American football is one of the most popular sports in the USA. The league that runs this sport is called NFL, and they make billions every year due to its popularity and reach across the nation. It is also a very physical sport that requires quality safety equipment.
The sport’s extensive reach allows multiple businesses and firms related to or affiliated with this sport to survive and further thrive in the football ecosystem. These brands have stores all over the country offering their football-based products.
About the brand:
Riddle Speedflex is a brand that manufactures and sells a wide range of football products in online stores and offline market chains. When they were branching out, they were the most anticipated football helmet brands of all time, and the positive thing is that they have been able to match the hype with their quality products.
Pros:
- The brand offers a new-age technology in the field of football helmets that helps in reducing the impact of a hit on the head of the player.
- The helmets are provided in numerous colors and mattes so that the customer has plenty of options; the custom color option is also there for those looking for something different. Helmets of all the 32 teams playing in the NFL are available.
- Inflatable jaw pads provide extra protection on the front side of the helmets.
Cons:
- The inflatable pads need to be taken care of with extra precautions.
- The pricing might be considered a bit too high for some of the products.
- The chin strap is a bit sticky and could take some time to get used to.
Overall:
The brand is a pioneer in the field of modern football helmets. It is constantly moving forwards in order to provide a safer on-field experience for the players. The brand’s goal is to change how one looks at football helmets.
Based out of the USA, the brand distinguishes itself from other similar brands. Typically, helmets have continuously been seen as safety equipment that would somewhat lessen the impact of a hit and maybe protect the players from visible injuries. Still, with the arrival of Riddle Speedflex helmets, all of this changed as the PISP (Patented Impact Side Protection) came to the fore to safeguard the players from long-term internal injuries as well.
Safety features:
The brand offers a multitude of rich safety features, and some of the pronounced ones are mentioned below;
- PISP – It helps in reducing the impact of one of the most dangerous hits, that is, side hits. Often a player cannot see the other player coming from the side as the peripheral vision is reduced to some extent because of the helmet.
- Flex system – This system is based on the expertise of flexing engineering that is instilled in the helmets in the components such as the shell, face mask, and clip to reduce the impact and its effects.
Adjustability and comfortability of the helmets:
Another main reason why the brand has been able to develop as well as it is because it has made sure to balance safety and the comfortability of the players, thus making it a top choice. Some of the best features in the said regard are as follows;
- Composite Energy Management – This feature keeps the padding inside the helmet strategically placed during high-intensity runs, games, or even practices.
- Inflatable liner and pad – It helps in providing a perfect fit for the jaws and the head overall.
- Ratchet-Loc – This type of retention system aids in easily adjusting the chinstraps on the go.
- Flexible Liner design – This feature is developed to provide better stability and comfort for players with different shapes.
- All-point detaching – This feature makes it easier for the facemasks to be attached and detached easily.
Additional advantages offered by the brand:
The brand makes sure that in addition to the preexisting features and great qualities, its attention to great detailing makes it all that much better. Some of the better inclusions in this category include:
- HS4 masks – The high-strength stainless steel marks help form a unique and great design, making it thinner and lighter than conventional masks.
- The Removable moisture-resistant liner cover.
- Unattached facemasks are also available at an additional charge.
Facemasks, chinstraps, visors:
Three of the better installments on the brand’s helmets are as follows;
- Facemasks – The range provided by the brand is extensive, and they come with a complimentary installment once bought.
- Chinstraps – The chin straps are amazingly adjustable and can be loosened and tightened without much hassle.
- Visor – The visors are upgradeable to suit the style and choice of the player. The visor clips are also present.
Specifications presented by the brand:
The distinctive styling makes the brand what it is. Better the specifications, better the brand. The helmet manufactured by the brand weighed around 3.45 lbs, and the shell was made with polycarbonate that can absorb the impact. Also, the polycarbonate is higher in strength and weight, quite less than its weight-to-volume ratio.
The foam padding on the interior of the helmets serves as a cushion, prevents the players from hard hits, and aids the helmet in adjusting well with the head of the player. The inflatable pads make the vacuoles inside the pad much more absorbent and eventually help ease up the gameplay for the player in multiple ways. Unsurprisingly the brand has got a VT helmet rating of 5 stars.
The helmets are built with front and back bumpers that protect both the front and the rear side of the head. Also, the helmets are available in multiple sizes, namely, small, medium, large, and extra large, to fit players with different head sizes.
The quality testing of the brand:
The brand has made not only the customers choose it over its competitors, but the critics have also spoken their minds vehemently through their great reviews, as mentioned earlier, with the VT helmet rating of 5 stars. In addition, the brand’s helmets also ranked first in Virginia Tech Helmet Ratings, released in October 2014. It also became the first helmet to score under 0.2 in STAR value.
Some cautious approaches to be kept in mind:
The high-tech and multiple accessories used in the brand make it important to keep in mind several things in order to keep the product in the best shape so that it can last long. As important as the inflatable pads are to the safety of the head, it is also necessary to maintain the pads in the proper form. All the inflatable pads offered by the brand must be inflated with the Riddle Football Inflator Pump, and then glycerin is used to lubricate the inflation needle adequately.
Also, one must be aware that the best way to inflate the pad is by using the needle offered by the brand, specifically designed for this purpose only. If one ensues to use any other brand needle or pump to inflate the pads, then the damage would not be covered, nor the brand replaces the product under its policies.
Final words:
The brand has brought a new wave of amazing helmets to protect the player playing at any given position on the football field, be it the quarterback, linebacker, tight end, wide receiver, or defensive back. Irrespective of the size of the head and the impact of the hit, the helmets provided by the brand do their best to be the best in their class, and its great rating and quality standard are an indicator of how well the helmets do their job.
