The Social Network & Community JUST for Firefighters
Investing in my own structural fire helmet .... suggestions?
So I'm wanting to invest in a great quality, long lasting, and good name structural fire helmet. I've been looking around online and have found that the cairnes helmets are pretty popular. I really like the sam houston or the chicago style cairne helmets. I want a leather helmet too && I'm not worried about prices.
I've only used a helmet with the full 4" shield and I thought that's what I wanted my helmet to have on it but I see a lot with the goggles and bourkes shields on them ... What is better? The shield or bourkes? I think the goggles are cool because they'll keep dust & stuff out of my eyes a lot better than the shield did (good for extrication and overhaul I guess). So I might have answered my own question on which shield is better but I would like some opinions for guys/gals who have been doing this longer than me ....
Suggestions!?
I've only used a helmet with the full 4" shield and I thought that's what I wanted my helmet to have on it but I see a lot with the goggles and bourkes shields on them ... What is better? The shield or bourkes? I think the goggles are cool because they'll keep dust & stuff out of my eyes a lot better than the shield did (good for extrication and overhaul I guess). So I might have answered my own question on which shield is better but I would like some opinions for guys/gals who have been doing this longer than me ....
Suggestions!?
Replies to This Discussion
-
Permalink Reply by CFD on
-
The Morning pride Ben two plus is an outstanding helmet. it is standard issue in my dept as well as other large city depts.
never owned a leather,,I do know they are heavy,, a plus on the ben two is that the inside liner is all leather ,, stays in place just fine an is very comfortable in my opinion.
-
Permalink Reply by firemanstep on
-
Cairns helmets can last you a life time if you take care of it. I like the N5A New Yorker but a lot of departments will not allow it due to the NFPA cert. Goggles meet the NFPA requirement for supplemental eye protection where the bourkes do not. A Sam Houston is a great helmet also, I have alot of respect for the leathers because my Sam Houston saved my life in a building collapse, cracked or broke the leather about 1 inch above the brim. The Dr's said that if I had something like the metro on I would probly be dead... Broke my neck at the c-4, c-5, and c-6 verts. I now have a nice plate and scar to show what the Cairns did for me, I'm sold. I own 2 N5A's and one houston. yes they are heavy but my gourd deserves the best... my opinion?
-
Permalink Reply by Jason Brooks on
-
Leather will last the longest. I use a Sam Houston myself. I tried goggles when they first came out, hated them. The ESS goggles are better if you keep them in your pocket. They will melt immediatel in a fire. Use tem fr overhaul or extication, etc. only.
-
Permalink Reply by Courts24 on
-
I heard FDNY uses morning pride ben two .... but what am I losing or gaining if I don't get a leather cairnes? I know I'll be paying about twice as much but which one is better than the other? And the EZA flips on them ... are they NFPA approved?? And what about the chicago edition?
-
Permalink Reply by Kevin King on
-
The cairns 1010 is my own personal choice,next to the n6a. It is lighter and sits good on your noggin, you can get shield,bourkes or goggles when you order. In your choice of colors.
-
Permalink Reply by playpipe on
-
I own a Phenix 1500-TL2 leather helmet and love it. It saved me once during hose testing of all things, when a 3" line with 300 psi took off and took me with it. The helmet has a good feel. You will also notice the leather is much more flexable when compaired to the Cairns.
I think you would be happy with either. One more thing the Phenix is not as $$ as the cairns, but it has a high quality. Just my opinion.
-
Permalink Reply by Terry Lambert on
-
I have a cairne new yorker, and I enjoy it. I have the borks on mine. Cost some money, but I feel it was worth it. My department uses only cairns, with goggles.
-
Permalink Reply by Paul Montpetit on
-
We went with the Cairnes and everyone seems to like them a lot....most went with the "Defender" type of eye protection...they ARE NFPA cert as the Bourkes are not....with the defender the shield goes up into the helmet shell when not in use and is very easy to deploy when needed.....A very nice option....Good luck.....Paul
-
Permalink Reply by Paul Henry on
-
I own 2 N5A and 1 Sam Houston and all three have the Bourkes on them and I can't tell the differance between them in weight and in looks.Like others have said they are a little heavy but once you get used to wearing them you will get comfortable with it and when you get use to it you wont even know you have it on.I also keep a pair of safety glasses in my pocket for doing overhaul and ext. work.The last New Yorker helment I bought came with the Bourkes already on it and the helment costed me about $380.00.I know I've been in some pretty hot fires where if I had been wearing a plastic helment it would have melted and the leather stood up and I'm still wearing the first one I ever bought and that was 13 years ago.So my opion would be if you can afford a leather helment wether it be a N5A or a Sam Houston that would be my choice.
-
Permalink Reply by Lt.leatherhead on
-
my first helmet was a morning pride Ben two plus and it is a very comfortable helmet, but as of right now i have a cairns n6a and i love that helmet. the only thing is with a leather you have to take care of it and keep up on it. if you do that you'll never need to buy another one. but if you dont want to mess with taking care of it the ben two plus is the way to go in my book.
-
Permalink Reply by SMOKEnPipesJim on
-
Yeah, and the guys That have worn Cairns Leathers for 200 years aren't "outstanding" .........
They are the guys who actually go in an fight the fires..=8^p
lol
© 2024 Created by Firefighter Nation WebChief.
Powered by
