Any experience with 3D printed helmets?

My cranium is large. I assume it exceeds 6-sigma :neutral_face:. While I make do with XL helmets (typically Giro brand) I am curious about 3D printer helmets. The high price is not a concern to me.

I know there are a few manufacturers out there, including kavsports.com and hexr.com. The former is California based, the latter one is based in the UK. Not sure if Hexr ships to the US.
Does anyone have any real-life experience with them ? Looking for feedback on both the buying process as well as (long-term) usage.

Saw some other threads about 3D-printed helmets, but none talked about real-life experience.

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I have a Gen 2 Black Kaze from KAV. It took a while to get, but it’s a very good helmet.
I ordered their new custom Color Nova the day it was released on April 2nd. 76 days later they haven’t even starting printing it. They said they didn’t have my measurements, but never reached out to me asking me to send them in (which i would have told them to use the fit they have on file from the first helmet I got from them. They did sort of acknowledge the mistake and gave me a whole $30 refund and a pinky swear that it would be ready in 4-6 weeks. So after I’m long gone for Leadville.

No doubt they have HUGE demand and by the look of it are prioritizing pros and influencers. Day 1 order from a return customer? Why bother being proactive when the printers are going 24/7? Return customers are highly overrated.

Bottom line. Great helmet, but DO NOT expect it in less than a month and a half unless you’re a pro or influencer.

Thanks for the feedback!
How was the fitting process, sending you a mock-up, soliciting feedback, etc?

Also, does it allow any adjustments to account for different caps a rider might wear across seasons?

I got sized by KAV before they had their app. You do the sizing, (now via app) they print a head form (a replica of the inside portion) send it to you and you add/remove spacers as needed, while wearing whatever you normally wear under your helmet. For me that’s a Halo headband or cycling cap. you tell them what spacers you put where, then you wait and wait and wait and wait for your helmet to be printed and sent to you.

Even my first one took a long time, but that was due to an issue with the printing polymer. When the company making the polymer scaled up, for bigger quantities, the properties changed and set all orders back like 2-3 months.

So yeah, great helmet, but not the sort of thing you order if you need it in say less than 4 months. It’s kind of in the same window as a custom frame. Some back and forth, then you get in a que and wait.

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