Favorite pull station?

What is your favorite pull from:
[list]

  • [*]A collector’s perspective?
  • [*]A practicality perspective?
  • [/list]

    My favorite for a collector’s perspective is the MS-2, and for practicality the Simplex 4099 series or BG-12.

    From a collectors perspective, I really like the BG-10. There’s just something about it that I really like, even though I don’t own one yet.

    Otherwise, I’d agree the BG-12 is probably the most practical from a technician/building owner standpoint, since I’d say it’s one of the cheapest pull stations avalible, is compatable with most panels, and seems to be of a decent build quality.

    The BG-12 is pretty easy to reset too, I think only the Simplex T-bar is easier to reset but they are pricey.

    Plus the fact that it is rebranded by every single Fire Alarm manufacturing company under the sun!

    For me, I’d go with the Simplex 4251/2099/4099-series pull stations. Those and the RSG rebranded pulls are the only ones I’ve seen at my schools (excluding a CP MSI-10B in an abandoned hallway at my high school), and they just have a clean simplistic design that isn’t cluttered with design, like the BG-12.

    In terms of collection: Gamewell Century, it has a nice apparence, I like how it looks like a full moon. (Hence why it got nicknamed the “Full Moon” or the “Bull’s eye pull station”)
    In term of practicality: Edwards 270 (GaO and SpO variations, especially the ones with the older E shield logo). They’re cheap, simple, sturdy (Plastic? No thanks I’d go with metal! :lol:) and you don’t need to worry about keys for this one (except the GaO if you’re using a double stage system): a flatheaded screwdriver will do the trick (this applies also to collectors and technicians because if you have say, a keychain with many keys you don’t waste time finding/trying every key on it until you find the correct one).

    I think just the opposite, I like keyed pulls better because they offer higher security versus a keyed pull. Any old Joe can sick a screwdriver or any other object that resembles a screwdriver in the pull and reset it. With keyed pulls, it takes significantly more time to pick the lock, and you would need the proper tools on hand. Now I’m not saying keyed pulls are a ton more secure since you can buy keys for $3 on eBay but they are significantly more secure than pulls with a screwdriver reset

    To be fair though, if you’re planning any serious offensive involving a building’s fire alarm system, you’d find a key one way or another.
    If you’re just a kid who pulled it by accident (or maliciously), you’re not very likely to have a key on hand to reset it. Keys are dirt cheap on eBay but really the only people shopping for them are installers, owners/maintenance people, and collectors. I prefer key reset devices myself.

    From a collector’s standpoint, here are my top five:

    1. Simplex T-Bar (both classic and modern) - The quintessential fire alarm pull station. Probably the easiest to reset, too.

    2. Simplex 4252-11 (the non-coded 4263) - Simplex Π-bar? More serious-looking than the more common chevron. I prefer this version because it can be used with modern systems and is easier to pull. It’s also interesting to see the similar alarms available in different sizes (e.g. AV-32 and -34, Y03/4/5/8).

    3. The Thorn/Kidde B5 is nice. I like its unique, hexagonal shape and red-white-black color scheme.

    4. Federal Signal/CPG MMPS - Weird slant aside, it’s also quite practical as it can be reset without opening it. Too bad the key falls out. Also, I believe one version came with a buzzer that sounded when the little plastic door was opened.

    5. Standard 200177 - The perfect blend of unusual and aesthetically pleasing, albeit hard to reset. Surprisingly difficult to find with the switch mechanism intact.

    But from a practicality perspective, I’d have to go with the BG-12. Sure, it’s a little cartoony, but it’s the only non-coded pull station that both resets itself via spring AND can be opened without activating it.

    As for ones I dislike - the flip-cover pull stations that Canada is apparently littered with. I find the BNG-1 to be okay, and I actually like the LNG-1, but having the whole cover drop down and flop around is just “meh”. I would also think that having every pull station in the country be like that would be pretty boring.

    Edwards 270-spo by far

    Gamewell Century “Bullseye” Pull station or BG-12L

    For practicality: Fire-Lite BG-12

    For collection: Same as above, but the version that is labeled in Spanish:

    Collection-wise? I guess my ADT-5050. In terms of what’s good in an actual life safety situation? I think the SIGCOM pulls are actually one of the best out there. They’re bog-standard and everywhere especially in places with Bosch/Radionics systems, but they’re bulletproof, symmetrical (unlike the RSG pulls) and are visually easy to understand. You just pull the handle!

    My favorite for appearance style is the art-deco-ish Standard round pull station. My middle school had these, which is the only building where I saw them. This one is from my collection, and it works, but doesn’t have a key, so I have to fiddle with a paperclip to reset it.

    For practicality, I like the T-station, just because they’re what so many of the public imagines when they hear “pull station,” and they’re almost everywhere these days. I remember when you’d go into a building and not know what kind of pull station there would be, but now it seems (at least where I live) to be all T-designs.

    From a practicality standpoint, my votes go to the Simplex T-Bars (4251/2099/4099), the RSG RMS T-Bars with their SigCom equivalents, and the Cerberus Pyrotronics/Siemens MS-151/MS-157. All are durable, reliable, and incredibly simple to operate and reset.

    From a collector/enthusiast perspective, my dorm has the old Simplex 4252-11 pulls EVERYWHERE left over from the original Simplex 4211 System, so I definitely find them cool, as I’ve never seen them anywhere else.

    Sure, BG-12s aren’t bad, but they are EVERYWHERE!

    It’s been said before, but my vote for most practical goes to the dual action RSG pull stations.

    Reasons:

    1. Made of metal
    2. The dual action mechanism actually makes it harder to activate by accident, unlike the BG-12 which can be activated with a rogue elbow
    3. Inexpensive
    [quote=theboginator post_id=78871 time=1518314847 user_id=3768]

    To be fair though, if you’re planning any serious offensive involving a building’s fire alarm system, you’d find a key one way or another.
    If you’re just a kid who pulled it by accident (or maliciously), you’re not very likely to have a key on hand to reset it. Keys are dirt cheap on eBay but really the only people shopping for them are installers, owners/maintenance people, and collectors. I prefer key reset devices myself.

    [/quote]

    It’s funny because people have no idea you need a simple flathead to reset 270-SPOs, at least where I live. My favourite though is the 270-SPO, I own about 20 of them, with 6 or 7 different versions of them. They are simple, easy to reset/wire, common basically most places you go.

    As a collector and practically persepective, my favorite pull station is the Fire Lite BG-6. It’s becuase the pull station’s instructions are direct and in a fire emergency, stating that the average person doesn’t know how to pull a pull station ahead of time, it’s important that it’s easy to figure out how to pull it within a short amount of time. The BG-6 is very easy to pull, even if you’ve never pulled it before, which is why I like it. It’s also an old pull station, and becasue I like old things, is the other reason why I like it.

    My least favorite (mostly practically, but partly as a collector), is the (duel-action) BG-12. This may sound crazy, but it’s because i it’s hard to figure out how to pull it if you’ve never pulled one before (or at least for the duel-action BG-12s). I know this because I’ve asked friends of mine, who have never pulled a fire alarm before, to pull it. When I didn’t give them any help, only one of the many I gave it to were able to pull it in a good amount of time. That’s why I don’t like the BG-12. It’s an amazing pull station, it even has brail on it! It’s just for that one reason that I don’t like it. It’s also made 100% completely out of plastic (excluding the key and terminals), and as a collector, I don’t like alarms that are completely plastic. I like ones with at least a little bit of metal in there.

    My favorite is the T-Bar.

    Probably the Edwards 270-SPO only because they were paired with one of my favorite alarms in my middle school which was the Simplex 4051 and not for anything else.

    My favorite pull station from a collector’s prospective is the Fire-Lite BG-6. Its all metal and is very good. Its a good pull station that like the 270-SPO can blend into any time period (Good for movies).

    My favorite pull stations from a tech’s perspective are the RSG-RMS-1T. They fit in well with any SK,FL,'ESL, and other panel brands. Its all metal and is heavy duty and works great for signaling.