Custom Bats Cricket Forum
Equipment => Helmets => Topic started by: WalkingWicket37 on December 30, 2019, 12:48:03 PM
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Hi all
Following a conversation between Soulman and Velvetsky on the Christmas thread (http://custombats.co.uk/cbforum/index.php?topic=47045.msg755146#msg755146 (http://custombats.co.uk/cbforum/index.php?topic=47045.msg755146#msg755146)) a comment was made regarding steel Vs titanium. "Nope not that bothered by a few extra grams on a steel grill"
This got me thinking, what is the actual weight difference between a steel and titanium grille, and what difference does it make in the real world.
I decided to crudely test this out, not wanting to dismantle any helmets to weigh just the grille I've tried to do this as "fairly" as possible. Of course there are manufacturing tolerances, so these weights will not be the same for every helmet Masuri make, but it does give a ballpark figure.
Both helmets weighed are OS2s, large size and have the standard padding that came in the box. I don't know if the colour has any meaningful impact on the weight, but for clarity the steel one is blue and the titanium one is green, and both have a colour matched stem guard. I removed the stem guards and weighed them seperately.
(https://i.postimg.cc/768czvkN/20191230-131316.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/gwsN9Trw)
OS2 steel
Weight of the helmet: 980 grams
Weight of the stem guard: 95 grams
Total weight: 1075 grams
OS2 titanium
Weight of the helmet: 817 grams
Weight of the stem guard: 98 grams
Total weight: 915 grams
The verdict
The difference between the 2 helmets is 163 grams. While this sounds a lot on paper, when wearing the helmets you can't tell the difference.
I believe the OS2 is now called the T Line. With Masuri selling the steel version for £90 and the titanium version for £150, you're not gaining an awful lot in real terms for the additional cost.
Is the titanium worth it compared to the steel? It comes down to personal preference at the end of the day.
Is it worth paying £60 to save approximately 165 grams? I'd certainly think twice about the cost and consider the steel helmet if I needed to replace my lid...
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Titanium is also stronger as well as lighter than Steel though so there's that factor to consider as well.
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I would always go titanium. While the weight might not be noticeable, the change in balance certainly is.
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Perish the thought that any cbf'er would want to chop and change their cricket gear, I'm sure a titanium helmet would be easier to sell.
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Titanium is also stronger as well as lighter than Steel though so there's that factor to consider as well.
If both helmets are compliant with the new British Standard (BSi) - BS7928:2013, is the added strength of titanium truly a factor any longer? If the steel lid passes the test then it's up to the task, right?
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I would always go titanium. While the weight might not be noticeable, the change in balance certainly is.
Is this actually the case or is your mind playing tricks on you?
You may think the balance is different because you know the titanium halmet is lighter. If you were to do a blind test where people didn't know which helmet was which I'm not sure people would tell the difference when wearing them
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If both helmets are compliant with the new British Standard (BSi) - BS7928:2013, is the added strength of titanium truly a factor any longer? If the steel lid passes the test then it's up to the task, right?
It prob is when players at international level are facing 90+mph deliveries. Stonis today took a pretty brutal blow to the grille.
BSI standard is tested at 64mph out of the air cannon with an adult size ball. By adding 12-15mph for deceleration due to the ball hitting the pitch = 79mph out of the bowlers hand.
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It prob is when players at international level are facing 90+mph deliveries. Stonis today took a pretty brutal blow to the grille.
BSI standard is tested at 64mph out of the air cannon with an adult size ball. By adding 12-15mph for deceleration due to the ball hitting the pitch = 79mph out of the bowlers hand.
International players may find it important. However this is a forum full of clubbies.
As good as everyone likes to think they are, how many truthfully face bowlers sending it down at 79mph on a regular basis?
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Are they different generations of helmet? The titainium one has more uprights in the grille compared with the steel.
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Are they different generations of helmet? The titainium one has more uprights in the grille compared with the steel.
Good spot, I hadn't noticed that!
I honestly have no idea. I bought the green one from Vita's Cricket in 2017.
The steel one isn't mine so I have no idea when it was bought, I just borrowed it for this comparison
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Just had a look at some online videos and it appears that the extra upright bars are a normal difference between Titanium and Steel grilles on the OS mk2.
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I took two short balls to the Titanium grill and in both instances, the grill had a slight bent at the point of impact. If I remember correctly, one of the weld (or maybe both) had come undone. Not sure how much better steel would've fared but I wouldn't compromise on the toughness of a grill.
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I used to have a lid with a steel grill in my net bag and a titanium one in my match kit and the weight difference was noticeable to me. If you have always used a steel grill then I don't see the weight difference being so great as to being a genuine impediment, but once you have gone for a titanium one I think it would be more difficult to switch back
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Titanium is also stronger as well as lighter than Steel though so there's that factor to consider as well.
Would depend entirely on what steel/titanium alloy is used? Different steels vary massively in tensile strength, though ofc I don't know what Masuri use.
As for whether exceeding the tests is a good thing for clubbies; depends on your personal opinion. If you consider that you're unlikely to get whacked in the head at high speed then it's probably not too much of a bother. If you're more of the better safe than sorry mindset and a stronger helmet is going to cheer you up then that's the one for you.
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Even though the weight difference may just be a few grams, the weight distribution makes a huge difference in how your helmet feels. Let me explain. I currently have 2 helmets. One is a Masuri Vision Elite titanium which weighs about 917g. The other is a GM Zelos Geo in steel grill that weighs 850g. Even though the GM is a few grams lighter, the bulk of its weight is in the grill and the shell is quite light. When u wear it, the grill weighs down on me more than it would on the masuri. Because in the masuri, even though it weighs over 900g, the bulk is in the shell and the grill doesn't weigh down on u. The same with my teammates vision test steel. Weighs less than my titanium but feels heavier when wearing.
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International players may find it important. However this is a forum full of clubbies.
As good as everyone likes to think they are, how many truthfully face bowlers sending it down at 79mph on a regular basis?
This was the debate that was had wit the BSI committee and the fact that the popularity of bowling machines has increased which means more people could be exposed to speeds in excess of what we would normally come up against during a match situation.
I know I've witnessed the youths at my club messing about seeing if they can face 80mph from the machine to see if they get anywhere near it!
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I decided to crudely test this out, not wanting to dismantle any helmets to weigh just the grille
Okay, so 2 and a bit months later my curiosity got the better of me and I decided to dismantle some helmets to weigh just the grilles... :-[
My findings were:
Single bat steel grille - 423 grams
Single bar titanium grille - 252 grams
Double bar titanium grille - 245 grams
Please note these weights include the ear foams and any additional tape, so are not truly like for like. They do however give a good indication of the difference (or similarity) in weight between different models.
Single bar steel
(https://i.postimg.cc/NjPKd54Q/20200317-180103.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/NKmGMGSn)
Single bar titanium
(https://i.postimg.cc/9MrTVsmH/20200317-183035.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/DJ3mPj4x)
Double bar titanium
(https://i.postimg.cc/2S5qd4nH/20200317-180119.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/fJ6TDS2X)
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Double bar titanium was lighter than single bar titanium... Interesting.
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Yeah, that surprised me a bit. As it's only 7 grams I'm thinking the tape may be a contributing factor, and obviously natural variation in manufacturing.
I've applied all the grilles back to the lids now, and I don't intend on removing them again and removing the ear pads etc. Haha
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Last summer in the net a new bowler bowled to me, his first delivery jumped from so close to me that I couldn't react to it, and the ball hit me full on the grill! At that time I was wearing Albion classic steel grill helmet. Felt blow on the grill, that's it. Played next delivery as of nothing was happened! Wouldn't say that delivery was quick but it was definitely crisp
Checked later the grill, couldn't see even a scratch.
Since then I've bought Masuri Test Titanium Helmet, which is definitely lighter than Albion one.
You don't want to get hit on the grill, but if you do, then want to be safe and sound.
I think steel grill helmets are as good as titanium ones when come with higher range helmets.
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Yeah, that surprised me a bit. As it's only 7 grams I'm thinking the tape may be a contributing factor, and obviously natural variation in manufacturing.
I've applied all the grilles back to the lids now, and I don't intend on removing them again and removing the ear pads etc. Haha
There's other differences besides just the top bar that will make up some of the weight. Want to check something interesting? Get the verniers out and see how thick the two ti grilles are and if there's any difference.
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Both titanium grilles use a mix of different gauge wire - 4mm & 5mm.
There will be natural variance in helmets due to amount of weld used in the grille and also hot glue used to fix the material cover.