S1 Lifer Visor Helmets

Hello Derbyverse!  I know it's been a long time since I've posted, I'm sure you know how life can get in the way sometimes...in any case, there are quite a few new products on the market that I've been trying out or getting feedback on so I can pass this info onto you!

Glitter Black Visor Helmet

The first product I'd like to talk about is the S-One Lifer Visor helmet.  The original Visor helmet was released a little over a year ago and sold out quickly; however, as with many first time products on the market, it had a few tweaks to work out.  A few months ago, the Visor 2.0 was released with improvements such as a better way to keep helmet panties from slipping off and a removeable visor for those times you don't want to use it, it gets scratched up, or you want to swap out with the Iridium visor which acts like sunglasses for your helmet.  The Iridium visors are not approved for WFTDA play, but would be awesome for trail skating on sunny days.

Iridium Visor

Clear Visor

Caveat: I haven't personally worn the Lifer Visor helmet.  I've worn Lifer helmets for years and haven't had any issues with them. From personal observations as well as testimonials, some skaters tend to get hit in the face more often than others or wear glasses which can cause quite a bit of damage when hit by the stray shoulder.  Other skaters wear contacts which dry out pretty quickly when skating on the track and the Visor helps to prevent the wind from drying them out.

Silvie Postlewaight,
Currently Skating With Glasgow Roller Derby 

I received reviews from quite a few skaters who have been using the Lifer Visor helmet and here are the pros and cons they mentioned:

Pros:

• Visor protected the skater's face from a hit that ended up gouging the visor. (Potential eye damage avoided)
• Protects the eyes and noses of shorter skaters.
• Helps keep bugs from flying in your eyes when skating outside.
• Visor is easily removeable/replaceable so you can choose to wear it for some activities and take it off for others where you are less likely to get hit in the face.
• "I feel like I look really darn cool when wearing this helmet." -Lauren Malis

Gold Glitter Lifer Visor

Cons:

• Visor got scratched during the first part of an international game to the point vision was impaired.  Unfortunately, this skater lives in a country where getting a replacement visor is cost prohibitive otherwise getting a replacement visor would quickly solve this issue.
• Some skaters reported the Visor helmets were hotter than the normal Lifer helmets; yet still not as hot as many of the hockey type helmets they previously tried.
• One skater stated that the extra weight bothered her, none of the other skaters mentioned this.
• One skater mentioned when being hit from the side, the noise was startlingly loud.
• Takes some practice getting helmet panties off and on.

Glossy Red Visor Helmet

For the most part, I got very positive feedback on the helmets.  Most of the skaters just stated that they loved their helmets with no extra information to back it up.  In my experience, when skaters have issues with their gear, they have no qualms stating so...when things are going great and working well, I usually don't hear much feedback.

Overall, if you have issues getting hit in the upper face due to being a shorter skater or just from skating styles of those around you, I'd definitely give the S-One Lifer Visor a shot.  One thing I'd like to point out, the visors come with a thin removable film on them so if things look blurry at first, make sure you've taken this film off.

Purple Visor Helmet

Hopefully that gives you a little insight on these helmets.  If you have any further feedback, feel free to leave a comment or message me at 2N1SkateShoppe@gmail.com


The next articles that I currently have in the works are for Halo, Savant, and Anabolix wheels as well as the new 187 Slim elbow pads and Smith Derby knee pads.  If you have any feedback on any of these items, I'd love to hear from you!

I'm also working on some general Roller Derby articles for Marni Boer's project All Things Derby, so check out all the goodies she's got going on over there.

 Until we skate again! Shocker

One Hit Wonder?

My Orange S-One Lifer Helmet in Action

There is some confusion as to "one hit" versus "reusable" helmets. There are el-cheapo helmets that are not good for much of anything, there are multi-use which provide some protection, then there are high impact helmets. High impact helmets have layer of hard Expanded PolyStyrene (EPS) foam lining, which if you hit your head hard enough will act like a crumple zone in a car.  Some cheap helmets will have a hard foam lining that may look like EPS, but look for the Consumer Protection Safety Commission (CPSC) sticker on the inside of the helmet to make sure it is going to protect your brain.  The CPSC certification means the helmet has been proven to protect your head in bicycle crashes (think how fast you go on your bike!), so they translate well to Roller Derby.  Here is an illustration of a CPSC certified Lifer helmet:

Both S-One and Nutcase brands have CPSC certified helmets with a layer of hard EPS lining followed by a soft foam pad. They are made for multiple lower impact hits to the head and if you happen to take a hit hard enough to dent the hard EPS foam lining (you will be able to see this), it's time to replace it.  So basically these helmets are reusable helmets at low impact and single use at high impact.  You can replace dented or cracked S-One helmets for $20 through the manufacturer or $35 through 2N1 Skate Shoppe, which is a pretty sweet deal.  I also heard a rumor that Nutcase likes to replace broken helmets when you send them an awesome story about how it saved your brain from catastrophe.



Non-CPSC Certified Helmet



Helmets that only have a hard shell with a thick terry cloth liner (see picture to the right) used to be the most popular helmet in Roller Derby, and this may also be why we were seeing so many concussions or traumatic brain injuries.  These helmets are not CPSC certified and are even illegal to sell in some states because your head is the crumple zone instead of a hard foam liner. Doesn't sound like much fun, does it?

The Women's Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA) has recently taken the helmet issue a step further by recommending HECC certified helmets. These are (imho) ugly hockey helmets that run about $150 (from the models I looked at), but are tested to even harder hits than the CPSC helmets.

Nutcase Modern Dots CPSC Certified Helmet

Some skaters I've met want to keep their helmets forever...personally, I think it is better to look at all of your protective gear as being easily replaceable after it has done its job. Hopefully no one ever hits their head hard enough to need to replace their helmet, but I don't think that worrying about having to get net stickers should be a reason you get a lower rated helmet.  Besides, with the awesome color selection S-One has and super cute Nutcase designs, who wouldn't want to switch it up every once in a while?

Chris from Nutcase sent me a helmet to try out and review, as well as one to give away to a G Spot reader!  While I'm testing mine out, let's hear some of your helmet stories...  Post your tale of woe, near-miss, or triumph in the comments for your chance to get your own brand new Nutcase helmet.  We'll announce the winner April 15th.



Sweet Atom Backpack

 Speaking of giving away stuff, you have less than 2 weeks left to enter our Atom Backpack giveaway contest!  Just post a pic of you showing your 2N1 pride on the 2N1 Skate Shoppe FaceBook page and you may be carrying around all your derby stuff in style!