theajohnson•19d agoProlific Poster

Switched from steel pots to lightweight aluminum in my hat and it feels weird now

Been doing salvage diving in the Gulf for about 12 years now. Back when I started, everyone wore the standard steel hard hats with the chinstrap and the classic heavy feel. Felt like you were anchored to the job. Now I'm in an aluminum hat and it's way lighter, but I miss that solid thunk when you knocked something. My old mentor said the weight kept you honest. What do you all prefer, steel or the newer gear?

3 comments

3 Comments

jenny_lee19d ago

Echo @the_alex on that - those dented hats are practically family heirlooms. Keep the old steel one on your rig as a conversation piece, that weight and character is something the new gear just can't fake.

evan_davis19d ago

Ha I bet my dented steel hat could tell some stories.

the_alex19d ago

Dude I bet that thing has seen some serious action. My grandpa had a hard hat from the shipyard that looked like it went through a war zone, all scratched up with a weird dent on the top. He said a cable snapped once and it saved his noggin from getting a real bad headache. Wish those things could actually talk though, imagine the stories they'd tell.