Oxford SZ-1 flip helmet with visor mini review

[sleemanj]

I sort of needed a new helmet, well not entirely but you can never have too many, right, and I happened across this at Cycletreads
http://www.cycletreads.co.nz/products/425-flip_front/4572-oxford_sz_1_flip_face_helmet.aspx
since I'm a size Medium (so not bigheaded contrary to popular belief) $129 was too cheap to pass up.

Arrived today and here are my thoughts for anybody googling it later since I couldn't find anybody who wrote about it already.

The helmet appears well constructed, the mechanism for the inner visor is convenient and easy to operate by way of a thumb lever under the left side of the helmet, the flip release takes quite a bit of pressure to unlock (which I guess is a good thing) with a lever in the front bottom of the chin, it closes again with a good clunk.

The external visor is very stiff to open through it's notches, really a lot more stiff than any helmet I've had. But that might loosen up with time.

The finish of the internal fabrics is very nice, really looks good inside the helmet, of course, you're the only one who knows it does.

There is a good amount of space between the chin guard and your chin.

The fit is good, although it's a bit tight putting it on and taking it off, the, err, neck of the helmet is perhaps a little narrower and stiffer than typical (usually as you know you can pull the straps apart to more easily get a helmet on and off, the SZ-1 doesn't seem to have as much give as II'm used to), this may get better as it wears in, once on, it fits very well.

Wind noise is acceptable, no worse I think than my current cheap helmet, an HLD.

Overall, I'm pretty impressed for $129 (and looks like Cycletreads has sold out of them now), but it has one really glaring to me fault - it's plain black, and has a stupid massive big white ellipse "OXFORD" logo type thing smack bang in your forehead, and it's not a removable label.

If they wanted to stick a brand label on it, why not on the back instead of the front or at least removable!

Anybody know where some nice adhesive after market helmet graphics might be found?

[Captain_Salty]

I bought a different Oxford helmet on sale for $50 a while back. Also has the stiff visor and tight to get on but otherwise it has been good. Paid $30 for a dark visor for it.

[flyingcrocodile46]

It's actually a Box helmet. Oxford have bought Box out. It scores only three stars for impact protection and the flip face failed to stay shut in 64% of impact tests. A good score is 4 to 5 stars and only 0% to 10% fail rate for the flip face lock.

http://sharp.direct.gov.uk/testsratings/box-sz1


These are better from Caberg. I have the first one (Trip/Rhino)

http://sharp.direct.gov.uk/testsratings/caberg-trip
http://sharp.direct.gov.uk/testsratings/caberg-justissimo-gt
http://sharp.direct.gov.uk/testsratings/caberg-sintesi


Good value
http://sharp.direct.gov.uk/testsratings/nolan-n90
http://sharp.direct.gov.uk/testsratings/nolan-n102
http://sharp.direct.gov.uk/testsratings/nolan-n103
http://sharp.direct.gov.uk/testsratings/agv-longway
http://sharp.direct.gov.uk/testsratings/airoh-sv-55-s
http://sharp.direct.gov.uk/testsratings/lazer-paname


Mostest bestest but mega dear
http://sharp.direct.gov.uk/testsratings/bmw-system-5
http://sharp.direct.gov.uk/testsratings/schuberth-c2

[sleemanj]

It's actually a Box helmet. Oxford have bought Box out. It scores only three stars for impact protection and the flip face failed to stay shut in 64% of impact tests. A good score is 4 to 5 stars and only 0% to 10% fail rate for the flip face lock.

http://sharp.direct.gov.uk/testsratings/box-sz1

Not to defend a helmet which I've only worn a couple of hours so far, but you have to consider when looking at Sharp ratings, not just for this helmet, but budget helmets in general in NZ that it's main competitors here based on price and features are I think simply not rated by Sharp at all, so doesn't help us compare.

If we look at TradeMe to find the main competitors on price and having an internal visor, we come up with this sort of a list

1-Tonne: http://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/motorbikes/helmets-clothing-footwear/helmets/auction-464898703.htm
CNELL: http://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/motorbikes/helmets-clothing-footwear/helmets/auction-464750488.htm

And that's about it, basically the next Sharp rated offering would be the Cabergs at about $300 which is twice the retail of these budget priced lids.

If one wants to spend more on a lid than the budget price, they are probably not going to buy a budget lid, and once you get out of that bracket the Sharp ratings become more available.

Perhaps MotoNZ should see about working with the UK government to get our locally available budget offerings rated.

[flyingcrocodile46]

Not to defend a helmet which I've only worn a couple of hours so far, but you have to consider when looking at Sharp ratings, not just for this helmet, but budget helmets in general in NZ that it's main competitors here based on price and features are I think simply not rated by Sharp at all, so doesn't help us compare.

If we look at TradeMe to find the main competitors on price and having an internal visor, we come up with this sort of a list

1-Tonne: http://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/motorbikes/helmets-clothing-footwear/helmets/auction-464898703.htm
CNELL: http://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/motorbikes/helmets-clothing-footwear/helmets/auction-464750488.htm

And that's about it, basically the next Sharp rated offering would be the Cabergs at about $300 which is twice the retail of these budget priced lids.

If one wants to spend more on a lid than the budget price, they are probably not going to buy a budget lid, and once you get out of that bracket the Sharp ratings become more available.

Perhaps MotoNZ should see about working with the UK government to get our locally available budget offerings rated.

I see the logic in what you say, however as a general rule we come to expect that safer products often demand a premium and that cheapness is usually associated with higher failure risk. It comes down to the level of safety you want and the value which you place on it.

As a matter of interest the Box/Oxford and Caberg Trip retail for about the same (90 pounds) in the UK. A lot of our choices (or lack thereof) are dictated by local distributor interest. Caberg have only recently attracted a local distributor.