There are a lot of helmets out there right now. Many of these helmets cost far north of a grand or close to it. This leaves many freedom loving Americans with a hard choice. Does he buy a very expensive brain bucket or does he choose to go with a cheaper and maybe inferior helmet? There has been much speculation and testing of budget helmets as of late. Many of these less expensive helmets use older but still very reliable technology that works as well as newer designs, but without the weight savings. Without further ado, let’s dive into it.
When I first received my Hard Head Veterans helmet I was impressed by the quality of the pads and the materials used. The pads were incredibly comfortable and worked well. The Hard Head Veterans ATE Helmet is a high cut but is not a maritime extra high cut which I typically prefer as it places my Peltors at a better position on my ears (if I have my Peltors mounted directly to my helmet). That being said the helmet is well suited for using communication headsets under the helmet.
The basic design has already been proven, so how does it perform? I haven’t shot my helmet, as I don’t have the proper testing equipment for that. However, HHV has put their helmet through a certified NIJ 3rd party lab to assess the ballistic merits of their helmets. The helmet performed to level the IIIA standard which is typical of ballistic helmets fielded in combat roles. There is little doubt in my mind that the helmets perform to a standard necessary to stop a round.
I’ve heard multiple arguments against the Hard Head Veterans helmet and for me, it comes down to this. For the price of this helmet, a consumer could buy either a bump helmet or a ballistic from Hard Head Veterans. In my opinion, buying the ballistic helmet makes sense in most cases. The Hard Head Veterans ATE Helmet is made using quality materials with multiple quality control measures in place. I have no doubt that it will serve you in the capacity that you need it to.
