UKC

does anyone know if its possible to get replacement helmet buckles? I have had a petzl sirocco for about a year,which I really like except the magnetic buckle has undone itself a couple of times. After the second time (on monday, on the crux of a route -just what I needed) I took it home and had a good look at it, when I played with it it seems quite easy to make it unclip as the little side prongs seem a bit too flexible and a little pressure or twisting could make one or other side prong release accidentally. But the helmet itself is fine - as I said, I really like it, so I'd like to try just replacing this part of the buckle with a new one. Does anyone know where I could get a replacement buckle from?

In reply to pebbles:

Contact Lyon equipment (Petzl's distributors in the UK) - they managed to sort out a spare headband for a petzl torch of mine after my pup decided to use it as a chew toy!

Cheers,

Stu

In reply to pebbles:

Petzl importer (so Lyon) would be the contact... officially though, I beleive you "can't" change the buckle...

My gal has however broken the end with the thin prongs now 2 times and got the replacement ok... Both have been due to missuse (forcing it to close, and not letting the magnet do its thing).

BTW. at least on mine, the buckle has stayed closed, provided there isn't any grime between the magnets... mine does seem to gather quite a bit of magnetic grime/sand there, so cleaning the magnets seems to help alot...

In reply to HeMa:

hmm, I'll give it a good clean and experiment further! hanging on the crux one handed while attempting to remove my helmet and clip it safely to my harness with the other hand was not a joy, believe me

In reply to pebbles:
The buckle on my Sirocco broke in the winter (I probably stood on it or something) so I emailed petzl (which got diverted to Lyon equipment as they are the UK supplier) asking if could purchase another one. They sent me one free of charge.

In reply to pebbles:

The grit that caused problems was rather evident when looked more closely. But yeah, the new magnetic buckle is indeed a tad fiddly (and unfortunately the new Meteor also uses it).

I generally let the magnet do it's thing and then test-pull it to make sure it's fully connected. Has worked like a charm for the last 3 years or so.

In reply to pebbles:

If you get no joy from Lyon, ive bought buckles from ebay. Available in both plastic and metal

In reply to WildCamper:

thanks! and yes, my meteor came off mid climb once too. I wonder if the issue is doing up the chinstrap quite tightly, so that it then tugs and dis engages

In reply to pebbles:
Yes one of the prongs broke on my Petzl Scirocco.. Petzl replaced it under guarantee ( via Fishers in Keswick).
The buckle is a weak point and definitely a poor design. Just not robust or fit for purpose..

In reply to HeMa:

big up to Lyon Equipment who have now sent me a speedy and helpful response . also Petzl, but Lyon are going to do the business so hopefully sorted ok now. Thanks to everyone who's responded with suggestions