Leg Guards? How About These?

[Noah]

I plan on getting a pair of catcher's leg guards and was wondering if anyone has ever had any experience with these instead of chainsaw chaps?

Pic here:
http://www.ballgloves.com/cgi-local/p.pl?NLGVB

• Composite high impact Polyethylene shell with Carbon Fiber underlay
• Shock-Gel inserts in critical areas
• Cool-Max® single piece lining which increase player comfort
• Closed Cell Padding
• 3rd Knee Zone System with Velcro® straps allows additional protection
• Flex Life knee hinges
• Gold plated rugged hardware with rubber rivet covers
• Leather reinforced tabs
• Five team colors
• Detachable Knee Cushion (Sold with or without Knee Cushion)
Order On-line:

I'm guessing that the best thing to do would to be to invest in a designated pair of chaps since they are made for clogging the chain, but thought that there might be someone here who has tried catchers gear. These have two layers, polyethylene plastic shell and a carbon fiber layer, then normally heavy cordora leg brush pants underneath.
I plan to get some similar thickness pvc pipe and try the saw on that to experiment and get an idea. If that doesn't pan out very good, my next question is WHICH BRAND AND MODEL FULL CHAPS?

 

[GASoline71]

Don't waste your money on those shin guards... when you can get a good set of chaps for around 40 bucks.

Don't really matter what brand or model of chaps... just get them from a reputable source. They are all good.

Gary

 

[BlueRidgeMark]

1. Those shin guards aren't going to do ZIPPO to protect you from a chainsaw.
2. Chaps are not all created equally, as some of us have recently learned here on Arboristsite.
3. You need to do a search on the subject here. It's been a hot topic the last week or so.

http://www.arboristsite.com/showthread.php?t=47534

http://www.arboristsite.com/showthread.php?t=44827

http://www.arboristsite.com/showthread.php?t=39830

 

[ericjeeper]

Chaps not all created equal..

But any will be better than those plastic shinguards.. Kind of like buying a latex surgical glove and improvising for a catchers mitt.. With a guy throwing 90 plus mph fastballs.. Sure it will relieve some of the pain.. But not enough to justify the savings.

 

[Noah]

Your probably right. I was looking for something that might do double duty for use with a brush blade AND chainsaw, but am guessing that they would work off of different principles.

 

[livewire]

Chainsaw chaps only! There is no substitue.

Chaps are designed to clog and stop the saw from turnig.

Check out this demo

 

[SRT-Tech]

the dangers of wearing hard plastic shin guards instead of chaps or saw pants, is the hard plastic deflects the saw/chainaway, possible up and into your chest, groin, arms, face, head.

chaps are DIRT CHEAP, buy a pair. wear them. if you knick em or cut them, buy another pair. I see so many homeowners plunk down wads of cash for a saw, but buy ZERO safety gear (oh its too expensive, i dont need that, i'll look silly, i'm not a pro, its just for firewood, its just for pruning....on and on......and on....) THESE ARE ALL PISS POOR EXCUSES!


three months ago i bought a pair of Echo chaps for 56 bucks. not even twenty minutes later the log i was cutting shifted in the mud, and the saqw kicked back. Chaps ripped, chainsaw jammed and stopped. tiny bruise, nothing more. went and bought another pair. That lousy 56 bucks saved me thousands in medical expenses, lost wages and time. If your too cheap to buy a 50 buck safety item, YOU SHOULD'NT BE USING A SAW.

end rant.

buy your safety gear, you might never need em, BUT...........

this is a guy wearing running shoes, socks and shorts, who experienced what a chainsaw chain at 12,000 rpms feels like. I dont care that its gruesome, this illustrates WHY WE WEAR CHAINSAW PANTS/CHAPS.

 

[Noah]

All good points guys.

That demo, Livewire, is a good illustration. Is that kevlar blend just on the surface, or part of the inner fiber? I like kevlar, but heard that it will break down with repeated washings. I'm again guessing that it won't matter so much if its just the surface fabric.

As to a brush blade protector, again I plan to experiment on some cheap pvc pipe, then if it works get a pair of those shin guards since they conform to the leg and even cover the upper foot which would be important since the toe is the only place that is steel in my saw boots. If I have to reinforce them, I'll probably do like the sca guys do when they play swords.....just be creative and add pvc pipe, or other material that works over top of the catchers guards.

Then I'll need to buy the best saw chaps that I can afford. I'm sure that any of them are more affordable than a doctors bill/hospital visit, so I want to go with the best I can. Still interested in recommended brands and models of saw chaps; even ideas for brush leg guards since the only thing I've been turning up are thin string trimmer stuff.
----------------
PS: Crap SRT! You posted just ahead of me, so I didn't see yours prior to this sentence. That's a heck of an injury! At least a thousand words worth.

You said, "the dangers of wearing hard plastic shin guards instead of chaps or saw pants, is the hard plastic deflects the saw/chainaway, possible up and into your chest, groin, arms, face, head.
chaps are DIRT CHEAP, buy a pair. wear them. if you knick em or cut them, buy another pair. I see so many homeowners plunk down wads of cash for a saw, but buy ZERO safety gear (oh its too expensive, i dont need that, i'll look silly, i'm not a pro, its just for firewood, its just for pruning....on and on......and on....) THESE ARE ALL PISS POOR EXCUSES! "

You don't find me arguing with you. I've heard guys belittle the need for safety eqt. too. I'm not trying to be cheap either. Just wondering what you guys thought about the others, since I thought they 'might' work better than the chaps for using a brush blade. Sometimes I've used both a saw AND a brush blade in the field. Most close calls I've had were from the blade, but the teeth are no less lethal. I think that I really need protection for BOTH tools. The next couple of weeks will probably be those times while clearing trails of multifloura, greenbriar, and felled trees. At this point I'll be packing in the tools, fuel, and safety eqt. for all of the tools, which will likely be TWO PAIRS of speciallized chaps. It won't be all that cheap, at least for me, but it'll be cheaper than any injury more than a bruise. Which chaps do you recommend?

 

[24d]

lota safty threads on here lately-must be a sign-I just ordered some new chaps and a pair for my dad-me or nobody else will ever run my saws without em-srt tech you drove it home-THANKS!!

 

[aquan8tor]

get the full wraparound chaps form labonville. THey are a sponsor. They're the only ones I've seen that advertise a class "A" UL rating. Everything else advertises class B. That has to mean something. I actually have a different pair of chaps, but when they get replaced, it'll be with the labonville ones.

 

[chainsawjunky]

the dangers of wearing hard plastic shin guards instead of chaps or saw pants, is the hard plastic deflects the saw/chainaway, possible up and into your chest, groin, arms, face, head.

chaps are DIRT CHEAP, buy a pair. wear them. if you knick em or cut them, buy another pair. I see so many homeowners plunk down wads of cash for a saw, but buy ZERO safety gear (oh its too expensive, i dont need that, i'll look silly, i'm not a pro, its just for firewood, its just for pruning....on and on......and on....) THESE ARE ALL PISS POOR EXCUSES!


three months ago i bought a pair of Echo chaps for 56 bucks. not even twenty minutes later the log i was cutting shifted in the mud, and the saqw kicked back. Chaps ripped, chainsaw jammed and stopped. tiny bruise, nothing more. went and bought another pair. That lousy 56 bucks saved me thousands in medical expenses, lost wages and time. If your too cheap to buy a 50 buck safety item, YOU SHOULD'NT BE USING A SAW.

end rant.

buy your safety gear, you might never need em, BUT...........

this is a guy wearing running shoes, socks and shorts, who experienced what a chainsaw chain at 12,000 rpms feels like. I dont care that its gruesome, this illustrates WHY WE WEAR CHAINSAW PANTS/CHAPS.

Is that real? Wow. All I can say. Don't have any chaps yet but I haven't run a saw in over a month(working on them). Definitely gonna buy some chaps first thing. Evan

 

[SRT-Tech]

yes, that is a real injury (not me) courtesy of a EMT i know.

you "could" wear the plastic leg guards UNDER a pair of chaps...might lessen the bruising/impact of a brushcutter blade/chain, but sthe chaps would still take the brunt of it.....i dunno....

 

[John Ellison]

I think he spilled his strawberry shortcake.

 

[beelsr]

three months ago i bought a pair of Echo chaps for 56 bucks. not even twenty minutes later the log i was cutting shifted in the mud, and the saqw kicked back. Chaps ripped, chainsaw jammed and stopped. tiny bruise, nothing more. went and bought another pair. That lousy 56 bucks saved me thousands in medical expenses, lost wages and time. If your too cheap to buy a 50 buck safety item, YOU SHOULD'NT BE USING A SAW.

I'd rep you for that pic but I can't...

 

[royta]

It looks like the injured person got sick and lost his freshly eaten scrambled eggs, all over the wound.

 

[Cedarkerf]

I'd rep you for that pic but I can't...

I got em for ya.

 

[SRT-Tech]

no rep needed. A lil gore (and i aint talking AL) hits home in many peoples minds, nagging em to wear their PPE!

 

[clearance]

the dangers of wearing hard plastic shin guards instead of chaps or saw pants, is the hard plastic deflects the saw/chainaway, possible up and into your chest, groin, arms, face, head.

chaps are DIRT CHEAP, buy a pair. wear them. if you knick em or cut them, buy another pair. I see so many homeowners plunk down wads of cash for a saw, but buy ZERO safety gear (oh its too expensive, i dont need that, i'll look silly, i'm not a pro, its just for firewood, its just for pruning....on and on......and on....) THESE ARE ALL PISS POOR EXCUSES!


three months ago i bought a pair of Echo chaps for 56 bucks. not even twenty minutes later the log i was cutting shifted in the mud, and the saqw kicked back. Chaps ripped, chainsaw jammed and stopped. tiny bruise, nothing more. went and bought another pair. That lousy 56 bucks saved me thousands in medical expenses, lost wages and time. If your too cheap to buy a 50 buck safety item, YOU SHOULD'NT BE USING A SAW.

end rant.

buy your safety gear, you might never need em, BUT...........

this is a guy wearing running shoes, socks and shorts, who experienced what a chainsaw chain at 12,000 rpms feels like. I dont care that its gruesome, this illustrates WHY WE WEAR CHAINSAW PANTS/CHAPS.

The yellow in the pic. is fat. I cut myself real good once in the arm years back, it wasn't pretty, took them a while to trim all the shredded skin, stitch the muscle and then pull the skin back together. But this picture looks more like some kind of harsh abrasion, a road accident. Or maybe the guy just kept cutting, are you sure SRT?

 

[huskydave]

I am so glad that all of you guys work safe. I will always use all the ppe I can. I have neglected the use of safety in the past. I am a machinist and I have had some close calls at work and in the woods. I find that a healthy respect is needed whenever you operate any piece of equipment that has rotating or moving parts. I am a firm believer in safety meetings with your coworkers as well, this prevents the veteran workers from letting their gaurd down. How many times have you witnessed people using the wrong tool for the job? I know I have many times, example: a kitchen knife as a screwdriver or a screwdriver as a hammer and the list goes on and on.... Chaps and Eye protection are a given I will not even use a drillpress without steel toe boots and eye protection minimum . My main point is the chaps are designed to stop a chainsaw as fast as possible period. I don't take chances. I also believe we should all tell stories about accidents and near misses as this will educate everyone and hopefully save someone from serious injury or maybe even a fatality I can swallow my pride and give some example of what not to do beacause I am a man. I follow safe procedures and that ensures I lower the risk of an accident. I have also witnessed many accidents due to the fact that two people have improper signals or Communication. I have seen a person operate a winch that had not stop point at the roller fairlead and crush another persons fingers. I work on friends cars all the time. I am in the drivers seat my friend is under the hood. I will say Im going to start the car. I will say stand clear I am going to start the car are you clear. I will ask a third time are you sure you are clear, Why? because I have had people at the last minute try to adjust something as I am starting the vehicle and I have had people tell me you are crazy Why do you need to ask three or four times and I say beacause no one gets hurt in my garage. I am passionate about safety because i don't want to see anyone get hurt. I would never use the wrong tool for the job unless I absoulutely had too and even then I would not trust the baseball shin pads to stop a saw that revs at 12-15000 rpm. This comes with experience and i am glad you posted it here before you buy something that will not protect you from harm.

 

[dtnodya]

I know I joke around a lot but on a serious note, these threads have convinced me to buy a good pair of chaps. I'm not gonna cut again until I have a good pair.


Is that shredded bone??? Fat???