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1/10/12, 3:52 PM   #13
Re: Best Choice for Head and Neck Restraint?
McInturff Racing
McInturff Racing is offline
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Join Date: May 2011
Posts: 114
 

Having just done this last year for myself I am going to chime in my 2 cents. I may not be 100% correct, this is just my interpretation of the data I have found. First, the D-cell and original Hutchens- best I could find, they are no longer being produced. You may be able to find some "NOS" from someone but it is tough. I spent considerable time trying to track down a new one. On top of this, I am fairly certain they no longer meet current SFI certification criteria. I did find an article talking about how the Hutchens was then revised to the "Hutchens 2" or "Improved Hutchens". Bits and pieces of info led me to the conclusion that the Safety Solutions Hybrid and associated products are the Hutchens rebranded due to sold rights\patents and corporate restructuring. This is the product I ended up going with due to the fact that it mixes (IE the name "Hybrid") the "old" Hutchens or D-cel webbing based system and the HANS type system. It has the rigid plate held in place by the belts for the frontal impact safety and the webbing harness around the body to help with side impacts like the Hutchens 1 and the D-Cel (it buckles around the chest and then hooks into the lap belt assembly via 2 steel rings like arm restraints to keep you anchored). It is a bit of a pain to get hooked to the helmt each time you get in the car, but your crew should be able to do it no problem in about 30 seconds. The quick release tethers are nice (2 strings velcro to the chin of your helmet and all you do is pull them to release) making for easier helmet removal. The unit is fairly low profile and gives me no issue getting out of my car fast (I'm one of those wierdos who actually practices speed bails from my car to make sure none of my gear is going to hang up). Overall I am very happy with the Hybrid Pro and the only wreck I had last year (fairly decent rollover) left me with zero neck pain. The folks at Safety Solutions were great about helping me with sizing, picking the right model for my type of racing and budget and every other question I threw their way. As for the DfeNdr, it is my understanding that it is no longer available for retail purchase.