I own 3 KASK Protone helmets. Having survived 2 serious crashes aboard 2 different road bikes, both without cranial damage of any kind, my black/red unit and my light blue unit are retired. I have owned many quality road specific helmets. It so happens that the KASK Protone fits my head as though custom formed for it. My first violent get off occurred when a medium sized German Shepherd darted out from my periphery directly in front of my wheel at 21 mph. 7 broken bones and a week in hospital. My helmet absorbed a major blow that easily would've been a severe concussion at best. That was the legacy of my black/red Protone. Severely scarred, but not fractured. Thank you KASK. More recently, i experienced a sudden deflation of front tire/latex tube, watching both peel off the carbon rim almost instantaneously. Freak happening. Lost control of the bike and down i went. Again, my noggin was saved by Light Blue that day. There might be equally effective helmets out there, but KASK has won my confidence with their amazing Protone.
This is my first Kask helmet and it fits my head much better than some other brands I've had. It's a little narrower in width than other brands so the sides fit me better without having to crank up the straps as much. I used their sizing guide and fell into the range that overlaps between the small and the medium so I opted for the medium initially since that's what I normally wear. After trying it on and seeing how much room I had prior to tightening the dial, I made the switch over to the small. It fits perfectly and has a little smaller shell than the medium so it looks better on me as well. The pads are comfortable and there are surprisingly few adjustments on the straps, but they're right where they need to be. I've seen others note that sweat management can be a problem with this helment and I can't totally disagree. It's well vented, but I wonder whether the pads are collecting sweat and then draining onto my glasses. I've only noticed it when it's in the upper 80's and humid though, so most days it's not an issue. If it weren't for that, it would easily be a 5-star rating. As it is, it's a really strong 4 1/2.
Wanted a new helmet, so I could leave my older one at my son's place in Oregon. One less thing to pack. I had been a loyal user of Giro helmets for decades, ever since Greg Lemond TDF victory over Laurent Fignion. Wanted to try something different, and frankly influenced by Tadej Pogacar's current use. This did not disappoint. Noticeably more air flow between head and helmet to keep cool in hot humid south Florida. Looks great too, but that is always a matter of opinion. Got it on sale so I did not mind the extra cost versus the regular non carbon version of the same helmet.
Did my first TT with this and wow what a difference. Not that it came down to just the helmet as I had a few other aero advantages, but my buddy who weighs the same as me put out 30 more watts than I did and I beat him. That's huge. I also like how the wind noise you hear lets you know when you you're dropping your head and not being as aero as you could be. The visor is a little wonky and gives a bit of a walleye effect, but otherwise no complaints.
