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[WalkingWicket37]

Hi guys

It seems everyone on this forum has a thing. For several of you it's bats, for @Buzz it was thigh pads and I've concluded mine is helmets!

As I've gone through more helmets than most players own in a lifetime I thought it was only fair to do a review.
I've got rid of most of them and am down to (only?) 3.

I will rank the helmets 1 - 3 in a number of categories (I make up as I go along) to hopefully quantify which one I believe is the best.

The contenders

An Albion Ultimate Classic
An Albion Elite Club
A modified Masuri Club (details can be found here http://custombats.co.uk/cbforum/index.php?topic=31469.0)

To make this a fair test they are all green!
They all have a titanium grille attached and are set as I would use them in a game.

Looks





I'll let the pictures do the talking on this one. Opinions on this are very subjective so I won't declare a winner.
My thoughts on the matter are that if you're one for a classic look then the Masuri or the Ultimate classic would win.
I think the plastic shell looks top drawer in it's own right and honestly like each equally, with a favourite depending on my mood.

Weight

Albion Elite Club - 587g
Masuri - 642g
Albion Ultimate Classic - 789g

That round is pretty conclusive, need I say more?

Materials

I have taken these directly from the manufacturers own description:

Albion Ultimate Classic
Cloth covered carbon fibre reinforced polymer shell with high density EVA liner.

Albion Elite Club
High impact polypropylene moulded shell with EPS liner.

Masuri
Unique Impact protection system. 4 panel polyester cloth covering.

Carbon fibre sounds best so the Ultimate Classic comes out the winner.
The masuri doesn't have the details listed so they come worse off by default.

Protection

Albion Elite Club
This helmet has the thickest shell of the three, with the plastic, then the internal section and finally the padding.
The peak also feels the "stiffest" of the three so is less likely to move and deform should it take an impact.

Albion Ultimate Classic
With the carbon fibre shell, the EVA liner and internal padding this shell has a nice sturdy feel to it.
The peak is flexible and can be moved by hand, so with a big enough gap a ball may get through.
I have the gap set narrowly enough this doesn't concern me but it may be something to bear in mind cos some users.

Masuri
The thinnest shell of the three with the least amount of padding.
The peak is even thinner than the albion but a sensibly set grille should reduce most worries.
This helmet offers perfectly adequate protection in my mind, but comes out least favourably of the three on show.

Comfort

Another subjective one so people may disagree with me on this one.

Albion Ultimate Classic
It may be the heaviest but it also has the most padding and you don't feel the extra weight when wearing this lid.
It also has the most coverage down the back of my head which gives me more confidence it will keep me safe.

Masuri
The strap on the back of this one is more adjustable than either of the albion offerings. The swoopa band is nicely padded around the from of the helmet and plenty absorbent if you get a sweat on (batting long enough would be nice!).

Albion Elite Club
This is the lightest of the three helmets and is nicely padded. The lightness and padding make it very comfortable, but the mesh over the vents in the top mean ventilation isn't as good as it could be.

All three of these helmets are comfortable on the head and sit nicely. I'd happily wear any of them in any batting situation.
As for wicket keeping, the Ultimate Classic's added coverage may dig into your neck when crouching down, but the added protection could be worth it's weight in gold.







Visibility

In a totally non-scientific test I put each on, and used a doorframe as a reference. The widest field of visibility wins (obviously).

Masuri
Widest field of vision of the three tested.

Albion Ultimate Classic
Narrowly smaller field of visibility than the maser, more than the Elite.

Albion Elite Club
The narrowest field of vision of the three but more than adequate to watch the ball.


The verdict
Of the six categories each helmet had two outright wins each (no I didn't plan this, I made it up as I went along!)
If you want the best protection I'd recommend one of the Albions, whereas if you want a lightweight helmet the Elite Club or Masuri (depending which one you like the look of) would be the recommendation.

I'd happily use any of the three, but am favouring Albion this season just because I feel like it. Hopefully this review will help some people, and if you read it to the end thanks for not giving up halfway through 

[Mattsky]

Good review.
I had my eye on an Albion Elite Pro for a while (as I think the 'traditional' Masuris and Shreys look like jockeys' helmets) but the 2013 version I received had two rusty helmet screws and substandard welding on the grill.
So I returned it, and let Albion's MD know about it.
And respect to him, he got back to me and thanked me for bringing it to his attention.
I do still think the Albions are good helmets. But the 2014 models with the altered grill are difficult to get hold of now though in certain sizes and colours.
Apparently, Albion's UK reseller aren't importing any more until Albion produce a new model that conforms to the latest safety standards.
I emailed the MD and asked him when we could expect a new range, but unsurprisingly never received a reply.
I wonder when they do appear whether they'll have 'stemguards'.

[Aussie]

Great review. Like you I have both albions. I use the plastic one here in Australia but with an old ultimate 98 grille, and an Ultimate Classic in the UK with the same Ti22 grille you have on your classic. Both fantastic helmets but the plastic elite just tops it for me because it's so light. My sponsor supplied me a helmet (I think made by shrey as it's the same style just with no logo on the back), but it just sits and gathers dust! Difference is though mate - Mine are blue not green