What brand of leather helmet do you run? Mine is an '02 Cairns Sam Houston N6A. I actually bought it off eBay for $270. Got it and looked it up, the helmet is a deluxe version..its sells for about $500 or so brand new. Not a bad deal..
I have the Cairns N5 New Yorker. I former memeber bought it new around 1996 and paid $425 for it, needless to say a couple months later he needed some cash and stoped one day in town and asked if I wanted to buy it. I asked what he was asking for it and i about fell over hated for him but got the helement for $150. it was pretty much new, he took the ratchet out of it but still had it. I put it back in place and have since shipped it back to Cairns appox 2 yrs ago to be fixed. When I first joined we had appox. 10 guys with them now we are down to half.....
Permalink Reply by John on October 21, 2008 at 5:49pm
Black Sam Houston, must be about 16 years old. It has been on and off my wall several times (1010 is the other choice) and has been re-painted more than I care to count. A friend of mine gave it to me brand new, she paid $450.00 some years back.
Would not trade it.
Permalink Reply by Phil on October 21, 2008 at 7:42pm
Hey Chief... You can easily paint a leather.... I have painted mine twice.. started black, went to red and now its yellow. Its easy and pretty cheap!.
If you need an NFPA compliant leather, spend the dough and get a Houston. A boston front dhould work just fine. I had the front for mone made by Paul Conway shields, and it fits perfectly.
I have been in the volunteer fire service for 25 years. I don't remember what type of leather lid we had at the time but I think they were New Yorkers After a few years we got all new Sam Houston's to meet the new standards with the impact cap. I wore my Sam Houston and then we started wearing 66oC Metro's. After a few years I decided I would rather wear my old Leather. Now I continue to wear my Sam Houston. Remember the phrase "Leather Forever"