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Skydiving Gear and Equipment: Helmets, Head Gear and Goggles: Sky Systems: OXYGN A3

OXYGN A3

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Item:	OXYGN A3
Manufacturer:	Sky Systems (1067 Hits)

Description:
The OXYGN A3™ is the BUTTONLESS Flip-Up visor helmet. We have taken our extremely popular OXYGN™ helmet and brought it to the next level. "Vision and air!" Our newest technology revolutionizes the conventional flip-up lens, providing superior performance and peripheral vision. The helmet's lower profile sides and easy to use lens eliminate the need for a safety snap or tuck feature. The OXYGN A3™ has an exterior audible altimeter port that will accept ALL major brands of Audible Altimeters including Pro-Dytter, Time-Out! and Skytronic Pro.

Added: 2001-01-28 | Item ID: 112

User Reviews:

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Total Reviews: 12

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3 Recent Reviews:

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

The only other competitor - Z1, but I like Oxygn more

Rated by: Maratets (more about me) on 2006-10-04 00:00:00 (user reviews) Review ID:1663

Pros: Great field of vision, easy to put on/take off, easy to clean lense
Cons: A bit too much ventilation, no soft touch finish option

I've been jumping Oxygn A3 for a season, and I do rate it as an exceptional helmet for RW. I think the best way to describe it is to compare it to another (and, perhaps, the only other) great choice for RW - Z1 fullface from Parasport. They're both about the same weight - i.e. very light - and give an equal amount of protection and warmth. Oxygn is way better when it comes to the field of vision - the only part of the picture it cuts out is a small bit around your nose. Every other angle is superb, which is a very important thing when you have to see what's happening 360 degrees around you. Another great advantage of Oxygn is the fact that it's extremely easy to put on/ take off. No need to press the button and tighten the string on the back, then clip the chin-strap like in Z1, just pull and tighten the velco strap on the side of the helmet (which is quite easy to access) and you're all set. This is a really nice feature when sitting in a fully loaded plane at 3000 meters, trying to get your equipment together simultaniously with 5 other guys on board. In the beginning the main drawback to me in comparison to Z1 was a bit too much air penetrating the helmet in freefall. However, I got used to it in a matter of first couple of jumps and this didn't bother me ever since, whatever the weather conditions are. Maybe someone will find it hard to get over, though. In return, however, the ventilation is great, and I've never seen my A3 fog yet. Another thing usually noted as a drawback is opening the lense. It requires more force and skill, than Z1, but with putting the entire helmet on and taking it off being that easy, there's no particular need for that anyway. Instead, I can just wait until they open the airplane door for spotting, and put my Oxygn on in the last moment, since it will take me only a second to do anyway, while folks wearing Z1 has have to put it on beforehand and get the needed amount of fresh air by flipping the visor up (which a lot of people tend to forget to close before exit occasionally). It has also been noted many times, that Oxygns have trouble with lenses opening and helmets flying off the head in freefall. Never had anything like that, and I didn't make any additional modifications to the helmet (some people use additional clippers for the velcro strap and duck-tape their visors to the helmet). I beleive the audible clip in A3 was initially made for ProTrack measurements, so it's too loose for smaller models (I use an Optima). However, they usually come with additional fixation strings, so it's not really an issue as long as you don't forget to use those. To sum it all up, I'd say in the realm of RW helmets Oxygn A3 could only be rivaled by Z1, but I personally would not trade Oxygn's ideal field of vision, ease of putting on/taking off and exceptional ventilation for Z1's easier to flip-up visor. The only additional feature I'd really like to see in Oxygn A3 is that soft-touch finish, available as an option in Z1, that does a great job of protecting the helmet from minor scratches and dents.

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4 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

Not such a Merry Christmas with the Oxygn A3

Rated by: AnotherGoodin (more about me) on 2005-01-01 00:00:00 (user reviews) Review ID:1148

Pros: Good preferal vison
Cons: Fit, Shape, Visor/Shield, Comfort, Looks (females)

I Finally got my first Oxygn Helmet this year for Christmas. As soon as I get it I put it on my head and notice the width is way to wide. I tried putting my hair up in different ways in hopes that it would give me (a female) a better fit. Well, nope it still doesn't fit. Another problem I am having with it is that the darn shield is already cracked and I have only had it for two weeks. Although it is only a little crack near the bottom it still sucks because I see people with 2-3 year old helmets that have clear visors. The visor also gets finger prints and foggs easily. You can only clean it with water, but when your in the plane about to exit and you put your shield down (trying to to make it crack) you get prints everywhere! No sinks in the plane when you need them.. Okay so you say don't lift up the shield, except for the fact we paid over $300 for a helmet that is supposed to! I would have gotten a Factory Diver for a whole lot cheaper in that case! Ok so females you want to look hot in this helmet? Good luck.. it makes my head look so big with all that extra space in it, but yet they "don't have any small's in stock because the average jumper is a medium or bigger." Well this is true and there smalls are too small in length ..but width it probably would fit great it you want your nose shoved down where your mouth should be. I wish I could give this a better review, but I am just aggervated because that was my "big" gift and I couldn't afford one on my own. It's the thought that counts but I don't we should have got ripped off. So Merry Christmas to you too Sky Systems.......... :(

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10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

Great helmet, but go with the regular Oxygn

Rated by: TitaniumLegs (more about me) on 2003-12-02 00:00:00 (user reviews) Review ID:864

Pros: Good fit, simple design, all-around good helmet
Cons: Exposed audible, lenses get scratched easily

I've had my A3 for 4+ years, and put probably 500+ jumps on it. I disagree that there's a big problem with visors opening in freefall. Sure it may be happening to some people, but it's only once happened to me, and don't think Steph's (regular Oxygn) has ever opened in freefall. Others I know have the same experience. People with regular problems either have a bum helmet, visor or ratchet, or it isn't installed or closed correctly. It's really easy to put the ratchet in wrong, which may also explain some people's difficulty in closing the visor. I know a number of people with the Z1, and have made a few jumps with a demo myself, and the Z1 has worse problems opening in freefall. The Oxygn visor is easy to open and close with one hand, even under canopy. I did have to work it a bit with one of the visors, but it didn't get progressively looser after that. What does suck about the visor is how easily it gets scratched to the point of translucence. Even the water-only washing they recommend does not work after a while, and you end up replacing lenses fairly regularly. Part of this is probably due to how hard you have to push and having to push right in the middle to close it. I'm working on making my own visors to solve the scratch issues. I'll probably have to use an anti-fog spray, but I might be able to get a more scratch-resistant Lexan or something. I like the Velcro tension strap neck closure or whatever it's called. Easier than chip straps used on other full face helmets, tightens around your whole neck (and therefore holds on better) and keeps the wind out better. Downside is that the loop/pile/female part of the Velcro does eventually wear out just like any other application of Velcro. Shouldn't be too hard for a rigger or other sewing-machine-capable person to replace. Again comparing to the Z1, a friend of mine lost a Z1 in freefall (they later found it). I don't know anybody to lose any model of Factory Diver. For those who have had fit problems: There is no reliable standard for measuring a head to fit a helmet. You need to try on the helmet. That goes for any kind of helmet. In hindsight, I really don't like the idea of mounting my audible outside. Even though some A3s have a cover for the audible, it's still pretty vulnerable. The inside pocket is better, and actually easier to get the audible in and out. Somebody made a comment about wanting to take it off under canopy. I assume the complaint is that there is no way to hang it from your chest strap, since there is no chin strap. Well, you could undo then reconnect your chest strap. However, given that landing accidents are more common than canopy collisions, you are better off wearing the helmet until you land. I agree that the "documentation" is pretty weak, including incorrect sizing info and no useful info on mounting the audible (but they give all kinds of micro-bungee and ties). I didn't deal much with support, but when they dinged my credit card twice when I bought Steph's helmet, Kira (Sky Systems) was very helpful and got it straightened out pretty quick. Another really cool thing is that my MP3 player sounds really great in freefall in a full face, and the Factory Diver neck closure holds the cable nicely. So in summary, don't buy the A3. Buy the regular Oxygn.

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