Laura Smith Chopper Helmet Review
May 22nd, 2009 - Laura Smith debuted their new Chopper helmet earlier this year and luckily enough, the kind folks at Laura Smith decided to send Scooter-News a Chopper for review. The Chopper is both similar and different from their past models, but the helmet itself is vastly improved from the first generation. Think more of a Momo type helmet design, but without all of the gaudy text and graphics and you'll be some where in the ballpark of this new model from Laura Smith. The new Chopper is still stylish and elegant, but doesn't look as feminine as the older models and should appeal to both men and women. The leather finish of the older models has been replaced with a new more durable matte finish and they decided to add a eye shield for extra protection. While the shield doesn't offer quite as much wind protection as a full shield would, it definitely cut most of the wind off of my face and is much better than no shield at all.
The Chopper is a 3/4 sized helmet and features a new improved liner, 1/2 sized face shield, easy to use latch, and nice matte finishes. Available colors include black, gun metal, and white and the Chopper is available in sizes XXS - XL. The fit and finish of the helmet was very nice and was on par with top brands such as Arai and Shoei. For the first couple of days I wore the helmet, the fit was nice and snug like it should be. After a few days passed, the liner conformed to my head and proved to be one of the most comfortable helmets I own. The extra thick padding on the sides and back of the helmet are an especially nice touch.
My personal favorite feature of the new Chopper is the price. The Chopper is on sale for the month of May at Handmade Helmets for only $159, significantly less priced than the Laura Smith models of a year or two ago. Second favorite to the price on the Chopper was the chin strap latch. It was easy to latch/unlatch (even with one hand) and quite possibly was the best latch on a helmet I've ever experienced. Another plus is that the Chopper is DOT approved which is arguably safer than SNELL certification for the low speeds reached by a scooter. The design of the helmet is very fashionable, and I especially love the twin racing stripes on either side of the black model. Finally on my list of favorites from the Chopper was the suede chin strap protector. More often than not the nylon used for helmet chin straps can get pretty abrasive on my baby face. The soft suede protector on the Chopper made sure there would be no discomfort what-so-ever.
The Chopper has loads of good things going for it, but what about the bad? Fortunately for Laura Smith, the good heavily outweighed the bad. In fact, the only thing I didn't like about the helmet was on the face shield there was a rubber liner in the nose cut out that obstructed my vision. I simply pulled the guard off and the helmet was perfect. I could see how the guard may be beneficial for folks whose noses come a little closer to the shield, but mine wasn't anywhere near it and the guard just got in the way.
While Laura Smith's Chopper helmet might not be the cheapest on the market, it definitely proves that you get what you pay for. The May special at Handmade Helmets makes this helmet even more of an outstanding value and overall I really love the Chopper. As a testimony to how much we actually love the Chopper, Jessica has claimed it as her every day helmet. Especially at the $159 price point, I don't think it can be beat. Stay tuned for all of the latest updates on new Laura Smith products.
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