Arai Signet Q

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Arai Signet Q

Postby mikel » Sun Dec 04, 2011 11:31 pm

Arai Signet Q (replacement for the Profile, Long Oval), matte silver

Revzilla, September 2011

$640, I think

Very satisfied so far

For anyone with a severe long oval head shape like mine, I think this might be the only helmet that is reasonably available that will provide a proper fit. After 3 years of almost daily use I finally retired my Arai Profile once the Signet Q became available. The Profile fit well, but the Signet Q fits me even better. Fit is pretty much the only reason I buy Arai. The new visor with the integrated Pinlock system is nice. The peripheral view really is better than the Profile's. It feels a tad lighter than the Profile. The matte color is a nice break from shiny metallic. Ventilation is still excellent, though there is a bit too much draft coming in from the chin (if I'm riding a bike without a windshield).

As I said, fit is why I buy Arai. My wife got a Zoan Revenge Carbon Fiber for $300. The sticker on it says 1220g. I believe it. Lightest helmet I've ever felt. Feels more like a bicycle helmet (well, from the 1980s maybe--remember the Kiwi helmet?? 2.2 lbs of solid plastic shell and velour lining??) I tried the Nexx carbon (neutral) and the Zoan Revenge (round), but gave up since these and all the others on the market are neutral to round. (The Nexx isn't that light, by the way.) There just aren't any CF helmets that seem to fit true long ovals. The point is: Arai helmets are simply too heavy. If I had found a long oval CF, I'd have bought it. Could I make do with something lighter? Of course. However, for me, I don't think it's worth sacrificing a good fit just for lightness, at least not yet.

I am not happy with the fabric Arai uses in the Signet Q face pad liners. Feels cheap and hard. The padding feels fine, but the fabric literally feels hard. This is a noticeable downgrade from Profile. The peel-out layers for better custom fitting is a good feature, and one that I used to get the best fit I've ever had. Replacement comfort liners aren't available until sometime in early 2012, so I'm told.

In my opinion, Signet Q is the gotta-have helmet for severe long ovals, like me. It is a great-functioning helmet with all the right features and excellent ventilation, but is way over-built, in my opinion, with respect to abrasion and penetration protection. If you're a true long oval, just save yourself the hassle of trying a bunch of helmets on because I've already done that. Just buy the Signet Q and you're finished. Weight aside, I like the helmet a lot. Lacking a lighter alternative, I would buy it again.
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Re: Arai Signet Q

Postby Chiba » Mon Dec 05, 2011 9:01 am

It got a good review in Rider magazine as well.

Arai makes great helmets, no doubt about that.
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Re: Arai Signet Q

Postby mikel » Mon Dec 05, 2011 8:16 pm

I made a mistake in my "review." I took a close look at my helmet today. The cheek material is not hard. That was a poor description. It is a different texture than the Profile, but is still soft. I think more abrasive is a better way to describe it. It's soft enough, but I still don't care for it. I still think the Profile's material was nicer.
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Re: Arai Signet Q

Postby Chiba » Tue Dec 06, 2011 9:10 am

Let me know if you'd be willing to write an extended review for a future BTS :)
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Re: Arai Signet Q

Postby BMWGirl » Tue Dec 06, 2011 9:19 am

T.Wesley wrote:Let me know if you'd be willing to write an extended review for a future BTS :)



What's wrong with THIS review?
BECAUSE I CAN!!!
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Re: Arai Signet Q

Postby Chiba » Tue Dec 06, 2011 10:58 am

BMWGirl wrote:What's wrong with THIS review?

Nothing... but I gotta fill SPACE!!!! :)

Plus in a month or 2, he'll have formed a broken-in opinion & possibly have more to say.

(we'll continue talking about him in the 3rd person like he's not reading this thread)
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Re: Arai Signet Q

Postby mikel » Tue Dec 06, 2011 11:01 pm

Sure, he'd be happy to contribute an extended, longer-term review after he's had a chance to break it in a bit more... ha ha ha...

Update: Revzilla e-mailed me today and said that replacement comfort liners and cheek pads are now available for the Signet Q.
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Re: Arai Signet Q

Postby '05Train » Sat Apr 07, 2012 11:02 pm

I've got about 3,000 miles on my Signet-Q and I love it. It's simply the most comfortable helmet I've worn in 35+ years of riding. It's reasonably quiet, doesn't interfere with my peripheral vision, and vents well. It's a ton of money, but it flat works.
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Re: Arai Signet Q

Postby mikel » Wed Aug 08, 2012 8:13 pm

Still the best fit I've ever had. Still don't like the cheek pad material, but it's softened up a little bit so I don't notice that as much now. Vents great in the heat, though the top vents especially add a lot of noise. Pressure points along the sides after several hours with sunglasses. Still way too heavy...
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Re: Arai Signet Q

Postby grownup » Sat Nov 24, 2012 11:02 am

I hate my long oval egg head. It is 23 1/2 inches round. It is about 1/2 inch too big to fit a medium comfortably. In a medium, my temple starts throbbing after 5 minutes, and the throbbing does not stop for a few minutes after the helmet is removed. So, I bought a Large Arai Signet Q per a bunch of recommendations, and the sizing specs. The helmet is high quality and has better air flow than other helmets I have tried. However, this helmet doesn't fit me much better than then the Large Shoie Qwest that I have. The Shoie Qwest is about $200 less, so it is a better value for a long oval.

Helmets:
Large Shoie Qwest 4/2011 ( Estimated 1000 hours in it.)
Large Arai Signet Q 2012 ( Estimated 20 hours in it)
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