robpatterson5 Posted February 10, 2005 Posted February 10, 2005 I'm sorta loath to do this, but I'm thinking of buying a Petzl Elios helmet secound hand. Its a good price and soposidly 'never used,' but is this a smart idea? Sorry for all the gawker type questions. Cheers: Rob Quote
Dru Posted February 10, 2005 Posted February 10, 2005 it depends. an elios would break if it was seriously compromised, so if it has no scratches or dings in it, it is quite possibly ok. why is it being sold? Quote
foolscongress Posted February 10, 2005 Posted February 10, 2005 go ahead. spend the 20 bucks you save on farewell cards from you to your friends. seriously, why risk it? it's your BRAIN, man. i've broken a climbing helmet and two bike helmets. probably you're not as clumsy as me, but again, why risk it? Quote
rbw1966 Posted February 11, 2005 Posted February 11, 2005 Don't be a cheap fucker. This is your head fer crissakes. Quote
downfall Posted February 11, 2005 Posted February 11, 2005 (edited) So when do you people replace helmets? What if, for instance, you dropped you Ecrin Rock helmet off the 4th pitch of silent running and it skidded down the slab but didn't actually impact anything directly. Say after that there were minor dings in it but nothing that bumping your head on an overhang or something wouldn't leave? Can there be structural problems after this type of fall in the plastic which you can't detect? Not that I actually did this and am still wearing the helmet. Edited February 11, 2005 by downfall Quote
Alpinfox Posted February 11, 2005 Posted February 11, 2005 Â It might be time for a new helmet if your's looks like this: Â Â or this: Â or this: Quote
foolscongress Posted February 11, 2005 Posted February 11, 2005 no cracky, no replacy. small falls don't bother me. at this point i've learned it takes a hell of a whack to bust an ecrin. even a bike helmet takes a good hit. Quote
Dru Posted February 11, 2005 Posted February 11, 2005 so you wouldn't replace a helmet if it wasn't cracked, but you wouldn't buy a used helmet even if it was uncracked.... Â is this an unexamined double standard? if its good enough for me to wear it should be good enough for someone else. although i did retire a helmet with no visible defects just because it was 10 yrs old, I don't think the Elios has been around for more than 3 yrs... Quote
carolyn Posted February 11, 2005 Posted February 11, 2005 (edited) I was talking to our BD rep about my helmet because of a recent hit I took. he told me with the amount I get out I should retire it as soon as possible (Ive had it 3-4yrs). Due to UV the average helmet should be retired in 5-6yrs. Â Granted this is a rep, so his interest is in selling. He is also a friend and climbing partner, so I trust his opinion. Â Point being, you dont know where the helmet has come from. Its never been used, but maybe its been sitting in his car for the past year. Find an extra few bucks somehow and buy a new one which works well for you. Â Â Â Â Edited February 11, 2005 by carolyn Quote
foolscongress Posted February 11, 2005 Posted February 11, 2005 so you wouldn't replace a helmet if it wasn't cracked, but you wouldn't buy a used helmet even if it was uncracked.... is this an unexamined double standard? if its good enough for me to wear it should be good enough for someone else. although i did retire a helmet with no visible defects just because it was 10 yrs old, I don't think the Elios has been around for more than 3 yrs...  right, because i know what my helmet's been up to. i'd take a used helmet from a friend, one i know has similar standards as i do, but not from a stranger. that may be a double standard, i don't know. the way things have been going, i'm more likely to bust my current lid than have to worry about when to retire it. rocks love me for some reason. Quote
robpatterson5 Posted February 11, 2005 Author Posted February 11, 2005 Thanks, thats just what I was thinking. Off to MEC now... Cheers: Rob Quote
catbirdseat Posted February 11, 2005 Posted February 11, 2005 I was talking to our BD rep about my helmet because of a recent hit I took. he told me with the amount I get out I should retire it as soon as possible (Ive had it 3-4yrs). Due to UV the average helmet should be retired in 5-6yrs. UV resistence will depend on the type of plastic. I believe that the older Ecrin Roc were made of ABS which is quite resistent to UV. The newer models are made of polycarbonate which is not. Quote
Camilo Posted February 11, 2005 Posted February 11, 2005 no cracky, no replacy. small falls don't bother me. at this point i've learned it takes a hell of a whack to bust an ecrin. even a bike helmet takes a good hit. If a helmet has an EPS liner, it can be compromised without cracks showing. If your helmet takes a good impact, you're supposed to retire it. I don't know about the CE and UIAA standard tests, but the bike helmet tests (ANSI and SNELL) only certify for single impacts. Just a thought. Quote
foolscongress Posted February 11, 2005 Posted February 11, 2005 yeah, i'm familiar with the tests, but i don't replace on their schedule, or after a single baseball-sized rock strike. i'm pretty serious about safety, but not two new helmets a year serious. climbing ice i get smacked all the time and i haven't broken one yet (though ice shatters, and rock doesn't). as for bike helmets, if i had to buy a new helmet every time i fell off my bike and hit my head, i'd may as well just wear my ecrin to save money. Quote
gosolo Posted March 29, 2005 Posted March 29, 2005 You could be getting quite a deal on that used helmet, there may even be little critters inside... Quote
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