B&M Restraints: Old vs. New

[GCI Wooden]

I hate the new restraints. I have ridden a few wing coasters with them and they get so tight at the end of the ride you can barely breath, especially on Raptor.

Moreover, it is true that you reduce any possible head banging, but it's also true that those restraints ruins all the sensations, I can't imagine on Valvarn where the most decent part will be the ejector on the drops, and you even won't be able to experience that because of the restraints that will keep you glued to the seat

 

Raptor has the old style restraints.

He's talking about Raptor at Gardaland, the wing coaster.

[williamj2543]

I debate this alot with myself and my friends, but I think that I prefer the old ones better due to one reason. They don't crush my chest. Gatekeeper was BAD and after 2 rides my collarbones were hurting. Valravn was tolerable, however due to it pressing in the same spot that Gatekeeper did, also hurt quite a bit. The old ones were subject to headbanging if the coaster was bumpy (only rougarou ever made my head touch on the restraints, and only during the corkscrew).

 

I think that for wing coasters and dive coasters, the newer restraints are better because those are more about the view (especially the dive coaster) but I find they are useless and uncomfertable on all other types.

 

If B&M starts to put lap bars on inverts, then we are talking

[DoinItForTheFame]

. . . I can't imagine on Valvarn where the most decent part will be the ejector on the drops, and you even won't be able to experience that because of the restraints that will keep you glued to the seat

 

Just another reason I HATE the vest restraints. Especially on Valravn. In addition to how miserably uncomfortable the vest restraints are, they also keep you so pinned in your seat that you don't get the amazing "butt off the seat" feeling you get on Griffon or SheiKra. I LOVE me a good Dive Machine, but when you put the vest restraints on one, it kills the ride. I'll ride SheiKra and Griffon all day long, but I don't have the desire to ever ride Valravn again.

[LiftThrill]

Old. They tend to leave more room. If the new ones didn't tighten during the ride I'd be even between them but especially on older coasters with the new restraints it starts to really hurt my collarbone and hips and when dispatches are slow and it starts stacking *coughwildeaglecough* it really hurts. I had an indention in my hips after the second lap on Wild Eagle.

[Myntiepwny]

The new ones bruise my legs if I get shifted around during the ride, so I will end up with bruises on my thighs from them. However, I don't run around in short shorts, so I will still take that over headbanging into restraints till I have a headache. I get migraines and apparently being hit repeatedly in the temples is a trigger. :/

[MidwestThemeParks]

I hate the new restraints. I have ridden a few wing coasters with them and they get so tight at the end of the ride you can barely breath, especially on Raptor.

Moreover, it is true that you reduce any possible head banging, but it's also true that those restraints ruins all the sensations, I can't imagine on Valvarn where the most decent part will be the ejector on the drops, and you even won't be able to experience that because of the restraints that will keep you glued to the seat

 

Raptor has the old style restraints.

He's talking about Raptor at Gardaland, the wing coaster.

 

Oh, I was just assuming Cedar Point Raptor because he mentioned other CP coasters

[Henry M]

Hey both give different sensations. I have ridden the swarm with the new harness and it is great. The n harness really enhanced the feeling of flying and the freedom around the first invention is always amazing. I would not want the old ones on the Swarm. However I think the old restraints are also nice. I feel that with more intense coasters the old harness is a better choice however on the less intense but more floaty coasters like wing coasters, the new restraints are great. I say give the new ones less grief!

[nannerdw]

These restraints almost always dig painfully into my hips. On rare occasions I'll get a good lap where they don't, though. I haven't figured out how to avoid it. I think if my legs weren't as skinny, the restraint might sit on my lap instead of stabbing into my hip joint.

I keep the vest pulled to the sides away from my collarbones, especially on Wild Eagle, just so I can take full breaths when I'm sitting on the brake run. Whatever Intamin did to make their vests comfortable, that's what B&M needs to do. Maverick is actually rideable hands up now, with no soreness or bruising afterward. Big kudos to Intamin for pulling that off.

[Rill'o'beily]

The new restraints suit the wing coasters well but for instance a dive coaster, not so much.

[MidwestThemeParks]

Whatever Intamin did to make their vests comfortable, that's what B&M needs to do. Maverick is actually rideable hands up now, with no soreness or bruising afterward. Big kudos to Intamin for pulling that off.

 

The restraints on Maverick are not similar to the new style B&M restraints. I personally love the new style B&M restraints. Being 6'4", the new style restraint are more comfortable for me.

[VF15]

I prefer the old restraints. Like some others here have said, the new restraints place some unnecessary pressure on my chest which, while tolerable, could be done without. I don't mind moving my head forward to avoid headbanging when needed.

[RCjunkie]

I prefer the older ones because they allow more movement. On the new ones it is nice though to have the bars far from your head, it's just too bad they come with the pressure of the vests. The vests don't take away from the rides for me but they do make me wonder if they would be better with the old ones. Especially with Banshee.

[GCI Wooden]

I don't mind moving my head forward to avoid headbanging when needed.

See, I don't think that you should need to do that. I like the vests because you can just sit comfortably, enjoy the things the ride is doing to you, and not have to worry about getting hit in the head by a hard restraint. No defensive riding necessary.

 

I also like the new ones because there isn't anything blocking your peripheral view, it just feels a lot more open.

[rcjp]

^While they may look more "open" they certainly don't feel so. As some mentioned they do put some pressure on you which isn't unbearable but still a bit annoying. For me, however, the best thing about the old restraints is that they allow you to move around a bit which is great for moments of floater air. I felt nothing on gatekeeper's hill even though I know there is a little bit of air there.

[Loopingstarship]

My vote goes to the new restraint, overall the better ride experince in my opinion, not to mention that the old ones really look old... Love to this new type on a Dive Coaster some day...

[Loopingstarship]

I vote for the new restraint, love to see these on the Dive Coaster´s in the future...

[Johnlloyd]

I prefer the old B&M restraints because they don't squeeze your chest, shoulders or waist like the new vest restraints do. Even though I had rode Banshee many times during my visit to Kings Island back in June, each ride became uncomfortable near the end as the restraint would close tighter throughout the ride due to the forces that are created. The older B&M restraints didn't cause this level of painfulness that is found with the new B&M restraints. If Canada's Wonderland were to get a new B&M coaster that features shoulder restraints, I hope they go with the old B&M restraints as I find them to be more comfortable.

[Lionking]

I vote for the new restraint, love to see these on the Dive Coaster´s in the future...

What about Valravn Cedar Point... Dive Coaster with new restraints.

[PVA62]

I like the new restraint on the wing coasters and inverts, but they really need to stay with the old restraints on the Dive Coasters. I like the freedom they give on the dive machines, the vests don't let you float as much I think.

[CoasterDirected]

I feel they are fine on Wing Coasters and amazing on Valravn, but I really don't like them on Banshee, that ride has way to many sustained forces and it clamps super hard on my hip bones.

[Lionking]

My vote goes for the new ones... Both on a Wing Coaster and a Dive Coaster or on any B & M.

[Superbatboy]

New.

[chickenbowl]

I've been on 4 Wing Coasters, 5 Flying Coasters, Banshee, and Valravn (Every B&M vest in the US). I think they are great in theory (no headbanging), but in reality they constrict on your upper body and inhibit any movement you'd have with the old. Examples:

 

- Dive coaster drops: The ability to float out of your seat within the space between your body and restraints (anybody who's been on SheiKra or Griffon knows) is completely decimated. You are pinned in your seat the whole time and the positives at the bottom keep the restraint pressed down the rest of the ride.

 

- Wild Eagle/X-Flight vest locking: On these tow rides the vest continuously gets tighter and tighter throughout the ride with no way to relieve the pressure on your collar bones. It's pretty uncomfortable sitting on the brake run not being able to take a full breath because of a vest constricting your chest...

 

- Cedar Fair's restraints: Even with Cedar Fair "unlocking" the vests so you can push them out manually, they're still very tight and you have to continuously push the vest away from your chest to enjoy the ride... Not a fan

 

The only B&M's I've ever had headbanging on are stand-ups, so I don't see the use for vests on anything other than that type of ride.

[thrillseeker4552]

I believe it depends on the type of B&M. For coasters that focus on positive forces (like Inverts and maybe Wings), the vest restraints are fine. I didn't have an issue with the ones on Banshee or GateKeeper. However, on rides like Valravn that focus on "floating" down the drop and through the inversions, the older ones seem to be better. I voted "no preference" since it's a coaster-by-coaster basis.

[Samuel]

In most cases, I prefer the old ones, but I do wonder if that's partially because I simply prefer most of the older B&Ms. I thought that the seating row on Afterburn at Carowinds seemed comparatively tight after riding a few newer vest B&Ms. I was conscious of how elbow-to-elbow I was with my riding neighbors when compared with the more spacious, newer arrangement.

 

On the other hand, the vests are tight in their own right on individual bodies. They're basically the upper-portion of the flying coaster restraint, yes? That's way too constricting, especially if my body weight isn't going to be reliant on them like it would be in the flying position. The restraints feel comfy when I first sit down, but then I quickly think they're too snug and too much for any non-flyer.