Kiss Helmet - Bad Reputation?

[Marc K 1]

True or False?

I've heard a couple of times from experienced skydivers the stereotype that people with Kiss helmets are known to be inexperienced haha.

First I thought it was just a joke, but having thought about it I don't know any experienced skydivers who wear Kiss helmets lol.

Obviously a helmet does not determine how someone flies but I just wondered if that cliché is true among skydivers in general.

Cheers, Marc:)

(Yes, I have a Kiss helmet haha)

Edited November 9, 2021 by Marc K

[wmw999 2,116]

I have a Kiss; I also have a couple thousand jumps and almost 50 years in the sport. Wear what fits your head the best — the best all-around fit is the most protective. 
I know experienced jumpers who wear Pro-tecs, too. 
Wendy P. 

[BIGUN 1,049]

1 hour ago, Marc K said:

True or False?

42

[gowlerk 1,902]

5 hours ago, Marc K said:

I've heard a couple of times from experienced skydivers the stereotype that people with Kiss helmets are known to be inexperienced haha.

Generally the somewhat better value products are purchased either by younger newer jumpers, or older experienced people who understand the value of a dollar. The friends you heard from may be people who are a little full of themselves. Something that is very common in the sport. Pay no attention to what people say and instead watch what they do.

[the.Legend 53]

I think it just comes down to marketing in a sense that simply a sheer number of cookies all over DZs make you forget there are alternatives. Furthermore, you'd find G3s in stock in every shop out there, while Kisses often come on backorder (at least where I am from)

From design perspective both are good helmets with their pros and cons.

First time hearing something about particular full-face model having to do with experience. Usually it's about whole category altogether i.e. students don't jump full-faces for a reason.

[billvon 2,380]

22 hours ago, Marc K said:

True or False?

I've heard a couple of times from experienced skydivers the stereotype that people with Kiss helmets are known to be inexperienced haha.

I have no idea how that demographic plays out and I don't really care.  I liked the KISS design (and I knew Tony pretty well) but couldn't find one that fit me well, so I went with a Bonehead Aero.  But I still use my old Paratec Freezr for tunnel flying.  I like em both.

Find one that:
-fits well
-blocks enough air
-doesn't block so much air that you fog up or find it hard to breathe in the plane
-has some impact protection
-has a good field of view
-doesn't have any snag hazards
-is easy to open/remove

If it does all those things it's a good helmet, even if it's not popular.

 

[faulknerwn 36]

On 11/9/2021 at 2:01 PM, Marc K said:

True or False?

I've heard a couple of times from experienced skydivers the stereotype that people with Kiss helmets are known to be inexperienced haha.

First I thought it was just a joke, but having thought about it I don't know any experienced skydivers who wear Kiss helmets lol.

Obviously a helmet does not determine how someone flies but I just wondered if that cliché is true among skydivers in general.

Cheers, Marc:)

(Yes, I have a Kiss helmet haha)

My dz has both a bunch of KISS and a bunch of Cookies to try on - from what I have seen it is very much head shape - Cookies fit me better because the Kisses were way too tight on the face.  Other people the Kisses fit way better than the Cookies..

[Unstable 8]

12 hours ago, faulknerwn said:

My dz has both a bunch of KISS and a bunch of Cookies to try on - from what I have seen it is very much head shape - Cookies fit me better because the Kisses were way too tight on the face.  Other people the Kisses fit way better than the Cookies..

Agree with this Statement. My noggin fits the Cookie G4 and the Kiss helmet wonderfully, but the G3 was never very comfortable even with my hundreds of jumps with one. Different fits! I suggest OP try them all on and see what feels best. 

[councilman24 36]

On 11/9/2021 at 4:23 PM, wmw999 said:

I know experienced jumpers who wear Pro-tecs, too. 
Wendy P. 

I resemble that remark.  I finally found a full face that fit my head, a Phantom X (kiss predecessor).  But I HATE jumping in a full face helmet.

[gowlerk 1,902]

7 hours ago, councilman24 said:

I resemble that remark.  I finally found a full face that fit my head, a Phantom X (kiss predecessor).  But I HATE jumping in a full face helmet.

I have never once jumped with a full face helmet. I prefer to jump outdoors. I do use a modern open face hard shell after years of frappe hat.+

[Jumpingeezer 4]

I recently bought a Kiss as my first full face helmet after 30 years of using a ProTec. It took a bit of getting used to but it does work well. The Kiss is sized a bit small, so I would recommend getting a size larger than you are used to using. I really like the latching mechanism that doesn't require a chin strap, but I find that the visor latch is a bit  hard to use. That one small issue is my only real complaint about the design. The flow through air design does truly keep the visor virtually fog free.

[wmw999 2,116]

I think that's very head-shape-specific; I needed an XL Oxygn, but am comfortable using a medium Kiss. I have small fingers, and therefore find the visor latch a little easier, but the need to synchronize my fingers can be a challenge sometimes

Wendy P.

[dudeman17 267]

On 11/22/2021 at 4:58 AM, gowlerk said:

I have never once jumped with a full face helmet. I prefer to jump outdoors. I do use a modern open face hard shell after years of frappe hat.+

Ditto that. I can not imagine skydiving and not wanting the wind in my face.

[hhh 0]

I started skydiving about three years ago. At first I bought open face helmet since it was cheaper, but quite soon I also bought Kiss. I do not have experience of other full-face helmets.

Kiss fits my head very well. I like the design, it's light and I like the exposed audible pockets. After wearing Kiss for a while, though, I learned few down sides.

The vizor mechanism is not very good or strong. First time wearing the helmet the vizor was not locked properly and it was torn of by wind while I was spotting. Later I learned that this is known feature with Kiss. Nowadays when I go to wind tunnel the instructors always test my vizor mechanism. I've learned to live this one, though, and it has always stayed closed during freefall. Sometimes I also accidentally close the vizor during landing (especially swooping). It is not very pleasant surprise.

It is quite hard to mount a camera to Kiss. I guess it is hard with all full-face helmets, but I think that the shape of the helmet and the vizor makes it more difficult compared to Cookie G*, for example. Chin mounts work, but those have their own issues.

Finally, if you want to protect your head you could as well wear a plastic bucket. I suffered quite a bad injury recently, and God I was happy to wear my Cookie M3 instead of Kiss. I hit my head hard and I think that the extra layer of impact-absorbing material saved from a real brain injury.

So, if I had to buy a new helmet, being more experienced (still not really experienced) skydiver I would by Kiss. I think I'm going to by some helmet to replace the M3 that took a hit, but Kiss can stay in tunnel use.

[danornan 64]

Buy what fits you.  For the most part, the helmet is for protection and most will give you about the same for normal bumps and minor hits.  For me, the best fit, when it was time for a new replacement was with a Z-1.  That helmet offers me great visibility, it's quiet and very simple to operate. 

 

[hhh 0]

On 9/17/2022 at 2:51 PM, hhh said:

So, if I had to buy a new helmet, being more experienced (still not really experienced) skydiver I would by Kiss.

Lol, just read my own post after a while again and realized a terrible typo here. What I meant to write was "I would not buy Kiss". Sry.

[wmw999 2,116]

I’ve replaced the visor and mechanism on my helmet, and added a measure of peace of mind on its staying closed by adding a small Velcro closure to the center front. 

Wendy P.