Steelbird Oscar Flip-up Helmet (SB-41) Review

One of the most trusted helmet brands in India- Steelbird has launched a new flip-up helmet, christened as Oscar (SB-41). The stylish helmet costs just Rs. 1,179 making it in the reach of most of the young riders. Recently, we tested the helmet for a comprehensive review and evaluated its style, comfort and safety quotient.

Style: The Steelbird Oscar has been designed for universal acceptance, so you might not find it sporty at first. However, when you see the detailing of the helmet, it does has its own style statement. The helmet get lots of curves and edges to make it different from regular ones.

The chin of the helmet features sharp aerodynamic patterns, which gives it an aggressive feel. Instead of being round, the rear also ends with a sharp tail. The Helmet also gets checkered flag decals, which adds another sporty element to its design. The rear also holds the brand-name, while the "OSCAR" moniker has been positioned on the head. The sleek clear visor gels well with the design of the helmet. The outer surface of the helmet has a scratch resist finish.

When you want to transform the Steelbird Oscar in an open face helmet, all you need to do a simple step- just push the red button provided behind the chin shield and pull the front part up-side till the click mechanism locks the upper part along with the visor. Now, you get a near to perfect open-face cruising helmet.

Comfort: While selecting a helmet for daily use, the first thing we should check is the comfort. A helmet should fit perfectly. You should also check that the retention strap locks the helmet perfectly and not irritates on your neck. The Steelbird Oscar comes in two different sizes- M (58mm) and L (60mm), so you can chose one for a perfect fit.

Internal cushioning is adequate and done by a soft touch fabric for better comfort like other Steelbird helmets and the retention strap also gets the similar soft padding on the inner side. The Steelbird Oscar has 2 front and 2 rear air vents for proper ventilation inside the helmet even when the visor is close. The inner padding of the helmet also has mesh-fabric parts to allow air flow toward rider's head.

The clear visor provides a better vision through and protects your eyes from wind, dirt and other particles. If you feel the visor should be cleaned, you can do it in simple and easy steps. The visor has been attached with easy opening and closing mechanism on both sides, so you just have to unlock the mechanism using slide-button and rotate the unit. You can open both the visor holders in the same way and close them after cleaning by reversing the action.


 

Safety: The new Steelbird Oscar (SB-41) is BIS: ISI 4151 Certified, a standard for the protective helmets for motor vehicles. The outer shell of the helmet has been moulded of a low-hazard material- ABS, which presents few risks to health. However the most important mechanical properties of ABS are impact resistance and toughness within a large temperature range from -20 to 80 °C.

The Internal shell of the Oscar has been made of high density EPS material, which lowers the impact energy while transferring towards the rider's head and provides a damping action. Fabric of the retention strap is high tensile nylon and it gets a multi-step locking unit. So, the strap will not open or break and keep the helmet on your head during accidents.

The clear PC (polycarbonate) visor of the helmet is unbreakable, ensuring the proper safety of the rider's face and eyes, while providing a clear vision through. For better protection, the visor can be locked in the closed position using the slide-button provided on the right side of the helmet. Many flip-up helmets have a drawback of shaking chin after some time. However, the Oscar gets a locking system for that also and the helmet can be flipped-up only using the button provided on the inner side of the chin. So, when you want to use the helmet as a proper full face protector, it will act as one.

Verdict: If you want a dual purpose mature style helmet with easy functioning at an affordable pricing, Steelbird Oscar can be your pick. Although, price of the helmet is comparable to many other flip-up style helmets available in the market, it also offers some extra features, which make it better than others.