Night Vision Best NOD helmet for the money?

[man32ahan]

As title states, new to the helmet game and wanting to go hands free on my thermal scanner for predators.
What’s the best helmet out right now for the money?

Don’t care about ballistics as much as I care about it being comfortable. Comfortable is my deciding factor, if it’s lightweight that’s a plus too.

Thanks in advance for responses.

 

[1911hombre]

Here's a great thread

 

[man32ahan]

Read that. Just making sure that’s still the Best Buy. Thanks.

 

[Mbaysinger89]

Are you looking for ballistic or a bump?

 

[man32ahan]

Are you looking for ballistic or a bump?

Would prefer ballistics, but not opposed to bump.

 

[Mbaysinger89]

Well the most comfortable bump I have tried is an HHV. Wish it had a ratchet retention. TW is pretty comfortable with 4D pads, OPS core was terrible, didnt try any pads. I dont have or have ever tried a ballistic.

 

[roostercogburn98]

If @TheHorta puts his name on it, I’m pretty sure it is the best in the nighttime is the righttime category

 

[WhereNow&How]

As title states, new to the helmet game and wanting to go hands free on my thermal scanner for predators.
What’s the best helmet out right now for the money?

Don’t care about ballistics as much as I care about it being comfortable. Comfortable is my deciding factor, if it’s lightweight that’s a plus too.

Thanks in advance for responses.

Gut everything but the shell, including the plastic shroud and the ratchet headband.

1. Install metal shroud.
2. Install lanyard
3. Install H Nape Chinstrap
5. Install 4 D "tactical soft as titties pads"
6. Install Mohawk counterweight
5. Sling all the rest of stuff you likely will need on helmet. Light, Toilet Paper Holder, Bottle openers etc.

And for any who want to talk about Ops Core shrouds being the cats meow. I call BS. Had more of them out of spec and sloppy than the cheap chinese metal shrouds. If I have to shim a shroud with electrical tape to get a mount to fit tight, I feel better paying $10 bucks for the shroud instead of $130 ish.

Thank me later.

4D Tactical Zero G DELUXE Retrofit Combat Liner

The Most Comfortable Helmet Pad Set Available ***READ COMPATIBILITY NOTE BEFORE ORDERING***

tnvc.com

Wilcox NVG Lanyard L2 G05

NVG Lanyard for Wilcox L2 G05 Three Hole Bracket

tnvc.com

TNVC Mohawk MK1 Gen. 2 Counterweight

*** There is currently an extended lead time for out of stock colors *** Helmet Accessory Storage and Retention System

tnvc.com

 

[JDB55]

My hard head veterans ATE ballistic helmet is very comfortable; I don't have much to compare it to except years and years of wearing football helmets. They have a new "padding system" (MICRO LATTICE HELMET PADS) that uses individual random 3d printed structures essentially that they are touting as helping reducing back face deformation, increasing air flow and comfortability as compared to memory foam pads. I may try that at some point.

Also, yes these are put together in china using American components. They are developing/about to start manufacturing a new lighter ballistic helmet that is made solely in America, supposed to be coming out soon.

 

[BipThatInstance]

If ballistic is what you're going for, *and* you want to trust it to do what it is supposed to do, I'd first try looking for an OpsCore FAST ST or SX that may still be floating around. Depending on your dome size you may get lucky and snag one of the few FAST MT-SHC (the predecessor to the FAST SF) that Gentex still has in stock with weird color/liner/size combos using the CLASKY code.

Any of the above you should get well under $1000 but I'd get the Lux-Liner with Worm Dial if at all possible, spent way too much time wearing old issued MTs with the basic pads and OCC-dial and it sucks.

I get Team Hillary may have more comfortable retention, but I've used OpsCore stuff for nearly a decade now and outside of the shitty out-of-spec shrouds they slap onto the SX and SF's lately, it's good to go.

HHVs are Chinese shells made in the same factories that the sketchy high cuts you find on eBay and most notably "CPG" helmet shells are made in, I would not trust that with my life, at all. I do not trust the "US materials" stuff either, it's not like polyethylene or aramid is some secret substance made in the bowels of the Ozarks or something.

It's my first post so may as well get a little spicy but their "NIJ testing" is BS low-bar-to-entry marketing shenanigans almost everyone does and is likely a very good, locally-produced example versus the much more stringent testing and larger sampling that a legit NIJ certification will do. There is back-and-forth ad nauseum starting around 2017/2018 until recently as a few months ago an Arfcom and Reddit going on about HHV in particular.

 

[WhereNow&How]

Hot dang. Broke your cherry with your first like.

Welcome.

 

[The King]

I like the Avon ULW. Team Hitlery suspension, good shroud, light as FUCK and ballistic.

And I use helmets + nods a lot.

Also, I’m gonna say get a helmet cover with a pouch back there. I get a thick ziplock bag and then use 147 grain 9mm rounds to make a counterweight. put your nods on and flip them down, then put your fingers at the mid point and keep adding 9mm rounds till the helmet balances at that point.

I just never wanted something in my helmet that was otherwise worthless l, and sometimes I run duals and sometimes a single up front so the tuneability doesn’t hurt.

 

[Default.mp3]

Everyone I've talked to has stated that the newest generation of FAST helmets are far more comfortable than the old ones. Running RNVGs, I found my FAST SF to be way more comfortable than my TW SAR Tactical, despite the SAR being far lighter. The weight issue I think is overrated; if anything, as Augee over at TNVC has argued, ballistic helmets can be more comfortable because of their additional weight as the overall weight is more even distributed (obviously there is diminishing returns on this). My SAR had more than enough counterweights, but since the weight is only on the front and the back, the overall balance is still wonky.

I suspect the suspension plays the biggest role in comfort, and given how much praise the TWs usually get, the difference in comfort between my SAR and FAST SF was very surprising.

 

[Mbaysinger89]

If ballistic is what you're going for, *and* you want to trust it...

HHVs are Chinese shells made in the same factories that the sketchy high cuts you find on eBay and most notably "CPG" helmet shells are made in, I would not trust that with my life, at all. I do not trust the "US materials" stuff either, it's not like polyethylene or aramid is some secret substance made in the bowels of the Ozarks or something.

Definately this. HHV does have a new ballistic helmet made in USA coming, hopefully they actually get it tested instead of in house testing. However, I do have some trust in them in less than professional use. They make no claims trying to hide what they have or who builds it. I believe they are trying to hit a spot in the market that wants a Ford Focus instead of a Porsche 911.