Some History on Agility Jumps
Here at K9Einstein, we’ve been making jumps for a almost 20 years. Pictured here is our first wing jump. It was an all metal design. The frame was powder coated steel and the jump cups were aluminum. While nice looking, they were heavy and we got caught up in the “Ban all Metal Jumps” movement.
For those who are new to the sport of Agility, around 2012 a movement rose from competitors about dogs getting hurt on jumps. There were some unsafe constructed jumps, to be sure. And many of those jumps were of metal construction. But why ALL metal jumps got lumped into the unsafe category, I don’t know. I do know there was a new company importing all plastic constructed jumps from Europe. Their design was unique since it was borrowed from the equestrian ring a product they were selling. While the company here in the U.S. selling the jumps is no longer around, their legacy lives on in the tainted view of using metal in jumps. We hope to change that image. Follow along and see why we’ve gone back to metal.
Our No Metal Jump
This was our entry into the no metal jump. It was a nice jump. Besides being constructed with no metal, it was lighter in weight. It had a slightly larger footprint but still stored tight for club trailers. This was our first jump using ClipAndGo’s elastic jump cups. That’s the only thing we kept from this design.
Why We Went Back to Metal Jumps
We started having problems right away with using PVC plastic. First issue was with fading of the plastic. The supplier sold the PVC as furniture grade and UV resistant — it wasn’t and there’s only one supplier of furniture grade PVC pipe. Our second and most grievous issue was the plastic pipe becoming brittle and breaking. This was a serious safety issue for us. At no point is it acceptable to risk injury to handler or their dog.
K9Einstein Safety Jump
So, here we are now. After almost 20 years, we think we’ve got the best jump design on the market. Everything started with safety for handler and dog and years of experience. We followed safety criteria with durability, then manufacturability.
Our wing weighs in at 7 lbs and is constructed from aluminum pipe. There are no sharp edges or corners. Jump cups are made of a rubberized plastic. The base is designed to flex should the wing be impacted by dog or fallen upon by handler.
As for weatherability, the panels are made from sign grade vinyl with a 5 year color guarantee. The aluminum is frame is architectural grade for decades of service.
At 1.5″ jump width and legs that can be rotated back, space requirements for storage are minimal.
Jump panels are interchangeable and allow for nearly anything you can think of for signage. You can customize to your liking.