REVIEW: MILITECH FAST High Cut Ballistic Aramid

Helmets are a serious matter, at least when things get serious. The bowl protects your head. In plain language: it gives the skull a hard layer that prevents anything from passing through your head that is not a thought and can knock you out.

But helmets are also fashion, and with the global success of OpsCore helmets and the popularity of High-Cut FAST helmets, many people want to wear such "bowls". With lights, Comtacs, and cameras, just like the real ones. In a global economy, what is produced elsewhere is imitated elsewhere. The MILITECH FAST High Cut Ballistic Aramid comes from a factory in China.

The essential part of the helmet is the shell. The OpsCore fulfills two criteria that make it so expensive (over $1,000): it is very hard and very thin. This means it has very good ballistic properties, deflects a lot, but is still easy to wear. This is what you pay for. The MILITECH helmet is NIJ IIIA certified, meaning it should withstand 9mm. The surface is slightly different from the OpsCore, more textured, with a matte (black) color.

In terms of thickness, it is slightly thicker than a real FAST helmet, slightly heavier, offers less protection, but is $1,000 cheaper. But it is a professional ballistic helmet from a Chinese factory that produces helmets.

Characteristic of this helmet variant are the rails that turn the helmet into a system platform. Everything that helps goes up here: lights, ear protection, camera...

The hardware for screwing is excellent. Everything is also very cleanly processed. But it's not just about the external values...

...but on the internals or the functionality. Here, the active hearing protection from Earmor - HERE in the review - is mounted. Fits perfectly.

And this is the attempt to mount Peltors or MSA. It's interesting that the real sets don't fit.

The same goes for the light: the real light doesn't fit on the rail. But the Airsoft clone does. The solution to the puzzle: MILITECH uses rails with tolerances for Airsoft helmets, which they probably also produce or purchase. So, if you want to make the passable shell suitable for use, replace the wrong rails with the real OpsCore ones.

Velcro is half the life. From the back...

...to the front, everything is well glued and also innovatively shaped. This gives the helmet a dynamic look. Bungees for securing a night vision device are also there.

If you don't need them, you can hang the bungees in the shroud. It is made of solid aluminum and fully matches the original in functionality.

We've already talked about the internal values. Here, we are particularly curious because the usual rule was that with Chinese helmets, if you really want to use them, you should replace the internals with a real one.

You can measure how much China has learned from this sticker. The production date and batch are documented. If it's not an imitation of the Western original, it's understandable quality management (and the realization that you can only sell if you have quality).

Looking ahead. The forehead leather is very well made.

The size in the helmet is adjusted with pads that are attached with Velcro.

SPARTANAT is the online magazine for Military News, Tactical Life, Gear & Reviews.
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