Dirt Bike Product Review: EVS T7 DIMENSION

PRODUCT: EVS is a company devoted to keeping you healthy and happy in a very hostile environment. Of course, the ultimate piece of protective gear is your helmet, so EVS has two different offerings in that category. Both are value-oriented. The T5 line is aimed at the entry-level market (under $100), and this model, the T7, is a step up at $159. With top-of-the-line helmets costing $400, the T7 creates suspicion simply through its affordability. What do you surrender?

In the helmet world, you have to consign credibility to the experts in the field. The latest U.S. helmet rating is SNELL 2010, which is as high as anything in the world. The older SNELL specs were often criticized for their emphasis on tests that were more relevant to street riding, whereas Euro ECE and SNELL 2010 standards are more real world. Without our own labs and standards, we’ll accept a helmet that can pass both. The specs for the European T7 are slightly different from those of the U.S. model, but the bottom line is that it passes the toughest standards.

The shell is polycarbonate and is vented with four front ports and eight rear ports. The liner is removable, and the T7 comes with its own bag. The T7 Dimension comes in a number of color combos. Ours is the CMYK, so named for the color group (cyan, magenta, yellow and black); it makes sense to camera and computer nerds. The graphics are very high-tech. They are virtually seamless and make the helmet look like custom-painted artwork.

POSITIVE: You would never believe that the T7 is anything but a premium-price helmet. First of all, the finish is excellent. You have to look very close to realize the graphics are printed, not painted.

Comfort is excellent too. The liner is soft, the fit is good and there are no obnoxious pressure points. The liner is easy to remove, and it has stood up well to several washings.

NEGATIVE: In summer riding, the T7 isn’t the coolest helmet. The ports might work as well as those of any other helmet, but the biggest vent of all is the eye port, which is partially constricted by a very large chin piece. The helmet weighs slightly over 3 pounds (for a large), which is nothing special, but that’s OK, as there are cases to be made against helmets that are either too light or too heavy. It has no easy removal system, as many premium helmets now feature.

BOTTOM LINE: We get a little nervous when the price on a helmet is too low, but the EVS still strikes us as a good deal. After all, EVS is a company with a foundation in safety gear, and that makes us feel like we can wear it confidently. q

RATING:
Ergos: 7
Durability: 8
Value: 9
Performance: 8
Overall: 8/10
Contact: www.evs-sports.com