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Helmet Review: Sweet Protection Strutter
Next in our independent review series of all kayaking helmets is the Sweet Protection Strutter. |
Independent Helmet Review: Sweet Protection Strutter
Manufacturer: Sweet Protection
Website: www.sweetprotection.com
Vital stats
Price:€189 (appr. $247 USD)
Weight: 400 g
Sizes: S/M (53-56 cm) M/L (56-59 cm) L/XL (59-62 cm)
Certification: CE approved
Availability: Widely available from any good kayak shop (in Europe that is. Introduction to other markets is currently taking place).
Colors: Natural Carbon, Denim Blue, Pearl Silver, Titanium Black.
Intro
Sweet is a relatively young helmet manufacturer from Norway . They stormed onto the market with their incredibly popular first model, the Strutter. The Strutter is shaped like a baseball cap and is the design that launched Sweet as a main player in the helmet market.
First Impressions
Whether you love or hate Sweet you can't deny that this is a good looking helmet. The curved peak flows into a slim body that hugs the contours of the head. The model we had was finished in a cool Pearl Silver carbon finish, very nice!
Construction
Sweet helmets feature a Tepex Ò carbon fiber reinforced thermoplastic shell, which is an industry first.
The fibers in Tepex Ò construction are bonded with thermoplastic (TPU). This produces a tougher material, which is able to cope with impact at freezing temperatures.
Outfitting
The Strutter almost has an inner helmet. The inner protrudes below the outer-shell to provide the coverage that the slim design of the outer lacks. The adjustment is again limited to the fireball Velcro pads that come with the helmet. Not room for much of a custom fit but seemed to do the job. The straps felt a bit cheap and seemed messy with lots of loose ends.
Test
The Strutter has to be one of the most popular helmets ever made. They are everywhere you look. I challenge you to open a kayak magazine and not find a Sweet helmet lurking inside!
This can be seen as a downside if you like to see yourself as an individual. That said when we gave our testers a bag of helmets to abuse everyone's hand went in the same direction.
The peak as always raised questions about lift and strength. So off we went in search of Big drops and huge holes. We found that the peak can lift if the straps are not properly adjusted and positioned, but with a little time and effort can pretty much be eliminated. The peak was great for keeping the sun, rain and water out of our eyes.
Where the Strutter does seem to have a weakness is on the inner at the back. One of our testers broke the back piece in half when the impact of landing a drop placed upwards pressure on the peak, because the peak was strapped down the force caused this back piece to break.
Summary
This is a great looking helmet that is fantastic for freestyle but is also holding its own on rivers around the world.
For Playak,
Mark Burton
Click here for more helmet reviews on Playak.