Phideaux
Well-Known Member
I can buy a standard, auto or self inflate 100N or 150N for about £50-£75. But I only want to buy once! Are the Spinlocks worth x3+ (£180) or just an advertising gimick?
Spinlock lifejackets
- Thread starter Phideaux
- Start date
dt4134
Well-Known Member
I don't have one, but one or two people I've raced with have them and seem happy with them, especially their being more comfortable to wear.
They look like they have a lot better crotch straps (or rather thigh straps) than other lifejackets. I would have said that having crotch straps on a lifejacket is the one thing I'd say is a no-brainer, then someone went and fell overboard and only survived because she didn't have the tigh straps on the spinlock lifejacket. That doesn't mean crotch straps aren't a very good thing to have, just that there's no guarantees.
I'd also say that no lifejacket will last a lifetime (except of course if it doesn't work) so you'll have to replace it eventually no matter how much you spend.
They look like they have a lot better crotch straps (or rather thigh straps) than other lifejackets. I would have said that having crotch straps on a lifejacket is the one thing I'd say is a no-brainer, then someone went and fell overboard and only survived because she didn't have the tigh straps on the spinlock lifejacket. That doesn't mean crotch straps aren't a very good thing to have, just that there's no guarantees.
I'd also say that no lifejacket will last a lifetime (except of course if it doesn't work) so you'll have to replace it eventually no matter how much you spend.
davidwf
Well-Known Member
I have been using one for a year now, they are very comfortable if you adjust them correctly as they sit higher than normal lifejackets.
Now the bad bit, the thigh straps are for me useless, as when you sit down they ride down and then when you stand up they keep you bent over. Like many others I have cut the thigh strap bit off and just use them in normal crotch strap mode. Spinlock are aware of this issue and recommended that I cut the strap off when I tackled them at LIBS. Strangely they work really well as a normal crotch strap much better than on my old crewsaver. I think this might be because the jacket sits so high.
Would I buy again, probably but would look at the crewsaver version and compare it.
Now the bad bit, the thigh straps are for me useless, as when you sit down they ride down and then when you stand up they keep you bent over. Like many others I have cut the thigh strap bit off and just use them in normal crotch strap mode. Spinlock are aware of this issue and recommended that I cut the strap off when I tackled them at LIBS. Strangely they work really well as a normal crotch strap much better than on my old crewsaver. I think this might be because the jacket sits so high.
Would I buy again, probably but would look at the crewsaver version and compare it.
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Phideaux
Well-Known Member
no lifejacket will last a lifetime (except of course if it doesn't work) /QUOTE]
Oh so true
Quandary
Well-Known Member
We have them, bought earlier this year from a guy in Wales for £150 each, (I posted the details at the time) They feel very light but secure to wear and I find that the thigh straps are best adjusted to sit as tight and high as possible. The harness arrangement feels a lot better than the waist strap on our old jackets and there is virtually no metal. Because we wear lifejackets all the time on the water, for us they were money well spent. The rival for comfort is the Kru Sport Pro but the harness arrangement is not as good for recovery etc.
However we still use our older auto XM lifejackets for going ashore in the dinghy etc. as they are fine for rowing or inshore and less likely to get nicked if we leave them in the dinghy.
However we still use our older auto XM lifejackets for going ashore in the dinghy etc. as they are fine for rowing or inshore and less likely to get nicked if we leave them in the dinghy.
Obi
Well-Known Member
There is always a more expensive product for the ones who want to spend more whether for one up manship or a misplaced belief that it will keep them safer.
If you think the look or "one up manship" is worth it then buy it. Personally as long as a life jacket has the right features I cant see it being worth the extra £100 and my freind who wears one looks a proper wally with the crutch straps on.
I would advise the hood is very good on the spinlock and all life jackets should have them as standard really, but dont.
PS - with the spinlock you could enter a gurning contest and not need to take a yolk or black pudding, or what ever it is they put around thier necks.
If you think the look or "one up manship" is worth it then buy it. Personally as long as a life jacket has the right features I cant see it being worth the extra £100 and my freind who wears one looks a proper wally with the crutch straps on.
I would advise the hood is very good on the spinlock and all life jackets should have them as standard really, but dont.
PS - with the spinlock you could enter a gurning contest and not need to take a yolk or black pudding, or what ever it is they put around thier necks.
colvic987
Well-Known Member
If your interested in the spinlock type lifejacket, crewsaver have also brought in a new type of jacket 190n.
richardbrennan
Well-Known Member
Not a Spinlock, but bought a couple of new and expensive Baltic Ultimate life jackets following a test in one of the magazines a year or so ago. Unfortunately I have found them uncomfortable to wear as they have a single fairly wide crotch strap which is worn on the left hand side as opposed to my old Crewsaver that had narrower twin straps one each side. I suspect that the testers did not wear them for several hours or they may have found this out!
Tranona
Well-Known Member
All lifejackets on the market will do the same job of keeping you afloat. The difference is in the details, both at the level of additional features and comfort - either design or materials.
Whether these differences justify the price differences is much more difficult to determine. The magazine reviews often recommend cheaper ones as being good value, or get round the problem by establishing categories by price so that they can have a "budget" and "premium" winner!
Personally, I find my Seagos perfectly adequate and have difficulty in justifying paying twice or three times as much for a product that is functionally almost identical, and seems to have no real advantages. I might think differently if I had a much higher level of usage and discovered negative aspects, but not got to that point yet!
Whether these differences justify the price differences is much more difficult to determine. The magazine reviews often recommend cheaper ones as being good value, or get round the problem by establishing categories by price so that they can have a "budget" and "premium" winner!
Personally, I find my Seagos perfectly adequate and have difficulty in justifying paying twice or three times as much for a product that is functionally almost identical, and seems to have no real advantages. I might think differently if I had a much higher level of usage and discovered negative aspects, but not got to that point yet!
Quandary
Well-Known Member
If spending £100 extra, increases the chances of saving or recovering my wife (or myself) by only 2%, I would consider it money well spent. What is the point of going to all the trouble of wearing a lifejacket and particularly in this case a safety harness if they are not the best you can find. If the harness is comfortable to wear it will be worn, if it is effectively designed it means increasing the chances of for safe recovery of a casualty.
If you take your sport seriously you use the best equipment, do bikers buys cheap Chinese safety helmets?
If you take your sport seriously you use the best equipment, do bikers buys cheap Chinese safety helmets?
Trident 24
Well-Known Member
But that assumes that the extra cost leads directly to better safety performance. In reality the greater costoften gives more comfort/style/'features'. 'The best you can find' is not neccessarily the most expensive.
The posts above show that the more expensive harnesses may not be the most comfortable, even leading to being butchered with a knife.
'If you take your sport seriously, you use the best equipment'.. for me, 'the best' is an example that will do it's job effectively at a price that I am prepared to pay.
And yes, some bikers do buy cheap helmets, if you check out the SHARP website (independent helmet testing) you will see that helmets that achieve 5* range from £70 to £495, the extra money does not buy you any extra safety.
The posts above show that the more expensive harnesses may not be the most comfortable, even leading to being butchered with a knife.
'If you take your sport seriously, you use the best equipment'.. for me, 'the best' is an example that will do it's job effectively at a price that I am prepared to pay.
And yes, some bikers do buy cheap helmets, if you check out the SHARP website (independent helmet testing) you will see that helmets that achieve 5* range from £70 to £495, the extra money does not buy you any extra safety.
Tranona
Well-Known Member
That is precisely the point. Lifejackets are all made to a minimum standard and it is difficult to quantify how much improvement in "survivability" comes from paying more! I know of no statistics that measure survivability, nor any research that identifies features that improve survivability in real life. There are obvious suggestions such as hoods and lights potentially improving effectiveness, supported by simulations, but little in the way of hard evidence.
As with many bits of "safety" gear, once you get past the functionality bit and decide that you might find the equipment useful, choice of which style, brand, type etc is highly subjective. It cannot be otherwise as so few have any personal experience of using it in the way it was intended.
BTW I am one of the few people who can say their life was saved by an aid. A bouyancy aid that cost a fiver in a boat jumble. Stupidly capsized my dinghy trying to get out to my boat on a swinging mooring. Combination of aid and wooden (upturned) dinghy helped keep me afloat while the wind blew me into shallow water. Forunately waded ashore, got into my car, soaking wet and drove home to a hot shower!
As with many bits of "safety" gear, once you get past the functionality bit and decide that you might find the equipment useful, choice of which style, brand, type etc is highly subjective. It cannot be otherwise as so few have any personal experience of using it in the way it was intended.
BTW I am one of the few people who can say their life was saved by an aid. A bouyancy aid that cost a fiver in a boat jumble. Stupidly capsized my dinghy trying to get out to my boat on a swinging mooring. Combination of aid and wooden (upturned) dinghy helped keep me afloat while the wind blew me into shallow water. Forunately waded ashore, got into my car, soaking wet and drove home to a hot shower!
SailBobSquarePants
Well-Known Member
Lifejackets are NOT for floating you...
IMHO, lifejackets are really not about floating you, they are about being comfortable enough so that you want to wear them as much as possible. For a lifejacket sitting in a locker is functionless.
A double-bladdered, 275 nm lifejacket with a hood, harness, crotch strap, affixed light, whistle, etc. is by far the SAFEST lifejacket you can wear. The problem of course is that it is so bulky that you will not choose to wear it until it's use looks very probable.
Instead, it should be very, very comfortable, and not make you (in YOUR opinion) look too dorky. Far better to have a single-bladdered, 150 or 175 nm jacket that is comfortable that still has hood/harness/crotch strap/light/whistle included. Unless you are out in bluewater, and have a survival suit on as well - at which time a 275 nm jacket sounds attractive.
My partner and I did extensive "fit tests" of all the jackets we could find in our local chandleries, with me initially favouring the Spinlock, and her the Kru Sport Pro. After a bit of wearing, I came around to finding the Sport Pro more comfortable on my neck - and agreeing on two of them eases the problem of incompatible spares and re-arm kits. Plus we purchased three Kru "normal" 175 nm jackets for guests, which also take the same spares and are much cheaper (although we did splurge for the harness/auto variants).
We wear them pretty much from before we cast off, to the time we reach our destination. They are so comfortable I usually forget I have it on, except when I need to get out of layers.
But my advice is to try the Sport Pro and the Spinlock...the secret is that it should be good for YOU to wear it, not someone else. Both look better than standard lifejackets, and both can be had with the harness, hood, etc. that can help make a difference in the water.
IMHO, lifejackets are really not about floating you, they are about being comfortable enough so that you want to wear them as much as possible. For a lifejacket sitting in a locker is functionless.
A double-bladdered, 275 nm lifejacket with a hood, harness, crotch strap, affixed light, whistle, etc. is by far the SAFEST lifejacket you can wear. The problem of course is that it is so bulky that you will not choose to wear it until it's use looks very probable.
Instead, it should be very, very comfortable, and not make you (in YOUR opinion) look too dorky. Far better to have a single-bladdered, 150 or 175 nm jacket that is comfortable that still has hood/harness/crotch strap/light/whistle included. Unless you are out in bluewater, and have a survival suit on as well - at which time a 275 nm jacket sounds attractive.
My partner and I did extensive "fit tests" of all the jackets we could find in our local chandleries, with me initially favouring the Spinlock, and her the Kru Sport Pro. After a bit of wearing, I came around to finding the Sport Pro more comfortable on my neck - and agreeing on two of them eases the problem of incompatible spares and re-arm kits. Plus we purchased three Kru "normal" 175 nm jackets for guests, which also take the same spares and are much cheaper (although we did splurge for the harness/auto variants).
We wear them pretty much from before we cast off, to the time we reach our destination. They are so comfortable I usually forget I have it on, except when I need to get out of layers.
But my advice is to try the Sport Pro and the Spinlock...the secret is that it should be good for YOU to wear it, not someone else. Both look better than standard lifejackets, and both can be had with the harness, hood, etc. that can help make a difference in the water.
bbg
Well-Known Member
I have a Spinlock. I find it comfortable to wear for reasonably long periods, but after 24-36 hours straight it does chafe a bit on the neck. I find no problem with the thigh straps, if they are adjusted properly.
However, if I were buying again - and based only what I have read - I would also take a very close look at the Kru Sport Pro.
However, if I were buying again - and based only what I have read - I would also take a very close look at the Kru Sport Pro.
fireball
Well-Known Member
We looked at the Spinlock and the Kru Sport Pro ... tried both on in the shop and decided on the Kru as it feels more like a buoyancy aid ....
blackbeard
Well-Known Member
I'm not convinced that a 275N lifejacket is necessarily any safer than a 150N job; in particular it would make climbing a ladder (eg the one on the stern of your boat, or the one which gets you into the liferaft) impossible (as opposed to *! difficult). I'll stick with 150N (or thereabouts) lifejackets.
But you are absolutely right about crotch straps, lights, whistles etc. And I'll vote for hoods that can be deployed easily (ie not those fiddly things in little packets).
SailBobSquarePants
Well-Known Member
That is a good point...although you can usually deflate and manually re-inflate a lifejacket using the mouth tube to get more mobility should you need it. The 275 nm jackets will float you higher, and help conserve body warmth by doing so, and help keep your face dryer. It may even help you be more visible, by being higher.
But I agree with you, for coastal cruising (including anything in the Channel), the wearability of the 150/175 nm jackets is a better choice.
The point you bring up about hoods is a good one - many, many hoods on cheaper lifejackets are flimsy, poorly integrated, tack-ons that really don't do the job. I didn't even bother with them for our "guest" lifejackets, because trying to have a someone not familiar with it attach them would be hopeless. They get a whistle...and a lit horseshoe buoy thrown in near them. But then I am not taking my guests all that far offshore...
bert49uk
Well-Known Member
i have had one now for a couple or three years, easy to wear and not too bulky. as others have said the leg straps are the problem, at last years boat show at excel i tackeled the Spinlock people they told me they had been modified and sent me out the new parts FOC it has made a great difference
Marmalade
Well-Known Member
we bought spinlocks about a year ago to replace our old ljs. The thigh straps are a bit bondage-like but once properly adjusted are comfortable and less likely to threaten your manhood if called into action.
The jacket itself feels more comfortable than the shawl type and I too liked the built in hood
The jacket itself feels more comfortable than the shawl type and I too liked the built in hood
bert49uk
Well-Known Member
bought one 2 or 3 years ago, i like it, very light to wear but the leg straps were difficult to use. i spoke to the Spinlock rep at London boat show last year, he said they have been modified, he arranged to get me the later leg straps FOC which arrived by post in a couple of days. now much better and more cumfortable to wear