PRODUCT NEWS: Choosing A Petzl Helmet

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 UKC/UKH Gear 26 Jun 2019
Petzl Helmet 3x2 Wearing a helmet in a wide variety of outdoor sports is an obvious choice for many people. For Petzl, offering more than simple protection for your head is one of our primary concerns!

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 nufkin 26 Jun 2019
In reply to UKC/UKH Gear:

Given the re-design of the Sirocco and its apparent suitability for the same things as the Meteor, not to mention the difference in weight, it's hard to see what the point of the Meteor is in the Petzl range now

 Luke90 26 Jun 2019
In reply to nufkin:

Well, the Meteor is cheaper, has a more normal adjustment system and is arguably more durable. Those seem like enough differentiating factors to me. I've certainly seen people choose the Meteor over the new Sirocco.

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In reply to UKC/UKH Gear:

Can anyone explain why Petzl took an amazing helmet in the Scirocco, and replaced the highest wear area with a brittle and generally more fragile material? The whole point of the Scirocco was that the EPP was flexible and robust so could potentially take multiple hits (or people sitting on it in your rucksack). EPP has blown me away as a helmet material, it actually bounces off impacts, if I had the newer version I would have totalled it several times. 

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 Theo Moore 26 Jun 2019
In reply to purplemonkeyelephant:

Although this totally anecdotal, I still use the new Sirocco that I was given to review (2 years ago) every time I go route climbing. It might not have had any major impacts but it's had a few loose rocks fall on it and has rolled down the hill at the bottom of a crag or two. I also regularly attach it to the outside of my bag and it gets knocked around. It's still totally functional and in one piece bar a few scratches.

This doesn't address your point about EPP but although the new Sirocco is and looks seriously lightweight it's actually pretty durable!

In reply to Theo Moore:

I'm sure it's still a good helmet, but the biggest impacts I personally encounter with my helmet is standing/moving up and banging the top of my head into the rock/fencepost/tree etc. Whenever I do that in my version, you can literally feel the helmet absorb the impact and bounce off (and I've done it pretty damn hard once or twice). My helmet barely has a scratch on it. EPS absorbs impact by permanently deforming, so I doubt it would have survived similar impacts. 

 Graham 26 Jun 2019
In reply to purplemonkeyelephant:

That's why I picked the Mammut Wall Rider (great helmet). I was also disappointed with the inclusion of EPS foam in the new sirocco. 

 nufkin 27 Jun 2019
In reply to purplemonkeyelephant:

>  Can anyone explain why Petzl took an amazing helmet in the Scirocco, and replaced the highest wear area with a brittle and generally more fragile material?

Probably because it looked like a big orange mushroom. I'm very fond of mine, but it's not the most aesthetically pleasing. The new ones do look slicker, but I suppose having the polystyrene panel was the price

 TobyA 27 Jun 2019
In reply to Theo Moore:

> Although this totally anecdotal, I still use the new Sirocco that I was given to review (2 years ago) every time I go route climbing. It might not have had any major impacts but it's had a few loose rocks fall on it and has rolled down the hill at the bottom of a crag or two. I also regularly attach it to the outside of my bag and it gets knocked around. It's still totally functional and in one piece bar a few scratches.

I've always wondered how people managed to break their light foam helmets so easily. I've only just replaced my second Meteor which was a bit over a decade old. I had one of the original ones from the mid-90s and that must have last ten years too. On the other hand a friend put his brand new Sirocco in his hold baggage early last winter, and it came out with a large chunk broken off, so they are not baggage handler proof - although what is?

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 StuDoig 27 Jun 2019
In reply to nufkin:

I guess it's perspective.  I'm looking at a new helmet atm and my thought process went the other way.  Given the material compromise in the new Sirroco by the inclusion of the new panel, and that the meteor is rated for the same activities and still a light helmet, why buy the Sirroco?  It's a lot of extra money for the weight saving.  Personal preference at the end of the day.

I would have been more inclined to buy the old sirroco as the few people I know who bought it, loved it and I did like the idea of the EPP material used.  It would be interesting to know that reason for the substitution as the original seemed to be a real stride forward.

Though thanks to Graham I'm now looking at the Wall Rider as well......

Cheers!

Stu

 StuDoig 27 Jun 2019
In reply to Graham:

Hi Graham,

                  Have you used the Wall Rider with goggles on?  Looking at new helmets atm and lack of compatibility with googles is a normal bugbear for me!

Cheers!

Stu

 Petzl UK 27 Jun 2019
In reply to StuDoig:

Try the METEOR. It was designed with goggles in mind. 

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 StuDoig 27 Jun 2019
In reply to Petzl UK:

Thanks for the suggestion, the new meteor is/was currently leading the pack!

Cheers,

Stu

In reply to TobyA:

Considering how the old Scirocco absorbs impacts youtube.com/watch?v=Dmn94J2_AXo&t=46 I'd imagine it must have been pretty abused to sustain damage in a bag. Which from what I've seen is not unlikely. 

 Graham 28 Jun 2019
In reply to StuDoig:

I have - it's about the same as the original sirocco - it works pretty well but it's not a ski helmet. 

breakage - I have certain friends who just seem to destroy helmets. One friend managed to break 6 helmets in a year - none of them on her head... Sirocco, Wall rider, vector, vapor, meteor... Didn't seem to matter what helmet, she would manage to destroy it in about 2 months. 

Post edited at 04:06
In reply to Graham:

> I have - it's about the same as the original sirocco - it works pretty well but it's not a ski helmet. 

> breakage - I have certain friends who just seem to destroy helmets. One friend managed to break 6 helmets in a year - none of them on her head... Sirocco, Wall rider, vector, vapor, meteor... Didn't seem to matter what helmet, she would manage to destroy it in about 2 months. 

6 in a year??? How?

If nothing else that sounds pretty expensive.

 GHawksworth 28 Jun 2019
In reply to StuDoig:

I've worn the wall rider with goggles on and it's brill! Durable too.

 StuDoig 28 Jun 2019
In reply to Graham:

cheers Graham, good to know!  6 lids in a year - genuinely impressed with that!!

 Frank R. 28 Jun 2019
In reply to purplemonkeyelephant:

Maybe to reduce the overal bulk and add some scratch resistance at the top? It's said the newer one is less bulky (perhaps the EPS with hard liner requires less volume for same energy absorption, unlike EPP, but that's just a wild guess). I am quite happy with my old one, I actually love the orange colour! It does have some scuffs and marks on the top though, from (rather clumsily) bumping my helmeted head on overhanging rock and general carrying around strapped to my pack

 Graham 29 Jun 2019
In reply to DubyaJamesDubya:

I don't know how she broke all of them, but at least one had a haulbag dropped on it.  

 Exile 29 Jun 2019
In reply to purplemonkeyelephant:

My understanding is that this was done to reduce the volume of the helmet. I've had both versions of the Scirocco and with my orange one found it very bulky under a hood, so much so that for winter use I ended up going back to the Meteor that the Scirocco was supposed to have replaced. I find the new one a lot better in use from this perspective, so although the technology of the original orange one may be better on paper, it's not much use if the design means you don't use it.


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