Paul Conways

[rfcmitch]

Just a question for those who have or have had the Paul Conway helmets. How do you like them? Pros? Cons? Comments? Especially compared to the Cairns 1010 if anyone has worn both helmets.

[Weruj1]

callin '77 and fire40man ...........

[CaptOldTimer]

Cairns 1010 from our research and testing was far better than the Conway's.

We did however, like the Phenix fire helmets better that all!

Just ones departments perpective and opinion.

[rfcmitch]

Thats all we are looking for is pespective and opinions. Now I have a good question...

The Cairns 1010 has a breakaway shell, and an impact cap. We have heard that the reason of this is because their shell itself didnt meet NFPA, so they added the impact cap to make it meet NFPA. Is this true? And was it intentional? Or was it an oversight by them?

[CaptOldTimer]

Mitch,

I can't tell you why. We didn't buy the 1010. I am not sure what the reasons were.

I would see if I could find other department around you that may be or may not be used the 1010 and seek there response. The forums will bring forth a lot of responses too.



Good Luck.



Stay Safe & Well out there....

[Weruj1]

It is my belief that the internal shell and liner are there in case you fall and theactual "helmet" comes off that if you had your chin strap in place would still leave you a degree of protection vs nothing at all but some webbing or plain ol liner.

[CALFFBOU]

My F/T job requires me to wear a Cairns 1010. It is
top heavy and I recently found I cant look up much
with an SCBA on.

So now I have to look for ways to lighten the helmet
and trim off the back. Grinder? (I am not joking)
Or use a band saw.

My bro CaptOldTimer knows whats up!

[Jonathan Bastian]

Originally posted by rfcmitch
The Cairns 1010 has a breakaway shell, and an impact cap. We have heard that the reason of this is because their shell itself didnt meet NFPA, so they added the impact cap to make it meet NFPA. Is this true? And was it intentional? Or was it an oversight by them?

Yes, impact caps are included in Cairns and Bullard helmets to ensure they pass the penetration test required by NFPA 1971. Helmets like the Conway do not use an impact cap, but they do have thicker fiberglass shells. The end result is the helmet weighs about the same; it's just 2 different approaches to the same issue.

On some helmets, you will find a thin plastic band around a portion of the inside of the shell. This is essentially a mini-impact cap, meant to provide additional penetration resistance in this test area (impacts are done on specific areas of the helmet). The disadvantage, of course, is that if something tries to penetrate the shell outside of this band, it is not as well protected. The impact cap provides universal protection inside the helmet.

The impact cap also has an insulative effect; temperatures inside the helmet run about 25% less than without an impact cap.

The "break away" shell was designed initially for shipboard firefighting, where there is a concern that a sailor jumping 50 or 60 feet into the water when abandoning ship has a greater risk. Current NFPA standards have a breaking limit for the chin strap, which has a similar safety effect. I believe the limit is about 100 lbs, well less than the average FF in turnout gear and SCBA.

[firenresq77]

I like my Conway......... some say it's too heavy, but I don't mind it. There are 2 others one my department that either have a Conway or have had one. Both of them liked them, too.

And ,Yes, Cairns needs to have the impact cap to meet NFPA.

[rfcmitch]

Most of our guys have liked the Conway better than the 1010 anyhow. They like how fits better, and that it doesnt seem to be quite as heavy, or top heavy. Any further opinions are still welcome...

[RyanEMVFD]

i enjoy my conway helmet. the band is very comfortable and it sits low so i don't have that top heaviness. i've had mine for the last 2 years. my graduation present will be a new leather helmet (whenever paramedic class starts, who knows?) i'm torn between another conway and giving cairns a try.

everyone's head is different so each helmet will fit different.

[Firefighter430]

I have a Conway that I purchased from an online company last year and I like it. Got a little bit of a deal on it because it was a scratch and dent discount but I saw no problem with it because as soon as it get used you are going to have a scratch or ding. I like the way it wears better than the 1010. It wears like a ball cap. I have only tried a few 1010s on and there may be a way to make them fit like my helmet but mine came out of the box feeling better.

I hear it all the time from one of the guys in the department about if its not a Cairns its not a helmet, yada yada yada. Cairns Smairnes! Helmets are like ball teams. Everybody like one and some will fight because their helmet "is better and yours is crap" and nothing is going to change that. Try both on and see how they feel. Tradition is fine but when it comes to fire fighting get what works and makes life easier on you. You are the one that has to wear it.

[firefiftyfive]

Like FF430 stated, helmets are baically all the same. There are slight differences between them like a few ounces or the way they sit on your head. They all protect your melon just the same. And I don't care about how much force they sustain or how far you can drop them becaue that crap does'nt matter. Congratulations that your helmet can sustain a 100 foot fall, I hope you can. Its all up to user preference. I personally hate the 1010's and ANY sort of metro helmet. I love my Ben2 and would never change. As for the Paul Conways I don't know much but I'm sure they are basically just as good as a Ben2 or Phoenix or 1010 or whatever the heck you want to wear.

[Jonathan Bastian]

Originally posted by firefiftyfive
And I don't care about how much force they sustain or how far you can drop them becaue that crap does'nt matter. Congratulations that your helmet can sustain a 100 foot fall, I hope you can. Its all up to user preference.

I know a lot of us don't want to hear this, but if a helmet takes a serious drop (like 100'), it should be retired REGARDLESS of how it looks. At a minimum, helmets should be replaced as frequently as turnout gear.

[FiremedicMike]

Back when I was in charge of ordering gear for the department, We ran into an issue of burning up our leather helmets in training fires. You see, while leather helmets are great and will last forever if you take care of them (ahem, repaint them you squirrels) they would dry rot and fail.

So I researched and found the paul conway (the one thats fiberglass wrapped in leather).

This helmet not only saved us about $200 per helmet, but they sat lower on the head and consensus has been that they are much more comfortable. As for lasting, the few that have them have seen some fire, and have not complained a bit about performance.

I agree that the 1010 is a very comfortable helmet, but for those of you that hang your helmet by the little hook on the brim, check where your brim meets the cap, I bet you'll find a crack there, happened to almost 100% of our 1010s, which is why we went to leather in the first place..

[ItsADirtyJob]

ffspook,

You mentioned in your last post about cracking with the 1010's. Can you elaborate? We have 1010's, and maybe its something we should be looking at. Thanks...

[KMac39]

I haven't worn either helmet personally but a lot of the guys at my station wear the 1010 and seem to be happy with them. Also another helmet along that line is the Morning Pride Ben 2 Plus. I wear this helmet at one station and a leather at the other. The Ben 2 it very comfortable and looks pretty good for a plastic traditional if you don't want to go with a leather.

[FiremedicMike]

Where the brim comes up and meets the dome or cap (bad description) give a little light pressure on the brim (in the back of the helmet) and you will probably see it starting to crack and seperate from the dome of the helmet. Minor perhaps, but still begining to fail..