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Review of the 2011 FF helmet from the recent Aldi sale

  • V2Evo96
    V2Evo96
    14 years ago

     

    External Quality/Finish
    The build quality and finish overall is much better than expected and I rate it as excellent and it meeets the Oz Standard. I snagged one with a matt black finish and it is flawless, and so far seems durable as far as scratches go. Time will tell how durable the finish is after it’s been dropped.
    The vent levers are large enough for ease of use but the vents have small openings (more on venting later).
    The visor fits flush around the edge gasket and is a positive seal. I’ve been in the rain with it and so far it doesn’t leak when closed fully. The optics are good—no distortion thanks to the Aussie Standards requirement for clarity. Peripheral visibility is good.
    The visor detents are large and positive with (as I recall) 5 well defined clicks from closed to open fully. The visor has a lift tab and stays in any of the click positions firmly when in the breeze.
    The visor ratchet latches look very familiar and could be generic with other manufacturer’s helmets but this is not confirmed.
     
    Internal Quality/Finish
     An extra set of snap in cheek pads came in the box along with a spare visor and a decent bag. The cheek pads are the only removable component of the internal liner unless one wants to pull the velour look lining material away from the hard foam shell. The areas where your ears would be are free of any material and it looks like a set of speakers would install and just clear your ears.
    The chin strap is quite long and provides for ease of use and snaps back on itself.
     
    Sizing and Fit
    All of Aldi riders gear is sized much smaller than our standard sizes. I take a medium or large helmet normally and this one is Xtra large. While quite snug it's still a good fit for me and comfortable overall.
    The opening is a very close fit over my head and neck and I have to wiggle into it a bit, but once seated properly it’s fine.
    A plus is that the fit is close around the back of my neck and I don’t get any air whistling around the neck area.
    This helmet is very quiet overall (much better than a big dollar Arai I have), and very light—I haven’t had a FF on for years and it feels lighter than my Rjays open face.
     
    Ventilation
    This is one area where the jury is still out due to the cooler weather here in Vic at the time. There are 3 vents at the front being a middle chin vent and one to either side in the cheek area which flow reasonably well.
    There is another vent right at the top of the helmet and one either side about ¼ of the way down the back of the helmet from the top vent.
    Inside the helmet I can’t locate where these 3 vents actually work from and I think these are ‘dud’ vents and don’t actually do anything. Pretty sure there are holes under the vent latches, but there are no holes that I can find that enter the helmet interior through the foam shell. I haven’t pulled the liner away from the shell, but I can’t feel any depressions that would indicate any holes through the foam either. Not good—it will be in warmer weather when this fault shows up for sure.
    If they are ‘dud’ vents I’m prepared to drill through the hard foam under the vents to see if I can make it breathe properly.
     
    Ratings out of 5:
     
    External Quality- 5
    Internal Quality- 4
    Size and Fit- 4
    Ventilation- 2 --- for now
     
    Hey- what do you expect for $69 Pesos! I’m happy with it.
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