Frequently Asked Lifejacket Questions
Check our most frequently asked questions here, if you still need help then please contact us at hello@tornadolifejackets.com
Research shows that wearing a lifejacket can increase your chances of survival by up to four times if you're in cold water*. Therefore, wearing a well fitted, well maintained, appropriate lifejacket could save your life. To find out whether a lifejackets is required by law in your country, you can read our blog post here >
* Professor Mike Tipton, 2012.
The main aim of a lifejacket is to keep a wearers airway open by rotating them into a face up position with their head above the water. The orange jacket, or bladder, along with reflective tape is used to increase your chances of being seen in the water while a whistle is always included to attract attention in an emergency.
The purpose of a buoyancy aid is to simply aid the wearers buoyancy in the water, unlike lifejackets which are life-saving devices. Lifejackets offer a higher standard of performance, turning the wearer on their back and fully supporting them with their face out of the water. Using a buoyancy aid assumes the user is able to help themselves either by swimming to safety or to tread water while assistance arrives.
You can read more about buoyancy aids here >
The 'N' stands for Newton, and a Newton is a measurement of force used to indicate how much buoyancy a lifejacket has. The higher the Newton number the more buoyancy it has. Generally speaking, the further away from safety and the more extreme the conditions, the higher number of Newtons will be required in your jacket for your safety.
Read more about Newons here >
All our lifejackets are put through rigorous tests in a cutting-edge testing facility and are both CE Certified and confirm to European safety standards.
Yes, all of our lifejackets are design and tested to turn the wearer safely on their back within 10 seconds. Please note: buoyancy aids are not. You can read about the difference between a lifejacket and buoyancy aid here >
Our 100N lifejacket and 50N buoyancy aid come in a range of options for different wearer's weight, ranging from 30kg through to 90+kg. Please make sure that you purchase the life jackets or buoyancy aid which matches the wearer's weight accurately.