I am in need of assistance with helmets. I have a One k long oval which is fine but has taken a few tumbles and is definitely compromised. I am looking for a new helmet. Charles Owen, One K, and Kask, are standing out to me at the moment. Any advice on safety standards, fit, durability or appearances in the show ring (mostly jumpers gal here). Any experience with wide brims as opposed to regular? I have heard that wide brims are like once you go there you can’t go back. Any advice is really appreciated!
I love my One K MIPS helmet, which has a wide brim option. Personally, I wouldn’t consider any helmet without the MIPS feature.
I previously owned a CO MIPS and hated it. Heavy, hot, and ill-fitting.
There are tons of options now.
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I was originally in the One K Long Oval, but their MIPS didn’t fit me. I moved on to the Tipperary Windsor MIPS and it is the best fitting helmet I’ve ever had. It looks very stylish and is adjustable (without being obvious.) It is light and comfortable and fits great.
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Was coming here to say this. I went from a GPA First Lady and never looked back. I did a lot of side-by-side comparisons and am pleased with the look of the Windsor AND the fit is superb. I’ll also never own a helmet without a wide brim again!
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I have the One K MIPS long oval and like it a lot. I just got it a few months ago after riding in Charles Owen helmets (non-MIPS) for many years. I was surprised by how well the One K fit.
I went to the One K because I wanted a MIPS helmet and I didn’t like the more inexpensive CO MIPS, and I didn’t want to pay $500+ for CO’s new Halo MIPS helmet.
I like the One K and would definitely recommend it. I did not get the wide brim option–I usually wear sunglasses anyway and just thought that the wide brim was too much.
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I got the Uvex Exxential MIPS last winter, and while lightweight, cool and comfortable, it felt slightly perched on my head. Got jumped out of the tack a time or two and the helmet came down uncomfortably low over my eyebrows. So it didn’t REALLY fit. I just got the Tipperary Windsor MIPS helmet for Christmas and really like it. No matter how hard I shake my head it doesn’t budge, so think this one’s the real deal! The brim is bigger than my Uvex and old Ovation brim, however it isn’t a wide-brim.
If anyone wants a barely used Uvex…?
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I have a wide-brim OneK Long Oval MIPS that I purchased this summer. Absolutely love it. I’d previously had two OneK Long Oval Defenders and found the fit between the MIPS version and my prior helmets to be the same.
That was NOT the case between a previous CO and the MIPS versions of their helmets I tried, which I could not get to fit my head despite going up two sizes and trying various models.
I think the fits can vary so much by manufacturer and style you almost have to try them on.
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The only reason I bought the CO was that it was the only one in local tack shops I could try on. I exchanged the first one I got for a bigger one, which ended up still not fitting and gave me a headache.
Looks wise, the Windsor is my favorite, but no local stores carry it so I ended up with the OneK.
Others may know better, but I think that some online retailers will pay return shipping on sized items.
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@Bristol_Bay I had several shipments back and forth when helmet shopping at RidingWarehouse and it was free and pretty quick turn around.
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Definitely recommend trying on a variety of helmets especially if you decide to go for a MIPS model. In my experience I found that the MIPS models did not fit my head the same as their non-MIPS counterparts - they felt too shallow on my head. Which is unfortunate but a helmet that fits my head fully and properly wins every day over a helmet with extra safety features but doesn’t fit as effectively to do its job.
I ended up with an IRH IR4G XLT which is similar in style to the OneKs and I quite like it.
I love RW.
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You need what fits you, but I stuck with onek after trying the Tipperary Windsor. I did go with MIPS, wide brim. I hesitated that the wide brim might go out of fashion, but I am light skinned and light eyed enough that a hair of extra sun protection is worth it, even if the look does go out of style.
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