A brief comparison between Belay Specs and CU Belay Glasses
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sweage dude, once you're a bit older and your neck hurts like f#*king hell every time you're out there climbing/belaying.... $130 is chump change really when you think about it. I got the CU glasses and they work well - I recommend them to anyone considering the "dork" glasses.. |
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sweagan wrote:I'll buy them when they are in the $30 range, otherwise I can't figure how two pieces of glass stuck to a chunk of metal could be so expensive. Are they at least made in a first world country? I hate letting third world countries have jobs.I can't speak for other companies but Belay Specs are priced based on our costs and standard industry mark ups. As to your second question, Belay Specs are made in Salt Lake City, Utah by me. While we source our prisms from China, everything else is domestic as far as I know. Our cases come from a company on the east coast and we use Sterling cord. We source stickers and advertisement cards from American printers. We have our frames cut locally out of American stainless steel. I bend the frames with hand-powered sheet brakes and custom bending fixtures. After prepping the frame and prisms, the prisms are bonded to the frames by hand using fixtures to align everything. It's difficult to make inexpensive, high quality products in America and still pay the workers a living wage, especially when the products aren't mass produced by large corporations. |
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It's embarrassingly decadent, but I just bought a second pair of belay specs to use in the gym. My neck is fine, but once you get used to using these glasses, you miss them when you don't have them. |
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My wife and I love our belay glasses. I wish they existed 20 years ago. |
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Phill T wrote: "Been using a pair of the CU glasses, they are awesome. The only issue that I've recently found is rockfall. If your climber rips something off the wall or drops something on you, its really hard to dodge it. you see it coming through the glasses fine, but no one has practiced dodging shit through a prism. the time it takes to actually look up and reacquire the rock...yeah its awkward. wear your helmet! Not a deal breaker for me, but just be aware." |
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Andy Laakmann wrote:My wife and I love our belay glasses. I wish they existed 20 years ago. And I bet in 15 years, when 90% of climbers are wearing them, we'll all look back and laugh at the "dark ages" before belay glasses ;)What's interesting is that these types of glasses have been around for decades and only until recently have we thought to use them for belaying. Check out this Popular Mechanics article from 1960 where this guy had made "belay glasses" for reading his newspaper in crowded public transport. www.belaggles.com |
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Belay Specs wrote: I can't speak for other companies but Belay Specs are priced based on our costs and standard industry mark ups. As to your second question, Belay Specs are made in Salt Lake City, Utah by me. While we source our prisms from China, everything else is domestic as far as I know. Our cases come from a company on the east coast and we use Sterling cord. We source stickers and advertisement cards from American printers. We have our frames cut locally out of American stainless steel. I bend the frames with hand-powered sheet brakes and custom bending fixtures. After prepping the frame and prisms, the prisms are bonded to the frames by hand using fixtures to align everything. It's difficult to make inexpensive, high quality products in America and still pay the workers a living wage, especially when the products aren't mass produced by large corporations.Don't dignify cheapskates with such a response. I highly doubt you're going to become rich off those things. Anyone complaining they want a pair of specialty glasses made for rock climbing belaying purposes only, at the cost of a shitty pair of knock off sunglasses at Walmart, is not worth your time. |
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I used these today while belaying my friend on his project. He got basically one move away from the anchor and came off, going for the subsequent 25 footer. I noticed that with the belay glasses (probably only my second time using them) I kinda lost track of him falling while i was trying to make sure and give him a soft catch. Needless to say it was too much to pay attention to and a soft catch was not had :( |
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CritConrad wrote:I used these today while belaying my friend on his project. He got basically one move away from the anchor and came off, going for the subsequent 25 footer. I noticed that with the belay glasses (probably only my second time using them) I kinda lost track of him falling while i was trying to make sure and give him a soft catch. Needless to say it was too much to pay attention to and a soft catch was not had :( I would recommend using these things on easier routes with a fairly secure leader while getting used to them. Cause they def. take some getting used to, but I will buy some for sure!I'd have to agree. Belaggles and other belay glasses change visual perspective so its best to take time getting used to using them. I've seen some people pick it up right away and develop their own technique and others can't get their bearings straight until they use them a few times. I think its the same case with autolock belay devices. Some people get the hang of them right away but others can't stop short-roping their climbers until they actually go through the motions and stop spazzing! In the end its a question of "does the added benefit justify the learning curve?" :-) |
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All this talk about the justification of the costing of belay glasses. |
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Got Belay Specs recently. The nose piece makes them very comfortable to wear, even with prescription glasses, and help to keep them in position. The temples ("arms") make them easy to put on with one hand. The larger prisms provide a wider field of view. I prefer these to the CUs had previously been using. |
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Might need to check a pair of these out. Cool indeed |
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How long did Belay Specs take to ship? I ordered two weeks ago and haven't received anything. I've tried emailing on the two email addresses available and don't get a reply... |
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I ordered a pair of belay specs for the hubby recently. A couple days after I ordered I got an email from them that told me they had shipped. About a week after that they showed up at my door. |
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Typically we ship out by next day. In the US we ship Priority which takes 2-3 days. Canadian orders typically take 2-3 weeks depending where they are going. Canadian orders have the option of First Class or Priority. From what I've been told they take about the same time but Priority costs more and has tracking. |
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Thanks for the update, Belay Specs. Looking forward to no more neck strain! :) |
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I tried these a few weekends ago and unless I don't move a lot they tend to make me motion sick. So if and when I develop neck issues, I may get some. But for now they really aren't for me. |
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Michael Maraiah wrote:All this talk about the justification of the costing of belay glasses. Mike's Belay Glasses- $39.95 can be had now at: BelayGlass.com Your choice...I have and will continue to discourage ANYONE from purchasing this style of belay glasses. THEY ARE A RISK TO YOUR SAFETY! The design blocks out your peripheral vision and you are completely blind to ground level conditions. Rope snagged on a rock or shrub; an uncontrolled dog or child running by; or in the gym some idiot starting a route under your climber. I've been using belayspecs for 1.5yrs now. I saw a guy with CUs at the gym, and I went about investigating. Found this thread and opted to try belayspecs. In my own direct comparison, I did prefer the CUs. A more polished look, a little lighter, both functionally great. I would be willing to pay $10 more for CUs, but at the current price difference I still recommend belayspecs. I also strongly believe the flexible steel frames to be the ideal construction. It responds very well to impacts; having taken a few climbers to the head during falls. Belaggles feel pretty durable and could probably stand up to most hits; though maybe leave a minor bruise on the side of your face. Mike's glasses look like they would snap like a twig on such a collision. I expect CUs and belayspecs to survive beyond the climbing life of most of their owners; making them great investments. Having worn corrective glasses for over 20 years, I would not expect any arm-hinge design to last as long. |
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I'd like to make some points on the investment in belay glasses based on experience. |
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^+1, i ve used mikes for over a year several times a week. |