Hefter Evolution Helmet – What’s the Revolution with the Evolution? Better than Bauer’s 8000?
Written: Apr 19 '05 (Updated Jan 10 '06)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Best protection ever offered, looks good too!
Cons: Pricey
The Bottom Line: The Hefter promises to be the most exciting new product this year. If you need a new lid, don't pass this one over.
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| puckmugger's Full Review: Hefter Evolution Helmet |
Preview, not Review
Alright, I reviewed a woman’s pelvic protector last week. Now I’m going to push the envelope again. The Hefter Evolution hasn’t even hit the shelves yet, but it’s creating quite a buzz. More than one person has emailed me to ask me questions about it. One even went so far as to pre-order it. I was fortunate enough to get a look at the prototype of the helmet a few days ago and its time to write about it.
Normally I wouldn’t even consider doing a preview instead of a review, but the Hefter is the biggest thing to happen in to hockey since the invention of the jock. I expect it to make the game safer – lots safer. Those of you who have followed my reviews know that helmet safety is a big issue for me. It is all the more important when it comes to the safety of kids. Too many products on the market are substandard and advertised as pro level helmets. This is not another one of those.
It’s just another helmet, isn’t it?
It’s easy to mistake the Hefter Evolution as just another helmet. Looks alone don’t tell the story on this helmet. However, appearance is pretty important. Hockey players are almost as vain as beauty queens. Nike made a very good helmet in their Quest series headgear. It never sold because apparently Mario Lemuix was the only player who was more concerned about head injuries than looking like he was wearing a bedpan on the ice . . . oh and maybe he only wore it because Nike paid him a gazillion dollars to wear one.
The Hefter looks like a space age combination that took all the better looking parts of Bauer and CCM’s sharpest looking lids. This is a stylish looking helmet with rakish, aerodynamic styling. Something about it makes it look like it’s going fast even without a skater’s head in it.
The design isn’t all that revolutionary from the outside. A pair of removable ear pieces in clear plastic should provide plenty of acoustic transparency while still protecting the player’s ears. Beneath the earflaps the Evolution sports the tried and tested loop harness system. Essentially a loop under each ear holds the chinstrap in place.
Helmet adjustment is simple and tool-less. I know what you’re thinking, get out the draft horse and stump pulling tackle. Unlike some of the older tool-less adjustment systems this one moves easily. By some mystery of modern technology the Hefter actually slides like a well-oiled machine and not a nefarious mechanism devised to test the strength of pro wrestlers.
The shell of the helmet is HDPE (That’s high density polyethylene for those of you who didn’t already know it). HDPE is the most common material used in the shells of player helmets today. In fact I cannot think of any helmets that don’t currently use HDPE. Mission made a carbon fiber helmet but that proved to be about as popular as tofu served with real beef gravy. Carbon fiber is a great material. It just isn’t cheap. I suspect it would add $50 or more to the price of any helmet.
If the shell isn’t revolutionary, what is?
The lining is what makes the Hefter Evolution the biggest thing in hockey safety since Ron Hextall retired. Rather than EPP (Expanded Polypropylene) the Hefter uses a new product called Zorbium. I should back up just a moment though. EPP has been considered the high-end standard for hockey helmets for the last four or five years. It looks like Styrofoam, but is much more pliable. EPP offers decent impact protection and is far better than Vinyl Nitrate which was the previous top of the line material.
The new Zorbium will be taking center stage as the premium material as soon as the Hefter hits the shelves. Zorbium has been in use for Ski and Snowboarding helmets, as well as BMX and Aggressive skating helmets for a few years. A company called Team Wendy pioneered the material specifically for ski and snowboard helmet use.
There are a few things that make Zorbium special. First and most obvious is the name. Zorbium just sounds like something you would want to have wrapped around your head when some ape runs you into the boards. More importantly however are Zorbium’s energy absorption abilities. HECC (Hockey Equipment Certification Council) and CSA (Canadian Standards Association) are the two authorities who test and approve hockey helmets. They both found Zorbium approximately 25% better at absorbing high-speed impacts than any other product currently on the market.
Since Zorbium was created specifically for ski and snowboard helmets it works well in the cold. In cold temperatures the effectiveness of Zorbium to absorb an impact is increases over that of EPP. It is less susceptible to hardening in the cold. That’s pretty convenient since most people play hockey in the cold. (Otherwise it becomes water polo).
The specific improvement that Zorbium brings to helmets is the ability to better disperse the energy of a collision. Imagine that your helmet liner is a spring. EPP is essentially a very short and stiff spring. Now imagine that someone is hitting the spring on your head with a very large hammer. (It hurts just to think about doesn’t it?) EPP will compress somewhat and revert almost instantly to its normal size. While it is certainly better than having that hammer hit you directly, a good portion of the force is going to be returned to your head in the decompression of the spring (or the EPP in real life).
Now imagine the space foam bed commercials where they push a hand into the bed and the print slowly evaporates. That’s a good demonstration of the way Zorbium decompresses. Essentially it returns to its original shape very slowly. The aftershock to the player’s head is minimized as a result.
Another advantage that Zorbium has is a much lower deterioration rate. EPP and Vinyl Nitrate both grow harder with time. Microscopic fractures actually occur in both materials every time they take an impact. With each successive impact EPP and Vinyl Nitrate offer slightly less protection. Also both materials have a shelf life of about five years. Time and use will cause them to harden. Zorbium does not fracture with impacts or harden with time.
The bottom line on Zorbium – it promises to protect heads better than anything else you can currently buy.
Other features
I’ve often found that EPP is just too hard. Many EPP helmets that I’ve tried on aren’t comfortable. They are pretty much right on par with sticking your head in a vice or shutting your foot in the door. (Although if you are wearing a helmet on your foot, it might be too late for you)
The Evolution promises us a more comfortable helmet. They call it finger fit comfort. This sounds oddly like the old school method used to determine if a kid’s skate fit or not (which I don’t recommend). However, it has nothing to do with whether you have a finger’s width of room inside the helmet.
Finger fit is instead a new style of comfort foam attached to the lining. This method utilizes ridges (not entirely unlike Ruffles) which have a few advantages. The “fingers” provide a better fit to the helmet since they can compress easier where needed. They also provide ventilation by allowing airflow better than a solid chuck of rubber would. Lastly, the fit has been described as a head massage while playing. I don’t recommend attempting to eat them with ranch dip though.
The Evolution is the second helmet to ever feature an occipital lock. I know occipi-what? The occipital bone is essentially the base of the skull where your vertebrae attach your head to the rest of your body (that one took a little research for me). Bauer debuted the occipital lock in their 8000 helmet and Hefter will match than ante before raising the pot with the new liner.
Essentially the occipital lock is an adjustable strap in the back of the helmet that allows the wearer to tighten up the inner padding. The pads in the back of the helmet will adjust to help protect the back of the head a little better. They also help to lock the helmet on the player’s head because hey, helmets don’t work very well when they aren’t on your head!
Picking a color
It seems like everything I’ve reviewed recently comes in any color you want as long as it’s black. However, the Evolution is available in a full spectrum of choices. Currently the choices include Black, White, Navy, Royal, Red, Forest and Maroon. There is some talk of Gold as well. (That’s hockey talk for yellow).
Sizing
The Evo will be available in Small, Medium and Large. Like most hockey helmets it is adjustable so one of those sizes will fit even my exceptionally large (although otherwise perfect) head.
How much will it cost?
The best is never cheap. The MSRP on the Evolution is $139. It does come with a bag as well which is something that I’ve never seen offered on a regular helmet. Bags are very handy if you use a shield and generally run about $8 to $12.
Some people will obviously balk at the price tag. This is the only negative about the helmet. I think that I paid about $70 for my current EPP helmet. Doubling the price will certainly turn away some would be buyers. However CCM and Bauer have both crossed the $100 line with their top end EPP helmets. Smart buyers will realize the value that a few extra bucks will get them in the Evolution.
Parting Thoughts
Yes this was a preview. But I did get to take a look at the prototype and I’ve learned more about the Hefter than I might ever know about any Bauer or CCM helmet in the process. What’s really important here is the huge step that Hefter is taking in the right direction. They are striving to make the sport safer and I think they will succeed.
As far as the helmet goes, sign me up. I will be picking up one of these as soon as they are available. They are going to be stylish, protective and comfortable. What more can you ask for in a helmet . . . well maybe gold, but not yellow.
Oh yeah, for those of you still wondering if the Evo is better than the Bauer 8000 . . . Yes.
Update
Maska purchased the Hefter company. The Hefter helmet is scheduled to debut in the spring. Apparently it will become the CCM Vector helmet, although other speculation claims it will be the top of the line RBK. Regardless of the tag, the mold will remain the same. The new helmet will simply be the best on the market when it debuts barring another revolution being unveiled.
Some other reviews that you might find helpful:
Fitting and Selecting Hockey Protective Gear
Hockey Mask and Cage Buying Guide
CCM 1052 Helmet
Itech HC100 Helmet
Itech Helmet Shield Bag
Thanks to openroad for adding this item so I could review it.
Recommended:
Yes
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