PhotoBlocker Spray

image The makers of PhotoBlocker spray claim that their product will make your license plate invisible to photo radar, red light cameras, and infrared and laster cameras. Special crystals in the spray will reflect back the flash (or light source) used by these cameras, making your license look like a bright blur. Would this actually work? Would it be legal if it did? They say that the spray is invisible to the naked eye, which means that it won't be of much use if a cop pulls you over. Personally, I've always thought someone should make a stealth car, made out of the same material as the stealth airplanes. That would be cool. (via Red Ferret)

Law/Police/Crime Technology

Posted on Tue Dec 07, 2004



Comments

Here
Posted by Steve (smeggy)  on  Sun Oct 12, 2008  at  11:54 AM
Damn, a new page. The comment "this page of this thread" obviously applies to the previous page (9).
Posted by Steve (smeggy)  on  Sun Oct 12, 2008  at  11:56 AM
Steve is definitely right. I followed the directions to a tee with this Photoblocker and my plate showed up with all the numbers and letters. You are also right about refunding. I cannot find anywhere on Photoblockers website that mentions it, otherwise I would have mailed in my traffic violation photo. Plain and simple, Photoblocker does not work!!!
Dave from N.Y.
Posted by Dave  on  Mon Oct 20, 2008  at  10:17 PM
The only radar stealth I've ever hear of that I believe was in the 87 or 88 Taurus, they produced very few with an ultra thin wire defroster layered in the windshield which would cause radar guns to either not see the car at all or simply not be able to get a locked reading.

Course that all got to the point one in ten people know someone who has an uncle who has one mounted on an SHO that is constantly speeding without being ticketed 🙄
Posted by Mike  on  Tue Nov 11, 2008  at  07:47 AM
Nah, sorry mate but that
Posted by Steve (smeggy)  on  Tue Nov 11, 2008  at  05:02 PM
While typing that post I realised something else about these sprays, something quite ironic. I thought it so important that it deserved a separate post.

If these photoblocker sprays actually were retro-reflective (that
Posted by Steve (smeggy)  on  Tue Nov 11, 2008  at  05:05 PM
so is there anything that could work? down here in texas we have digital cameras (installed recently and more to come >.<). I want to make something that can cover your license plate for like 10 seconds after pressing a button in your car. a simple device, no? I'd just hit it when making a right turn or crossing a yellow light.

what's funny is that you don't have to pay the ticket, they won't put an arrest warrant on you like a real ticket, but you get bad credit cause they claim you owe them money. The actual company is based in Arizona, we have to pay the company in arizona, is that effed up or what? Personally I have never been caught by those cameras although on a couple of occasions i felt like "oh sh*t I'm sure I crossed that when it was red!", but no tickets as of yet :D
Posted by justneedstealth  on  Wed Nov 12, 2008  at  09:58 PM
Well it is us, we still sell the PHOTOSTOPPER spray and covers now almost 4 years. we add a NEW instruction to the website.
When using teh SPRAY your plate as instructed,
BUT NOW GET A CLEAR COVER, LIKE THE ONES FROM TEH DOLLER STORE AND SPRAY THE INSIDE OF THAT COVER A FEW TIMES LETTING IT DAY AND A FEW COTES ON TEH OUTSIDE AND LET IT DAY.

the reason for teh change is the cops are reversing the image with photoshop, so using the clear cover will give you a stronger flash back.

we were only notified by two people who sent us in a copy of the summons and you can tell the first picture of the whole car the spray worked, you cannot read the plate, but the close up of the plate was lightly able to read, but you can see the different shows now and tell what the cops did.
htp://www.photoblockercanada.com
Posted by Photoblocker Canada  on  Mon Dec 01, 2008  at  03:41 PM
Gee, could there be ANYONE more reputable than someone who can't spell "the" and "dry" and who sells crap that allegedly helps people break the law?
Posted by Cranky Media Guy  on  Tue Dec 02, 2008  at  02:02 AM
Huh...I thought I'd removed that post. Oh well...
Posted by Smerk  on  Tue Dec 02, 2008  at  06:09 AM
well, Photoblocker was busted by the AG for selling the spray, so if it did not work then why would the gov. care?
they must be worried.
Posted by Mike  on  Tue Dec 02, 2008  at  11:17 AM
Well, I had to have my input huh ;c)

Posted by Steve (smeggy)  on  Tue Dec 02, 2008  at  12:36 PM
First of all, let's get the 800 pound gorilla out of the room. Everyone speeds. You speed, I speed, we all speed. Even "Cranky" speeds despite his doomsday diatribe of imminent death and destruction. All you have to do is drive anywhere and observe, who's doing the speed limit? Virtually nobody! So let's not get all self-righteous here. There's a difference between wreckless driving and speeding.

That said, Although it probably does work in ideal circumstances (if your plate is spotlessly clean and at the correct angle) Photoblocker spray is probably the least effective tool for defeating our unconstitutional speed cameras. But it is the most invisible. So if you're worried about anyone seeing your countermeasures it is your only option.

The most effective countermeasures are the clear lenses that distort the view of the plate when viewed at an angle. Despite the illegal nature of the lenses I've been driving around with them for just shy of four years and haven't had a problem with law enforcement.

In fact, the law enforcement personell that I've spoken to regard speed cameras the same as a clerk regards self-checkout registers. They're there to eliminate jobs. So as long as you're not driving like a nut it is doubtful you'll encounter a problem.
Posted by GLK  on  Mon Jan 05, 2009  at  08:31 AM
The stuff is absolute crap. I just bought a can of this stuff for my uncle for his birthday and sprayed his truck and mine with it. Well guess what? He just got a ticket with a picture of his bright, shiny liscense plate in the mail. Not only doesn't this stuff work, but I think it actually makes it easier for the camera to take a picture of your plate by giving it a cleaner, brighter appearance. This is the second camera ticket he's gotten and it is definetly more easy to read than the first one.

Any one who says this snake oil in a can works is lying through their teeth.
Posted by Aaron  on  Wed Jan 07, 2009  at  02:52 PM
The best defense against radar tickets is DO NOT SPEED ya damned idiots and it is FREE! I was on the fire department for six years. FD studies showed that driving 35 mph through the city got the truck to the scene almost as fast as hauling ass between lights then slowing down at intersections and speeding up again and there were fewer accidents and there was less wear and tear on the vehicle. This was a comprehensive study that involved thousands of emergency vehicles and 10's of thousands of emergency calls. The times for leaving the station and arriving at the scene were taken from the emergency reports and is indisputable. Speeding in city traffic just doesn't pay off. Calm down and enjoy the ride and save your kids' lives and maybe those of others.
Posted by Howard Taylor  on  Thu Feb 19, 2009  at  07:55 AM
@ Howard Taylor:

There is a big difference between driving on the edge through cities in a heavy vehicle, and normal travelling. It is expected that slowly accelerating vehicles, when negotiating their way through short straights (congested cities), will rarely manage high speeds; the higher speeds they do reach last for very short periods. Your comparison couldn
Posted by Steve (smeggy)  on  Thu Feb 19, 2009  at  10:24 AM
The Photo Blocker does NOT work. I applied 5 coats of this stuff to my plates -- got a speed photo radar ticket 3 month later. Save your $$$$ cause you'll need it to pay for the ticket(s).
Posted by John  on  Thu Mar 12, 2009  at  08:10 AM
I bought phtoblocker.. cleaned my plate and carefully applied 5 heavy coats over a five hour period. I have gotten 3 photo tickets in the two weeks since applying photo blocker spray. The spray did NOTHING to compromise the radar photo.
I have faxed one of the tickets to the makers per their request and have as of yet heard nothing.In my opinion, this is a scam product.
Posted by Robert McEachern  on  Fri Mar 27, 2009  at  07:49 AM
Watch this, I wouldn't use the product.

http://www.ketv.com/news/8068453/detail.html
Posted by Conan  on  Sun Apr 05, 2009  at  10:43 AM
I purchased Photoblocker Spray only because I saw the Fox News and Denver Police Department Videos on their website. I applied "exactly" as the instructions read and today I received an electronic ticket in the mail with my license plate reading clear and exact. This stuff is a scam and based on very personal experience, don't buy it and waste your money. I live in Phoenix and these cameras are everywhere both stationary and mobile. Again, don't waste your money on this scam!
Posted by Bill  on  Tue Apr 07, 2009  at  04:44 PM
I have a $40 ticket that says this scam does NOT work. DO NOT BUY this junk!!!!!!!!!1
Posted by william nelson  on  Thu Aug 13, 2009  at  07:43 AM
Did you guys ever think that the reason FOX news and all those other news stations are lying to you about the photoblocker not working? That is what the news is for, they lie to you, why, becasue they are getting paid to put stuff on the air. I work for the a local government and I found out that our casino pays the news and the local newspaper not to report the local violence in my town so that more people will come to the casino and not be afraid of being shot at. And another thing, of course the police are going to say it doesn't work, they are getting paid by a department that benefits from it. They are told what to say, by getting a paycheck every 2 weeks.
So the best thing to do would be to see if it works for yourself and stop believing the bullshit on the news. I am turning off my TV for good as the bullshit is at an alltime high. WHY DO YOU THINK OBAMA HAS ALL THIS REPORTING ON HEALTH CARE, IT IS SUPPOSE TAKE OUR ATTENTION AWAY FROM WHAT HE IS DOING OVER IN AFGANISTAN!!!!!
Posted by Paul  on  Thu Oct 29, 2009  at  06:43 AM
That's right, Paul. It's all a HUGE conspiracy to convince people that Photoblocker doesn't work.

"WHY DO YOU THINK OBAMA HAS ALL THIS REPORTING ON HEALTH CARE, IT IS SUPPOSE TAKE OUR ATTENTION AWAY FROM WHAT HE IS DOING OVER IN AFGANISTAN!!!!!"

Actually, it's even more insidious than that. If you look closely at the anchors on CNN, you'll see that they're actually all Obama wearing different masks. Yes, "President" Obama is the person READING THE NEWS. That way he can insure that the "news" is exactly what he wants it to be.

I don't know all the details of this vast conspiracy concerning health care and Photoblocker, but I'm sure it involves the pyramid with the eye on the back of the dollar bill in some way.
Posted by Cranky Media Guy  on  Thu Oct 29, 2009  at  01:52 PM
hi all,
i was very interested in this topic that i read the whole 5 yrz thread.

regarding the spray thingy, from a photographer view and the radar cameras in our cameras, that think cannot work at all, let's go technical ..

in our country there r both digital and films speed cameras, both with flash built in which fires all the time no matter what is the time of the day.

as a photographer i would rather say that the flash is too strong that it wont affect the picture weather its in the daylight or in the night. cuz once u have a strong flash and there's sumthing reflective in the other side, everything surrounding becomes black .. it totally black out.

and yes we have a glowing plate numbers. to get a right picture, the aperture would be really small. the speeding cameras are so advanced in technology that it's being bought in $10,000(s) bills, its able to focus, fire a flash and process a picture in less than a second.

for those who claim it works .. i would rather say u jst got lucky with it, like what happened with me once, i was driving like 180+ one day and i got flashed, i went mad so i sped up more to reach 200+ sumthing, and guess what, i got flashed again, till this moment no speeding tickets (or got jailed).

yet u cnt depend on luck every time, u cnt live forever, cuz i got flashed once at 237 and i got ticketed, since it was my first "mad" thing i jst paid the ticket without getting jailed .. xD

since that day i never got a speeding ticket again, i drive up to the speeding limits (that's why cruse control was made for), i reach my destinations at the same time, and i can assure im gna come back in one piece.
Posted by Hazza (dnt evn try to pronounce it)  on  Tue Nov 17, 2009  at  04:41 PM
i tried rubbing a chicken on my plate and it didnt work? now i used 1 can and gave the plate plenty of spray no tickets
Posted by shawn  on  Sat Mar 20, 2010  at  02:33 AM
there is a gadjet allready in every automobile that works 100% of the time. (with honest cops}. it is usually called a brake pedal. but again i say with honest cops. the number of dishonest cops is growing by leaps and bounds. perjury is becoming their way of life. where they used to be neatly dressed they now wear hippy cloths and talk trashy and vulgar. not the guys i used to respect. they have great pr but i have yet to see them in the top ten dangerous job lists. DON't run red lights. you may kill your own kid.
Posted by s.c.bushnell  on  Wed Jun 09, 2010  at  04:29 AM
I applied Photoblocker according to instructions and yet i get a speeding ticket in the mail. Cinditions were a little rain, overcast, and there was flash when the picture was taken. They told me to fax the ticket and they would investigate and get back to me in a few days. I've never heard back from them and now I can't can't even reach an operator anymore. Sounds like another fly-by-night scam.
Posted by RENE  on  Fri Jul 02, 2010  at  04:30 PM
💋 I am here to tell you this stuff DOES NOT WORK I got my proof in the mail today, 50.00 ticket...believe what you want, don't care,
Posted by Betty  on  Mon Aug 09, 2010  at  01:43 PM
Phantom plate is a complete scam! It does not work. Take it m me, I was a long time affiliate of theirs, promoting their product on my site. It made good money, at least on paper. But this company did not ever pay me my commission. And I am not the only one. This just goes to show how big a scam this is - the product does not work AND they do not pay their affiliates. Stay away from this sham of a company.
Posted by Alex  on  Fri Aug 20, 2010  at  09:49 PM
I put the photo blocker spray on my plate, let it dry, then re applied..3 times.

When I took a picture to test it, they were all blurred beyong recognition.

Works well with my camera.
Posted by tom  on  Mon Oct 11, 2010  at  05:45 AM
Photoblocker isn't designed to blur the characters; all it is meant to do is overexpose the image. Either someone doesn't know how to use a camera, or they are telling porkies!
Posted by Steve (smeggy)  on  Mon Oct 11, 2010  at  05:08 PM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lqMjDyHbhXk
Posted by dont buy it  on  Mon Nov 01, 2010  at  07:43 AM
why are you all still driving everywhere? just get scotty to beam you up. Problem solved.
Posted by Steve  on  Tue Nov 16, 2010  at  05:50 AM
I, myself bought a can of clear spray paint for less than 2$ from Wal*Mart and sprayed it on my plate. When I take a photo of my plate using a digital camera + flash, I get an overexposed image. I haven't gotten a red light ticket yet, but I don't think that's proof of anything. I am not considering buying photoblocker but if you are, try calling their customer service department and trying to ask for a refund BEFORE YOU BUY SOME. My guess is that nobody will answer you or you'll be put on hold forever.. then you'll have your answer.
Posted by Chazzer  on  Sun Nov 28, 2010  at  03:50 PM
Here's an idea, 100% guaranteed to prevent tickets. Don't run the red light. Too simple? Probably, but works every time it's tried.
Posted by Lawman  on  Wed Dec 08, 2010  at  06:42 PM
Alex you sound like a homo faggot. Fuck you you fucking queer. really i HATE you. dont go making important sounding quotes youre a nobody. FUCK YOU
Posted by Mark  on  Mon Dec 27, 2010  at  04:26 PM
Mark in Kts said:

"Alex you sound like a homo faggot. Fuck you you fucking queer. really i HATE you. dont go making important sounding quotes youre a nobody. FUCK YOU"

Boy, you just can't argue with logic like that.
Posted by Cranky Media Guy  on  Mon Dec 27, 2010  at  05:39 PM
I've taken the leap.

I've just received a can of Photoblocker spray, with the intention of doing objective, controlled, fully technically legitimate, irrefutable testing.

The spray was purchased directly from an official website, so there's minimal chance of it being a poor quality, cheap counterfeit.

I should say: there is no way I can prove if it absolutely works, but I can prove it if does absolutely nothing at all.
Posted by Steve (smeggy)  on  Fri Jan 07, 2011  at  11:40 AM
My controlled, half-plate testing shows the spray does not work.

It does not increase the reflectivity of a UK legal retro-reflective registration plate (this being highly reflective anyway); in fact the spray slightly reduced the reflectivity. All it does is create a slightly rough, glossy surface. So much for "over-exposing"!

I cannot show the raw results as I used my own registration plate for the examination.

If I do get results that I can show, I will probably place them on the Safe Speed website.
Posted by Steve (smeggy)  on  Sat Jan 08, 2011  at  05:34 PM
The trick here people is not to spray the whole plate. Cover the whole plate with FROG tape then carefully cut out the letters and numbers on your plate with a razor. Change the numbers using the razor to make a different number like 3=8, B=8, L=E, F=E do it for each number and letter. Then spray the plate with a vertical angle one coat 90 degrees right next coat 90 degrees left. Let dry and remove the rest of the tape. Now take a picture from any angle WOW what number is it a 3 or an 8 or was it an E,J or U could it be a 0-O-U-J-L-E-F I can't tell but photo cams cant. THIS does not work for radar There's another trick for that but it takes too long to explain. Have fun and stay safe.
Posted by Jerry  on  Sat Jan 29, 2011  at  01:05 PM
@Jerry,
I think you need to read the post prior to yours.

The spray does NOTHING; my half-plate testing proves this. Half of the plate was sprayed, the other half covered; this enabled a direct side-by-side comparison.

- It does not affect the retro-reflectivity of the characters
- It does not affect the retro-reflectivity of the background

Given these results, it is obvious that your idea cannot work.
Posted by Steve (smeggy)  on  Sun Jan 30, 2011  at  09:38 AM
Consider this...

Have any of you taken a photo of your car's license plate when the light conditions are such that the flash goes off... Go and have a look at your photos where there is a car in the background, or go and take a photo and have a look at it... Now-when you take ordinary photos of an ordinary (non-photblocked) car where the flash was triggered, you will notice that WITHOUT photoblocker, the naturally reflective surface of the plate is such that all you get is an overexposed licence plate - a white glare so bright that you can’t read the plate...

Now, consider this - if a NORMAL camera, taking a photo of a NORMAL plate, is enough to make the plate unreadable, it stands to reason that the authorities have long ago developed a camera/flash that does NOT glare like a normal camera would, in order for them to recognise your licence plate... and if they have done this FROM THE ONSET, what makes you think that you can outsmart their camera's by spraying a glossy/reflective finish over an already reflective surface, a catachrestic of a NORMAL, NON-PHOTOBLOCKED licence plate that was overcome years ago....????

I’m Sorry, but until their websites can explain SCIENTIFFICALLY how their product "reacts differently" to a flash, I will not buy it. Merely showing me a before and after photo of an effect my normal camera en licence plate does ANYWAY, is not going to convince me..
Posted by Xeffer  on  Thu May 23, 2013  at  04:35 AM
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