Review: Lazer Jackal KinetiCore Helmet

The added bonus is that by removing material the helmet can drop some weight, improve ventilation and need less material to manufacture when compared to Lazer's previous models.

This all sounds great on paper. So we set to work, testing one of the mountain bike helmets with this new technology, the Jackal KinetiCore, to see how it all performs out in the real world.

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FEATURES

The helmet uses single density EPS foam, but is heavily formed and shaped to create the blocks that make up the KinetiCore technology. The forming is most prominent at the front of the helmet, fading off the rear, where it houses the fit system.

That fit system uses a ratcheting dial at the back which is easy to grip and use, with or without gloves. It's also adjustable in height without delving in to pop the anchor points into a different setting. On our test helmet this was really easy to move, an issue that we'll get to later. But the combination of adjustments did mean that finding a suitable position for the fit system was a quick process.

The helmet strap is secured with a Fidlock magnetic buckle, which is now commonplace for high end mountain bike helmets. Its ease of use it its biggest selling point, meaning you can fasten it up in a hurry if you like riding around with the straps undone like a German tank driver. The straps are also adjustable around your ears with a simple sliding piece that alters the height at which the straps split.

The Jackal's visor is adjustable through three positions, although it is a little light on the indents for the positions. But it moves up enough to easily accommodate even big volume goggles securely. The bolts securing the visor to the helmet are hidden behind some snap-in plastic covers.

Also keeping goggles secure are two rough strips, one done in hard plastic and one in rubber. I'm not entirely sure why you need two, but both do a good job of gripping the helmet strap along with the overall shape of the helmet.


Glasses can find a home, of sorts, by poking them into the rear vents. I'm not so sure how intended this was, but it holds a pair of Oakley Jawbreakers fairly securely.

The padding is a one piece part that covers the front two thirds of the helmet and extends quite far around on the brow. It's removable and washable and the helmet even comes with some additional stick-on velcro patches, should one need replacing.

A camera mount strap is also included - it threads through the vents and uses the top most vent as a keyway to ensure a solid mounting, making sure all your vlogs will remain crystal clear and rattle-free. But you'll need an additional nut to make it work with the camera, as one isn't included with the mount.

There's even a rear LED light that clips directly into the fit system at the rear. The 4 LED light has five modes ranging from 40 Lumens to 20 in various solid or pulsing light settings. It even comes with a magnetic USB cable for recharging.

On top of all the physical features, the Jackal KinetiCore comes with a 30 day money back guarantee if you're not satisfied with the helmet. And there's a crash replacement program that means if you damage your Lazer helmet in a crash, you get 50% off a new Lazer helmet. Just keep your proof of purchase.

It's available in sizes S, M and L, with our L size test helmet coming in at 344g.



FIT & ADJUSTMENTS

With the ratchet dial, adjustable height fit system and adjustable straps around the ears, you can quickly get the helmet into a shape that seems to work. But when I wore the helmet for any length of time I noticed some pressure points that gave the impression of someone grabbing my head with all their fingers, rather than hugging the entire head uniformly and comfortably.

The biggest and most noticeable pressure points were from where the fit system bulks up into a cradle shape, just behind the ears, and two points at the front of the helmet, right on the forehead. During rides it needed constant adjusting of the fit system tightness to find something that grips securely enough but offers the least amount of discomfort. For me, the best fit was with the fit system slid down towards its lowest position.

My current reference helmet for comfort is the Troy Lee A3, something that I can literally wear all day long and forget that it's on my head. With the Jackal, I know it's there all the time and it started to be a touch difficult to grab it for rides, especially if they were long ones.

Fit is completely unique for each individual, so the emphasis is definitely on trying before you buy. My head size is 58cm, which is well within the 55 - 59cm range on the size L.


VENTILATION

The less-is-more approach of the KinetiCore inside the helmet does work when out on the trail. The abundance of extra channels from shaping the blocks of foam certainly allows a lot more air to flow and heat to escape. There's also a pretty substantial gap between the foam and fit system at the front of the helmet, offering more venting to the brow.

The Alps have been having the hottest summer in recent memory, with temperatures easily soaring up past 36° C on rides. With only some gentle air movement the ventilation is certainly noticeable, when compared to something like the Troy Lee A3, and you never feel like you're cooking your swede while wearing the Jackal.

Brow padding is pretty thick without being overly bulky, and extends well round to the sides of the helmet. As such, the Jackal gave no real problems with sweat dripping in my eyes when riding.


ISSUES

Other than the sub par comfort for my head shape, there were some other issues with the Jackal KinetiCore that I encountered while testing.

On my test helmet, the fit system height adjustment was very light to move. In storage and, more worryingly, when riding, the height of the fit system changed, leading to the helmet feeling less comfortable and less secure on my head. It happened the most on steep and rough trails that saw my head leaning more backwards, putting a bit more pressure vertically on the system. Lazer are aware of the issue, and all the helmets manufactured after May 2022 have a more positive ratchet in the system that should prevent this from occurring.

Another issue was found with glasses that have completely straight arms, like most Oakleys and even some Shimano pairs (Lazer is part of the Shimano group, ironically). The tip of the arms tends to bottom out on the helmet, behind the ears, and means that they don't sit securely on your nose, almost floating a couple of millimetres away from it. That then leads to the very annoyingly rattling around on your face when riding. This didn't happen with all glasses, but it's good to check if the Jackal works well with your preferred set of riding glasses.



WEIGHT & PRICE

The Jackal KinetiCore is one of the lighter mountain bike helmets out there with this number of features that we've come to expect on a high-end helmet. Compared to the Troy Lee A3, which comes in at 419g for the M/L size, the Jackal is a significant 75g lighter.

Compared to other helmets for weight and price, the Jackal costs $219 and is 16g lighter than Specialized's Ambush 2 ($180) and 36g lighter than the Fox Speedframe Pro ($170).

But is that weight difference noticeable when it's on your head? For me, the answer is 'No.' Simply put, the pressure points and issues with the Jackal were far more front and centre in the riding experience than any weight saving. The Troy Lee A3, for me, is far more comfortable and retains that comfort and secureness throughout the entire ride with no need for constant adjustments.

SAFETY RATING

While Lazer may have more helmets with five stars than other brands have in their whole lineup, we do need to delve in a little deeper to the safety ratings and rankings provided by Virginia Tech.

The Jackal KinetiCore has a five star rating (out of five) with a score of 13.59. A lower score means that the helmet offers better protection, based on Virginia Tech's testing. Interestingly, the previous version of the Jackal has a score of 11.19, putting it higher up on that list.

For reference, the much compared to Troy Lee A3 Mips has a score of 11.01, with Specialized's Tactic 4 helmet currently occupying the top spot with a score of 8.55.

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Pinkbike's Take

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PHOTOS: Mountain Bike Connection Winter - Mirror Media

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Reviews and Tech Reviews Helmets Lazer Lazer Jackal