Rocket Science Helmet Review

If you always wanted to be a Rocket Scientist but all of you friends and people who know you claim that to be an impossible dream, then you can finally have the last laugh. Motorcycle helmets may not be rocket science but if you were to consider some of the materials used, the testing and design that goes into building a quality helmet and the amount of aerodynamic research involved, it might be closer than you think. Combine a healthy dose of research and development with the rigorous safety standards that must be met to achieve SNELL and DOT certifications and you might just have a space age piece of equipment there on your head.

Shape and Venting

One look at the Joe Rocket Rocket Science Helmet and you can tell this thing was designed in a wind tunnel by someone smarter than most of us. The top is not perfectly rounded like many helmets but rather has two channels along the top that connect the front and rear vents. The front of the helmet is angular and almost comes to a point (slight exaggeration) at the chin vent. I don't claim to be a rocket scientist but I can tell you that simply from looking at this helmet, it "looks" like it would cut through the air with greatest of ease.

I can also tell you that my suspicions proved to be true under road conditions. This helmet cut the air nicely and did not induce any excessive head buffeting or issues of that nature at all. Whatever they did when they designed it, it worked.

This helmet employs what Joe Rocket calls a Quad-Port Venturi System. This is a fancy way of saying that it has 4 vents. Two intake vents reside up front while two exit vents exhaust out the rear. I found the vents to be very easy to operate, even with gloved hands and air flow was pretty decent. I live in Georgia so you know it's hot, really hot and air flow is critical to my enjoyment of a helmet. I found that when I had both vents open a decent amount of air enters just above your forehead and circulates down the front of your face. If you experience any visor fog then simply open up the RAM air chin bar vent and it's gone in a flash.

Joe Rocket Helmet Fit

This helmet was tight on my head, which a good helmet should be but it didn't quite fit me perfectly. For my head shape, it applied a bit of pressure on the center of my forehead that I did not like. I didn't have much time with the helmet and it was very tolerable, but noticeable. It would probably be a simply matter of tweaking the padding to get it to fit perfectly. A good helmet should be tight, but should not induce any pain of any kind. This helmet met that requirement easily.

The padding is thick and plush and is quite comfortable feeling on your face and I liked that the helmet liner snaps in and out very easily. The liner on the helmet will wick away a lot of sweat in the summertime so you know it can get kind of funky but being removable and washable is a must have feature.

Joe Rocket Visor

I liked the visor on the Joe Rocket helmet. The clarity was good and the eyehole was large enough that I felt very comfortable and could see nicely out of the helmet. The visor is claimed to be 95% UV resistant and the tinting on it was a nice feature. I found it to be dark enough to cut the glare but it didn't obstruct my vision in any way. The visor also features a nice locking mechanism that allows you to lock it in place.

If you are not a fan of the darker visor then you can change it out very quickly. It's one of the easiest changes I have seen. You simply open the visor, push the quick release and the visor comes right off. Re-installation takes a small amount of alignment but a child of 5 could figure it out in just a minute. No tools are necessary to swap visors out.

Joe Rocket Graphics

The visual appeal of any particular helmet is always very subjective from user to user but I like the design of the Rocket Science helmet. It features a 'Mad Scientist' claring at you from the rear of the helmet and it reminded me of that little evil big headed guy that chases Bugs Bunny in the cartoons. Streaks of red clawed on top of the matte finish also add pizzaz.

The quality of the finish and the graphics was first rate and they were coated with a thick layer of UV protection so it should last quite some time. We didn't road test the helmet long enough to measure any long term ill effects of the finish but like most Joe Rocket products, I would expect it to be of good quality.

Joe Rocket Rocket Science Summary

Overall I have to say I am fan of the Joe Rocket Rocket Science Helmet. It offers a solid combination of features that include solid construction, sweet graphics, and excellent ventilation in a comfortable fit. It didn't excel in any one category but it also did not appear to have any weaknesses either and featuring SNELL and DOT certs, you know it's a good solid choice in motorcycle helmets.

Joe Rocket has not been building helmets very long but I am already a fan. I wear a Joe Rocket Carbon helmet often and love it. The construction, fit and finish of this helmet is similar so I would expect that it would be as durable and as good of a helmet over the long haul.

MSRP is about $270 dollars give or take depending on size but you can find a much better deal below. Sizes are available from XS all the way through XXL so you should be able to find one in your size quite easily.