Hey gang!
Drex here from DrexFactor.com and today I’m
going at you with a review on safety blankets
from Mayday Atlanta.
This company is now offering handmade safety
blankets that include custom embroidered designs
and reflective edges.
I’m going to go through some features of
these as well as testing them against classic
duvetyne blankets, offer pros and cons, and
finally some of my own thoughts on them.
Before we dive in, I just want to take a moment
to give a shout out to the friends of the
channel!
Big thanks to Dark Monk, Emazing Lights, Flowtoys,
Spinballs, and Ultra Poi for helping to make
the videos on this channel possible.
You can visit them all on the web by following
the links down in the description of this
video.
Even though safety blankets are a corner stone
of fire safety, it’s one of those awkward
things that when someone asks where to get
one you almost always have a moment of “uhhhh…”
I’ve taught people who want all the proper
equipment but I’ve never known where to
point them to grab a safety blanket because
it’s really difficult to get them without
either going to a fire festival that distributes
them or buying it in bulk.
A lot of students do an Amazon search and
wind up order blankets meant to be used by
firefighters rather than the more commonly
used duvetyne ones.
And let’s face it too: none of us treats
our duvetynes terribly well.
They’re not particularly attractive--mainly
just functional and dull.
They wind up shoved into drawers and fuel
depots.
Left out overnight and worn down to scraps
until it’s time to get a new one.
Mayday Atlanta is trying to change all that
by making safety blankets something that can
actually be prized possessions.
They’re now marketing a safety blanket made
of aramid fibers that has several really important
features.
First and probably most important: they fix
one of those things that’s long been a problem
of duvetynes in that they are machine washable.
Duvetynes lose their fire-resistant chemical
treatment when you wash them, so if they get
super wet you usually either have to replace
them or get them retreated.
In most cases that means they tend to get
REALLY gross by the time you do get around
to replacing them.
Because the Mayday fire blankets are made
of aramid fibers, which are inherently fire
resistant, you can wash them as many times
as you’d like.
Think of it as being like having a kevlar
safety blanket.
They also come with these reflective edgings
that show up great in the light.
Whether it’s reflecting the light from fire
or your flashlight, it helps to keep these
from disappearing into the night after a long
night of spinning.
Finally, Mayday is including hand-stitched
embroidered patterns including your name to make
these more than just a functional tool and
actually pretty to look at.
This way you’ll also never mix up your safety
blanket with someone else’s.
Sounds great, but the real question is: how
do they work and do they have any other advantages
over duvetyne.
I decided to put them to the test with four
different trials designed to see how they
handle a lot of the more annoying challenges
I encounter with fire.
We’re going to start with just a straight
up head-to-head comparison.
A prop that’s been lit for three minutes.
Trying to put it out with both the duvetyne
and the Mayday blanket.
Five seconds in a burrito fold and see if
either prop is still lit.
Next: putting out a prop that’s only been
lit for a minute.
Third: putting out fans.
Fourth: putting out snakes.
So let’s see how they each stack up!
In terms of putting out a set of poi that
have been lit for 3 minutes you can’t really
tell a difference between the two.
When properly used they’re each equally
capable of putting out the poi.
But what about if the poi have only been lit
for a minute or less?
Part of what makes this test so obnoxious
is that the buildup of fuel on a set of poi
after only a minute of spinning is still so
high that you can get contact transfers of
fuel from them.
I’m happy to report that again: just so
long as each safety blanket is used properly
there’s no functional difference between
them.
Next we’re going to try fans.
Because fans are such an awkward shape I’ve
seen safeties have a rough time putting them
out before.
Interestingly enough, though we both used
similar techniques for putting the fans out
the Mayday blanket was much better at putting
out the fans.
We each held for a five count here and when
we opened back up the fan in the duvetyne
was still lit.
The one in the Mayday blanket was not, despite
it only barely being able to cover the fans.
Things got a little bit more complicated with
the snakes.
My girlfriend has a super heavy duty set of
snakes made by April Choi that are considerably
more absorbent and longer lasting than most
other snakes I’ve encountered.
They’re pretty obnoxious to put out both
because they’re huge and also because they
hold an insane amount of fuel.
In this case, the Mayday blanket wasn’t
long enough to fully cover the snake, so I
needed some help to put it out.
That said, I think it would work better with
improved placement of the prop.
So the caveat here of course is that the safety
capabilities of the Mayday blanket as opposed
to the duvetyne is way more dependent on your
safety using proper procedures and the nature
of the props being put out.
I just wanted to throw out three examples
that I personally have found annoyingly difficult
in safetying.
So let’s talk pros and cons.
Pros: These blankets are beautiful!
I can’t deny having a small feeling of pride
carrying around such a beautiful safety blanket
with me.
I’ll also say: these things are amazingly
visible.
My girlfriend and I both had to spin our props
for a little while before being put out and
from behind the flames the Mayday blanket
was perfectly visible while the duvetyne disappeared
into the dark pavement.
You can tell from the video--the Mayday blanket
makes for a really obvious target when you’re
ready to be put out.
Cons: it would be SUPER helpful if these were
available in multiple sizes.
The one I was sent is perfectly good for putting
out poi, hoops, staffs, and the like but is
right near the edge of its capacity with fans
and of course those snakes.
If there were an extra large version of this
it would really help to pick up that slack.
I’m going to admit that the biggest problem
I had with this blanket is that it’s so
pretty that I didn’t actually want to use
it as a safety blanket.
I got over that, but I will say it’s really
awesome to have a blanket that it’s easy
to visually check for and is pleasing to the
touch.
So there you go!
These safety blankets are available from Mayday
Atlanta for $75 plus tax and shipping at maydayatl.com.
I know that sounds like a lot for a blanket,
but from what it sounds like this is an investment
in a piece of fire safety equipment that will
be with you as long as you’re spinning.
Thanks so much for watching.
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Thanks again and peace!
