School me on communicators...please.

[jthomp]

My wife and I are going into our 3 season of riding and have been talking about getting some helmet comms. I know very little about them so I don't know which ones are "crap" and which ones to consider.
Friends of ours have some older Chatterbox units that I don't hear much about.
Also how much can I expect to spend on them?
I use a Mod 2 helmet any problems with the mask disallowing me to be understood by anybody listnening to me?

I know this is wordy but thank you in advance jt

 

[IFlyEm]

Collett Communicators.

I got the Platinum's for the wife and I and they work great!

If I did it again I would get the Sno-Phones so I could have Bluetooth.

Remember, there aren't really any communicators that you can have a drawn out conversation while riding. They are best use to warn and simple communication like the most important one "I have to go pee!" My wife can't ride as long as me. lol

 

[arteeex]

Sorry, explain to me why anyone would want to hear their wife talking to them while riding.

 

[IFlyEm]

A happy wife makes for a fatter hobby fund! It's science!

 

[Zakre]

Sorry, explain to me why anyone would want to hear their wife talking to them while riding.

I can only hear her until the end of the driveway or so, even if she is yelling.

 

[Tirebuster]

x2 for the Collett.

 

[coyotekid]

If you are using a Mod II, than I would recommend the Collett with detachable microphone. When I switched to Mod II last year, I had a lot of trouble with the voice tube. It wasn't quite long enough to position properly so noone could understand a word I said. I got a new Platinum with detachable mic and it seems to work well so far. I've been using Communicators for 16 years and wouldn't ride without them now. Keep in mind that they are very finicky and are not designed for conversation. They really are a safety device.

 

[sleddheadd]

I have owned Chatterbox 90's, then went to chatterbox FRS multisport. They were pretty good. after about 5 seasons they started to get crackly so we thought we would try the Collett 900's. The colletts lasted about 10 miles on my wifes helmet and 1 weekend on mine. The quality was absolutely terrible compared to the chatterbox. We actually GAVE the collett's away for free! We now have the Chatterbox X-1's and they are by far the best that we have tried. Great sound quality, multi channels so you can match up with anybody else who has them. thye are compatable with older chatterbox models.
That is my .02 cents, I am sure others will bash me for this but I have owned both and tested both. I do not have any idea how they would work with a mod. helmet we have MX with goggles.

 

[FJR1300]

I bought the Scala Rider G4, they have Bluetooth so you can answer your phone, turn by turn from GPS, play your I-pod through them. Work great, and if you want listen to your wife. About a mile range.

 

[snowman 700]

Collett

We use collett sno-fone...There is 6 in our group and we all love them....now. They MUST be adjusted correctly to work well. You have to have the mic right in front and even with your mouth so when you talk it is clear. We hated them until we found this out.

 

[shadow44]

My riding group used Collett Platinums....they worked great and you do have to make adjustments to keep engine noise from setting them off ( mostly a 2 stroke problem ). Each guy ran into the same problem, the cord from the battery to the unit went in almost all of them and needs to be replaced as the unit comes on and off and resets the unit to a different channel from our club channel..minor problem. As for limitations, it has a few, being the further the group gets stretched out, the worse the reception gets...so basically you will only hear the person closest..which is fine as long as everybody relays the info from front to back. The other area they lose reception is very hilly terrain..signal will pop in and out from one unit to another, just like getting stretched out. Over all I really like them, we had alot of fun chatting, were able to pass along info from oncoming riders to bad bumps, wash outs, godd little jumps and so on..Well worth the money.

 

[northerndoc]

Sorry, explain to me why anyone would want to hear their wife talking to them while riding.

True that, brother... true that.

 

[bottlerocket]

Im sorry but tell her there are none that work well in the cold weather.

 

[CaptCaper]

Were looking for a sled to sled communicator for intercom mostly to warn of bumps,etc. to the wife and have read alot of posts and googled lot's of reviews,etc. I would like to listen to MP3's as well but not necessary. Very confusing to say the least.
I thought I'd bump this tread now that the season is in full gear to see how everyone is making out with the different brands for snowmobile use only.
Collett had some bad postings against them for not answering phones,emails or getting units to them I've found beside other comments on bad quality.
Scala G4's I worry about how long in single digit temps they'll last and I don't see a 12v charger for them.
SMH 10 Senas got good biker reviews but others have said they busted easily.
Both Scala and SMH 10's have LiPo batteries and they don't do good in the cold. Colletts store inside your coat right?
Haven't found out alot about Chattebox as I will keep googleing info.
They are pretty pricey to buy all of them and then return,etc. to find out the facts.

 

[CaptCaper]

I have owned Chatterbox 90's, then went to chatterbox FRS multisport. They were pretty good. after about 5 seasons they started to get crackly so we thought we would try the Collett 900's. The colletts lasted about 10 miles on my wifes helmet and 1 weekend on mine. The quality was absolutely terrible compared to the chatterbox. We actually GAVE the collett's away for free! We now have the Chatterbox X-1's and they are by far the best that we have tried. Great sound quality, multi channels so you can match up with anybody else who has them. thye are compatable with older chatterbox models.
That is my .02 cents, I am sure others will bash me for this but I have owned both and tested both. I do not have any idea how they would work with a mod. helmet we have MX with goggles.

Do you still like these for snowmachineing? What's the difference between the XBi2's or XBi for the X1?