Nearly every uniformed soldier on every modern battlefield has their own helmet. Both functional and iconic, the combat helmet can be traced all the way back to the Akkadian Empire in the 23rd century BC.
American Military News got the chance to take an in depth look at one of the modern options on the market, the Hard Head Veterans ATE® Ballistic Helmet.
Hard Head Veterans is ran by military and law enforcement veterans, many of which are still serving. The company states that their goal is to provide quality protection at a reasonable price. Next to comparable products, HHV helmets are hundreds of dollars cheaper.
The ATE® (above the ear) Ballistic Helmet shell starts at $ 285 and $425 for the additional accessories included. However, the low cost did not come at the expense of quality. Extensive testing data and certifications by the National Institute of Justice – Testing Services can be found here and a sample can be seen in the video below.
You can not simply put a helmet on for a few moments and appreciate what it’s like to wear for hours. So I wore the ATE® Ballistic Helmet for a total of 4 hours while performing some activities common to react personnel on standby. I ran up stairs, ate dinner, took a brief nap and did mock room clearing. Due to the Kevlar weighing only 2.7 lbs , I did not feel overly fatigued and was still quite comfortable at the end. The memory foam pads were exceptional, and the four point adjustable straps were easy to use, and did not pull at my beard hairs.
I took the helmet to the range and shot a scoped rifle, shotgun, and pistol. The above the ear feature allowed for comfortable wear of ear protection, or it can also be worn with communication head gear. It firmly stayed in place during transition drills, and shooting from holster drills, and did not slide down while shooting from the prone position.
Overall I would highly recommend this product to any common citizen, private security, or whomever is in need of affordable ballistic protection. It is compatible with other manufacture’s liners, accessories and 3rd party products. The reviews on their Facebook page are very high and a portion of each sale is donated to organizations such as the Navy SEAL Foundation.
Let us know which product or products you would like us to review next at [email protected].
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