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Lazer Blade fails German testing


Summary: Two German magazines had Lazer's Blade model tested and discovered that the straps detached during the rolloff test.


Two German bike magazines (Mountainbike and RoadBIKE) reported in their April 2018 issues that their lab failed the European version of Lazer's Blade model, with straps pulling out of the shell during the rolloff (stability) test. Lazer has not publicly announced any response, or if the CPSC version sold in the US market is affected.

The Blade is a compact road model with Lazer's Advanced Rollsys System for its occipital stabilizer straps. Amazon has them on closeout from $50 to $100, and MSRP is $100, or $125 for the MIPS model. There is also a Magma version in extra-large that fits up to 65cm heads, but the two German magazines did not include it in their report.

For the rolloff test the helmet is strapped on a stationary headform, then a hook is placed under the front brim, attached to a cable that runs over pulleys above and down to a weight. The weight is lifted a calibrated distance and dropped, yanking the helmet at the front brim. The usual failure mode is if the helmet pulls back too far or actually "rolls off" the headform. Breaking straps during this test is unusual, particularly in a production model that has presumably been tested frequently by the manufacturer and normally would not be put on the market until it passed.

Lazer has not announced a recall, or if the CPSC model of the Blade and Magma are affected by the test failures.


Note: Lazer did announce the recall on October 1.