FF2 Discontinued

I love my FF2 helmets - I have one for filming tandems and one set up for coaching. I have been using them successfully for many years. The after sales service and customer care I have experienced is second to none.
I had bought a Newton sight assembly that was faulty and didn't have time to return it with an impending competition to film. Not only did Steve fit it to my helmet, he practically re-made it to make sure that it fitted together properly. I can't rate the service I received highly enough.

I had a FF2 for a very short time. When the helmet finally arrived there were flaws in the finish. The factory basically said that it could be returned if I paid shipping and handling both ways. This included a very expensive cardboard box and bubble wrap. I decided to live with the poor finish and found that the camera that I specified wouldn't fit. I cut my losses and sold it for cheap. I love my Cookie helmet.

I've been jumping my FF2 for almost 2 years now. Worth every penny. Some people may think it's a bit pricey but not at all. When you think about all the amount money we put there and there for cameye, gaf tape, Paint, fibre glass, neoprene, cut away system over the price of a regular camera helmet, you may end up paying more. This is a neat all in one ready to jump helmet. Comfort, and look is perfect. Also give full protection to your camera = longer life :). The design is also snag free and can avoid an undesired cutaway.
Over the product it self, the service offer by 2kcomposite, before and after is just amazing. the guys even answer question I had after 2 years when I put my still picture camera on top. Note as well, the guys will do custom paint job on demand...

11 on 10
Blue sky
Alex

Ok, the wait time was what they told me, but it was long. However, when I finally received my new helmet, I forgot all about how long it took! I now have over 20 jumps with my new lid and love it! The directions included for mounting the ringsite were great, as were the directions for mounting the chincup cut-away. The fit is amazing! The comfort of the helmet is second to none! I ordered a custom paint job and they NAILED IT!!!! It looks hot! I just emailed them a photo of me in freefall in my jumpsuit for color matching and they got it exact! I could not ask for anything better! Dawn was my contact at 2K and she was great at relaying info as to my delivery time and when I emailed them back to add the ringsite she was quick to get it done! The customer service is second to none! I would recommend this company to anyone looking to purchase a new helmet anyday! Thanks so much for taking such great care of me and for providing me with such a great helmet!

I have an early 2005 FF2, I've had it for about a year and a half, and overall my experience has been very good. It fits on your head snugly and consistantly, to the point that you don't need to use a ringsight if you don't want to.

2k Composites has changed this helmet quite a bit since I bought mine and I want to address some of the changes they've made. Hopefully this will help people who may have seen a few of these helmets and noticed almost no two to be alike.

They've changed the way the optional two-ring cutaway system is oriented. A big improvement as this keeps the cable better protected, and also protects the spectra loop from wear when the helmet moves around in your gearbag.

They've replaced the quarter-turn fastener that closes the d-box with a screw-in fastener. This puzzles me, as the quarter-turn fastener has held up really well on my helmet, and it's much more convienient for quick access. You might consider asking for the old-style fastener when you order and see if they'll build it that way.

They've changed the molding of the d-box around the opening for the camera lens. While this does protect your lens a little better, it makes it harder to get your lens lined up and fitting the opening properly. Especially if you aren't using a low-profile skydive lens like Royal-lens or Way-cool which the makers of this helmet obviously had in mind.

They've redesigned the chincup to "capture" the excess ratchet strap rather than have it extend out past your chin. This is much nicer as I had to use a dremel to cut and reshape the end of my ratchet strap. You no longer have to do this.

Some things they haven't changed which maybe they should:

The top mount area is pretty narrow. It barely fits the width of a stroboframe quick release, and essentially any still camera mounting scenario you come up with is going to leave a good bit of the camera hanging off the edge, creating a snag point. The helmet could really use some kind of (perhaps removeable) shelf extension that will make it contour better to the grip of a still camera and keep lines from potentially getting caught.

The D-box is designed to hold a few different cameras, which is nice, but the piece of foam on the inside of the d-box door is "one size fits none" I removed it and in its place rubber-cemented a larger piece of shipping foam which helps keep camera vibrations to a minimum.

The molded cam-eye button position is questionable. While my right riser has only hit it and turned it off on opening a dozen or so times in the 800-odd jumps I've put on this thing, it can happen, and when you're pulling your reserve ripcord and you notice the cam-eye light is blue because the riser turned off your camera and you missed the footage of your wicked spinning malfunction, you get a little bummed.

But in the end, I'd buy this helmet again, and that's what's important. If you want a side mount, and you have the money, I'd say get an FF2.

Bought my next-to-second camera helmet from Miami's gear sales out of Virginia. I was really worried because there are not many helmets that fit my really big and narrow head (OK, I'm built like a fish!). Miami advised me to get one size smaller than I thought I needed. Got the helmet and was again really worried because of the tight fit. Miami advised me to give it a few jumps...

Now it fits great!!! Definitely as comfortable as any other helmet, full-face or not, I have worn. And you don't even notice the extra weight (very well balanced) of the camera on the side. Camera access is super easy and very secure. Although nearly snag proof, I opted for the cut-away system, which is very easy to operate and unobtrusive. Even tried it under load without a problem.

Great helmet and can't say enough about the great service from Miami!

The wait for the helmet does suck, but that is probably more a reflection of the quality and demand for the product than anything else!

I have about a hundred jumps now on my FF2, very durable and practical, great for all occasions. From the start I had good communication with customer service, they always promptly replied to my emails. Timely delivery, great quality, fits like a glove, and very lightweight. Durable(did I already say that?), dropped it on the pavement after my 4th jump and it took it like a champ! The cost is understandable with such a complete product, Cam Eye II mounted is nice. I have not seen a better helmet of such style, and everyone I talk to wants one! I have a stealth lense on my PC 109 and there are no snag points. Without a doubt a great camera helmet!

I love my FF2, it's a great and very comfortable helmet, ... I fly it with the Sony PC350 right now, also have a PC1000 that will be flown in it. Only two complants that I have about it, the first one being the location of the audbles.. I have played with switching my two audibles around flipping them, everything, I can only hear one of my audbiles in freefall (Protrack and Neptune) . The second one is too high up, I wish there was one on each side instead of the two on top of eachother. Another thing with my helmet is that I've noticed most peoples FF2s have easier to use brackets for mounting the camera, it has one position making it easy to remove and re-install the camera from the helmet .. My bracket has so many adjustments on it that I have to re aim the camera every time I take it out of the helmet (which I must do for firewire ports, AV ports, etc) .. Not sure why mine is different, but it is kinda a pain in the ass....

But like I said, I really do like the helmet, and I'm glad that I choose the FF2!

Why do i love my FF2?

* Because customer service is absolutely second to none. Constant email contant from the company, a courtesy call the day after my helmet arrived to make sure i had received it and was happy with it, follow up advice when i called them back on how best to fit my camera and lens set up, and above all, being told it will be 6-8 weeks to produce (it was peak season after all) and having them turn the entire thing around from order to delivery in just under 4! How can you fault that??

* The helmet itself - it's wonderful. Sure these things are expensive, but if you tot up a bonehead optik plus D box or similar, you are looking at the same price. What do you get with an FF2? Well, you get what you not only WANT (smooth, perfectly contoured lines, a perfect fit, easily accessible camera, a nice fat chin cup thats comfy and will hold the helmet to your head like a rock) and what you NEED (wonderful attention to detail, good instructions on how to set up the helmet (mine had the cutaway installed) so you are ready to go, expansion for stills at a later date with the flat top, double internal audible pockets, and a cutaway system that will work under pressure.

I have to say, i have not jumped with any other camera helmet, and while i only have about 30 jumps with my FF2, i really am very happy i got it. I was weighing up the pros and cons of whether to go the cheaper route, get an L bracket and such like, but to be honest, i thought "whats the point in saving £50 or even £100 here or there if i have to cutaway my camera and lose £500 of hard earned cash?". Not to mention the fact that i'd rather not have lines tangled up there in the first instance!

There is a lot to be said when putting on your helmet at 12k, waiting for the red light, ratcheting up the chin cup in 2 seconds for a nice snug fit, watching the door open and glancing at the cam eye to make sure you are good to go, hitting record and then not having to worry and just being able to concentrate solely on the jump ahead - in a way, and i know this sounds corny, but the helmet has actually bought me a peace of mind, that i think is very important just before you are about to jump, and to me, that's money well spent! Thanks Allie, Ram and Steve - you guys have one happy and satisfied customer on your hands!

If you guys would like to see some pics of my FF2, you can check out this post here

http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=1715291;sb=post_latest_reply;so=ASC;forum_view=forum_view_collapsed;;page=unread#unread

where, the Royal Lens i used was SO flush with the camera opening, i didn't think i had mounted it right! Yes, it truly is completely flush with the opening - nothing at all to protrude and snag.

The FF2 is hands down the best side mount camera helmet I have ever had the please of using. It is light, well balanced, comfy, and you don't have to worry about all those snag points. With the camera box integrated into the helmet there is very little you have to do to get it ready to jump, and there is no hassle of having to drill on your helmet to get a box on there. I highly recommend this to anyone interested in getting a side mount camera helmet.
Miami

I just received my FF2 from 2K Composites and I have to say this is the best camera helmet I have ever had! I have a couple other camera helmets and nothing else even compares to it. No snag points and all smooth lines. I have a Sony PC120 and it's as if it was designed just for this camera. The fit is absolutely perfect. They installed the Cam-eye for me at the factory and did a great job. I also have the cutaway option and it was easy as pie to get it to fit me perfect. The whole set up took me about an hour to dial it in with the camera and the cutaway work that has to be installed. But all in all it was very easy. The helmet is so comfortable you don't even know it's on your head. My PC120 is a bit heavier then many of the other vid-cams out their but with this helmet I can't even tell. It's balanced incredible and very well made. I just had the chance to fly it for the first time and it is awesome. I can't say it enough but I would like to thank the folks at 2K Composites for keeping me up to date on the delivery and progress of the helmet before I got it. They are super prompt and very kind over their. I would highly recommend this helmet to anyone who wants the highest quality out their and the easiest camera helmet to use. You wont be sorry.

The FF2 is without a doubt, the best camera helmet on the market offering more protection for the jumper than any other helmet in the industry. Coupled with this it offers a combination of superior protection and accessibility that few helmets can rival.

I use an FF2 with Sony pc101 and ordinary Sony 0.6 lens (not at all low profile). The camera can be positioned so that the lens sits flush with the front of the box, leaving nothing exposed to catch a line or suffer from a strike. Literally only 1mm of lens is exposed. The box has been re-designed so as to deflect risers and lines away from the helmet. The internal closing mechanism and top mounted hinge present no snag risk while the box itself sits within a lip designed to deflect lines. As such, you can run a line over this helmet without fear of a snag at any point resulting in a helmet that is more snag proof than the average non-camera helmet.

On the right side of the helmet there are twin audible ports ensuring you never have an excuse for going low and a Cameye II can be built into the body of the helmet at the factory assisting your filming without ruining the clean lines of your new toy.

The chin cup is now deeper than before as a result of feedback from posters on this very website proving that this manufacturer actually listens to its customers. This chin cup can be ordered with a factory fitted 2-ring circus and Teflon cutaway cable ensuring and trouble-free escape from any snag that could occur with top mounted camera equipment. This is the only such system on the market place and the only cutaway system that is not affected by a force exerted on the helmet (such as dragging a cutaway main).

I have no quality control issues with this helmet whatsoever and have found 2k products to be of absolutely the best finish. Not only that but 2k helmets are built to your specific head measurements, not simply some small/medium/large fitment scale like many others. These helmets are incredibly popular in Europe and must wear well as there are still many examples of the earlier versions (such as those pictured on this page) to be found at dropzones.

I ordered in July 2003 took delivery in August. I had mine fitted with a Cameye II and a funky purple paint job which cost a little extra, but looks a lot cooler than black... Initial impressions were very good. Fit was excellent even with my head size (I ordered mine for a 62cm head size - one of the largest they've supplied - no comments please!). One minor gripe I have had is that the video camera (tripod-mount) screw on the mounting plate never fitted quite right. Im not 100% sure if it was the screw on the helmet though, or the thread in the camera base plate. I now have the video (PC101) held in using some rubber 'bungies' (rubber bands), which I prefer to the solid mounting as its not only holds the camera quite firm, but also allows a little more 'give' in the event of an impact to the helmet.
The other small modification I made was to superglue a small fibre washer (about the same thickness as the button) around the cameye button, as I found it was too easy to push this accidentally, and it also makes it easier to locate the button by feel while the helmet is being worn.
I also fitted a quick-release to the chinstrap, as this is now a requirement when jumping in France.
All-in-all, I highly recomment the K2 helmet. I know 3 other people who also use them and we are all very happy with our paurchases.
MikeA

I wish i could agree about the customer service! i ordered my ff2 a couple of years ago now and was quoted 4 weeks, after 5 i rang to see where it was upto "oh just having the liner fitted!!"
By week 11 i was beginning to see it
It finally turned up on week 12!not good!
The fit was hardly comfortable and the camcorder cover didnt fit the extra duration battery size as i had requested.
oh and the back split after only a cpl of dozen time of wearing it, from where i eased it open to put it on my head, but apart from that ita basically a sound design which has since been improved especially aesthetically as mine is a very ugly style older one and the dual audible ports are good, bit pricey nowadays though!

I had the opportunity to jump my new FF2 helmet this past week in Eloy, and I have nothing but good things to say about both the helmet and 2KCompostites.

The customer service was great, Allie at 2k got back on all of my many inquiries in less than a day, and they were able to rush delivery so that I could have it for my trip to AZ.

I was very impressed with the quality and comfort as well. I have a Mindwarp that I love, but the FF2 fits my head (and PC101) much better, and there are NO snag points for a line to catch on.

One last thing - have them install a Cam-Eye for you... it's only 4 Sterling extra, and they take it apart so only the small red button (~2mm) sticks out of the helmet.

I have the feeling we are going to be seeing many more of these in the States soon!