Product Review: Nite Ize Glowstreak LED Ball

I was given this Nite Ize Glowstreak LED Ball at SuperZoo, and my dogs are absolutely thrilled with it. This is easily the best nightime ball we've tried, and it solves all of the problems we've had with similar products. It's grippy, bouncy, waterproof, holds up to chomping, and is bright but not too bright.

Photo by Erin Koski

The Glowstreak ball seems like it was designed by people who had the same problems I have had with light-up balls. Glow in the dark balls have to be charged ahead of time, they don't glow very brightly or very long. Hard plastic LED balls don't bounce very high, and they hurt to catch.

Nite Ize already makes fantastically durable carabiner lights with replaceable batteries. The Glowstreak ball is basically an extension of that technology. The Glowstreak ball is motion-activated, after it hits something it flashes for a while before eventually shutting off.

Unlike a lot of light-up balls, this one is waterproof and bouncy. It's the size of a tennis ball, but with plenty of grooves to give it a good grip and make it easier to dislodge if a bigger dog gets it stuck in their throat. (Safety tip, don't let your big dog play with a small ball!)

Photo by Erin Koski

The heart of the Glowstreak ball is the removable core, which must be unscrewed. The core contains the lights and also the batteries. It seals inside the rest of the ball, making the entire thing waterproof. It's really quite durable too! Zip managed to unscrew it once, and the ball isn't any worse for the wear.

Pros: Soft, bouncy, bright but not blinding. Waterproof. Batteries can be replaced. Can take a bit of chomping, I let Zip gnaw it for a bit and though she unscrewed the core she didn't hurt anything.

Cons: Only comes in tennis ball size, no larger option for larger dogs.

Bottom Line: Now that the days are getting shorter, we are getting a lot more use out of our Nite Ize Spotlit beacons. We have them in pink, green, and blue so I can identify the dogs by color in the dark. Fortunately our Glowstreak ball has red LEDs.