by ihb on Fri Mar 30, 2007 7:20 am
Regarding the breaking of the straps, a little more detail. To be fair, the straps work OK if you apply only up to the 1800 grams of tension. With 1800 grams of tension I feel almost no stretch. I'm trying to get the maximum amount of stretch in the least amount of time. I believe the growth claims on the website are based upon wearing the device for 12 hours a day. I don't think 12 hours a day is feasible unless you wear it when you sleep. I've tried to wear it at night and after 2 hours it's excruciating. The strap, when used with excessive tension, works only a few times before it loses its ability to hold in the base. The ridges on the strap lose their limited stiffness and become more pliable allowing them to slide through the slots in the base. To continue using very high tension I have to secure the straps on the underside of the base with thick plastic/metal twist ties run through each side of the strap. Of course, eventually this tears the straps until they are no longer usable. I essentially turn up the tension until it feels like the head will slip out of the strap or until the pain in the head is too much and back off slightly. When I started I was f 5-6, e 7.5, stretched ~7.75. At 2 months still f 5-6, but averaging higher, e 7.5, stretched ~8. I have recently purchased the 1/2 inch bar and have begun to use it. With the 1/2 inch bar I don't have to extend into the threads, but at times attachment of the device, with a sufficient amount of the head forward of the strap, is tricky. I'm going to just keep at it and hopefully see some measureable increases soon, maybe at the end of month 3.