What are the lightest most breathable Bauer helmets?

[VegasHockey 1124]

I am a huge fan of the Easton E700. I actually purchased a bunch of them before Easton was acquired by Bauer as I assumed they would be end of life. My last E700 has kicked the bucket and Bauer is offering to replace it and asked me to test fit multiple helmets and let them know what works best for me. What are some of the lighter Bauer helmets with good ventilation?

I test fitted the IMS line of helmets and was surprised the IMS 9.0 fit entirely different than the IMS 11.0 but I guess it makes sense since the shell itself is a different design. The IMS 9.0 fit very well but felt heavy, the IMS 11.0 didn't fit well at all.

I am looking for some suggestions. As mentioned, looking for a light, breathable, and preferably low profile helmet. 

[Cavs019 701]

Just get whatever fits the best.

The IMS/Reakt shell is light enough for half the NHL so it’s probably light enough for you. If you can wait a few weeks the Reakt 95 looks like an IMS 9.0 on steroids. 

Edited May 8, 2018 by Cavs019

[dkmiller3356 980]

Why the concern about the lightest?  Its your head... protect it.

[JunkyardAthletic 497]

10 hours ago, Nicholas G said:

I am a huge fan of the Easton E700. I actually purchased a bunch of them before Easton was acquired by Bauer as I assumed they would be end of life. My last E700 has kicked the bucket and Bauer is offering to replace it and asked me to test fit multiple helmets and let them know what works best for me. What are some of the lighter Bauer helmets with good ventilation?

I test fitted the IMS line of helmets and was surprised the IMS 9.0 fit entirely different than the IMS 11.0 but I guess it makes sense since the shell itself is a different design. The IMS 9.0 fit very well but felt heavy, the IMS 11.0 didn't fit well at all.

I am looking for some suggestions. As mentioned, looking for a light, breathable, and preferably low profile helmet. 

I'm sure Bauer would be the best resource to find the answer to your question...since of course you're going to be getting one of their helmets.

I thought you owned (owns, owns) a shop. Maybe go a check a few out at YOUR SHOP?

[Coldclay 53]

Like you, I'm a big fan of the E700 and I still wear mine despite the fact that it's pretty much falling apart... I like my helmet light and as you already know, nothing comes close to the weight of the E700. Since my kid plays, I can say we've tried plenty of helmets. With that said, I'd NEVER let my son wear an E700 playing bantam major, it's simply too light and inadequate for full contact. IIRC the CCM Fitlite 3DS was pretty light, but my kid chose Bauer Re-Akt and if and when I ditch my E700, I'd probably go with the first Re-Akt too. Light enough, comfy and fits my head well.

[218hockey 42]

Who said a light helmet can't be the most protective?

[RickDC 24]

Why only Bauer? I bought 2 ReAkt-100 helmets when they first came out, like many people I want to protect my brain with the best bucket around. At the time it was heavily marketed as being able to help reduce concussions.

Then the Virginia Tech study came out and found it to be poor performing  (I respect that people see that study from different angles).

My concern was, that I emailed Bauer on 4 occasions, asking them for information and why it was marketed as helping to reduce concussions when the study found it didn't. They replied once saying they would get back to me, and then never did (and I followed that up with 3 further emails which were ignored).

So rightly or wrongly, after spending C$500 on 2 brain buckets, I was pissed and I've now, personally, barred buying anything Bauer. I've emailed CCM and Warrior and got a good response from them, so now have a Fitlite 3D.

Edited May 9, 2018 by RickDC

[Coldclay 53]

I can only speak from my personal experience. Not saying a light helmet can't be protective, but back in my younger days, we'd occasionally play checking in beer league with my teammates and I got ragdolled by a former Gopher and the impact of my head hitting the boards or ice (don't remember lol) was so loud that I thought my helmet got cracked. That's when I knew that the E700 was not adequate for repetition full contact hockey...

Regarding the VT helmet test, I'd take it with a grain of salt as it's been discussed here plenty...

 

[RickDC 24]

2 hours ago, Coldclay said:

Regarding the VT helmet test, I'd take it with a grain of salt as it's been discussed here plenty...

Absolutely, that was not my point though, my point was the complete lack of after-sales support by Bauer. If I can't contact them about spending $500 on 2 helmets, then what happens if I have a problem with any other piece of equipment? :-) 

[markush 12]

http://www.thehockeyshop.com/bauer-re-akt-95-helmet-review/ seems nice 

[start_today 709]

To be fair demanding bauer respond specifically to your questions about the VT testing isn't all that far away from demanding that Bauer email you and explain why their helmets don't get better gas mileage. 

Its irrelevant and is largely lost time and money to bother address info that person by person. 

[dkmiller3356 980]

19 hours ago, 218hockey said:

Who said a light helmet can't be the most protective?

No one said it cannot be but the device here is to see protective - or at least seek balance.  There is also a fair amount of common sense (and likely some physics and materials engineering) that would indicate that lighter is less likely to be most protective in a helmet.  Well, at least with current materials. 

[GoalForFun 167]

If you're going to be buying top of the line, does one helmet weighing 15 grams more than another really affect how you turn your head? A cage is much more impactful as far as adding weight goes and I know you wear a visor.

Get a helmet that fits your head and is comfortable and well-ventilated, ignore the weight.

[DRR 112]

14 hours ago, start_today said:

To be fair demanding bauer respond specifically to your questions about the VT testing isn't all that far away from demanding that Bauer email you and explain why their helmets don't get better gas mileage. 

Its irrelevant and is largely lost time and money to bother address info that person by person. 

 

That's ridiculous. It's a valid and relevant question unlike "gas mileage", and the absolute minimum would have been to reply with a canned response, instead of saying "we'll get back to you" and then ignoring subsequent inquiries.

As far as lost time and money answering the question - it takes 30 seconds to email a canned response, and because they couldn't do that it appears they lost @RickDC as a customer, so I guess your point actually proved mine.

[DRR 112]

16 hours ago, markush said:

http://www.thehockeyshop.com/bauer-re-akt-95-helmet-review/ seems nice 

 

Great line in this review: "getting the helmet structure dialled in is essential. No matter how many foams you add, if the helmet has pressure points or negative space, you’ll either be in pain or unprotected. "

This is why everyone preaches fit first, and considering brand, price point, marketing, etc as secondary factors. If the helmet does not fit reasonably well, all the other stuff is largely irrelevant.

[stick9 825]

13 minutes ago, DRR said:

 

That's ridiculous. It's a valid and relevant question unlike "gas mileage", and the absolute minimum would have been to reply with a canned response, instead of saying "we'll get back to you" and then ignoring subsequent inquiries.

As far as lost time and money answering the question - it takes 30 seconds to email a canned response, and because they couldn't do that it appears they lost @RickDC as a customer, so I guess your point actually proved mine.

Just for giggles, email Ford today and ask them about some third party test results.

It's not just the time it takes to respond, its the infrastructure needed to receive, sort and answer every email a company like Bauer gets. Those costs far outweigh what any single customer would spend. Beyond that, VT testing is a separate entity with no affiliation to Bauer. You aren't going to get any company to publicly comment on the findings of third party testing, unless of course they had a hand in it AND the results benefit them. Which in this case didn't. 

Edited May 10, 2018 by stick9

[DRR 112]

1 hour ago, stick9 said:

Just for giggles, email Ford today and ask them about some third party test results.

It's not just the time it takes to respond, its the infrastructure needed to receive, sort and answer every email a company like Bauer gets. Those costs far outweigh what any single customer would spend. Beyond that, VT testing is a separate entity with no affiliation to Bauer. You aren't going to get any company to publicly comment on the findings of third party testing, unless of course they had a hand in it AND the results benefit them. Which in this case didn't. 

Well you're demonstrably wrong, here's their response to the VT study. Why couldn't they just have emailed this to Rick? The answer may not have satisfied him but at a response would have.

https://www.bauer.com/helmets

As for Ford, they often respond not only with words to third party test results that are unfavorable (ever hear of IIHS?) they often implement changes to address it. Why? Because they understand that consumer perception about safety IMMEDIATELY impacts their bottom line.

 

[start_today 709]

Flawed studies are flawed studies. 

[DRR 112]

5 minutes ago, start_today said:

Flawed studies are flawed studies. 

I never disagreed the VT study is flawed. I'm saying they should have sent a simple email to respond to a customer.

[flip12 666]

But a lot of the supposed flaws actually aren’t. The study’s applicability is limited, should be applied with seasoning, etc., but a lot of the shots people here have taken at it are actually off the mark, as they are addressed in the work.

[stick9 825]

5 hours ago, DRR said:

Well you're demonstrably wrong, here's their response to the VT study. Why couldn't they just have emailed this to Rick? The answer may not have satisfied him but at a response would have.

https://www.bauer.com/helmets

As for Ford, they often respond not only with words to third party test results that are unfavorable (ever hear of IIHS?) they often implement changes to address it. Why? Because they understand that consumer perception about safety IMMEDIATELY impacts their bottom line.

 

A blanket statement listed on their site is much different. This was a single consumer asking, and I quote " I emailed Bauer on 4 occasions, asking them for information and why it was marketed as helping to reduce concussions when the study found it didn't." You know why that's there right? It's there because Mom & Dad look at the VT ratings before buying little Connor a new helmet, then wonder why he got a concussion. 

Quote

 

There may be some aspects of the Virginia Tech research that could positively influence future product development. However, it is important not to dismiss the results of decades of significant scientific research conducted by other academic institutions, Bauer Hockey, other manufacturers and members of the medical community. We caution the hockey community against simply accepting Virginia Tech’s statement that hockey helmets are not safe and its conclusion that players should expect to sustain a certain number of concussions per season, depending upon the type of helmet that they wear.

Like other manufacturers, we have conducted leading-edge research regarding head protection, including our recent participation in the largest youth hockey concussion study ever conducted. This study was done not to rate helmets or to promote one particular brand of helmet, but to learn about the injury and how players actually experience forces during games and practices to better inform our product development processes.

In addition to working with leading researchers and medical experts we conduct exhaustive testing on every helmet we develop. For example, during the development of the RE-AKT 100, every size helmet received more than 1,500 impacts using two distinct protocols to fully validate the product. By comparison, Virginia Tech conducted a total of 48 impacts on only one size helmet to determine the STAR rating. Experts agree that testing protocols necessarily differ depending on the size of the helmet and that it can be misleading to extrapolate the results derived from testing one size helmet across all sizes. The Virginia Tech study tested only adult size helmets but excluded youth helmets, and does not explain this significant omission.

 

Really, asked and answered right there. No need to email Bauer. 

Bauer has no affiliation with VT. VT is not an official test agency like the EPA, IIHS, CE, CSA or UL. Bauer, and other companies are free to design, test and manufacture helmets without certification from VT. To the best of my knowledge, VT does not aid in the design of hockey helmets or offer feedback to these companies to help make a safe helmet. Furthermore a 5 star VT rated helmet will not prevent a concussion or the likelihood of one occurring. 

So, demonstrably wrong...probably not. Maybe you got me using a bad analogy....

 

Edited May 10, 2018 by stick9

[Leif 156]

10 minutes ago, stick9 said:

A blanket statement listed on their site is much different. This was a single consumer asking, and I quote " I emailed Bauer on 4 occasions, asking them for information and why it was marketed as helping to reduce concussions when the study found it didn't." You know why that's there right? It's there because Mom & Dad look at the VT ratings before buying little Connor a new helmet, then wonder why he got a concussion. 

Really, asked and answered right there. No need to email Bauer. 

Bauer has no affiliation with VT. VT is not an official test agency like the EPA, IIHS, CE, CSA or UL. Bauer, and other companies are free to design, test and manufacture helmets without certification from VT. To the best of my knowledge, VT does not aid in the design of hockey helmets or offer feedback to these companies to help make a safe helmet. Furthermore a 5 star VT rated helmet will not prevent a concussion or the likelihood of one occurring. 

So, demonstrably wrong...probably not. Maybe you got me using a bad analogy....

 

A company with good service would have emailed a link to that page which addresses the concerns raised. I think the Bauer explanation on that page is good, and I am surprised Bauer did not link to it. Rick’s experience shows poor service. 

My own recent experience with Bauer UK is also poor. I injured myself when I fell on my coccyx, and realised my hockey pants have too little padding. So I ordered top of the line Bauer pants from a local shop. They said that Bauer had them in stock and they’d arrive in a few working days. The next week parcels arrive at the shop from Bauer, and my item is not in the order they get. Turns out Bauer had a different size in stock and their online database was wrong. So Bauer order them in from Europe. Four days later I injure myself again, despite wearing extra pads. This time it was my hip, an area not protected by the skateboarding pants I wore beneath my hockey pants. Finally today, two weeks after the order was placed, the pants arrive in the shop. The shop did all they could, emailing me each day with an update, and I wanted to stay with them due to the service, but I am not impressed with Bauer UK. And I am still in pain and would not have injured myself a second time had I known Bauer UK had no pants in stock and ordered elsewhere from a shop with stock. 

[bandits_5 18]

On 5/8/2018 at 11:51 AM, Nicholas G said:

I am a huge fan of the Easton E700. I actually purchased a bunch of them before Easton was acquired by Bauer as I assumed they would be end of life. My last E700 has kicked the bucket and Bauer is offering to replace it and asked me to test fit multiple helmets and let them know what works best for me. What are some of the lighter Bauer helmets with good ventilation?

I test fitted the IMS line of helmets and was surprised the IMS 9.0 fit entirely different than the IMS 11.0 but I guess it makes sense since the shell itself is a different design. The IMS 9.0 fit very well but felt heavy, the IMS 11.0 didn't fit well at all.

I am looking for some suggestions. As mentioned, looking for a light, breathable, and preferably low profile helmet. 

The biggest thing I’m baffled by is “ I actually purchased a bunch of them before Easton was acquired by Bauer “

ive been in the same helmet for the the last 7 years. How does one, use a helmet so much it’s unusable, that you’ve been through “a bunch”, in the last 3 years? Weird. 

[IPv6Freely 2029]

36 minutes ago, bandits_5 said:

The biggest thing I’m baffled by is “ I actually purchased a bunch of them before Easton was acquired by Bauer “

ive been in the same helmet for the the last 7 years. How does one, use a helmet so much it’s unusable, that you’ve been through “a bunch”, in the last 3 years? Weird. 

Especially since they'll all expire around the same time. 

[Vet88 665]

1 hour ago, bandits_5 said:

The biggest thing I’m baffled by is “ I actually purchased a bunch of them before Easton was acquired by Bauer “

ive been in the same helmet for the the last 7 years. How does one, use a helmet so much it’s unusable, that you’ve been through “a bunch”, in the last 3 years? Weird. 

I suspect he will have seen what I have seen in a lot of them. The lining had issues. If you pull it on and off your lid a lot it frays and peels around the edges badly. I glue them down but eventually it goes hard (from repeated gluing) or falls apart completely and becomes unusable / uncomfortable. In some helmets it happened really fast like within a couple of months, others would last for ages. I also got 5 of them a few years ago, lost 2 to the lining issue, one to a puck strike and have 2 left. Regardless of their issues, imho they are still one of the best helmets ever made so far.