Silverleaf
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Feb 22, 2003
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Over the last week or so, I had emailed the fine folks at Rockethead Rockets in regards to their Mylar Chute giveaway. This promotion was a way for them to introduce their product to people like myself whom had never used their wares, and all they asked was if I liked it, to let other people know.
So, 2 days ago, I recived a lovely 12" red Mylar chute from them, complete with snap swivel, precut holes and fasteners, and long kevlar shroud lines - all attached and ready to fly.
I was immediately impressed with the quality of this product, from the bagging to the amount of craftsmanship that the chute has. This is no cheapo mass produced chute, with sloppy thread tied haphazardly onto the chute..nay, its very apparent that these folks care about their products as the quality shows throughout.
Ok, so a chute is meant to fly, so even though the chute looked good, the real test would be up there - in the air.
I had just launched the Aeronautica Argentina : Orion 2 a week or so ago with very stable results, so I felt a comparison of back to back to back launches using an Estes, Quest and RHR chute would be in order.
First up was the RHR Chute.
After powerding it, she slid right into the airframe and sat waiting to unfurl. At apogee, when the charge blew, this chute popped and opened right now. Crisp, and very sharp looking in the air and fastest of the 3 to open.
The real treat came with just how easily she handled a 31" rocket on a C6-3, no fatigue was seen as she floated down, and nary a scratch on her or the rocket.
Next was the Estes Chute.
I used a brand new 12" as well, straight out of the bag, dusted, wadded up and then folded. At apogee, the Estes chute was the slowest to open, and while the chute unfurled ok, there seemed to be some disturbance with one of the shroud lines. While she did carry the rocket easily, there was more movement in the rocket as she descended.
I did use a snap swivel to attach the Estes chute - so even though the rocket didn't spin on the way down, there was a large difference in profile and honestly, after seeing the RHR chute, this Estes chute really un-nerved me.
Finally was the Quest Chute.
The Quest chute opened the second quickest of the 3, and her profile in the air looks better than the Estes product. I also was impressed with how quickly she opened and supported the same rocket. Some disturbances were noted in the rocket as she descended.
Snap swivel was employed here as well, and while the Quest chute clearly outperfomed the Estes product, I still felt a bit uneasy watching her descend.
Bottom Line:
I really like the profile the RHR chute has in the air, especially with the longer shroud lines. In flight, she has a much larger look to her - akin to what you see when the really big 72 " chutes unfurl on the mega-beasts. The quality, along with performance, made this chute a favorite of mine from the first launch.
In my humble opinion, when launching a rocket with a Mylar chute from RocketHead Rockets, you will feel more confident that the rocket will return safely. I recommend these chutes to anyone, and will certainly be ordering from this company in the near future. You owe it to your fleet to buy some of these chutes...period.
By the way, a red Orion 2 with a red mylar chute is one of the prettiest sights I've seen in a long time. 8)
I am in no way a paid representative of RHR, but simply a customer who wanted to give an honest opinion of their products.
Cheers,
So, 2 days ago, I recived a lovely 12" red Mylar chute from them, complete with snap swivel, precut holes and fasteners, and long kevlar shroud lines - all attached and ready to fly.
I was immediately impressed with the quality of this product, from the bagging to the amount of craftsmanship that the chute has. This is no cheapo mass produced chute, with sloppy thread tied haphazardly onto the chute..nay, its very apparent that these folks care about their products as the quality shows throughout.
Ok, so a chute is meant to fly, so even though the chute looked good, the real test would be up there - in the air.
I had just launched the Aeronautica Argentina : Orion 2 a week or so ago with very stable results, so I felt a comparison of back to back to back launches using an Estes, Quest and RHR chute would be in order.
First up was the RHR Chute.
After powerding it, she slid right into the airframe and sat waiting to unfurl. At apogee, when the charge blew, this chute popped and opened right now. Crisp, and very sharp looking in the air and fastest of the 3 to open.
The real treat came with just how easily she handled a 31" rocket on a C6-3, no fatigue was seen as she floated down, and nary a scratch on her or the rocket.
Next was the Estes Chute.
I used a brand new 12" as well, straight out of the bag, dusted, wadded up and then folded. At apogee, the Estes chute was the slowest to open, and while the chute unfurled ok, there seemed to be some disturbance with one of the shroud lines. While she did carry the rocket easily, there was more movement in the rocket as she descended.
I did use a snap swivel to attach the Estes chute - so even though the rocket didn't spin on the way down, there was a large difference in profile and honestly, after seeing the RHR chute, this Estes chute really un-nerved me.
Finally was the Quest Chute.
The Quest chute opened the second quickest of the 3, and her profile in the air looks better than the Estes product. I also was impressed with how quickly she opened and supported the same rocket. Some disturbances were noted in the rocket as she descended.
Snap swivel was employed here as well, and while the Quest chute clearly outperfomed the Estes product, I still felt a bit uneasy watching her descend.
Bottom Line:
I really like the profile the RHR chute has in the air, especially with the longer shroud lines. In flight, she has a much larger look to her - akin to what you see when the really big 72 " chutes unfurl on the mega-beasts. The quality, along with performance, made this chute a favorite of mine from the first launch.
In my humble opinion, when launching a rocket with a Mylar chute from RocketHead Rockets, you will feel more confident that the rocket will return safely. I recommend these chutes to anyone, and will certainly be ordering from this company in the near future. You owe it to your fleet to buy some of these chutes...period.
By the way, a red Orion 2 with a red mylar chute is one of the prettiest sights I've seen in a long time. 8)
I am in no way a paid representative of RHR, but simply a customer who wanted to give an honest opinion of their products.
Cheers,
