DHB Reflective Buff

The Buff is a classic piece of kit for outdoor enthusiasts of all persuasions - a tube of fabric that turns into a scarf, hat, bandana, balaclava or face mask – and most popular with cyclists to go under a helmet or round the neck on winter days. This reflective version is your standard Buff with the addition of two strips of Scotchlite silver tape which'll bounce back the beam of car headlights when riding at night.

We reviewed the Buff Reflective here on road.cc back in 2009 and it's not clear if this new version is a new design or just new colours.

Either way, the Buff undoubtedly performs as a handy lightweight versatile accessory, and the reflective material is a good idea from a safety point of view. But it doesn't quite make the grade from the comfort angle, simply because the silver strips are quite coarse against the skin compared to the silky touch of the rest of the garment.

Most of the silver strips are on the outside and not in contact with the skin anyway, but where the top and bottom of the Buff fold over when in scarf mode, that's when you can feel it. This could have been avoided if the Buff had shorter strips of reflective material, or maybe incorporated dots of reflective material into the pattern, but that would presumably mean a different manufacturing process.

For runners or hikers using the Buff as a hat or balaclava this reflective feature might be useful, but for cyclists I'm not convinced it's a great leap forward. I'll stick with my standard original Buff, and for night riding I'll just make sure I've got reflective strips on my tights and jersey.

Verdict

Classic piece of kit with additional safety feature that may be of limited use for cyclists.