The DevTac Ronin Ballistic Helmet started making waves back in 2019 because of a demo video that demonstrated it getting shot with a .22 hornet and sustaining little more than a damaged exterior. But what many people who saw that video don’t know is that the ballistic helmet comes straight out of a video game and was inspired by an in-game item.
Which is pretty fun since its in-game equivalent is known for being useless.
Clearly, the real-life DevTac helmet is wildly different from the one in the game so let’s have a look at who made it, what it’s for, what its additional features are, and how much you can trust this helmet to keep you safe. Lastly, we’ll also check if it’s worth the price tag because, as any collector knows, gimmicky items from media have a tendency to be overpriced underperformers.
DevTac Is A (Relatively) New Tactical Equipment Maker
DevTac isn’t exactly a well-known brand the way Gentex and Galvion are and that’s mostly because they don’t really make as many ballistic helmets as the previously mentioned brands. When you see the price tag on this helmet and compare it with others on the market, you’ll understand why.
Regardless, DevTac makes a claim to quality with its connections to Japan. This one’s self-explanatory since Japanese brands are generally trusted for having good quality products. Though there’s little known about the company itself, they proudly advertise that they’re based out of Yokohama City.
That’s the problem though. There’s nothing else online about DevTac other than them being headquartered in Japan. There’s no info on when they started manufacturing helmets on their sites or any word about where their helmets are manufactured.
That said, DevTac lets the cool demo videos on their site do the talking for them.
Okay, so where does the video game come in?
The DevTac Ronin Ballistic Helmet Is Inspired By A Video Game
The DevTac Ronin Ballistic Helmet appears in the video game Escape from Tarkov, a multi-player first-person shooter game. In the game, it’s also produced by a Japan-based company called DevTac and is priced ridiculously high compared to the other gear in the game. Like the real-life version, it offers full head protection, except its armor class isn’t good enough to actually do any protecting.
The game’s DevTac helmet is said to meet NIJ IIIA standards, but the real-life one only meets NIJ Level 2.
A Look at the DevTac Ronin Ballistic Helmet
Here are the key features of the DevTac Ronin Ballistic Helmet for reference:
- Ballistic Kevlar, Full 80% Protection.
- 7mm ballistic Kevlar shell frames, lightweight with vents.
- ANSI 2871 lenses.
- Flextech foam cushion for shock absorption.
Just from the look of it, you can tell it’s not going to be lightweight. This helmet comes in at anywhere between 2.2kg to 2.7 kg which is about 5 to 6 pounds. The weight comes from the ballistic kevlar material used throughout the helmet and the thick Flextech foam padding that helps with absorbing shock from incoming enemy fire.
It’s constructed with 7mm ballistic Kevlar shell frames that allow for the lenses to be slid in and for the mask to be attached by a latch made up of 5 magnets and 2 pins. These keep the mask securely in place while making it easy for you to put on and remove it.
While thick, the helmet is still comfortable to wear because its interior is lined with nylon 3D air mesh that keeps air circulating around your head which keeps it from feeling stuffy and stinking with sweat.
The entirety of this helmet is bulletproof to NIJ Level 2 standards, except for the lenses which are only meant for deflecting debris, not keeping bullets out of your eye socket.
All in all, it’s a quality ballistic helmet with one key weak point. It’s not really a deal-breaker, though, since it’s understandable for a lens to not be able to take that much force.
Speaking of the lens, there’s a built-in micro jet fan that keeps the lens from fogging up, no matter how much you sweat and pant while wearing this helmet.
Is the DevTac Ronin Ballistic Helmet Worth Your Money?
It looks great, it works great, and it feels great to wear. The demo videos that show people trying to demolish this helmet are practically all the convincing you need to consider buying this helmet. But frankly, it costs a small fortune and for most regular people, who aren’t going to be putting themselves in situations that would make this necessary, it’s just not worth it.
If that price point is a little too high for you but you still like the look of the DevTac Ronin Ballistic Helmet, you can opt for the non-ballistic version.
But in that case, you may as well go with one of the cheaper airsoft helmets we’ve previously reviewed.
