Merry Christmas to Me...a little early!

[Steve NW WI]

Well, that's what I'm calling it anyhow, although I reserve the right to buy myself more "Christmas Presents" along the way yet.

I was in Fleet Farm tonight after work, stocking up on odds and ends for deer season. I took a gander through the saw section, and noticed a fairly cheap helmet system. I've been meaning to get one for a while, just never got around to it. I'll be dropping quite a few trees this year, and some I've scouted out are a little shaky, so I decided now was the time to buy it, and if I didn't like it, return it and hunt down different brands.

It's an AOSafety brand, although the hat itself says 3M, and the muffs are Peltor. It was +-$37.00. Here's a pic of it assembled with the box in the background:

The instructions might as well have been used to start the fire LOL. The usual unreadable, with vague pictures stuff. It took a couple tries to get the head harness right, but other than that, pretty much everything was a snap fit. The earmuffs work well, but the click in, click out mechanism is pretty stiff. I imagine it will wear in over time. Visor works as it should, and even the cheesy looking cloth cover fits well for now, until the elastic wears out. I'd say I got my money's worth, and for other occasional users, I think I'd recommend it. If I were wearing one all day, every day, I'd probably think differently, as I don't think it will last as well as the better ones over heavy use.

Next safety gear on the list, a pair of the Stihl antivibe gloves like Philbert had at the GTG last weekend. I've got a little bit of carpal tunnel/arthritis type stuff in one wrist, thanks to an old work injury, and I feel it after a day of cutting, even with the newer saws.

 

[valekbrothers]

Looks good Steve. I've been thinking I should wear something a little thicker than a baseball cap myself. looks like a good deal. As long as it is comfortable.
Keep us posted how it feels.

 

[darren_nh]

I have a very similar looking gizmo. I like it and it does beat a baseball cap as I don't need to wear glasses with the shield down. I hate foggy safety glasses. You will like your early gift.

 

[MN Ripper]

Steve was the $37 F&F's regular price or a sale price?

 

[Steve NW WI]

Just checked the receipt - $36.49. I believe this was regular price. This was at the new Fleet Farm store in Circle Pines, 35W and Lexington. I've been told (but not sure) that it's their biggest store, and I can vouch for the fact that it's quite a bit bigger than Hudson or Oakdale.

$.04/a gallon off on gas (when you buy something there) at the FF gas station never hurts either.

It's the most wonderful day of the year tomorrow, DEER SEASON OPENER, so I'm off to bed. Later everyone!

 

[Marine5068]

Nice Woodcutters Hardhat

I've got one too. They are SO nice to use and with the earmuffs you won't damage your hearing.
I got mine at a store called "Princess Auto" here in Ontario Canada. Really cheap buy but great for the average wood cutter.
Good luck and tell us how you like it.
~Stan (Madoc, Ontario)

 

[HOGBEAR]

Somehow my mesh ballcap and sunglasses dont comare.

 

[STLfirewood]

I have a very similar looking gizmo. I like it and it does beat a baseball cap as I don't need to wear glasses with the shield down. I hate foggy safety glasses. You will like your early gift.

Check out Baileys. They have safety glasses that are made out of a screen material. They work great for wood cutting and weed eating. I bought my dad a pair for $8-10 and he loves them. No fog.

Scott

 

[Streblerm]

Check out Baileys. They have safety glasses that are made out of a screen material. They work great for wood cutting and weed eating. I bought my dad a pair for $8-10 and he loves them. No fog.

Scott

+1 they work great. I am a big sweaty greasy monkey and I often find myself not wearing safety glasses because I can't see out of them. The mesh ones are GREAT.

 

[newb]

You guys amaze me. You will spare no expense on buying top of the line saws ,trucks, and other tools, but when it comes time to protect your head, you look for the cheapest thing out there. Its a false sense of security. If you want to be able to pronounce your grandkids names, please don't skimp on the helmet!! Pete

 

[unclemoustache]

You guys amaze me. You will spare no expense on buying top of the line saws ,trucks, and other tools, but when it comes time to protect your head, you look for the cheapest thing out there. Its a false sense of security. If you want to be able to pronounce your grandkids names, please don't skimp on the helmet!! Pete

How would one know what quality is? Is there an industry standard, or do we just go by name brand? I'm also in the market for a helmet system, but $50 is hard to come by right now.

 

[HEAVY FUEL]

It's says it's for lumberjacks. Can us hillbillys and rednecks use them too???

 

[Curlycherry1]

You guys amaze me. You will spare no expense on buying top of the line saws ,trucks, and other tools, but when it comes time to protect your head, you look for the cheapest thing out there. Its a false sense of security. If you want to be able to pronounce your grandkids names, please don't skimp on the helmet!! Pete

Pete raises a good point. I loathe to see people spend big bucks on tools and trucks then go at a tree with minimial to no PPE. I have been in the woods when a man died. I have carried a guy out of the woods that had his arm cut by a saw. A good friend has probably lost sight in his eye due to a racketball racket hitting him. There is NO, ZERO excuse for not using the right PPE.

Don't knock the 3M stuff. 3M bought Peltor a few years ago and so many products now are a combination of 3M and Peltor. 3M has bought a lot of safety equipment companies and they are now one of the largest manufacturers of safety equipment in the world.

There is a member here on AS that works for them and he does the testing of some of their stuff. 3M is VERY, and I do mean VERY proactive in not only meeting and exceeding the OSHA and ANSI standards, but they are often part of the teams that give input to the standards. For 6 years I worked next to the guy that helped write the N95 standard used in respirators. He is the world's foremost authority on what materials can stop viruses and filter them out of an air stream. He was the one that showed the previous standard was inadequate to protect people.

Rest assured, if 3M sells a piece of safety equipment it meets or more than likely exceeds the ANSI standards. I'll see if I can get the 3Mer to chime in.

 

[Steve NW WI]

How would one know what quality is? Is there an industry standard, or do we just go by name brand? I'm also in the market for a helmet system, but $50 is hard to come by right now.

It is ANSI Z89.1 rated, and OSHA approved according to the packaging.

It's says it's for lumberjacks. Can us hillbillys and rednecks use them too???

I reckon so, they done did solded this hick one!

Pete raises a good point. I loathe to see people spend big bucks on tools and trucks then go at a tree with minimial to no PPE. I have been in the woods when a man died. I have carried a guy out of the woods that had his arm cut by a saw. A good friend has probably lost sight in his eye due to a racketball racket hitting him. There is NO, ZERO excuse for not using the right PPE.

Don't knock the 3M stuff. 3M bought Peltor a few years ago and so many products now are a combination of 3M and Peltor. 3M has bought a lot of safety equipment companies and they are now one of the largest manufacturers of safety equipment in the world.

There is a member here on AS that works for them and he does the testing of some of their stuff. 3M is VERY, and I do mean VERY proactive in not only meeting and exceeding the OSHA and ANSI standards, but they are often part of the teams that give input to the standards. For 6 years I worked next to the guy that helped write the N95 standard used in respirators. He is the world's foremost authority on what materials can stop viruses and filter them out of an air stream. He was the one that showed the previous standard was inadequate to protect people.

Rest assured, if 3M sells a piece of safety equipment it meets or more than likely exceeds the ANSI standards. I'll see if I can get the 3Mer to chime in.

Thanks CC. I don't imagine that it would be very wise, liabiltywise for a corporation like 3M to put their logo on a piece of safety equipment that was substandard.

You guys amaze me. You will spare no expense on buying top of the line saws ,trucks, and other tools, but when it comes time to protect your head, you look for the cheapest thing out there. Its a false sense of security. If you want to be able to pronounce your grandkids names, please don't skimp on the helmet!! Pete

I've come a long way in the safety department in the last year or so. I was always a blue jeans and ballcap cutter until I wandered into this site. I spent good money on a set of Labonville full-wrap chaps that are now worn religiously. I could have bought a cheaper set, but the thickness, quality, and rave reviews on here made me upgrade, and I'm happy I did. I even plan to buy another pair for use when a friend comes over to help. As I said above, I wouldn't buy this unit if I was a pro, but not because it won't do it's job. The reason for that is that most all the moving parts are plastic, and I suspect they will wear out/break fairly quickly with day in/day out use. For as often as I'll be using it, I hope to get a few years out of it.

I'll not become one of the "safety Nazis" on here and yell everytime something isn't perfectly safe and armor-plated, but I will try to set a good example, like another post below shows, that can be more effective.

EDIT: Come to think of it, my Big shiny new saw you speak of WAS as safety improvement. My old big saw, an Olympik 271 doesn't even have a chain brake, only a cheesy plastic handguard.

 

[TreePointer]

I went to the AOSafety website to find the that helmet and there's a Peltor link there:

This looks like the helmet:
http://www.peltor.com/peltor.com/he...ily=Lumberjack-GP&ind_prod_num=45998-00001001

Looks like it meets all relevant safety standards. From there, it's a matter of how it fits and feels on your head, and how sexy you want to look on the job, IMO.

When cutting, I almost always wear the Stihl forestry helmet. If the AOsafety model fits my melon, I probably wouldn't hesitate to wear it, either.

In general, I like to wear MSA helmets just because they're a local company. Interestingly, the MSA version of the that helmet is very similar:

http://www.msanorthamerica.com/catalog/product503459.html

 

[Steve NW WI]

Treepointer, the Peltor link you gave is the same hat, but with the better (turnbuckle type) melon size adjustment. Mine, being cheaper, has the old baseball cap button style of adjusting.

The MSA looks to be the same hat, with some differences in the muffs, face shield, and probably suspension.

 

[dsm382]

I have a very similar looking gizmo. I like it and it does beat a baseball cap as I don't need to wear glasses with the shield down. I hate foggy safety glasses. You will like your early gift.

:agree2:

You guys amaze me. You will spare no expense on buying top of the line saws ,trucks, and other tools, but when it comes time to protect your head, you look for the cheapest thing out there. Its a false sense of security. If you want to be able to pronounce your grandkids names, please don't skimp on the helmet!! Pete

:agree2:
but then i just purchased my first pair of chaps this summer right before Ericks GTG where he 'suggested' he wanted everyone to wear PPE, after more then 30yrs cutting wood, DOH! next is a helmet

How would one know what quality is? Is there an industry standard, or do we just go by name brand? I'm also in the market for a helmet system, but $50 is hard to come by right now.

:agree2: but then I thought after spending $100.00 at the doc for some pain pills for my back muscle i pulled spliting wood, i thoguht NOW how much would i spend if i cut my leg....hummmm no brain er there, went to Labonville and ordered a pair.

yes, $$$ is tight, what with lighting striking house and the fire from that, living in hotel for months, cost of that what the insurance lied to me about, the stroke caused by all that and a night in hospital with many many tests $$$$$$$$ and all the wife's medical this year, 6 surgery between wife and baby in the last 7 yrs, i could go on, but $70 for a piece of cloth to protect my legs so i can go back to work on Monday.....well sorry but worth every freakin penny to me.

I have allways used hearing protection even mowing the yard.
i wear glasses anyway but use my ones with built in shields when cutting/splitting.

only thing i haven't gotten yet is a helmet, (which i am planning of even with face shield for weed eating, nothing hurts worse then a pebble on the lip)
then also a good pair of chainsaw gloves with the safety material like the chaps...

YES, i waited WAY to long to go safety but at some point you just have to.

and one more thing, if you have the chaps WEAR THEM!!!!!

You see I have to rip many of the big rounds down before i can get them on the splliter, so i normally burn a tank of fuel then split while the saw cools, and i thought do i really need to put the chaps on here in the back yard??

then i thought you dumba$$ what if you do, by chance, cut your leg and you have a brand new set of chaps just hanging on a hook up there in the barn.
now, just how do you say DUMB?????

it only takes a second to change your life.

oh and ripping a big round the other day was the first time in 30 yrs, i have ever had a 'kickback' thank god for that shut off safety... yes, helmet is next by GOD.

what is it they say? accidents happen closest to home?

oh and could someone suggest a GOOD pair of gloves , planning on a pair for ONLY used with saw, and carry different (cheaper) ones for picking up the wood,

 

[davec]

Hardhats are fairly simple overall. There are a few different standards they can be tested to under Z89.1 but most of the additional tests beyond simple Type I are uncommon as they are for more specialty uses. A lot of the subchapters of the standard are for electrical use for linesmen and utilities folks. If you are in the US, look for it to say Z89.1, and it may also say Type I or II. If it doesn't say I or II then it is probably I. Very common. Most of what you pay for beyond the basic is for nicer features - crank knob adjustment instead of ball-cap style, more comfortable fabric straps instead of plastic, nicer sweatbands, that sort of stuff. But they are all still generally Type I. That's what most people need. You will also see some things listed as Bump Caps - those are not the same as hardhats and are much lighter, and I don't believe they are tested to any standards.

There are a lot of them out there. For example:
http://www.labsafety.com/store/Safety_Supplies/Hard_Hats/Type_I_Hard_Hats/
The chainsaw versions are simply a standard hardhat with the faceshield and muffs attached. Most of the time you can add on muffs and the faceshield separately if you have the hat already.

The things to watch out for with hardhats are maintenance. You want to keep solvents (including gas) away as they can weaken or melt some types of plastics. Sunlight is the other bogie to watch out for. Store them indoors or out of direct sunlight as the sun is very harsh on plastics over time. And if you are really using it a lot outdoors (like daily, all day) then you should probably replace the shell every 1-3 years, depending on sun exposures (earlier in the south than in the north, for example).

Canada has a CSA approval that is similar in principle to the US ANSI std, but the testing setup is a little different. Most products sold in NA will meet both CSA and ANSI. Europe has similar but different standards too.

If you are curious about how hardhats are tested here is one of the major companies that makes the test equipment:
http://www.cadexinc.com/index.html

Peltor was part of Aearo (the parent company of AO Safety and EAR hearing protection) which was acquired by 3M in 2007 or 8. There will be a mix of brands on stuff you find in the stores until inventory is all worked through and whatever decisions are made on what trademarks are kept and what ones are replaced.

-Dave

 

[Curlycherry1]

Hardhats are fairly simple overall. There are a few different standards they can be tested to under Z89.1 but most of the additional tests beyond simple Type I are uncommon as they are for more specialty uses. A lot of the subchapters of the standard are for electrical use for linesmen and utilities folks. If you are in the US, look for it to say Z89.1, and it may also say Type I or II. If it doesn't say I or II then it is probably I. Very common. Most of what you pay for beyond the basic is for nicer features - crank knob adjustment instead of ball-cap style, more comfortable fabric straps instead of plastic, nicer sweatbands, that sort of stuff. But they are all still generally Type I. That's what most people need. You will also see some things listed as Bump Caps - those are not the same as hardhats and are much lighter, and I don't believe they are tested to any standards.

There are a lot of them out there. For example:
http://www.labsafety.com/store/Safety_Supplies/Hard_Hats/Type_I_Hard_Hats/
The chainsaw versions are simply a standard hardhat with the faceshield and muffs attached. Most of the time you can add on muffs and the faceshield separately if you have the hat already.

The things to watch out for with hardhats are maintenance. You want to keep solvents (including gas) away as they can weaken or melt some types of plastics. Sunlight is the other bogie to watch out for. Store them indoors or out of direct sunlight as the sun is very harsh on plastics over time. And if you are really using it a lot outdoors (like daily, all day) then you should probably replace the shell every 1-3 years, depending on sun exposures (earlier in the south than in the north, for example).

Canada has a CSA approval that is similar in principle to the US ANSI std, but the testing setup is a little different. Most products sold in NA will meet both CSA and ANSI. Europe has similar but different standards too.

If you are curious about how hardhats are tested here is one of the major companies that makes the test equipment:
http://www.cadexinc.com/index.html

Peltor was part of Aearo (the parent company of AO Safety and EAR hearing protection) which was acquired by 3M in 2007 or 8. There will be a mix of brands on stuff you find in the stores until inventory is all worked through and whatever decisions are made on what trademarks are kept and what ones are replaced.

-Dave

There you have it folks, straight from someone that works in the business every day. If you need or want to know anything about protecting you melon, Dave, he da man!

 

[coppersnowblue]

Can't beat safety at any price.