Kali Protectives Phenom Helmet

The Kali Protectives Phenom road helmet offers some great technical features in its design and construction, with decent comfort levels for its wearer, but it does lack a little in the user experience for something so costly.

These days helmet manufacturers talk more about watts and speed than they do about safety, which given the primary focus of a helmet seems a little odd to say the least. Not so with the Kali Protectives Phenom helmet which incorporates features such as a crumple zone and an exoskeleton to spread the energy around the helmet more effectively than competitors' offerings.

Buy Kali Protectives Phenom Helmet

Short of smashing my face into the ground at high speed it's very hard to test these claims from manufacturers so in this instance I'll give them the benefit of the doubt and assume that they do what they are supposed to. It's got to be a good thing that these companies are looking to make improvements to head safety (feel free to discuss in the comments...)

Now, with that in mind lets take a look at the Phenom in use.

With its 23 vents and carbon fibre accents it certainly gives the impression of a lightweight helmet. In use its weight is barely noticeable, and the vents provide plenty of airflow over the head.

However, I found the front bumper a little too snug for my liking. It's a full length fleecy bar that wraps around the entire front of the head, and while it soaks up juices I think it disrupted the cooling process. I would have preferred a separated pad instead. The pads are replaceable and Kali do provide a bug net in the box, perfect for those riverside rides.

The retention system is very basic. No big efforts have gone into making it bling, however it does work, and it holds the Phenom down well. It adjusts via a dial at the back; nothing too ground-breaking here, but, again, it does its job well.

I found the helmet to be comfortable and airy, and easy to get along with, though it's without its foibles. The bug net was a nice addition and came in very useful during summer rides with midges in full effect. The vents provide lots of air and did a good job at keeping me cool, though I think this would have been better with a slight change in pad design.

At its full RRP it's certainly not cheap. I feel that the retention system lets the price down a little - it does feel very basic in look and use. Having said that it helps keep the weight down and it does work, so overall it's a good value offering.

Verdict

Good safety features, perhaps at the cost of design flourishes & a touch pricey; yay for the included bug net