The information contained herein is the official RALETC results of our Veil G5 testing with the production product. As many of you know, we were given an early look at the G5 prototype. During this beta period we identified several issues with the product including the thickness, color, and consistency of the prototype G5. We also tested the G5 prototype against our own ALPR camera and reported these same results back to Veil Guy. As I had previously stated on this and other forums, I was quite preturbed with Veil Guy quoting stats from an adhoc test that he decided to partake in as a result of a prototype he had on his BMW. That test was NOT done on the official Veil G5 release and RALETC was not responsible for the application of the product on Veil Guys vehicle or the control in which the test was done as such we did NOT record any details. I still stand behind this statement and will officially say RALETC has still NOT tested G5 on a vehicle as of 3/19/2015.
There have already been numerous conversations about the effectiveness of G5 and the overall color and thickness of the product. Veil G5 does appear much darker than the previous G4 product and it is much thicker and much more difficult to make smooth. These consistency issues were also identified during our prototype test. The official stance is that the product to date is still too dark for a white license plate. I'm sure you've all seen these or similar pictures but here is an example for those of you that may have missed it.
As you can see on a white license plate the color is entirely too dark and will for sure get someone pulled over. VG has recommended using a plate cover as it yields better results and while the results do appear to be slightly better with a plate cover they are still too dark to prevent a road side disco. With this in mind we do not recommend using G5 on a license plate at this time. (VG has indicated they are working on making some changes to the color and hopefully a future release will be a better option for license plates). We also attempted to use an airbrush for a more consistent application, but unfortunately G5 is too thick and even diluting the product with water only resulted in spitting and sputtering from the paint gun. This too needs to be addressed for even, complete, and smooth coverage.
We also applied Veil G5 to a head light to see what the color and consistency looked like on the head light lens. Here is a comparison of the uncoated lens and a single coat of Veil G5.
Headlight Before Veil
After a Single coat of G5
As you can clearly see, a single coat of G5 on a headlight looks really good. We noticed some streaks in the single coat so we applied a second coat and while it is darker it is still very pleasing. It is transparent and doesn't appear to drastically affect the visible light from the head lamp. These are all very good, but how did it do against lidar?
Well unfortunately you can see even with 2 coats, lidar still passes through the lens without issue. So the question became does Veil actually work? How much Veil is required to get a reasonable amount of lidar blocked?
Here is our test board
It was discovered that consistent results began to appear after about 4-5 coats of G5. The consistency of the product is still poor as you will see lidar coming through in certain spots on the various test squares, but at least it appears to be blocking lidar to some degree. While I did not show this, even with the heaviest application of G5 it still passes visible light just not as bright. It also reflects IR as you could clearly see the IR illuminators for my camera reflecting off the Veil, but it does seem to block 905nm pretty effectively.
So what does all this mean? Basically the product appears to work, but it does need some modifications to be a viable solution. I think we may have been a bit hard on VG as a result of the initial tests, but hopefully he is motivated to improve the product even more. The consistency and spreadability of the product was the biggest disappointment for me, but hopefully this is something that can be addressed in addition to the obvious color issues. There is no doubt that G5 in its current form will not be usable by the masses as I suspect no one is going to put 5 coats of Veil on their car unless they have a black vehicle and even so the head lights cannot take that amount and still be usable. It's important to note that a light application of G5 on your head lights and your license plate alone will do ABSOLUTELY NOTHING with respect to protecting you from lidar. The tests here clearly show lidar pass through even past 3 coats. In order for this to be a truly passive solution one would need to cover all reflective areas on the front of the vehicle including the actual bumper and any surface that could reflect back to the gun. Again, this for most people is NOT an option and even VG does not recommend G5 on painted surfaces. Even at close distances most guns are going to produce a lidar signal big enough to encompass more than a license plate or head light and as a result covering only those areas will not be enough to prevent a lidar reflection. I would love to see this product in a clear bra format or something like an adhesive sticker in which Veil is infused. This would be an ideal solution as the consistency would be much more precise as compared to putting the product on with a foam brush.
In part 2 we will attempt to show how G5 might be used effectively! Stay tuned!
Originally Posted by Tman
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