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FAQs
Please feel welcome to peruse our FAQ’s below. We also recommend that you check out our informational videos on our site which provide a full audio/visual description of our product range. For any other queries, please do not hesitate to contact us on sales@alpsgear.co.uk or +44 (0)7828 507 828
FLEXMETER PRODUCTS
Q1. What is so special about the Flexmeter wrist guard compared to other wrist guards on the market?
Q2. What is the difference between the Single splint, Double splint and Multisport Flexmeter wrist guards?
Q3. I'm not sure whether I should order the Flexmeter wrist guards or the Flexmeter gloves with integrated wrist guards?
Q4. Why is the main splint on the top of my wrist with the Flexmeter instead of under my palm, like a typical rollerblade wrist guard?
Q5. Given that the Flexmeter wrist guards are quite long up the wrist, will this cause a fracture higher up the forearm?
Q6. Can I use Flexmeters for biking and other sports?
Q7. What are the most common skier and snowboarder injuries?
Q8. How can I find out more about ski and snowboard injuries?
Q9. What size should I order?
Q10. I would like to try the products on before I buy, is this possible?
Q11. What are the colour and size dimensions of the wrist guards?
Q12. How do I wash my Flexmeter gloves?
DELIVERY
Q13. I'm leaving on my snowboarding trip in a few days. Will my order arrive in time?
Q14. How much do you charge for postage?
Q15. What is your return policy?
Q16. What is your size exchange policy?
Q17. I live outside the UK. Can I order with you and how do I handle currency exchange from my currency to UK £pounds, and the extra shipping charge?
Q18. I live in the U.S.A. How can I order Flexmeters?
Q19. I live in the U.S.A. How can I order Flexmeters?
Q20. I live in France. How can I order Flexmeters?
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Q1. What is so special about the Flexmeter wrist guard compared to other wrist guards on the market?
A. The Flexmeter wrist guard has been especially designed by a specialist sports trauma surgeon to offer maximum protection from fractures to the wrist. The Flexmeter wrist guards are regarded as offering significantly superior protection from wrist fractures compared to the traditional short, front palm wrist guards, because of their longer design length and shock absorbing materials. It is suggested that the shorter style, rigid wrist guards can actually cause worse wrist fractures, as they direct all of the impact forces into the vulnerable wrist area just above the wrist joint. The Flexmeter wrist guards protect the area which is most vulnerable to fractures, usually 3-5cm up the forearm from the actual wrist joint.
The Flexmeter wrist guards are made of Hytrel, which is an advanced polymer that is designed to absorb force in all temperature conditions. The Flexmeter wrist guards are also designed to offer a considerable degree of wrist flexibility, to offer as much normal wrist movement as possible, while still offering very high protection from fractures.
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Q2. What is the difference between the Single splint, Double splint and Multisport Flexmeter wrist guards?
A. All of the above Flexmeter wrist guards have the surgeon designed upper wrist/forearm splint as the key protective wrist guard.
The Single splint wrist guards only have the upper Flexmeter splint guard as the main protective wrist guard, with a comfortable cotton wrap under the wrist.
The Double splint wrist guards have both the Flexmeter upper wrist guard and a molded under-wrist/palm guard.
The Multisport wrist guards have the main Flexmeter upper wrist guard and a removable under metal palm plate.
Comment:
While the Single splint wrist guards provide high protection from fractures, the Double wrist guards (with both the upper Flexmeter splint and the under palm splint) provide the maximum wrist protection in our range. The under splint provides additional protection against any impact injury to the palm, such as when falling on ice, rock or a rail. This splint sits comfortably under the palm of your hand.
The Multisport wrist guards are designed for use in both winter and summer, as they come with a removable metal palm plate that offers enhanced palm protection for summer sports like rollerblading, mountain-boarding and skateboarding.
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Q3. I'm not sure whether I should order the Flexmeter wrist guards or the Flexmeter gloves with integrated wrist guards?
A. The advantage of the Flexmeter wrist guards is that you can still use your existing gloves, as long as they fit comfortably over the Flexmeter wrist guards. You will typically need gloves one size larger that you normally wear to fit over the wrist guards.
The advantage of the Flexmeter gloves is that they come with the Flexmeter wrist guards fully integrated into them. This means that you will have a guaranteed fit between the gloves and the Flexmeter wrist guards. This also means that taking your Flexmeter wrist guards and gloves off can be done in a single move, whereas buying gloves separately means that you will have to take your gloves and wrist guards separately. The Flexmeter gloves are made of high quality materials offering great warmth, water resistance and they are breathable.
Our Flexmeter wrist guards and gloves have typically been much more popular each season than just the wrist guards alone, for the reasons above. The combined Flexmeter wrist guards and gloves also offer great value for money, as opposed to having to buy the Flexmeter wrist guards alone, and then having to buy a separate pair of gloves.
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Q4. Why is the main splint on the top of my wrist with the Flexmeter instead of under my palm, like a typical rollerblade wrist guard?
A. Dr Binet, the sports trauma surgeon who created the Flexmeter wrist guards designed them to sit along the top of the wrist and along the forearm, as this offers the maximum protection to the wrist in an impact situation. The most common snowboard and skate injuries are caused by hyper-extending or hyper flexing the wrist (bending too far) and so the Flexmeter wrist guards have been designed to specifically protect the most vulnerable areas in the wrist.
Wrist fractures happen principally from the enormous impact forces compressing on the radius and ulna bones in the lower forearm when someone lands forwards or backwards with their wrists outstretched. There is very little muscle around the lower wrist to absorb force, and so these bones are fully exposed to impact forces often resulting in their fracture.
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Q5. Given that the Flexmeter wrist guards are quite long up the wrist, will this cause a fracture higher up the forearm?
A. In the number of years of the Flexmeter wrist guards being sold, there have been no reported cases of wrist fractures in the higher part of the forearm. This is reinforced by the idea that if there are any impact forces remaining in the wrist guard after being absorbed by its flexible, shock absorbing materials; then these will be dissipating into the upper area of the forearm where there is typically much more muscle and the radius and ulna bones tend to be thicker and stronger closer to the elbow.
There have also been no reported cases of the Flexmeter wrist guards causing any injuries higher up the arm or into the shoulder or collarbone region.
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Q6. Can I use Flexmeters for biking and other sports?
For biking, we recommend the Single Flexmeter wrist guards, or the Single Flexmeter gloves. The Multisport Flexmeter wrist guards and the Double Flexmeter wrist guards will likely interfere with being able to hold onto the handles effectively.
For horseback riding we also recommend the Single Flexmeter wrist guards.
For skateboarding and ice skating, we suggest the Flexmeter Multisport wrist guards because they have the added under wrist protection. In fact the Multisport wrist guard was designed for skateboarding and ice skating. The removable palm plate on the Multisport wrist guard on the palm will help you slide forward smoothly on concrete if you fall while skateboarding, and will help to prevent any palm bruising.
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Q7. What are the most common skier and snowboarder injuries?
A. For snowboarders, 24.9 percent of injuries were to the wrist, 14.3 percent to head/face, 13.1 to shoulder, 11.8 percent to knee, 5.9 percent to ankle and 4.6 percent to back. For skiers, 33.2 percent to the knee, 13.7 percent to the head/face, 9.1 percent to the shoulder, 7.6 percent to lower leg, 5.4 to wrist and 4.9 percent to thumb.
These figures are sourced from studies presented at the 2007 International Snow Sports Safety Symposium.
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Q8. How can I find out more about ski and snowboard injuries?
A. We recommend the following website: www.ski-injury.com
This site is written by an active ski patrol doctor.
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Q9. What size should I order?
A. For the Flexmeter gloves, order the size you would usually take in a Unisex snowboard glove. The "flexion zone" (that's the bendy part) should line up with the top side of your wrist joint.
If you order a size that doesn't work, you can send the unused Flexmeter guards or gloves back to us and we will happily exchange them for another size (or offer you a full refund if you wish).
Please see our ‘Sizing guide’ page for details on sizes.
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Q10. I would like to try the products on before I buy, is this possible?
A. If you live in the London area, or are willing to travel to London, by appointment we are happy to arrange to meet you.
We would meet you at our Fulham warehouse. Please try to give us as much notice as possible so we can arrange a mutually convenient time. Evenings and weekends are usually best for us.
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Q11. What are the colour and size dimensions of the wrist guards?
A. Small Flexmeter wrist guards:
Thumb Web to Middle Wrist Flexline of wrist guard - 2.5 inches / 6.35 cm
Maximum Wrist Strap Length - 9.75 inches / 24.75 cm
Length of Hytrel Splint - 7 inches / 17.78 cm
Colour - Splint is red. Straps and fabric are black.
Medium Flexmeter wrist guards:
Thumb Web to Middle Wrist Flexline of wrist guard - 3.25 inches / 8.25 cm
Maximum Wrist Strap Length - 10.25 inches / 26 cm
Length of Hytrel Splint- 8.5 inches / 21.6 cm
Colour - Splint is grey. Straps and fabric are black.
Large Flexmeter wrist guards:
Thumb Web to Middle Wrist Flexline of wrist guard - 3.5 inches / 9 cm
Maximum Wrist Strap Length - 12 inches / 30.5 cm
Length of Hytrel Splint - 9.25 inches / 23.5 cm
Colour - Splint is blue. Straps and fabric are black.
* Measurements are approximate.
Explanation of the Measurements Above:
Thumb Web to Middle Wrist Flexline of wrist guard measurement:
Use a tape measure and start it at the edge of the skin between your thumb and first finger. Then measure straight down to the bend in your wrist.
Length of Hytrel Splint Measurement - the Hytrel splint goes on the BACK of your wrist to slow down the impact of a fall on the snow, much like a seatbelt in a car. The top of the splint sits at the base of your fingers. This measurement tells you how far down your arm the splint will end.
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Q12. How do I wash my Flexmeter gloves?
A. Use mild soap and warm water.
Immerse the gloves in warm water with a mild soap and swish around, rinse well, and roll them up in a thick towel to squeeze excess moisture out. Hang them out to dry but it may take a few days so be sure to leave enough time. Be careful not to leave them on a heated surface (e.g. central heating ducts), as this can sometimes melt the plastic buckles etc.
After they dry, they may need to be "re-waterproofed," so you can spray or paint on some of the special waterproofing preparations made for gloves and outdoor wear. Do it outside and let the gloves dry as directed before wearing them.
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DELIVERY
Q13. I'm leaving on my snowboarding trip in a few days. Will my order arrive in time?
A. We ship by Royal Mail Next Day Guaranteed Delivery, which are guaranteed by Royal Mail to arrive in 24 hours from shipping. We typically ship items the day after receiving your order.
Royal Mail delivers to business or home addresses, and in order to receive the goods someone will have to sign for them. If no-one is in to receive them, then Royal Mail will leave a calling card to say that the item is available for collection from a nearby Royal Mail collection centre.
If your order is particularly urgent, to be sure we prioritise the processing, we do recommend you let us know by either email or by giving us a call. See our ‘Contact us’ page for how to contact us.
Please note we cannot be responsible for any failure to deliver caused by Royal Mail.
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Q14. How much do you charge for postage?
A. We charge a flat rate of £4.50 for U.K orders. For any international orders we charge a flat rate of £12.00 (unless the order is particularly large).
Note: postage rates are subject to change!
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Q15. What is your return policy?
A. We offer a full refund policy in accordance with the Consumer Protection (Distance Selling) (Amendment) Regulations 2005. We go beyond this and offer a 30 day “no questions asked” refund policy, but only if the items are unused and in their original packaging. You will be responsible for paying to ship them back to us.
Our returns address is: Alps Gear, C/- Safestore, 37 Munster Road, London SW6 4ER United Kingdom
Please email us first and tell us why you are returning them, and enclose the returns section that comes with our sales order form with every shipment. Without a note inside, and your Paypal email address, your order or refund will be delayed while we have to look it up.
Your credit will go to your PayPal account or credit card, however you have paid.
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Q16. What is your size exchange policy?
A. If you need to make an exchange for a different size or model, we will be happy to exchange any order for a different size. You will simply need to let us know what new size you would like by e-mail or in the returns section of the packing slip, and then ship the original item back to us, to our returns address below:
Our returns address is: Alps Gear, c/o Safestore, 37 Munster Road, Fulham, SW6 4ER, United Kingdom
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Q17. I live outside the UK. Can I order with you and how do I handle currency exchange from my currency to UK £pounds, and the extra shipping charge?
A. We have arrangements with Flexmeter suppliers in certain countries (like the US, Japan and France) that we will refer your order (see FAQ’s below). However, if you are from a country that does not have a resident Flexmeter supplier, then we can be of service to you.
In this case you can still place an order with us via our online site at www.alpsgear.co.uk or you can e-mail us at sales@alpsgear.co.uk
If you pay online, then Paypal will take care of any exchange rates for you.
Our standard international shipping charge is £12.00, however we will sometimes modify this depending on the order size, and will let you know.
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Q18. I live in the U.S.A. How can I order Flexmeters?
A. We have distribution of Flexmeter products in the U.S.A. Please see www.flexmeters.com
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Q19. I live in the U.S.A. How can I order Flexmeters?
A. We have distribution of Flexmeter products in the U.S.A. Please see www.flexmeterjapan.com
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Q20. I live in France. How can I order Flexmeters?
A. We have distribution of Flexmeter products in France. Please see www.skimeter.com
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