2014+ Helmet Reviews: How did they hold up?

Do you remember this thread?

http://www.x-h2o.com/index.php?thre...earing-for-helmets.147731/page-2#post-1599866

It was a good lead into the helmets everyone was wearing from the previous (2013 and under) seasons. I thought it might be a good idea to introduce a thread with links to the various manufacturers in a one spot location to help save everyone some time in trying to locate these much needed pieces of gear. If you see a helmet you have or have used, feel free to post a link to it and a review of what you thought about it...for example: how well it fit (large fits more like a medium or too tight on the cheekbone area), your experience with it such as weight, reliability,how much they currently sell for...etc.

509 : http://www.509films.com/store/altitude-helmet.html
6D : http://www.6dhelmets.com/
818 : http://www.818helmets.com/
Airo : http://www.airoh.com/
Answer : http://www.answerracing.com/
Arai : https://www.araiamericas.com/#/home
Bell : http://www.bellhelmets.com/en_ca/
CKX : http://www.ckxgear.com/en-ca
Fox : www.foxhead.com or http://shop.foxhead.com/store/products/Helmets/category/cat20066
Fly : http://www.flyracing.com/
Gecko : http://www.geckoheadgear.com/helmets
Giro : http://www.giro.com
GMAX : http://www.g-max.com/
HJC : http://hjchelmets.com/hjca/
Icon : http://www.rideicon.com/
Impact : http://www.impactraceproducts.com
iv2 : http://iv2helmets.com/
Jetpilot Australia : http://jetpilot.com.au/shop/watersports/freeride-helmet-black
KBC : http://www.kbchelmet.com/
Kali Protectives : http://www.kaliprotectives.com/
Lazer : http://www.lazersport.com/
Limar : http://www.limar.com/site/index.php
LS2 : http://www.ls2helmets.com/
Nexx : http://nexx-helmets.com/pt/home
Nolan : http://www.nolan-usa.com/
ONE Industries : http://oneindustries.com/moto/helmets
Oneal : http://www.oneal.com/
POC : http://www.pocsports.com/
Pro-Tec : http://www.shopprotec.com/
Premier : http://www.premier.it/en/
Pryme : http://www.prymegear.com
Scorpion : http://www.scorpionusa.com/
Shark : http://www.shark-helmets.com/
Shoei : http://www.shoei-helmets.com/
Shred Ready : http://shredready.com
Simpson : http://simpsonraceproducts.com/
SixSixOne : http://sixsixone.com/bike/helmets
Skully : http://www.skully.com/
Specialized : http://www.specialized.com/
Suomy : http://www.suomy.com/en/
THH : http://www.thh-helmet.com/
Thor : http://www.thormx.com/
TMS : http://www.t-motorsports.com/helmets/?sort=priceasc
Torc : http://shop.torchelmets.com/
Troy Lee Designs : http://www.troyleedesigns.com
Urge : http://www.urgebike.com/
Vega : http://www.vegahelmet.com/
Voss : http://vossdot.com/
X-Lite : http://www.x-lite.it/index.jsp?lng=en
Xpeed : http://www.xpeedhelmet.com/
Z1R : http://www.z1rhelmets.com/
Zeus : http://www.zeus-helmets.co.uk/
Zoan : http://www.zoanhelmets.ca/
Zox : http://www.zoxhelmets.com/

If I missed any let me know and I will add the links in later.
 
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My little review goes something like this...

HJC CL-X6 Hydron Motocross helmet:
Great helmet, excellent protection, fits reasonably well but had to use a large where a medium was recommended on the sizing chart. The peak is quite bullet proof and did not break off other than when I had my ski land on me. It was about 160 bucks at the start of last season. The downside is that it gains about 6 lbs of weight when the padding gets soaked. That takes its toll after a long ride and does wear down the neck after a full season of riding. This year's new addition will be a Specialized Dissident Comp downhill mountain bike helmet. It is currently on order, a follow up will be posted.

http://www.specialized.com/ca/en/ftr/helmets/mens-mountain-helmets/dissident-comp
 
I have a Giro Remedy Carbon and have been using it for a solid 16 months. Light weight, solid, no real issues to speak of. The screw for the visor adjust fell out and I replaced it with a stainless bolt, the rubber edge guard at the bottom of the helmet fell off and is just gone. I can see I will be replacing the rusted rivets for the chinstrap in the next 6-8 months, but I would buy again without question.
 
The only way to slow down the rusting of the rivets and hardware is to spray them with silicone before they dry and then a shot of spray lithium grease once everything is dry.
 
Location
PNW
Good thread!

TLD Carbon D3 has been great, it's comfortable, very light and has an unobstructed view. I forget I'm wearing it when riding. The liner removes easily, but I wear it in fresh water so I usually just leave it on my porch to air dry. I took the visor off as I kept bending it back with my failed backies. Order a size up as I usually wear a L and ended up with an XL. I found mine late 2013 on Ebay for $300 shipped, expensive but well worth it IMO. I really like this lid...
 
Shred ready.
Not on the list (maybe intentionally).
I have the standard version. Love it. Been wearing it for two years. No complaints. I do wear a neoprene surf hood underneath (keeps me warmer, wind noise down, makes helmet extra comfortable) but isn't necessary.

http://shredready.com


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Shred ready.
Not on the list (maybe intentionally).
I have the standard version. Love it. Been wearing it for two years. No complaints. I do wear a neoprene surf hood underneath (keeps me warmer, wind noise down, makes helmet extra comfortable) but isn't necessary.

http://shredready.com

Updated!
Not intentional my friend, the only conditions that would have prevented a brand from being added would be if I was not aware of it or just forgot :rolleyes: or there were no fullface powersports-like designs. Helmets such as spelunking (caving) oriented, emergency services such as firefighting, construction trades purpose built, or skydiving designs were excluded from the list.
 
I have had great luck with the jettribe helmet. Wearing really well and nothing has broken or corroded yet. Quick connect chin strap is awesome.

Also have good things to say about the troy carbon helmets. Super light shell with no excess bulk.
 
It seems that at the moment Jettribe does not offer a helmet, only replacement parts so they will not be on the list. But they do have some very nice gear and I particularly like the protective pfd they offer...a bit pricey though at about $385.00
 
So I just received the new helmet today, it is a Specialized Dissident Comp with the green rift color scheme.When I first tried it on I thought it felt a little too snug on the cheekbones but then I found that if I angled the helmet forward and down, it lined up much more appropriately to my cheekbones and jaw line. The crown feels good, it is snug but not to a point where it hurts, it is just comfortable. The people at the bike shop said it should soften up and form to me with a little bit of time so it should become more comfortable yet. I have my concerns with the peak holding up. Although it is a little bit shorter than my HJC's peak, it just doesn't feel quite as solidly built. But it may be fine, time will tell. I do like having a peak for those times when I am heading into the sun and it helps to deflect the water flying up the handlepole if you tip your head in time.

One thing I noticed right away is that it weighs at least 40% less than my HJC Hydron CL-X6. In the photos you will notice there is also a considerable difference not only in the size between the two, but also the thickness of the padding. The HJC is certainly a much beefier helmet but it does come at a literal heavier toll. Not only is the helmet heavier dry, add in water to that padding and the HJC not only becomes MUCH heavier, but the padding also gets very soft and the helmet fitment becomes too loose. I have had a few instances where I would do a sub off of a big wave, and the rush of water up the handlepole would fill the goggle window of the HJC pulling it off my noggin. It would haul it off to the point of pulling out the full length of chin strap. The only thing stopping the chin strap from pulling out is the stop button they have fixed onto the strap. It is quite annoying trying to keep your bearings while pulling your lid back on and re-tightening the strap on the fly. The Specialized however was right on the money, their sizing chart suggested I wear a medium, the salesman did a preliminary fitment using a half helmet for road use and suggested a medium as well given how well the road helmet fit. Both were of them were right. So I have no concerns with Specialized's sizing chart.

With the HJC's sizing chart however, that is a different story. The sizing chart recommended going with a medium helmet according to my measurements. But because the padding is so bulky and not very ergonomically correct, a medium cinched down on my cheekbones and applied a lot of pressure to the hinge points of my jaw. Dealing with TMJ can and has caused me to have some nasty jaw related headaches. Applying pressure to an already troubled spot is a migraine waiting to happen. So I had to move up to a large (the shell on all sizes of this HJC are the same, the only difference is thickness of padding. All pads on this model are interchangeable). The drawback is that with the large, there is too much space between the temple area and the forehead. Another downfall with HJC is that any "new" HJC helmet on the shelf is basically already obsolete. So when I needed a new peak for mine after the first month or so of owning it, finding one became very difficult. I did eventually find 2 which I bought, but I don't appreciate buying a mid priced helmet that if a piece of trim or a peak fell off and was gone, I can no longer get replacement parts for it...even wen it is only a month old. Not a good deal when you drop 160+ bucks on a should be current lid. On the plus side though, the HJC peak is very tough and put up with everything I threw at it last ride season other than having the ski land on it. Having soaked foam didn't make the impact weight any lighter either.

If you are on the market for a good watercraft racing helmet, the HJC might be the one if it conforms to IJSBA requirements. It is a really tough and reasonably comfy helmet even if it has to be bigger than they recommend. But if you plan on using it for freeride or freestyle, you most likely will want a much smaller and lighter helmet. Once that padding soaks up the water it becomes very heavy and straining on the neck vertebrae. Dry, it would be a great trail helmet. I know, I know, I thought this was a Specialized brand helmet review...well it is an introductory review. I am not willing to find open water on a frozen lake to see how good this helmet is. I can wait for summer to post any reliability reviews.
 

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For you guys in the U.S. I would certainly expect it to be much less than here in Canada. This one cost me $224.00 after taxes, they gave me a little reduction too, it was supposed to list for $238.00. You're right, the site doesn't list prices but there are two versions of that helmet. You will know which one you want by the price lol...the other one which I believe is carbon fiber is (at least up here) around 500 bucks! Here is a link to a review of the Dissident Comp, it talks about some other details I am not familiar with...and it says the U.S. price should be around $150.00

http://nsmb.com/2014-specialized-dissident-comp-helmet/
 
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