Qwart Phoenix helmet review.

[SkH]

Disclaimer:  No one in their right mind should buy this helmet (for the asking price).  This helmet is basically pure style and nothing more.  That said, read on!

Stats:

-$900-$1000.00+ U.S. (you read that right, hence the disclaimer).

-Weight is 2.6 lbs. Made in Japan, assembled in...France?  Qwart is a French boutique helmet company.

-1 shell size afaik, and only can accommodate up to a large size (in standard helmet sizing).

-For ROUND head shape.

-Rated: ECE 22.05.  I guess with some recent revelations, this should be good, right?

-Visor shield or goggles.  (Comes with clear visor shield only- tinted shield is a separate purchase)

-Partially customizable colors.

-Mainly for summer/hot weather riding.  Probably not a good idea to ride in rain or cold conditions.

Out of the box, you get a helmet bag (so... you can take it with you for air travel?  I don't know, I have 2 helmet bag freebies now and I've never used helmet bags), helmet pouch, a bag of accessories which include various caps and extra hardware, plus a torx screwdriver thingy with the Qwart logo.

So I searched the internet and there really isn't any REAL user reviews for this helmet.  So, it was up to me to actually purchase it and throw this review onto the ether.  I also needed a new primary that will replace my Shark Vancore and my Ruroc cannot be my primary due to the insane pain that occurs around my ears after even 30 min... this is due to Ruroc Atlas' OVAL shape which apparently isn't really compatible with my head shape which of course you really can't get a feel for until you actually own and use the helmet.

A qualifying statement first:  My very first helmet was a Shark Raw/Drak.  My second helmet was a  (imported) Vancore which is the "full" face version of the Raw/Drak and still uses goggles with no shield.  I used these helmets the first 3+ years of riding, I rode all season including sub-freezing temperatures.  THESE HELMETS HAVE WIND BLASTING INTO YOUR FACE.  Mainly thanks to the goggles, there is huge wind seepage right into your eyeballs.  Why I mention this?  Well, I think it skewed my view on helmets because I also purchased a Scorpion and HJC (my wife owns a Shoei) and I can't stand the Scorpion and HJC because there is no wind blasting on my face.  Yes, that is an absurd statement, I was basically like in a Stockholm syndrome where I fell in love with my captors which are goggled helmets.

Ok, that out of the way, I will inevitably throw more love for this Qwart helmet than the standard reviewer.

The thing is beautiful.  That goes without saying.

This is the LIGHTEST full face helmet I own.  It clocks in probably under 3lbs (I made the mistake of weighing with the Sena attached, and didn't want to remove the Sena kit (speakers, mic, etc) and with the Sena it weighed 3lbs 1 oz, so guessing it weighs less than 3 lbs. (EDIT:  Looked it up, the helmet clocks in at 2.6 lbs which is absurdly light for a full face helmet).  The entire shell is carbon fiber that is made in Japan.

Build quality is obviously excellent.  The helmet is semi-customizable.  You can switch out the "mask" color, the visor opening trim (look closely at the open visor pic, you will see screws on the trim above the chin bar/mask), the trim under the chin bar and the vent oval colors.  But whatever main body shell you go with will be the color that cannot be switched out obviously.  There obviously is a cost involved with getting the custom color trims.  A pack of vent ovals is $60.  A pack of interior trim is $130.  Oh yes, also the inner helmet liner/cushion is replaceable with a total of 8 colors ($100 each), I got the red color in my build.  The liner is visible when/if you opt to use goggles.  And I should mention although in the U.S., you will not be able to fully custom build your helmet, there are 24 pre-assembled color configurations to choose from.

I think this one one is my favorite but I do not wear black helmets as a rule.

Another example that shows one of the custom trim color options.

Sizing is slightly weird.  The company says to order one size larger than your standard helmet which I did, I went with Large where as I normally and always have gotten Mediums.  Well, I would say it is a tad larger than Medium, but definitely not a Large.  So its about a half size smaller.  The size goes up to an XL which means it can only accommodate up to a Large (if that makes sense).  If I were to guess, I bet I can get away with a Medium albeit it might be a bit uncomfortable, as this Large size is very comfortable.  Probably the only helmet I own which doesn't eventually hurt my ears.  The shape of the helmet is ROUND.  Luckily, that is my head shape.  This helmet is super comfortable to wear provided you have a round head.  If you have an oval head, the company had some warnings regarding this, I have no clue if it really is that hard to wear this helmet or not with an oval head, but keep that in mind.

You can see the shape (and size) difference from the top of both helmets Ruroc Atlas, left (size Med) and Qwart Phoenix, right (size Lg).

Another reason I wanted to get this helmet is because there is an optional goggle which I mentioned in the past review of my Ruroc Atlas that I prefer goggled helmets because I can use them in winter without getting my glasses foggy (I wear glasses).  But the goggles on the Phoenix are not "sealed" they just fit over the hole willy nilly so the wind coming in will be absolutely SPECTACULAR!!!

It should be noted, the shield visor ratchets can be removed by unscrewing 3 screws, and plugging the holes with little black caps which come in the accessories bag for a cleaner look when using the goggles.  I wasn't going to do all that for this review.  The goggle is $110 and it is one-piece, so if you want different goggle colors, you have to plunk down $110 for each one.

Helmet comes only with a clear visor shield standard.  Tinted/mirrored visor shield costs 100.00 extra.  So off the bat, you will probably have to spend $1000.00 for this helmet ($900+$100).  If you do purchase a separate visor or goggle, they come with their own fabric bags which is great for storage/dust protection or whatnot for when you are not using the particular item.

Alright, how does it feel when you are riding?

WINDY!!! Now, unlike the Shark goggled helmets, there obviously is no wind coming through the shield visor (I have not rode with the goggles yet), but the chin is wide open with no chin curtain and thus, WINDY!!!  There is a whole lot of wind coming from the bottom.  So for the average person, this helmet should only be used during summer or hot weather riding.  It should also be noted, you see those oval vents?  They are not decorative, they are mesh vents and THEY CANNOT BE CLOSED.  They are always there, open so keep that in mind.  WINDY!!!  I love the windiness due to my aforementioned Stockholm syndrome, I will probably be using this helmet even in freezing temperatures.  And although I use earplugs so noise isn't an issue, guessing this helmet is extremely noisy thanks to all that wind.

EDIT:  Went on a 40 min ride up to speeds of 70mph.  The wind noise is ATROCIOUS even with earplugs!!

EDIT YET AGAIN:  I found the noise design flaw of this helmet.  The ear wells (the nook where your ears go, usually also where you place speakers) are extremely deep/carved out.  What ends up happening is when wind enters the helmet, it creates an echo in the ear well which greatly amplifies the noise.  This is also if you have a loud exhaust the noise echos greatly.  I had to stuff the ear well with foam and the helmet got a substantial amount quieter.  Turns out the thing that made the helmet comfortable for my ears is also what makes it extremely loud.

6+ MONTH OF OWNERSHIP EDIT:  I "sealed" the oval vents to see if it helps with noise reduction, and it didn't help one bit.  Wearing this helmet is like wearing a drum.  It is really stiff and conducts noise, I am not kidding, if you whack the chin or anywhere for that matter, the helmet does a reverb vibration effect that I have never experienced in any other helmet.    I have ordered a medium sized inner liner to see if it helps with the sound but for the time being this is the absolute most NOISIEST helmet I've ever owned.  If you have a semi-loud exhaust, it just vibrates through this helmet and amplifies the noise.  I am not kidding.   As much as I love how it looks, THIS IS QUITE POSSIBLY THE WORST HELMET I OWN.  I might buy a NACA helmet next.

So.  Is this helmet worth 1000 dollars?  HELL NO!  No one should pay 1000 dollars just for a cool looking helmet (ok, you got me, that's exactly what I did!! LMAO).  You are better off buying a Shoei or... a Schuberth?  No clue, I don't know anything about Schuberths other than they are really expensive as well.  And if you've never used a goggle helmet before, the amount of wind blasting into your face thanks to the no chin curtain wide open chin bar will most likely be extremely alarming for the uninitiated and not to mention the noise factor involved.

Well, I hope for anyone doing a google search, this review finds them well.

If by some small crazy chance you are indeed interested in purchasing a Qwart helmet, and you live in the U.S., there are no U.S. distributors, you instead can purchase it through https://www.angrylane.com/ which is a French custom motorcycle builder (customizer)/gear boutique that is strangely headquartered in Hong Kong.  It is run by two French brothers and any inquiry or emails directed to them will usually be answered directly by one of the brothers who is more than willing to help you (I asked him to measure the outer helmet shell diameter, and he did!).

If you are in the UK or EU, guessing it is far easier to find the helmet.

 

Edited March 14, 2022 by SkH

[shinyribs]

That's easily the coolest looking helmet I've seen in a long time. I dig it! I'd never heard of them. Thanks for the insight!