Issacs Device Overview and testing material

From Trackpedia

The Isaac device is a unique design in that it uses a pair of dampers or shocks attached to the shoulder belts and the helmet. The dampers limit the load on the head and can be quickly removed from the helmet using two buttons on the dampers. It's claimed that this makes egress from a damaged car easier as you are not wearing the restraint. Isaac claims the best results on the market in testing and claims it exceeds SFI 38.1 levels BUT they are not certified. The reason they aren't certified seems to be they don't provide a single point of release (releasing the main harness belts does not release the H&NR), but without independent verification it is difficult to know what the truth is. See the standards section for more info.

Isaac have tested their device in what they claim as identical conditions to those used to test Hans for SFI 38.1. They claim they pass but can't certify due to the single point of release provision in the SFI 38.1 test.

These results look very good.

Isaac is the only device that can be glued to your helmet. This avoids the need to drill holes. This sounds like a poor mounting approach but they say their adhesive is used on missiles and has a load rating of several times the expected loads. It also means no screws to loosen, but you do have to strip off paint around the mounting points.

This won't work for instructors given the dampers need to be secured to the shoulder harnesses and there's rarely time to do this at a HPDE event.

With regards to not being fully SFI 38.1 compliant, however, Isaac claims the test is flawed and as a result their device cannot be certified due to one single issue that does not impact a driver's safety. Here is what Greg Baker from Isaac said when asked why all Isaac designs have not been submitted for such certification,

"We think there is a fundamental flaw in the SFI design. There is a section of the SFI Spec 38.1 (single point of release) that calls for a specific design criteria which requires the driver to drag the restraint out the window. That's where the problem begins. The only time a head and neck restraint has trapped a driver in a car, burning or otherwise, is when it has been an SFI design. The SFI specification calls for a certain performance level. The question is are all Isaac products good enough to meet SFI test criteria and the answer is yes. We will certify Isaac products to meet or exceed SFI performance levels, but we won’t sell anything that can trap them in a burning car." Some have said that it would be better if the test specified something more practical like "must allow for driver egress in less than X seconds".

Racing safety experts do feel that the single point of release is an important safety point. Make your own determination based on the type of car that you drive.