I've been wearing a HCI helmet from the beginning. Love the low profile, that's why I bought it. But it's time for a new lid so over the Christmas holiday I decided "upgrade" to CF. Here's how it went:

Ordered from ACF (carbonfiberhelmets.com) and couldn't wait to get my hands on it. I was bummed, to say the least, when it arrived and was much too big for my head-- despite measuring according to their directions. It was so big that even cinched down tight, I could pull the front of the helmet all the way to the top of my head. That wasn't going to work so I sent it back.

I the mean time, I discovered Daytona Helmets and ordered their CF version. I liked it but then learned that it wasn't a true CF helmet, so back it went and I made another order with ACF for a CF helmet, one size smaller. I called back in late January, or early February, to see how my order was going and was told that they had run out of some of the materials they needed to make my helmet so they wouldn't be able to lay it up until February 21st but I would would be at the top of the list and would be shipped asap. So I waited. I finally sent an email yesterday and the response was not what I had hoped for. Basically, they had no idea what I was talking about. At this point, I don't know where my ACF order stands. I may or may not have one coming.

Ironically, I was at my local custom builder's shop this week to set up some work for my SG, and noticed they had the HCI CF helmet in stock. I tried one on, it fit just right, and I decided that if I don't hear some good news from ACF, I'm just gonna buy the HCI and put this saga to bed.

Ultimately, here's what I learned:

ACF: The helmet is a little larger than the HCI, which bummed me out because no one likes a mushroom head. The finish on my black candy helmet wasn't great. Not bad, but nothing like the Daytona or HCI helmets, so if you're looking for a nice high gloss finish look at the latter two. On the plus side, the ACF helmet weighed about half what my current fiberglass HCI helmet weighs; that alone might make it worth the slightly larger (I'd say about .5" in width) size. ACF uses a unique liner that they have applied for a patent for where the other two use your standard styrofoam. ACI also includes a quick release buckle with their helmets where the other two come standard with d-rings. Me, I didn't care for the quick release and would probably rather have d-rings.

Daytona: I ordered my Daytona directly from them. The finish was high gloss, the liner was felted foam over styrofoam and it weighed in about .5 pound lighter than my HCI fiberglass helmet. All in all it was a nice helmet but once I learned it wasn't true CF I knew it wasn't worth the money. Speaking of money, I think I paid $140 for this helmet plus shipping of $15 to $20. When I sent it back, I had to foot the return shipping bill (no big deal but cost me another $15) plus a 15% restocking fee. I repeat 15% restocking fee. Screw that! What kind of customer service is that? I mean, MANY online retailers will pay return shipping. All in all I was out nearly $60 just to try this helmet on. Yeah, it was my call, but they could have made it easier. As a result, I'll never deal directly with Daytona Helmets again.

HCI: Like I said, I've been wearing an HCI fiberglass helmet for years. It's got a very low profile and I think it looks better on my big fat head than any other helmet I've tried. The CF helmet I tried on fit just the same as the fiberglass version that I'm used to and while it's not true CF, it looks good and I'm sure it's a bit lighter than my fiberglass version. And at about $100, the price is the best of the three. Another advantage is that I can try it on before I buy it and if I don't like it, I just put it back on the shelf with no restocking fee.

All this said, I'm still trying to get a ACF helmet delivered to my door though my great fear is that it won't fit any better than the larger si

 

going to go with the HCI-105, it fits real nice, and is very light, it is a carbon fiber layer over fiberglass I belive, but I did like the fit and look. Seems like a good helmet. Now to see where to buy.

 

Do they even meet SNELL 2005 ?

 

Snell don't improve (your) survivability, check the research.

 

have the polo style DOT approved half helmet... love the fit, the weight, the look, and the service! Don't hesitate to buy from them.

 

Do you mean Seer, as in SUper Seer? try here http://www.superseer.com/