The Black Diamond Half Dome is the second recapitulation of this helmet from Black Diamond with major development over the previous version. This new version is released with two different size and five different colors. The best part of this helmet is the redesigned click wheel on this helmet. If you are a rear click wheel adjustment liker then this is the best helmet for you in the market. Black Diamond Half Dome is the Best Buy Award winner helmet.
Comfort
Inside of the Black Diamond Half Dome helmet there is dense foam padding covered in a smooth material. This material is very much comfortable and smooth on the forehead. Some experiments show that this combination of materials engrossed low amount of sweat than the spongier foam and fuzzier material found on other helmets.
The Black Diamond Half Dome is one of the heavier helmet results from different tests, but it doesn’t felt that much heavy. This helmet fit well on your head and like some other heavy helmets it doesn’t slide around. You can get this kind of features when your helmet has a well designed band which circumscribe your head and give you the tightness with click wheel.
Lots of expert and different test results says that the Black Diamond Half Dome is comfortable than Skywalker II which is another very good helmet, and slightly less comfortable than the Petzl Elios. All three of these helmets scored below the lightweight foam helmets in terms of comfort mostly due to their extra weight which makes them more noticeable on your head.
Ease of Adjustment
In this new version of the Black Diamond Half Dome an improved click wheel is introduced to adjust the rear band for tightness. A soft rubbery material is used to coat the click wheel. This allows a quick and easy adjustment of your helmet using the click wheel if you are wearing the gloves or not. We all know about Mammut Skywalker 2 as a very popular helmet, right? The diameter of the click wheel which is used in Black Diamond Half Dome is much similar to Mammut Skywalker2. But the difference is the overall mechanism of the click wheel used in Mammut Skywalker 2 is much larger than the Black Diamond Half Dome. Those both click wheels are very much secure and powerful but the users prefer Black Diamond Half Dome.
We think that it is important to be able to adjust a helmet’s chins strap from front to back in order to get a snug fit without choking the wearer. The chins strap on this helmet can be adjusted fore/aft via two small plastic bits which are identical to the ones found on the Skywalker sans the molded Mammut logos.
Weight
If we compare Black Diamond Half Dome with other helmets then the result is this helmet is heavy. The weight is this helmet is 11.9 ounce. This weight makes it heavier than many helmets but the Mammut Skywalker is heavier than this helmet. The fact of heavy helmet is ignorable if you consider the extra durability of a hardshell helmet.
If saving weight is a top priority for you, we recommend you consider a lightweight foam helmet instead of a plastic hardshell. Though less durable, lightweight foam helmets like the Petzl Meteor III + or Black Diamond Vapor weigh around half of what most hardshell helmets weigh. The lightest helmet on the market is the Petzl Sirocco at an astonishing 5.8ounces.
Ventilation
The Black Diamond Half Dome doesn’t have enough ventilation like other hardshell helmets. Though the sides of the helmet are suspended away from the head, airflow through the helmet is at a minimum. The shell of Black Diamond Half Dome has just seven vents compared to the Black Diamond Vapor which has 21 vents and has the best ventilation in our test. One plus to the lack of openings in the shell would be ice or alpine climbing in very wet or rainy conditions where this shell design fends off more water, though we prefer to let a jacket hood do this job.
Headlamp Attachment
Like most of the other helmets the Black Diamond Half Dome uses four plastic clips positioned around the helmet to hold a headlamp. The clips on the Half Dome are some of the easiest to get the strap under and are also some of the most secure due to a small lip molded into the underside of the clip to prevent the strap from sliding down. These clips, along with the ones found on the Meteor III +, according to the results of several tests. We recommend briefly taking the helmet off when securing a headlamp to ensure that the headlamp band is fully secured beneath the clips. Alternatively, have your partner double check if you are in a precarious spot and taking the helmet off is not a good idea.
Durability
The Black Diamond Half Dome is the most durable helmet in this market. This is not something we are saying. This is the outcome of lots of user review and different type of durability tests result. Due to the thicker plastic shell and smaller amount of fragile polystyrene, hardshell helmets tend to be more durable and longer lasting than lightweight foam helmets and the Black Diamond Half Dome is just that. The foam on the inside is protected from punctures or abrasions and does not have any areas likely to fail from flexing the outer shell. The rear adjustment band is hinged, which allows the band to collapse within the shell to protect it when packing. The yoke and chin strap hardware is simple but durable.
Black Diamond offers a one year warranty on all of their helmets, while Petzl helmets have a three year warranty. We doubt that either of the warranties would cover anything outside of materials or workmanship, so this may not make much difference for a helmet.
Best Application
This helmet is appropriate for all types of climbing from cragging to big walling. Anybody looking for a great deal that will last a long time should consider this helmet.
Value
At $60, the Black Diamond Half Dome is the least expensive helmet and the best value available in a climbing helmet. Since it is likely the most durable climbing helmet we tested, it should last for a very long time and we are sure you will get your money’s worth out of it. The Mammut Skywalker II also retails for $60, but the Black Diamond Half Dome is a much better helmet. The Petzl Elios is equally as good as the Half Dome, but costs $5 more.
Lightweight foam helmets start at nearly twice the price, at $100, and range up to $140. While these helmets can weigh as little as half as much as the Half Dome, they are not as durable and will not last as long.
The Black Diamond Half Dome is comfortable, durable, and an excellent value at $60. It scored very similarly to the Petzl Elios, in our tests but costs $5 less. We think that either one of these helmets are excellent options in the hardshell category. The main drawback to either of these helmets is the extra weight compared to lightweight foam helmets, but they are both cheaper and more durable.
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Still confused? Ok then. Let’s see what the real user says about The Black Diamond Half Dome on Amazon. We wish the following pictures will help you to take decision that you are going to buy or not.
