball-eating tree and the ball worked like a charm. I turned it off when I was done and the next night when I went to turn it on it wouldn't come on at all. I assumed the batteries that had shipped with it were faulty, so I bought some new batteries at the drug store (Energizers) and replaced them. It worked perfectly that night, but the next night it was dead again.So now I'm ordering #4. I'm disappointed that I have had so many problems with these balls, but they are so great for what I need and my dog loves them so much, I just have to keep trying. :)For those who have commented on how hard it is to get the plug back in after changing the batteries, here's a tip from someone who's gotten quite good at taking these things apart and putting them back together: when you're ready to reinsert the plug, wet the edge of the wide rim at the bottom of the plug. It doesn't have to be much - I usually just wet my finger at the sink and run it around the edge. Then angle the plug about 45 degrees to get the wide rim about halfway in. From there, twist it while pushing it in. Just that little bit of moisture is enough to let the plug turn as you push it in and it easily (well, mostly) snaps into place.By the way, I kept all the dead ones. I just remove and discard the plug and they make great daytime balls/chew toys for the dogs. They're pretty well indestructible and without the plug there's very little choking danger, so at least it's not a total loss when they die.

This ball is great and has made my dogs very happy. It means we can play ball in the fields even in the dusk or full darkness and the ball almost never gets lost - it glows coloured in the dark and is white against the grass in daylight when turned off. We got one for each dog and both love it. I was worried that it might be too big for our smallish Border Collie, but she can manage it fine both in terms of size and weight and as she is a bit short-sighted its changing colours suit her very well and help her continue with her love of chasing balls despite the onset of old age eyesight troubles. I was also worried that our Chocolate Labrador would destroy it as he is pretty old and likes to chase a ball once or twice and then lie down and chew it for 10 minutes before having another throw. He can destroy a tennis ball in every walk, even a short one, and so it was a concern about what he might do with this. However, we have had it almost six months now, in use most days, and although he does try chewing it, it doesn't yield and so is as pristine as the day we got it. Top marks for this all round and well worth the money.

This ball works well - it is bright enough to be seen in longish grass, it is rugged, and my dog (border collie) hasn't managed to switch it off with the power of its bite. I can switch it on/off using both thumbs, but my wife struggles. Unfortunately it lets in water (which is all too abundant in the UK), and when water gets in it will switch itself off. This has happened once, but fortunately my dog was right next to it and I managed to find it with my torch. Although it warns you to dry it all out after a wet session, it's a bit of a pain. It is not easy to prise out the battery/light mechanism and replace. I have solved the problem by putting a small elastic band around the switch mechanism to provide a seal, so if you buy one (recommended) I would do this before you start.

I bought three of these for juggling.They have a decent glow to them for night time juggling although the light is not uniform around the whole ball.It is not that noticeable when juggling. These are great for the price compared expensive professional LED juggling equipment. You do have to be carefull when juggling as they do have a good bounce to them.I haven't done a battery run time test so I am not sure how long they last.I gave this item 4 of 5 stars because of the Led light is not uniform around the ball and there is a dark spot near the battery compartment but still fun to juggle.

We loved this and so did our Springer who spends an hour every week day night chasing it in the park. The different colours were very effective and made it seem like disco ball chasing. It also gave Darcy's friends a guiding light to her so we could meet up for a run around together. It did last for. Month so that was approx 35 hours but I have found it hard to find replacement batteries as it is two very slim round cell ones but if you put in one that we tried it is not a snug fit but two won't fit. If the supplier also sold the replacements I would have given this 5 stars but it was great whilst it lasted!

I have been ordering these balls for several years now. It wasn't until this recent batch that the balls starting having issues. I only get about 4 or 5 throws out of the ball before it explodes apart. I use the balls, like most Canadians would, in the pitch black dark, cold winter nights. After my dog retrieves the ball, on about the 5th trip back to me it is covered in a lot of dog slobber.... I can only assume that the slobber works its way into the plug and once I toss the ball again (with a chuck-it) and it hits the frozen ground... the ball EXPLODES apart and all the pieces go in about 4 different directions and cover a diameter of about 100 feet. Of course since it is pitch black and there is a ton of snow....this ball is garbage now....