Replace suspension in kask super plasma?

ATH

ATH

Been here much more than a while
Location
Findlay, Ohio
I looked around a little bit and I'm not finding it... Can you replace the suspension in a super plasma helmet?

Been in service less than a year.... Just backed up and bumped my head on a branch and the plastic broke at the ratchet.


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When mine broke from the cold, I learned (at that time) the Kask suspension wasn’t replaceable, per the guys at the kask booth at Indianapolis TCIA. Been in a pfanner since….
 
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Idk. Just bought them.

I like the fit, but it's not suitable for all day muff wear for me. I'm used to the 3M that are high dB and about 2" thick from foam cushion to the outside of the plastic muff shell.



The screen to helmet fit is very tight.

The Petzl Vertex Vent/ screen has much less coverage. Again, an old helmet.
I started in a different Petzl Ecrin Roc with add-on screen (when I was a youn' whippersnapper climber).

I like the Kask visor. Visors, compared to a screen, block a lot of dust, maybe noise, too. They are warmer than a screen.

I haven't tried Rain-x or an oil buffing in the visor. I think you can imagine the drawback of a visor in the winter hear.

Screens block daylight, for better and worse.
 
There's so much adjustability on a Protos that it would be very difficult to not get a good fit.

The muffs aren't great, but they do good enough and you can put ear plugs in if you want more noise reduction.

The screen is incredible. Full face coverage but tucks up nicely to the helmet when not in use. Seems more durable than others too. I don't notice much light reduction, but I wear sunglasses during any daylight hours, so it might if you're not used to darkness.

I personally hate visors. They don't cover enough, fog up constantly, and scratches are very annoying.

It's a pricey helmet, but when you consider that it comes with muffs and face shield it is comparable to the others. And everything is replaceable.
 
I have had a couple of Protos, and I have been smashed on the head wearing one with no issues. I will say @southsoundtree that my newer one hurts my ears, but the older one I have from 5 years ago never hurts, even though I replaced all the replaceable parts about 16 months ago. My last boss said that he was experiencing the same with the new vs old muffs, even though we both agree that the newer pads feel softer to tge touch. It's my only complaint with Protos.
 
Offshore scramble competitor for Petzl? Sure has the bits and pieces and has CE marking? Who knows . . .
I like my Protos but not at the new prices, up here anyway. So I'd probably go with a good old Petzl esp. if I didn't have to buy visor and muffs separately too. Somebody in another thread called the Petzl Zig Zag the Toyota Camry of rope gizmos - I kind of look that way at Petzl helmets, both for work and alpine - been around a long time. Cheers
 
ghostice said:
Offshore scramble competitor for Petzl? Sure has the bits and pieces and has CE marking? Who knows . . .
I like my Protos but not at the new prices, up here anyway. So I'd probably go with a good old Petzl esp. if I didn't have to buy visor and muffs separately too. Somebody in another thread called the Petzl Zig Zag the Toyota Camry of rope gizmos - I kind of look that way at Petzl helmets, both for work and alpine - been around a long time. Cheers
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As much as I generally agree, I just don't like the adjustment knobs on the Petzl helmet
 
Chris Schultz said:
When mine broke from the cold, I learned (at that time) the Kask suspension wasn’t replaceable, per the guys at the kask booth at Indianapolis TCIA. Been in a pfanner since….
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It looks questionable whether it would be. There are little tabs it snaps into...kinda like the ones that hold your car's interior together and about 3 out of 11 break whenever you take them off.
 
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southsoundtree said:
I have a new Protos available. I bought 2. I like it a lot, except the muffs squeeze my big ears. I'm giving my used helmet to my gf.
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I've avoided Protos because it s very rare that I want earmuffs in the tree. Especially since switching to a battery saw. On less than 5 times per year I need hearing protection while climbing, I used the stiff banded ear plugs.

There are winter days I wouldn't mind a Protos with communications installed - use the ear muffs to stay warm and still be able to talk.
 
ghostice said:
Offshore scramble competitor for Petzl? Sure has the bits and pieces and has CE marking? Who knows . . .
I like my Protos but not at the new prices, up here anyway. So I'd probably go with a good old Petzl esp. if I didn't have to buy visor and muffs separately too. Somebody in another thread called the Petzl Zig Zag the Toyota Camry of rope gizmos - I kind of look that way at Petzl helmets, both for work and alpine - been around a long time. Cheers
Click to expand...
When I first used the Kask I thought to myself "My next helmet will be going back to the Petzl Vertex Vent." It just felt better. But honestly, there are a host of $30-40 helmets on Amazon with appropriate ANSI ratings, I'm not seeing where the Petzl is worth 3x the cost. I've bought some of the cheaper ones for what I knew was temporary help...they still needed their own helmet, but I didn't want to spend big money. They seem pretty darn close to the Vertex... So if the Kask doesn't work out, off to Amazon I go!
 
The new kask zeniths are garbage, the ratchet systems are far less sturdy, the plastic ear muff slots expand/wear out within a year so if you go to flip the ear pro up it pops out into your hand. Very disappointed as I loved the superplasma’s. If you think you can somehow get a ratchet system into your existing helmet let me know and I’ll send you one, the shell is expired but the helmet is in great shape and no issues with the ratchet system.
 
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I emailed Kask. I didn't realize until I looked closer, the helmet is out of date. I bought it I was thinking only 2 years ago... But maybe it was three or four? I don't remember the circumstances, it was part of a tree fund fundraiser... I remember that because it had tree fund stickers on it. It must have been a few years old then because it is dated 2018.

If it was less than 3 years old, they would have replaced the suspension for me. But they will not sell the suspension. It had only been in service for 6 months. I didn't like it as much as a Vertex Vent anyways. I'm going to try a green devil helmet: https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B09X1N2CS8 One day into using it (but having provided similar helmets for employees), I do not see where the big name helmets are worth 2x-3x this one...or honestly even worth $10 more.
 
That chin cup comes off as a helmet is being taken out of the package! I can imagine how uncomfortable that would be all day!

Before that super plasma, my previous two helmets were pretzl vertex vent. I'm all for spend the money once for something that's worth it. I'm really just not seeing the difference for comfort, adjustability, etc... If I wanted to integrated earmuffs, sure I would be looking at a protos, and the money might make sense.
 
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