Thomas Wayne,
I am interested in your new Arm-Guard design.  Have you started selling it yet?

TWH,

Can you post some pics of the new version of the arm-guard?  What improvements were made?

Between 13" handles, ARS end-caps, and the super stiff US-Gear handles, I'm having trouble understanding why Accurate, Masterline, and Straightline don't tie their tournament ropes with over sized loops at the handle end. All the more reason to make your own or give In-tow your business.

Another option is the Bridle SOC from US Gear. Bought one at Nationals last year and would not ski without it. I like the fact that there is nothing in the middle of the handle. In the heat of the battle I may grab the middle and do not want anything to interfere with that. Since it is fabric, it folds easily for handle removal.

Regards,  ED

by reducing the area inside the handle is it plausible to consider an arm through the handle accident could become more catastrophic?   in other words would it become harder for one to remove their arm now that the opening is so much smaller?

Killer wrote:

by reducing the area inside the handle is it plausible to consider an arm through the handle accident could become more catastrophic?   in other words would it become harder for one to remove their arm now that the opening is so much smaller?

The way my Arm Guard fits, I can't get my hand through the handle beyond my wrist.  The wrist straps on my Motogloves get in the way.  Depending on how it fits in your handle and what kind of gloves you use, you may have a different experience.

Also, I have not noticed any bowing in the panel when under tension.

AL: My personal handle is a 12" Masterline. By the time I ordered the panel the ropes were already stretched. The panel I have for it fits beautifully. My dad's handle had recently been restrung and, in addition to the ARS end caps, had some extra thick tubing on the bridle. I either botched the measurement or the bridle settled in some after I had measured. Neither of us ever really noticed until a few months ago. I'm just curious what kind of effect a discrepancy like that would have on the fit of the 3.5 revision.

Last edited by HO410 (Thu, May 27, 2010 5:30 PM)

EdJohnson wrote:

Another option is the Bridle SOC from US Gear. Bought one at Nationals last year and would not ski without it. I like the fact that there is nothing in the middle of the handle. In the heat of the battle I may grab the middle and do not want anything to interfere with that. Since it is fabric, it folds easily for handle removal.
Whatever you do, please use one of these systems.
Regards,  ED

That is exactly what we consider the potential problem with fabric panels - the fact that they fold so easily.  Your head won't get through, but in a scenario where your hand hits the bridle opening - now covered with fabric - the folding nature of the fabric tends to form a natural "funnel", actually guiding your hand/arm into the danger zone.

This is not merely conjecture on our part; we conducted experiments with many different materials before choosing the semi-rigid Lexan™ panel we use in our ARM-GUARD™.  Some skiers remove our elastic center member - which we don't recommend - but even without this member the non-folding nature of the Lexan™ is still far safer than any fabric (or soft plastic) panel.

By the way, the US GEAR design is not new - it's actually taken directly from the Scott Rabineau design of a few decades ago.  Scott's version was made with a sort of marine canvas, but otherwise the "Bridle Soc" is virtually identical to his original design.  Again, in our opinion, fabric that folds easily (of any kind) is an incorrect choice for this application.

That said, I agree that anything is probably better than no guard at all.

TW