New Fawcett/Tiffen exoskeleton vest

[Jess Haas SOC]

I would also like to throw out there something David Svenson brought up: Since it's just 19mm (or so) rails on the front and back, why not make an assistant's handle to just bolt onto it? (I hate assistants tucking their fingers under my vest. it's distracting).

I find both the handle idea and the tucking the fingers in totally useless. They can try to push and pull you all day and you will barely notice. Instead tell your spotter to poke you in the side to tell you which way you need to go.

 

I would like to try this vest but im not really sure what problem its solving. I can breath just fine withe my rig on and with my pro vest there is no need to tighten the straps until I am picking up the rig. At the end of the day my legs are whats sore not my back and I don't see a solution for that here. As far as isolating hip movement goes that's what the arms for. Not saying its not a good vest and it may be an improvement over current designs (especially the ultra vest), just doesn't seem revolutionary or anything.

 

$5475

 

-Jess

[kurt nolen]

I would also like to throw out there something David Svenson brought up: Since it's just 19mm (or so) rails on the front and back, why not make an assistant's handle to just bolt onto it? (I hate assistants tucking their fingers under my vest. it's distracting).

I find both the handle idea and the tucking the fingers in totally useless. They can try to push and pull you all day and you will barely notice. Instead tell your spotter to poke you in the side to tell you which way you need to go.

 

 

 

 

The only time I want my assistant to actually grab the vest is if I'm in a situation where I might need them to catch me. This doesn't come up too often but if I'm in a position where - for example - geography, architecture, or blocking requires that I have to take stairs in missionary (er... or "forward operating position") at a little speed, I'd like my spotter to have more than a little fingerhold to grab onto if something goes wrong. Other than that a tap really is more than sufficient.

[Thomas English]

$4850

[Wolfgang Troescher]

Chris and Garret demonstrate the vest on NAB:

 

Video on Vimeo

[JobScholtze]

Hmm, looks promising. Gonna test drive that in september ibc. If its really that good like it looks, i wouldnt mind paying good money for it. The wont sell thousands, so the need to cover there designing costs.

[David M. Aronson]

Chris and Garret demonstrate the vest on NAB:

 

Video on Vimeo

Watching Chris effortlessly stick the rig out at 5:50 is pretty impressive.

[Chris Flurry]

Video makes it look interesting, but as for the 3rd arm section being completely new Ralph Watson was doing this with a 3a arm like ten years ago. I'm sure he wasn't the only one either.

[Eric Fletcher S.O.C.]

Video makes it look interesting, but as for the 3rd arm section being completely new Ralph Watson was doing this with a 3a arm like ten years ago. I'm sure he wasn't the only one either.

 

 

It's also been done with PRO arms

[Jerry Holway]

All-

 

3 section arms were also "done" years before with Master Series arms, Flyer arms, and more recently with Merlin Arms - the latter pretty much as as a plug and play assembly - we may have even tried four sections.... but all were adding additional, conventional, arm sections to the given arms.

 

That's not what is claimed as new.

 

What's new is that the 3rd arm section is largely out of the way because of the rear mount, and that the 3rd arm section does not pivot horizontally like a conventional arm section.

 

Fixing the 3rd section horizontally makes the two "normal" arm sections behave normally (i.e., better than three conventional sections mounted conventionally to any vest) as you move the sled side to side.

 

Also, the arm lift knob, and because it is a G-type arm section, the "ride" control knob, are at the forward, moving end of the arm rather that at the rear, where the operator can't reach easily.

 

The 3rd arm section is more of a mount that can be added or removed without tools, and the conventional arm docked to it without modification. That's different.

 

Jerry

[Michael Tsimperopoulos SOC]

Venice, Italy, May 1997

[Jens Piotrowski SOC]

MSRP: arm and a leg ;)

[David M. Aronson]

MSRP: arm and a leg ;)

MSRP: First born male :P

[Steve Labahn]

It would be nice to have a test run.

[Thomas Schnaidt]

I am very interested in this vest... I use a Klassen vest currently but have been thinking that I was going to get another front mount vest anyway to be covered if I really found myself in a jam. then this comes out and I am pretty excited to give a go. Im curious if the vest is any improvement when it comes to numbness in the legs. when I spend long long days in the vest, this becomes a bit of an issue and I am about to start a long job where that will be the case. Looking forward to it.

 

Tom

[Philip Balsdon]

Couple of photos of Shao Hui at last weeks Gold Workshop in Genting Highlands, Malaysia. One of the smallest operators I've seen and the vest could be made small enough to fit him.

 

I found the vest to be excellent, it's very light but rigid. As well as the weight distribution benefits on the body it allows a lot more rotational torso movement than a traditional design vest. The rods don't actually come into hard contact with the body allowing plenty of room for breathing after a strenuous move. It needs to be adjusted properly, and this procedure is different to other vests.

 

There's a lot of thought and experience from Chris gone into the design of this vest. He has a deep knowledge of spinal alignment, as anyone who has experienced one of his posture talks at a workshop will verify.

 

Edited June 17, 2012 by Philip Balsdon