ToolGuyd: Proto has recently introduced their new SkyHook tool tether and tether transfer system, which is designed to help keep workers safe without impeding their comfort or productivity.
The SkyHook safety tether product line includes a wide range of tether-ready Proto hand tools, and there are also many retrofit kit options that enable you to attach SkyHook tethers and mounting points to your existing tools.
8 comments:
I remember seeing about this tethering system last year and the concept is pretty impressive. relieves the technician of needing to haggle with a long lanyard but my issue with it is the cuff. Yes i realize that is the key component to the whole rig but still it is the reason why i probably won't use the system.
When I saw the original video last year they big selling point was to prevent workers from dropping a tool and having it get hung up on something or swimg around and hit them in the stomach. but now with this assembly no it won't get hung up but if you drop the tool while working with your arms extended over your head, its going to just swing back and smack you in the face.
This product looks really interesting but based on the article and lack of a demo video or more pictures I'm not sure exactly how to feel about it. Having a good tool lanyard is important to me and I recently bought a new one because I wasn't happy with my old one. The idea of everything hooked onto a wrist cuff is interesting but my worry would be that the unhooking and rehooking tools would be more difficult or time consuming than just pocketing a wrench.
I do see Sean's point about the tool being more likely to swing back into the users face but a belt attached lanyard has a bigger risk of the tool flying back toward the user at a higher speed since most of them are elastic or bungee. But I would be interested in giving this product a try and seeing if it is an improvement over a belt lanyard.
I just ordered a set of these.
Theres always a balance when it comes to tethering tools to one's body. The tethers are too short, or too stretchy, or they get tangled, or get in your way. Often the clips are heavy or high profile and they get in the way. This is really a great solution in a workplace that required full tool accountability or for any work at height.
I'm really hoping that soon, all tool manufacturers, from power tools to screwdrivers, will start to include an identical tether point on all of their tools, allowing the end user to simply clip their tether from one tool to another, and not have to worry about compatibility.
This is a creative way to tethers that can be long and get tangled. It does have a foolproof way to make sure that the tool is always tethered to something. Although it may cut down on tethers, I agree with Sean on the cuff and smacking you still. I think that the system could get a little bit annoying, or work just as well as tethers in the end. I would probably lose the wrist cuff or the cuff would fall off my wrist.
I'm interested to see this system in action. It seems like a decent idea that could be helpful to people working overhead with tools. I've never really liked the tie line system or telephone cord that is often used in our industry and I like the wrist clip idea. I'd like to see a video to better understand they system as I didn't really understand what it did until I looked at the Catalog information and got a better understanding. We'll see. I don't think there will ever be a perfect solution (at least until we all become cyborgs and have tools build into our arms) but it's a good idea to a problem that is always around.
I agree with Philip, this product looks intriguing and potentially really useful but with the lack of a video and a more in-depth description, it leaves me with some wonder as to how well it will work and how useful it will really be. Like Tyler said, I too have never really been a fan of using tie line or a telephone cord to tether off tools and such. This system definitely looks like it has some pros and cons of its own, especially like what Sean said about the possibility of it coming back and hitting you in the face if you are working with your arms extended over your head.
To me, this seems to be a high tech and over-engineered solution to a problem that we already have solutions to. Our normal solution is a single carabineer and then just not dropping the tool when it is open, or in more serious cases, two carabineers so that one is always attached. What I do like about this system are the variable attachment methods to the tools, Heat shrink tubes and rubber collars seem like they would be great alternatives to tie line and gaff tape.
When it is needed this could fill a niche market for the theatre community. It seems to be expensive for someone like me who very rarely has to have tools tied off to me. If a TD does their job right this product would only be useful once in a blue moon. For lighting or upriggers it might be worth the investment but for the average technician this seems pricey and over engineered. I like Frank's unicornitopia where a uniform tethering point is built into tools but until then this seems like a lot of expense where dacron or telephone cable will work just as well. I also don't trust the plastic components.
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