Isaac Device?

[Vipera Russelli]

What do you guys think of the Isaac Device? According to its website anyway, it appears to provide every bit as much safety in a crash as does the Hans Device (which I do not own and have not tried). On the down side, it doesn't release with the six-point and has to be taken off separately. Of course that's a plus of sorts, in that I like the idea of not having to carry around that huge Hans bracket. Are these little pistons a pain to take on and off? What's driving like with the devise attached? Is head mobility too restricted? Is it worth the money? Is it convenient enough to use that you'll actually use it?

http://www.isaacdirect.com/

 

[Chuck 98 RT/10]

All moot points if it isn't approved by the organization you race with.

 

[ViperGMC]

Interesting write up on their website, especially the one about why they are not SFI certified – Hmmmm. If you look at HANS, just about every racing body is certifying it. Hmmmm. I use the HANs, took me a couple of runs before I got the hang of using it. Now I would not drive on the track with out it. My only complaint about the HANS is that my shoulder straps did fit it well. I ended up getting new shoulder straps that are made to go over the HANS and that made all the difference.

I usually leave the straps unhooked as I drive to pit row then I hook in one side and wait for the go ahead, then click in the other side. That way I am still able to look around before I am actually on the track.

Simpson makes a harness that you wear that might fit what you are looking for. Don’t know what type of certs it has.

 

[Kai SRT10]

I use the Isaac. I like it. It's very easy to put on and get out of. It provides decent head mobility. Once you start driving, you forget you are wearing it. I like the fact that it functions independently of a separate harness. I like the fact that it provides some protection from sideways impacts. It's a simple and elegant design. I don't go on the track without it.

I don't put much stock in the fact that the HANS is the preferred choice of racing bodies. All that means to me is that the HANS guys are good at playing politics. The entire head restraint field is so new that the testing criteria and specifications are all still in flux. I don't think that you can conclude that the HANS is the best device because it's used by some racing body. HANS has the benefit of being first, so they got to define the market. Personally, I find the Isaac to be a better product.


Here is another post I made regarding the Isaac:

http://vca2.viperclub.org/forums/showflat.php?Cat=&Board=UBB21&Number=566310&page=0&view=collapsed&sb=5&o=&fpart=1


Here's an interesting article comparing the Hans and the Isaac:

http://www.catchfence.com/html/2006/mt020606.html

 

[Bill Pemberton Woodhouse]

I would get a Hans and not hesitate. There is a definite reason , and it is not politics, that virtually all the sanctioning bodies have endorsed this system. Having used one for 3 years, I don't even know it is there , and considering it's record for endorsement from F1 to Nascar, I feel much safer protecting my head and neck. You can buy one now for under $1000, so check it out.

 

[Kai SRT10]

I would get a Hans and not hesitate. There is a definite reason , and it is not politics, that virtually all the sanctioning bodies have endorsed this system.

Certainly "politics" was not the only consideration. "Money and politics" is probably a better explanation. SFI is pay to play, and the SFI specs are set by folks (like HANS) that have paid money in order to participate in the process.

Look at the SFI specifications. The only specification that the Isaac device doesn't meet is the requirement that releasing the seat belts releases the restraint. With the HANS folks crafting the SFI specification, it's no wonder that requirement is there. Ask yourself the question: Why isn't there any requirement in the SFI specification regarding side impact performance? Why does the SFI specification focus on a single release point for the belts and the device rather than look at other issues relating to egress from the car (i.e. the numerous reported issues where the HANS device trapped the person in the car.) The answer is simple. The HANS people wrote the specification to favor their device and keep out their competitor's device.

 

[ViperGMC]

I guess opinions vary, but hey it's not like your neck is on the line.

 

[Bill Pemberton Woodhouse]

Sorry, Kai, but Hans doesn't write the SFI specifications, SFI does, and the fact that any product does not meet their guideline is suspect to me. Having talked to various safety experts, none who was even employed by Hans, the simple reason Hans is endorsed is that it works the best. Surely you remember Nascar fighting the use and even complaining about the price ----- it won out because it works the best.

If you want to race in SCCA , your window net, your race suit, your harness belt , helmet, etc. will have an SFI clarification. I know when I am door to door, I want something that has an industry standard approval to cover my butt, my noggin, etc. Arguing why a product is not okayed by SFI , to me , is analgous to an electrical contractor arguing about why his product is not endorsed by National Underwriters Laboratories. You are a talented driver and do plenty of track time, but having been crunched more than a couple of times by other drivers , I want all the best on my side.

 

[Kai SRT10]

Saying that something is "the best" because it meets an SFI specification doesn't fly for me. I remember Nascar fighting the use. I also remember F1 and Nascar drivers complaining that the HANS harness slips out from under the belts. (Remember Jenson Button?) Ever had your seat belts loosen up during a long track session? How effective will your HANS device be if your harness slips off of the belts during a crash? I also remember reading about drivers who couldn't get out of their cars because their HANS device got stuck on window nets, etc.

Does the SFI specification deal at all with side impact forces? No. I would think that "the best" head and neck restraint would attenuate side impacts as well as frontal impacts. Ever been "crunched" from the side? Ever gone sideways into a wall? Why doesn't the SFI specification even address this issue?

You don't think that the HANS folks are the ones that put forward the draft SFI specification? Given the money that SFI makes from HANS, you don't think that the HANS people had more input in getting the specification finalized than the folks at Isaac?
I have no problem with standards and specifications. However, I also think that there should be room for innovation. HANS was first to the market but that doesn't mean that the HANS device can't be improved upon, and the specification should be flexible enough to allow for other designs. I look at the current SFI specification and I see a specification that was written to prevent competition and innovation. The Isaac could be superior in every respect to the HANS in impact attenuation and yet still fail to meet the SFI specification because the SFI specification requires that the release mechanism is attached to the seatbelts. To me, that is a blatant shortcoming of the SFI spec.

 

[Janni]

gbaker, is that you?

For our use, a HANS is the only way. However, I will say that side impacts concern me - but THAT is what the racing seat with the wings is for, as well as the right side net that you are seeing in all the race cars these days. I believe that the HANS is most effectie when dealing with mostly head on crashes - the vector that you can't fix by adding a seat bolster of another net, etc. We have other safety equipment to try to mitigate the side impacts. The seat is made and braced to severly restrict the side to side movement of the driver so that the HANS movement won't be an issue. Take a look at hte latest iterations of NASCAR seats - they offer a TON of lateral stability and will keep the driver positioned under the belts - so do the better race seats.

We practice egress of the vehicle. The HANS does not come off until the driver is competely out of the car. Get used to exiting the car quickly with the device and it won't slow you down. Make it second nature.

The HANS is not the perfect answer - but in combination with the stuff mentioned above - we're betting our lives that it's the best thing out there.

After hte wreck at BeaveRun - a 2.1 g impact, Henry walked away without a scratch and minimal soreness in the days following. Then, we did not change a THING about our safety gear when we replaced it. That's the best endorsement I can think of.

Hans, TeamTech, Racetech.

 

[Bill Pemberton Woodhouse]

You have an Isaac, I have a Hans. I realize they are going to promote their product as hard as they can, since they don't have an SFI designation. The question is simple, that I will go with what is approved, and what virtually all of my racing friends use with confidence. I will admit that some type of neck and head device is better than nothing, and we each obviously have our preferences. Let's hope most of the folks we know who do track events get some protection, even though our choices are different.

 

[Vipera Russelli]

Great feedback by everyone. I think the best argument for the Hans devise is Chuck's point—if compliance with the SFI rules is required, right or wrong, the debate is over. For me, however, that’s not important at this stage because such rules do not apply to me.

I did notice that nobody seems to be suggesting that the Isaac devise is inferior in performance to the Hans devise, other than by pointing out that the Isaac devise is not SFI compliant. But as Kai pointed out, the only SFI spec that’s not satisfied by the Issac devise seems to be the requirement that the devise be detached with the release of the seat belt. So, setting aside Chuck’s point by assuming that compliance with the SFI rules is not required by your particular driving event, isn’t the SFI argument really then only a claim that the Hans detach-with-seatbelt-release setup is better than the Isaac detach-at-the-helmet setup?

Setting aside questions of whether Hans has unfairly influenced the SFI specs, I suspect at least one of the arguable reasons for this SFI belt-release spec could be the ease at which emergency personal can yank a driver out of a car--releasing one buckle is certainly better than having to release three, especially given that releasing the Isaac devise buckle/pin on the far side of the driver's helmet would certainly not be an easy task from outside the car. I agree that that's a good reason to have the devise release with the seat belt. On the other hand, the additional lateral impact protection afforded by the Isaac devise alone (which nobody seems to dispute) seems to me, personally, to be more important generally than the ease at which EMP can remove me from the car. In part, it's a question of which scenario is more probable--needing additional side impact protection or needed to be removed from the car quickly. Given that I don't have the racing seats of which Janni speaks to afford increased lateral impact protection, and because I am a mere car club tracker and thus don't have to worry about which devise is exclusively allowed by racing organizations, then, unless I’m missing something, it seems to me that the Isaac devise is probably the better bet for me based on which need scenario seems more probable.

Either way, in the end, Bill is right. Either choice is better than no choice.

 

[Janni]

It's an interesting debate - I see that the sled testing that was done on the Isaac site was done with a very "open" seat. There is a possibility that there may be better options just based on the rest of your safety equipment. For example, I know that there have been folks that have installed 5 point harnesses that go "around" the seatbacks when the seats do not have the cutouts like all ours do. Since in the event of an impact, the belts WILL separate and slide around the seat - the stock belts are a better choice in that situation.

I guess I am looking at safety as a system and making those choices. I'd be interested to see the testing done in conjunction with "the rest" of the safety equipment that racers use.

And Kai is right - BUY SOMETHING and USE IT EVERY TIME YOU HIT THE TRACK. You do owe it to those who care about you!

 

[Viper X]

Interesting read.

A head restraint seems to be a must.

Racing seats sound like a good investment.