Embroidered
Reflective Patches
Ideal
for Jackets, Vests, Chaps, Backpacks, Luggage, and other flexible
surfaces and clothing.
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Vinyl
Reflective Patches
Best
for Helmets, Bikes, Metal,
Hard Saddlebags, Cars, Trucks
and all smooth rigid surfaces.
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More Information:
All About Custom Patch
Orders
Nightfire Patches does make
custom embroidered retro-reflective patches, but only in orders of fifty
patches or more for each design. Read the following information before
making your request-it will answer many of your questions, and save
you a lot of time. We do not make exceptions on quantity (read "Minimum
Custom Orders and Cost").
Nightfire Patches will also
make custom vinyl retro-reflective patches in orders of fifty patches
or more for each design, if we approve your design. We will make exceptions
to our minimums if you are interested in upsizing a vinyl design we
already produce-but be prepared for the cost to be 2 1/2 to 3 times
the price of the ones available on our website. Making a single upsized
patch takes more time, and wastes more vinyl material.
Minimum Custom Orders and
Cost
Here are the facts: 1) we set our minimum custom order at 50 patches
for each custom design, because it's not cost effective to do fewer;
and 2) a custom patch will be priced similarly to comparative sizes
on our website.
Why? You don't want to pay
$200 or more for one custom patch, but that may be the cost to produce
the first one, due to set up costs, etc. High tech retro-reflective
material requires special handling, which makes it more expensive than
non-reflective patches, and adjusting your design for production is
time consuming. (Hey, if it was easy you wouldn't need to ask us to
do it.) Your costs for custom patches, depending on the design and sizes,
will be comparable to those on our website, so you can use those as
sizing and pricing guides. So, for example, if your custom design is
approximately the size of our Blade Wings, the price will be about the
same, plus shipping and handling. Pricing may vary based on intricacy,
number of colors, size, and other options.
Our 50 number minimum price
includes design transfer, set up costs, and our peel and stick, iron,
and sew on options, or any combination thereof. If you prefer we can
offer a Velcro application for a small increase, or, as we've done for
some fire and rescue groups, with no plastic type backing at all (just
sew-on ability).
Custom Designs and Colors
The retro-reflective material is currently available in silver-grey
or white (road-worker orange and green are also available, but most
people prefer the white or silver-grey). We will update the website
(and you'll see new patches on our site) when more colors become available.
We do not have retro-reflective thread available at this time-we know
it's out there, but it's very tough to work with-we'll update this information
if that changes. We recommend that you make the most use of the material
in your design, since it will be the part of the patch with retro-reflective
capability. We can provide some design assistance, and are happy to
give you advice, but we do not design your patch based on rough drawings
or ideas. You may include several different colors of thread in your
design, and your patch can be just about any size-remember that as it
gets bigger, so does the price, since it involves more work and materials.
How soon can I get my Custom
Order, and when do I pay?
After we finalize your design, etc., we'll need your payment to process
the order and begin work on it. All custom orders are final, but are
warranted for initial defects. From the time the order is processed,
it generally takes about three weeks to complete.
Sending Your Design
If possible, we prefer designs sent in a JPEG format, but we can work
with just about anything. The clearer your information, picture, etc.,
the better we can work with your concept. Please give us as much information
as possible about your design, the size, and what colors you want.
Can you make any design into
a custom patch for me?
We can make most original designs or logos into a reflective patch.
Don't send us any artwork that you don't have the copyright owner's
permission to use. You are responsible for making sure that you have
the right to produce your patch design, and that you are not violating
any copyrights by doing so.
If you have further questions
about custom ordering, please contact us at:
inquiries@NightfirePatches.com
Please include your phone number, name, and your question
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Fast Facts on Retro-Reflective
Patches:
- Don't stick vinyl retro-reflective
patches on soft surfaces. They're meant for hard surfaces like helmets
(see "Attach Your Patch").
- Don't stick embroidered retro-reflective patches to helmets, bikes,
etc. They're meant to be used on clothing or outerwear (See "Attach
Your Patch").
- Don't launder vinyl retro-reflective patches! They aren't meant for
clothing, and they don't respond well to washing machines or dryers.
- We don't recommend putting embroidered retro-reflective patches in
heated dryers. It's possible that the plastic iron-on/peel & stick
backing could melt onto other clothing. Air-drying is best.
- Peel & Stick works great on most stuff, but have your patches
sewn down for best, long term results (see "Attach Your Patch").
- We can't make one custom retro-reflective patch for you; we can make
fifty or more of each design-see "All About Custom Patch Orders".
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Frequently Asked Questions
Q. Why are custom Nightfire
Patches more expensive than non-retro-reflective patches?
A. Retro-reflective material is a high-tech product. Fifty thousand glass
beads per square inch make up this material, so the cost to produce
and work with it is higher, and requires special techniques, set-up,
and equipment. Non-retro-reflective patches are easy and cheap to make,
since they are made from inexpensive materials. There are plenty of
regular patch producers out there who would love to make great, inexpensive,
non-reflective patches for you.
Q. Do you have any more patches
than what I see on the website?
A. We try to post new patches as soon as we get them in stock, so what
you see on the website is what we've got. We often give our current
customers a heads up when we get new designs in-if you haven't ordered
from us, yet, but want to be included in email updates or discount promotions,
send us an email at: headsup@nightfirepatches.com
We don't sell your email address to anyone, or use it irresponsibly-we
hate that kind of stuff.
Q. Can I get a discount? How
about if I want to order a lot of patches?
A. We send out discount coupons with orders, and we have periodic sales
or closeouts posted on our website. We will also occasionally send offers
on email. If you want to be included in our discount promotions, send
us an email at:
discounts@nightfirepatches.com Any orders over $100 get free shipping
automatically-if you get one of our coupons and order enough for the
free shipping, it's a real deal!
Q. We're having a club event-can
Nightfire Patches be there?
A. We've been invited to some great club events, and we love to come and
bring patches, but currently we're pretty tied up in the office. We'd
love to offer your club a special discount for the event-send us an
email, or give us a call and we'll talk about what we can do for you.
Q. Are the patches colorfast,
or will they "bleed" when washed?
A. The rayon or polyester/rayon thread is colorfast, and won't run onto
other fabrics.
Liz's tests: I've had the pink rose patches and the purple and pink
hearts on a white mesh jacket for over three years without any color
bleeding whatsoever in the laundry. The patches have gone through the
washer with all my whites, and there's been no transfer of color to
my other clothes.
Q. How long does the peel and
stick feature last?
A. We've used the peel and stick on our leathers and never sewn them on-even
after four thousand miles of riding, in everything from 30-degree weather
to sweltering heat. On our mesh and other materials we've used the peel
& stick, but had to iron down on the edges and points after washing
(using the press cloth method we describe in "Attach Your Patch"),
but they're still on without sewing (can you tell we are lazy and don't
like to sew?). We do recommend sewing for the longest lasting method,
but the peel and stick and iron-on features offer alternatives-and instant
gratification.
Liz's tests: I've got some naked leather chaps and a jacket that I decided
to change patches on. I peeled off patches I'd peeled and stuck on after
a couple of thousand miles without any damage to my leathers (high grade
naked leather). The peel and stick feature left a little glue that I
rubbed off pretty easily. Not all leathers are made the same way, so
we can't guarantee you'll have the same experience, but I thought that
was great, and worth mentioning.
Russ' tests: I decided to change some patches on my mesh and material
jacket when we got new ones in. I'd ironed mine on, and they'd been
there for several thousand miles, so I wondered if they'd damage my
jacket when I peeled them off. Turned out it wasn't a problem, and they
didn't seem to leave any significant residual glue. I stuck on the new
ones and was ready to ride. I changed some others that were peeled and
stuck on my cowhide leather, and after I rubbed off a little residual
glue, the leather looked great. I stuck the new one on and rode!
Q. How do the patches
age?
A. Our tests have been going
for several years, now, and the patches are holding up great. The embroidery
threads stay tight, and the reflectivity seems as good as ever. It's
going to depend on what you put yours through, of course, but they seem
pretty tough.
Liz's tests: After 1500 miles of riding in 80 to 105 degree weather,
and after lots of washing my white mesh and ironing down the patches
afterward, I held up a new patch next to the old ones. They still looked
great, and the colors were true, although I'd say the white material
took on a bit of a creamy tone after being exposed to all the dust,
grime, bugs, heat, and detergent. I checked on the staffs' silver-grey
patches after the same time and conditions, and they looked as good
as ever.
Russ' tests: We changed some vinyl patches on helmets after a couple
of years-we didn't see any degradation to the reflective vinyl or the
helmet when they were removed. Had some residual glue to rub off, but
the helmet looked like new, and we stuck on more vinyl patches.
Q. Can I get a custom patch?
A. Please see our "Custom Orders" section for all the answers
on this-it'll answer most of your questions. (Hey, that's why we write
this stuff!)
Q. Can I talk you into making
my custom design and selling it on your website, so I only have to buy
one?
A. We have a long list of patches we're planning to produce as we expand.
It's tough to come up with something that 100 or so people want to buy,
since we're all individuals-which is why we offer a variety of patches
on our site. Before we create a new patch, we have to decide if it's
going to appeal to most of our buyers. We're willing to listen to ideas,
but consider whether 100 people you know would be seriously interested
in buying it before you give us your pitch.
Q. I'm thinking of making a
large custom or dealer order; can I get a sample of your patches?
A. It's been our experience that if you're serious about getting retro-reflective
patches, you'll actually buy one from our site. We rarely provide samples
due to this.
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Dealers
Q. How do I become a dealer
of Nightfire Patches?
A. If you're a patch re-seller, or have a shop that sells motorcycle accessories,
contact us! Let us know where you're located, the name of your business,
your phone number, your website address, and send us your email address
at inquiries@nighfirepatches.com. We'll get back to you with information
on our product pricing and options for dealers. We have a straightforward
program, with free shipping for large volume orders.
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Simple Volume Orders
Simple volume orders should
be verified first by email or telephone, to insure that we have enough
inventory to supply your needs in a timely fashion. All volume orders
are final, but are warranted for defects. Please contact us by email
or telephone in advance of placing an order.
If you're interested in becoming
a dealer/distributor of Nightfire Patches tm, please contact us at:
inquiries@nightfirepatches.com
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International Orders
Our website currently process
orders from the USA and its protectorates, but it starts getting confused
when we pass those borders. We are researching shopping carts that can
process international orders, but at this time we can fill international
orders with the following process:
Send an email to: orders@NightfirePatches.com
Please include:
- Which patches you are interested in ordering and how many of each,
- Your shipping address, and
- Your PayPal email address.
If you are not a PayPal member,
you can still use your charge card through PayPal. Let us know that
you are not a member, and we'll send you the invoice and instructions
for processing. If you have questions, please email us at inquiries@NightfirePatches.com,
and we will be happy to start a dialogue.
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About Our Company and
Products
We're a family-run, Texas-based
company. When you get a shipment, email, or phone call, it's from somebody
who cares about the product and your satisfaction. If we're busy when
you call or email we'll do our best to get your questions answered as
soon as we can.
We get asked a lot about
how we came up with this business. Anybody who has ever ridden a motorcycle
at night knows that there's a need to be more visible. Riding the long
roads of Texas, we got tired of high profile vehicles like trucks and
SUVs almost running us down before they spotted all the fancy lights
on our bikes. It didn't take long to realize that most drivers were
looking at the level of our leathers and helmets, rather than at the
fancy lights on our bikes.
Some states make this a bigger
problem by outlawing extra lights that can be mounted higher, including
brake lights-hard to believe, but true. (We still can't figure that
one out-I mean, come on! Has any motorcycle ever been mistaken for an
emergency vehicle?)
So, we started looking for
something with high reflectivity that also had some kind of cool factor
to put on our helmets, jackets and chaps, (hey, we don't want to look
like total geeks during the day). We just weren't into the road worker
vest thing, so we gave up and began working on our own designs, inspired
by tattoo art we'd seen. It took about six months to produce our first
patch. By the time the research and testing was done, we'd finally come
up with something our riding buddies were willing to wear, day or night.
Nightfire Patches always
has a new design in progress, so check our site periodically for new
options. It's our goal to produce only super reflective gear we'd wear-not
just anything that'll make a buck. If we sell it, we wear it.
We really appreciate your
business. It's our goal to give great customer service-it's a tough
commodity to come by these days, but we think it's important. If you
purchase a patch and want to show it and your bike off on our website,
send us a picture. We're collecting pictures to post, and there's a
good chance it'll make the cut.
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Contacting Us
Email is a good bet for getting
in touch with us, but if you want to talk, feel free to call. We do
our best to return emails or calls reasonably quickly-although if it's
a great day for riding, we might be out. Ask questions at: questions@NightfirePatches.com
or call (214) 684-1800 (sorry, this number is not currently toll free).
Leave us your name, number and/or email address, and your question--and
let us know when's a good time to call you back (just use your time
zone-we'll figure out the difference). We'll do our best to accommodate
you.
International customers:
please use email-see our "International Orders" section. We
love to hear from our customers, and we're happy to answer questions,
so don't hesitate to get in touch.
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