DuraHem^TM Cuffs

Turnout gear durability not only ensures the firefighter is protected for a longer period of time, it also helps decrease high repair costs for fire departments. Maybe more importantly for some, it decreases the amount of time the gear is out of service. Some fire departments simply don’t have the luxury of having an out-of-order suit.

Thanks to the INNOTEX® 1851 Clean and Repair Center, we are able to monitor common repairs done to turnout gear.

Cuffs repeatedly come to be repaired.

While wear and tear is typical to this area, and the reinforcements on the cuffs are in fact designed to take it, the stitching is not.

Traditionally designed cuffs expose the stitching and make it the highest point of contact. It abrades, leaving the reinforcement to slowly unravel if not repaired.

INNOTEX ENERGY™ cuffs are engineered differently for these exact reasons.

The DuraHem™ Sleeve Hem (patent pending) is a rounded hem edge made of a polymer coated aramid which uses an internal piping to give it dimension. The stitching on the outer part of the cuff is able to settle into the more malleable outer shell fabric (instead of the stiff aramid which it would sit on top of).

The extra thickness due to the piping ensures that the cuff receives the main impact of abrasion instead of the stitching.

DuraHem™ offers two more important features. Notice the picture of the worn cuff above? The reinforcement is split open at the fold. It’s a fairly common occurrence.

The addition of piping helps to counteract this, increasing the surface area of the aramid and dispersing impact along its rounded edge.

Durahem™ also replaces the traditional pant cuff in the INNOTEX ENERGY™, helping to reduce the heavy wear and tear there as well.