Cavechat.org

Hey all -

I'm working on an Aceto mount to a blade mount conversion. Since there are a number of caves in Colorado that don't allow carbide (especially my roof burner), I often need to mount my electric for some trips, which is a real pain at the moment.

The problem, of course, is that the Aceto mount is dead center on my helmet and prevents a nice mounting point for anything with a blade on it (I also have a Duo underneath).

Would anyone else be interested in such a device? It will be a robust design made to withstand *real* cave use. No estimates on cost yet, but I would have an exact figure before any purchase was made.

Cheers,

Great idea, answerguru!

Can't say I'll need one personally, though. I use a different method of getting around the same problem - two helmets. One with a Petzl Duo and Princeton Tec Eos backup (both screwed to the helmet), and the other with my seldom-used Aceto and Duo Fixo combination.

I don't think I've used anything with a blade mount in over a decade. But I know the carbide cap lamps and miners-type headlamps have blade mounts, and certainly some cavers still use those. I would think to market this idea you'd need to find a reasonable number of cavers that fit the following criteria:
1. They have an Aceto mount attached to their helmet.
2. They don't already have a separate electric mounted on the helmet (like the Fixo Duo).
3. They own an electric headlamp that has a blade mount.

Good luck! 8)

Why don't you just mount a blade mount to the side of the aceto mount but instead of putting it in a vertical orientation...angle it a bit so you can tilt the light beam back into your center eye position? I've seen some cavers around here with that setup. I might be able to get a photo of one tomorrow if Dewayne comes.

Or you can mount the elastic band headlamp up higher and just tilt it down....kinda like when you stack two electrics on top of each other.

Anyways....those are just some thoughts.

Bryan

bsignorelli wrote:Why don't you just mount a blade mount to the side of the aceto mount but instead of putting it in a vertical orientation...angle it a bit so you can tilt the light beam back into your center eye position?

I can't stand having an unbalanced helmet on my head! Especially with my Nite-Lite electric headpiece...it's not terribly lightweight. Now if I had a few extra bucks for the new Stenlight, then maybe (of course, it might become my #1 light at that point).

Besides, from time to time I would love to use one of my caplamps on smaller trips...

Sounds like NZcaver's suggestion of 2 helmets is probably the most practical idea then. One set up to hold a blade mounted whatever and another with the Aceto mounted on it (and your choice of electric light under it if you didn't have anything fixoed to it).

Good luck with whatever set up you wind up going with.

Bryan

Yes, but if I go with 2 helmets, then I don't get to build anything new...I'm an engineer and designing is in my blood!

I say build it and they will come!!!

Mikie would probably buy one and maybe help market it to the Mexico crowd.

Answerguru - if you had 2 helmets, you could come up with your own mounting systems for each one... and then market both designs.

Maybe then we'd see some better equipped cavers - and less spelunkers with their sideways-tilted headlamps duct-taped in place and little Maglites zip-tied above their ears...

(But I suppose if they were true spelunkers they wouldn't be wearing headlamps - or helmets, either. )