Team Tested: Lazer Oasiz and Ultrax Helmets
Despite the futuristic name, Lazer has been making helmets since 1919, a time when the great ‘wheel debate’ focused not on 26″ or 27.5″, but whether to put air in tyres or not! The Belgian company now sells helmets to over 50 countries and has now expressed an interest in the trail and enduro sector. You can now spend easily in excess of £150 for a helmet, but Lazer has produced two nice looking helmets for considerably less, and have integrated some neat features. We have been testing the £69.99 Ultrax and £99.99 Oasiz for the last 2 months to see how they perform!
Lazer Ultrax £69.99
The Lazer Ultrax is a well priced helmet at £69.99, and is aimed more as an all-round helmet for enduro, trail and commuting. The helmet has a quality finish that belies its cheap price, and the in-mould construction offers good venting with sufficient coverage and keeps the weight down to a competitive 290g. Now, when it comes to helmets fit is everything, if is not immediately comfortable then it is not the helmet for you, but for us the Ultrax was excellent. A neat feature is the Autofit retention system, simply pull back the rear basket, pop the helmet on and it smoothly retracts to a snug fit. Even on hot, long rides the automatic system was spot on and provided security without being too tight. After 2 months of daily use the system still functions perfectly, and looking at the design it looks like it will continue to do so, it really is fit and forget
We used this helmet mainly through the end of winter and so the venting could not be tested to the max, but with 23 large vents we have no doubt that it will be cool! The vents give the helmet an airy feel, and the brow and head padding is well channeled to allow the air to flow up though the helmet. The visor is non removable but can be adjusted with a ratchet system up and down to tailor the fit, and it fits OK with most goggles we tried if you want to run the euro look!
When we first turned the helmet round we were surprised to see an integrated light. This was dismissed as a bit of a gimmick initially but over time proved to be really useful. The light can be charged via USB, and on more than a few occasions when the play carried on too long, it was awesome to flick the light on on the road ride home from the trails. This soon became a go-to lid for night riding. This would be ideal for those who use their bike for road miles to and from the trails!
The Ultrax has good coverage at the back, not quite up there with full on enduro lids like the Oasiz, but more than most XC offerings. The straps were all comfortable and the standard buckle was easy to adjust for a comfortable fit around the ears and chin!
Bottom Line
The Ultrax is an excellent helmet for the price, the quality of the finish is high and it comes complete with some innovative features. We were initially skeptical about the lack of manual adjustability, but that proved unfounded as Lazer have set the Autofit tension just right! The integrated rear light is perfect for anyone who spends time commuting to and from the trails and was very useful during the winter. We would like to see more coverage at the rear for tougher enduro applications, but for an all-round helmet it is entirely sufficient. Priced at £69.99 it is quite a bargain, if it fits it is well worth a try on!
Lazer Oasiz £99.99
If the Ultrax is Lazer’s all-round offering, the Oasiz is aimed directly at the enduro/trail sector, offering extensive rear coverage of the head for maximum protection. Again the helmet uses an in-mould construction and the level of finish and quality of the fittings is confidence inspiring. The Oasiz uses a Rollsys retention system, where the helmet is adjusted to fit by turning a dial at the top. This went down really well with female testers, as the adjuster was less likely to get caught up with pony tails and long hair. Again Lazer has the retention system well worked out as, when snugged down, there was a very even tension right around the head, not just at the back like some helmets. It proved very comfortable on long rides
The Oasiz has fewer vents than the Ultrax, going for maximum coverage, but still provides a cool ride with good scoops at the front and large exit vents at the back. The chin strap has a magnetic buckle helping it to snug home when you have cold hands or in gloves, but we found this a little annoying as it can prove fiddly if it miss-aligns, however as it is a process that only happens once or twice a ride, it was no problem. Once fitted it was very secure.
The main selling feature of this helmet is the integrated GoPro and light mount on the spoiler (removable and interchangeable), perfect if you like videoing your mates or do a lot of night riding. I am not sure how the fixed mount will fare under new GoPro BC racing rules, but when tested it was very easy to get the camera in a secure and effective position and great for videoing the action.
Head coverage was excellent and the helmet feels safe and enclosing, covering far down the back of the head. We had no worries charging down harder tree lined terrain and the peak and brow worked well with goggles.
Bottom Line
At £100 this helmet has some strong competition, but is certainly worthy of a fitting. With good coverage, great fit and aggressive styling it would be well suited to enduro racing and general trail riding, and the Rollsys retention system has worked flawlessly so far. We were not entirely convinced with the neon Camo colour scheme, but that is down to personal choice and the helmet is available in other colours. If you do a lot of videoing with a GoPro you will love the integrated mounts. This is a great helmet for getting gnarly in!
For more information check out the Lazer website.
Words and Photos: Trev Worsey