Early morning and late evening walks with your furry friend just got a bit brighter thanks to the FIDA LED Dog Leash
FIDA Retractable LED Lighted Dog Leash
Early morning and late evening walks with your furry friend just got a bit brighter thanks to the FIDA LED Dog Leash. I am all about safety and convenience as caretaker to an audacious two-year-old hound, and this innovative leash promises to deliver both. In this review, I'll share my experience and thoughts on FIDA’s handy new accessory.
Design and Quality:
Out of the box, the first thing that caught my attention about this leash is its lightness compared to the robust Auto Brake Leash (ABL) - which I’ve been using twice a day for the last six months. I was worried that the difference in material and design would mean a less durable product (and there are some slight drawbacks), yet I’ve come to love the ergonomic and reliable changes. The retraction mechanism and lock operate smoothly. The handle is comfortable to hold over long periods, for both small and large hands, and the significantly reduced weight makes walks light and breezy. The tether seems slightly thinner than the hardy ABL one, but comes with the added benefit of being reflective.
Safety:
The standout feature of this leash is undoubtedly the built-in lights. Perfect for after dark strolls or early morning walks, the LED light helps me avoid trips on uneven sidewalks and even with picking up poo. Additionally, this leash offers added peace of mind while the reflective tether and ambient, colorful side lights make us more noticeable to passing vehicles and pedestrians. The headlight is bright enough to illuminate our path without being too harsh. Plus, the option to toggle between the front facing and ambient lights is nifty. The controls are intuitive, however I have found it sometimes gets activated unintentionally. Charging is quick, and FIDA provides a USB-B to USB-C cord. I cannot speak to the battery life since it’s now summertime and I’m not using the lights nearly as often as I would in the winter, but it seems good enough for multiple days.
Performance:
In terms of performance, the Retractable LED Dog Leash exceeds my expectations and is now my go-to. The tether seems slightly thinner than the hardy ABL one, and thus folds over more easily on itself - leading to the occasional jam. However, these are effortlessly undone by extending it a little farther out, and our dog frequently resolves them on his own without any intervention. The look overall is a striking and beautiful all-white. I worried too about this getting dirty quickly, but somehow the plastic and tether have held up well to a dog who loves running through underbrush and around trees / rocks/ buildings.
Overall, the FIDA Retractable LED Lighted Dog Leash is a game-changer for nighttime walks. Its durable build, integrated light, and added safety features make it a valuable asset to any dog owner.
This harness is without a doubt one of the best quality products you’ll find on the market - especially given the price!! As a pet-product enthusiast and owner of a uniquely proportioned hound dog, I have tried more than ten different harnesses / brands over the last year-and-a-half including Ruffwear, 2 Hounds, Kurgo, and more. While my conclusion is that there may not be a perfect harness out there *tear drop* for my specific dog because of his odd measurements, this product is one of closest to it that I’ve found so far. Here’s why:
Design and Quality (aka features, features, features):
There aren’t many harnesses that do half of what the Fida No Pull Harness does without breaking a sweat. The hidden saddle bags are drop-dead amazing, and I love the way they pack away directly into the body of the harness - solving the main issue of many pesky backpacking harnesses. The reflective zipper lining is well made and jam free. The poop bag dispenser is, well, indispensable. The traffic handle is super, super soft and well padded (nicest I’ve ever seen), the front no-pull ring is a major asset, and all the hardware on that thing is HARDCORE. I can’t imagine any piece of it ever breaking under hard use. The padded chest piece is an ideal design to prevent, what would otherwise be, straps from slipping side to side on the chest (seriously, what is any brand thinking when they design something like that?!) and causing the harness / pack to distribute weight incorrectly and chafe. I also like the over the head fit and appreciate that you don’t have to pull your dog's legs through anything.
Safety:
There’s not much to say here. From the thickness of the straps, to the quality of the hardware, to the stitching, this is one of the best made (and therefore safest) harnesses I’ve ever seen. I would even dare to guess that this is probably a great car harness, if that were something you were looking for too. The fit is generally ideal and doesn’t restrict shoulder blade movement (major no no in general, and especially when carrying additional weight). The only thing that could make it better is a third belly strap for long, skinny dogs like mine. Without it, overloading the packs can make it top-heavy on a downward incline and cause the whole thing to slip over the head.
Performance:
This is one of the only harnesses that has ever made it to the end of a walk or hiking trip without me hating its guts and cursing the name of whoever designed it. Some assets are: there’s no strap slippage or loosening once you’ve properly fit it to your dog (this will take a few minutes of work to get just right). My dog, at least, didn’t seem uncomfortable wearing it like he often does with other brands / designs. The hidden saddle bags are better than expected: I tested them out with 1 liter water bladders in each, thinking I may have gotten the best of the thin tent material, but I was wrong. Those things held up like champs, and when I folded them back afterwards you would never have known they were each carrying a kilo of weight a minute before. And you could easily fit a day or two of supplies in there for a weekend backpacking trip. The fabric of the yellow harness did look dirty pretty quickly, and I’m pretty sure that only gets worse with time. However, I tend to like high visibility products, especially if your dog goes off leash, so it’s probably still worth it. I haven’t attempted washing yet to see about staining.
All in all, I would highly recommend this product to anyone looking for a harness with any (or all) of the included features and I look forward to continuing to use mine for many years to come! Thanks Fida.