Lazer Dissent Helmet Review
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Lazer Dissent Helmet
Out of the box, the Lazer Dissent helmet gave me a great first impression. It is lightweight at just 410 grams. The Dissent has clean lines, a stylish brimmed visor, an even matte black finish, and features that can be found on any high-end helmet.
Lazer Dissent Helmet Technology
The snow helmet industry has evolved greatly over the years in the areas of style, fit and safety. Skiers and snowboarders are now provided the benefit of finding a helmet with personality that is suited perfectly for them.
Lazer has been following this approach for generations, first with their motorcycle helmets dating back to 1919. Recently they started to blend form, function, and safety with their snow helmets. The Lazer Dissent helmet looks sharp, but what makes this helmet more impressive is the truly innovative Rollsys fit system. The patented Rollsys ® System is a fully integrated mechanism which surrounds the head and avoids pressure points because the thumb wheel sits on top of the helmet vs. the lower back part of the helmet. This placement makes user access and adjustment super easy, and also allows for an accurate and progressive sizing adjustment. Something most helmet manufacturers fail to achieve due to the adjustment location and with limited pre-set adjustment zones.
The Lazer Dissent really takes the fit category to new heights with this approach. From my point of view, the Dissent provides a much more comfortable fit that forms around my head instead of just cinching the fore/aft sections of the helmet against my forehead.
In addition, the Dissent provides the user with a good level of ventilation control which Lazer coins as their Adapt Vents. One primary slider adjusts the 13 vents, with no pre-set zones, and with plenty of ease. This venting setup provides the user with a solution for varying temperatures, exertion effort, and outdoor conditions.
Candidly, this system works fine by simplifying things and avoids the zonal adjustment concept many other competitors are pushing with two to three sliders for venting. With that said, my one issue is with the slider having a high friction point. This was a challenging situation that required me to unbuckle the helmet on the lift and use both hands to push the vent slider closed due to the tight fitting slider between the helmet’s layers. While this may have been a one-off issue, the overall slide mechanism felt like it lacked a bit of craftsmanship overall.
Lazer Dissent Form, Fit, and Function
While fit, safety, and ventilation are the main purchase considerations of any helmet, there can be some unique attributes that make a helmet standout among the rest.
In the case of the Lazer Dissent, I was impressed with what they call their Magic Buckle. This closure system utilizes magnets and a track style slider to engage the chin strap. This creative solution allowed me to easily use gloves to engage and disengage the strap, simply by orienting the male/female sections of the buckle. Once aligned, the magnets do the rest since they are strong enough to set the clips in place. This innovation eliminates the pinch style clip system seen on a variety of helmets, which for some may require glove removal.
As far as the Lazer Dissent helmet goes with warmth and comfort, it ranks right up at the top thanks to a thicker than average helmet liner. Not only does this provide extra cushion and a buffer during the fit process, along with ear pads that are soft and snug, but keeps things toasty on those cold days (as cold as -10F). I personally run cool during most activities, so this was a welcomed setup. If you are more of a backcountry skier or snowboarder or like to hike for fresh powder, this “plush” interior may keep things a bit too warm on an average winter day. Even with 13 vents and the Adapt Vent system, it might be challenging to keep enough airflow moving to cool things down. Food for thought, but for cruising the resort while staying nice and warm, this is the helmet for you.
Lazer Dissent Final Thoughts
I was pleasantly surprised by the Lazer Dissent helmet and its features. In the past, helmets with a good look and brand reputation went far in my decision-making process. Lately, though, I have a greater appreciation for manufacturers that focus on safety, and with that my attention has shifted to fit and function.
Lazer has impressed me in both these categories with the Dissent, and even gains a few points with its more youthful brimmed visor, and a change from their traditional racer shape to a more freestyle/freeride oriented design.
While the Lazer Dissent didn’t check off all the boxes, mainly due to the challenge to move the vent system, and the goggle clip on the back preventing goggle straps from being centered (low clearance). It is a strong contender among the Smith, POC, Giro and other top tier brands many know of. The Dissent has one of the better fit systems I’ve ever tested, the most intuitive chin strap buckle out there, and it’s competitively priced. Be sure to put this helmet on your list to try when you see the Lazer Dissent at your local store. For more info, visit www.backcountry.com or www.amazon.com/lazer.
