Air jackets

[Flowerofthefen]

My air jacket has died. It was a hit air. Are there any cheaper alternatives on rhe market?

 

[ycbm]

Not new, no they're all about the same.

Second hand is your best cheap option, but not Hit Air as they only have a 5 year life. If you buy a second hand P2 they will service it and renew the airbag in it for about £60.
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[Flowerofthefen]

Not new, no they're all about the same.

Second hand is your best cheap option, but not Hit Air as they only have a 5 year life. If you buy a second hand P2 they will service it and renew the airbag in it for about £60.
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Didn't realise about the life of a hit air. Mine is around 8 years old. I wasn't keen on second hand but now you've mentioned that about the P2 I will have a look!! Thank you!

 

[Flowerofthefen]

I'm also open to any other air vests etc. We don't jump or anything now but I've worn mine every ride for years so will feel naked without it!!

 

[ycbm]

Didn't realise about the life of a hit air. Mine is around 8 years old. I wasn't keen on second hand but now you've mentioned that about the P2 I will have a look!! Thank you!

I know what you mean about feeling naked!

The P2 is safe second hand because they're happy to put a new airbag in and have no shelf life limit because they always do replace them and check the trigger on a routine service.
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[Flowerofthefen]

I know what you mean about feeling naked!

The P2 is safe second hand because they're happy to put a new airbag in and have no shelf life limit because they always do replace them and check the trigger on a routine service.
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I've just messaged about a P2....

 

[webble]

Another vote for P2, I found hit air unhhelpful when I contacted them. P2 also come in a variety of colours too

 

[Flowerofthefen]

I've found a point 2 close to home. Cheaper as needs a service which is great! Thanks for your help!

 

[outinthefens88]

Having spoken to Hit Air UK - not quite sure where you have got the 'five year lifespan' from?

There's reference to it on the US site but it doesn't seem to be a thing in the UK - especially given how much they cost, one wonders wheter this is an American litigation thing??

 

[ycbm]

Having spoken to Hit Air UK - not quite sure where you have got the 'five year lifespan' from?

There's reference to it on the US site but it doesn't seem to be a thing in the UK - especially given how much they cost, one wonders wheter this is an American litigation thing??

There are posters in the UK who have said on other threads that they have been told by HitAir that they will not service a jacket over 5 years old. That was confirmed in an email too. I will search for the threads.

They don't and cannot due to the construction replace the actual airbag. That, for me, would make buying one second hand unsafe even if the 5 years was not true, which I believe it is.
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[ycbm]

I have found Hitair good to deal with and for me they were the best option due to fit and weight but they do not replace airbags on servicing and the air jackets have a life of five years. I was told when i spoke to them that they couldn't replace bags as it was an older one, approximately 6 years, so I purchased a new one. I wasn't told that this was the case for the new ones still and in the tags it says the jacket needs replaced after 5 years. For this reason, if I'm still riding in 5 years time, unless they change this I will not be buying another hit air. I'm not sure what you actually get from a hitair service other than a check of mechanism which you can do yourself and the jacket cleaned which you can also do yourself?

More posts and pictures of the labels in this thread.

Air Jackets

What do you recommend? After a couple of ouchy falls over the last few years, I'm inclined not to break any more ribs etc, so might buy myself one for Christmas.

forums.horseandhound.co.uk

 

[ycbm]

I love my Hit Air, but I can confirm from my first hand email comms with them post purchase that a. they do not routinely replace the air bags at service time, and b. they do not service/repair the jackets at all from 5 years old+.

From the same thread as above.

 

[Reacher]

Having spoken to Hit Air UK - not quite sure where you have got the 'five year lifespan' from?

There's reference to it on the US site but it doesn't seem to be a thing in the UK - especially given how much they cost, one wonders wheter this is an American litigation thing??

Hitair uk told me they were guaranteed for 5 years. I sent mine (bought 2nd hand and probably over 5 years) for service. They encouraged me to retire it (I didn’t )- so they did service it and it passed the inflation pressure test).

I don’t think I’d bother to send it for service again, I’ll use it for a few more inflations then retire it. I don’t think the service does much other than a visual inspection and an inflation and pressure test. (Always worn over a BP).

 

[Flowerofthefen]

I spoke to hit air today. They can't fix my old air jacket. They said the design is slightly different now. She said if it hadn't if broken it would have been perfectly fine to use. If they could have mended it I would have gone ahead with the repair. She mentioned 5/ 6 years was the usual life span.

 

[Tiddlypom]

The Hit Air peep told me that Hit Air can and will replace the air bags ‘if necessary’ at a service, but they do not do so routinely.

It is true that they will not service their air vests once they are 5+ years old.

 

[outinthefens88]

Hitair uk told me they were guaranteed for 5 years. They encouraged me to retire my older one (I didn’t and it passed the inflation pressure test).

This correlates with what I was told also when i specifically queried the 'lifespan' thing - 5 years is the guarantee period etc not necessarily a 'discard by date' ..... I understand where some people are coming from ref the Point 2 servicing etc but I respect everyone has their own opinions. Personally I use Hit Air and have done for around 5-6 years. As with so many things expected lifespan will be related to use/storage etc.

 

[ycbm]

This correlates with what I was told also when i specifically queried the 'lifespan' thing - 5 years is the guarantee period etc not necessarily a 'discard by date' ..... I understand where some people are coming from ref the Point 2 servicing etc but I respect everyone has their own opinions. Personally I use Hit Air and have done for around 5-6 years. As with so many things expected lifespan will be related to use/storage etc.

But this is a piece of safety equipment that is only safe if it goes off. If it only has a guarantee to go off for 5 years it is quite simply unsafe to use it after 5 years. The company cannot/will not promise it will work after 5 years.

It's not like a hoover you can safely use for years after the guarantee ends, it simply HAS to inflate. Would you fly on a six year old plane that only had a guarantee the wings wouldn't fall off for five years?
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[Flowerofthefen]

Seller dropped the point 2 off for me this afternoon as she was passing my work place!! Its in really good condition, I will get it booked in for a service. It was meant to be!! Thanks again for the heads up about the point 2. It's saved me loads of money!!

 

[ycbm]

It will come back from service looking completely new!

ETA I sent mine for service once apologising for the fact that it looked as if it had been dragged through a hedge backwards, and explained that was because it had Still came back looking brilliant.

 

[Flowerofthefen]

It will come back from service looking completely new!

ETA I sent mine for service once apologising for the fact that it looked as if it had been dragged through a hedge backwards, and explained that was because it had Still came back looking brilliant.

My hitair was disgusting really. I wiped it down but it never looked clean!! How do you all keep your jackets clean? I use mine every ride and pop it over my saddle when not in use. It still got filthy. I suppose putting it on a hanger with a cover over it is the only way?!

 

[ycbm]

My hitair was disgusting really. I wiped it down but it never looked clean!! How do you all keep your jackets clean? I use mine every ride and pop it over my saddle when not in use. It still got filthy. I suppose putting it on a hanger with a cover over it is the only way?!

P2 is easier because it's got a one piece cover apart from the straps. Just sponge off the dirt.

 

[Identityincrisis]

My hitair was disgusting really. I wiped it down but it never looked clean!! How do you all keep your jackets clean? I use mine every ride and pop it over my saddle when not in use. It still got filthy. I suppose putting it on a hanger with a cover over it is the only way?!

I put mine on a hanger and cover it in with an old pillowcase

 

[Coblover63]

The Hit Air peep told me that Hit Air can and will replace the air bags ‘if necessary’ at a service, but they do not do so routinely.

It is true that they will not service their air vests once they are 5+ years old.

That's interesting. They must have changed their policy. I sent mine to HitAir three years ago to be serviced, having had a fall. She phoned to say that it had failed the inflation test and there was nothing she could do. I had to cut my losses so I bought a Point Two!!

 

[Flowerofthefen]

Just a little update. I sent my new to me air jacket off to point 2 on Monday, it's already been serviced and is on its way back!!

 

[Dave's Mam]

Just a little update. I sent my new to me air jacket off to point 2 on Monday, it's already been serviced and is on its way back!!

That's great!

 

[ycbm]

Just a little update. I sent my new to me air jacket off to point 2 on Monday, it's already been serviced and is on its way back!!

I predict you'll be thrilled with it when you see it!


ETA I've been musing on this and why it irritates some people to read comments on the air bag replacement/shelf life. For me it's quite simply a huge safety issue. These things cost well over £400 and are only any good if they inflate. No amount of testing can tell you that they will inflate next time, only that they inflated last time. If your life may depend on a £450 piece of kit working, would you rather the bag was less than 1 year old, or less than 5 years old?
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[GoldenWillow]

Having spoken to Hit Air UK - not quite sure where you have got the 'five year lifespan' from?

There's reference to it on the US site but it doesn't seem to be a thing in the UK - especially given how much they cost, one wonders wheter this is an American litigation thing??

This is a from the booklet that came with my hitair that I purchased last year after contacting them about servicing my older one. I was told they would no longer service it as it was an older model (approx 6 years) and I needed to replace it. There was no mention of that the current ones also have a lifespan of 3-5 years. There is no difference that I can see between my original and new air jacket.

Eta, like you I could find no reference to this on their website as I checked to see if I'd missed it when I found this attached to my new hitair jacket.

 

[ycbm]

View attachment 134558

This is a from the booklet that came with my hitair that I purchased last year after contacting them about servicing my older one. I was told they would no longer service it as it was an older model (approx 6 years) and I needed to replace it. There was no mention of that the current ones also have a lifespan of 3-5 years. There is no difference that I can see between my original and new air jacket.

I would imagine that they have had a number of reported failures at the 3+ year mark, and because they don't replace the airbag on service, they have to protect themselves from being sued by stating that it only has a 3 year life.

3-5 years is a complete fudge. It means 3 years. If you have one fail at 3 years there is no way for you to prove that with the way you treated it, it should have lasted 5. Going back to what I said above, that you can only prove it inflated last time, not that it will inflate next time, then they are effectively saying that these jackets are not to be relied on after 3 years old.
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[Flowerofthefen]

I keep thinking about my hit air, and it's my fault for not servicing it regularly, it wouldn't have gone off as cable was falling to pieces. This one I will keep serviced

 

[Nasicus]

I have the hi-viz yellow P2 (and we all know how grubby hi viz gets), had it serviced last month, came back gleaming!
It was one of their refurbished ones too, when I bought it start of 2023, and it turned up looking brand new and it's yet to let me down when I've plopped off!