Night Vision Helmets! Helmets everywhere! Which is best for NODs?

[jwhjwh54]

Not sure where to search but thought this thread maybe ok.

I got a cheaper dovetail bridge to see if I wanted to go all in on a helmet set up. Is it typical for a dovetail mount to able to be pulled off easily. It seems to easy for me to remove the thermal from the bridge. Id like it to be more snug and not slide off so easy. Is it possible to tighten or will buying a real wilcox or KAC dovetail bridge solve this problem.

 

[WhereNow&How]

I got a cheaper dovetail bridge to see if I wanted to go all in on a helmet set up. Is it typical for a dovetail mount to able to be pulled off easily.

First things first.

Does it pull off without hitting the release button on the female dovetail mount you have attached to your helmet?

What kind of mount do you have, Wilcox G24, Rhino 2 Dovetail etc etc.?

No bridge should pull off unless you hit the release button of the mount.

 

[jwhjwh54]

First things first.

Does it pull off without hitting the release button on the female dovetail mount you have attached to your helmet?

What kind of mount do you have, Wilcox G24, Rhino 2 Dovetail etc etc.?

No bridge should pull off unless you hit the release button of the mount.

Sorry I meant the male dovetail on the rl25 thermal into the female bridge . I can just pull the thermal off the bridge without pressing anything

It’s a BS eBay dual dovetail bridge so I’m guessing it’s just a POS but wasn’t sure if it was part of the design to remove like that or just a cheap copy. Before I spent money on a real one I want to make sure it wasn’t some sort of breakaway feature of a dovetail mount

I got 15 hogs last night and the helmet made it much easier so gonna go ahead and get the legit stuff now that I know it’s worth it

 

[WhereNow&How]

So it appears what you are saying is the Female Dovetail Socket of your fake Wilcox bridge is not latching up and locking the Male dovetail on your RH 25.

Sum Ting Wong strikes again.

I would first just look closely at the latching mechanism on the fake Wilcox bridge. Could be as simple of a fix as a little bit of filing or dremel tool work on the latching part on the fake Wilcox bridge. Typically the latching lip might be too thick such that it is barely not latching down on the male dovetail.

Filing, dremel tooling and electrical tape shiming are quite often the fix even on some of the genuine Tier 1 stuff.

Assess, improvise, adapt & overcome.

 

[jwhjwh54]

So it appears what you are saying is the Female Dovetail Socket of your fake Wilcox bridge is not latching up and locking the Male dovetail on your RH 25.

Sum Ting Wong strikes again.

I would first just look closely at the latching mechanism on the fake Wilcox bridge. Could be as simple of a fix as a little bit of filing or dremel tool work on the latching part on the fake Wilcox bridge. Typically the latching lip might be too thick such that it is barely not latching down on the male dovetail.

Filing, dremel tooling and electrical tape shiming are quite often the fix even on some of the genuine Tier 1 stuff.

Assess, improvise, adapt & overcome.

Ho Lee fuk fixed it with some tacticool filing

Thanks!

 

[Asolo]

Ordered another black multicam last night and the code “thanks15” still works for 15% off the now $600 helmet from BPZ. The total price shipped was $510. I have one from when this thread was first started and got it for $380 shipped. Has anyone had any experience with a rash of junk mail when ordering from BPZ? Seems I get a real increase of spam both times I ordered from them .

I’ll follow up with this post: I received my helmet from BulletProofZone in a relatively timely manner last Saturday with just a small sheet of bubble wrap barely loosely covering it, a packet of Velcro stickers for attachmeant to the outside but no pads to install like my old helmet. I contacted their customer support that day ( Saturday) and received an automated reply that they would get back to me during normal business hours Which is M-F. Today is Wednesday and I have received no response even after a follow-up email on Tuesday. I hope BPZ will come through for me.

On another note, the new helmet does seem better. The shroud seems tighter when attaching my G24, the arc rails are in spec and fit my charge pro mpls, and Unity tactical mark 2.0 perfectly.

 

[Steve_In_29]

I’ll follow up with this post: I received my helmet from BulletProofZone in a relatively timely manner last Saturday with just a small sheet of bubble wrap barely loosely covering it, a packet of Velcro stickers for attachmeant to the outside but no pads to install like my old helmet. I contacted their customer support that day ( Saturday) and received an automated reply that they would get back to me during normal business hours Which is M-F. Today is Wednesday and I have received no response even after a follow-up email on Tuesday. I hope BPZ will come through for me.

On another note, the new helmet does seem better. The shroud seems tighter when attaching my G24, the arc rails are in spec and fit my charge pro mpls, and Unity tactical mark 2.0 perfectly.

Any update?

 

[Asolo]

Any update?

Yes. The person I was communicating with stated that the pads would come in a few days. I waited 2 weeks and finally decided to return the helmet. BPZ was good about getting my a paid return shipping label. I returned it and heard nothing. I followed up and they couldn’t find it in their warehouse. BPZ searched for it for 3 weeks or so and there were a few emails back and forth. FINALLY they found it and it took another 10 days to receive a refund.

i originally ordered the helmet on 1/27 or so and got my refund somewhere around 3/25.

All in all it was a total cluster-fuck. i do have to say, Mary from BPZ, was very courteous and got back to me when I emailed in a timely manner. I won’t bad mouth BPZ but ordering from them gives me pause- I think it was a one-off experience.

 

[Charger442]

i bought my helmet a couple of years ago, never have used it, just stashed it back in its packaging and may use it as a loaner helmet hunting with some friends. i have an opscore fast as my main helmet with NVG.

 

[Keel Haul]

Reviving this for some supplemental info.

I find that the unity 2.0 mounts I’m using no longer seal properly like they did when I first installed them. Tried to bend them and it didn’t help. I have the MC dipped rails and didn’t get the second set of tans that were in spec like others did.

What prompted this is I’m thinking of getting on the bandwagon of amp arms for my comtacs so I’ll need to replace the rails, either with PGD factory units that are allegedly in spec now or the DLP tactical units mentioned previously that fit. Both are around 40 bucks so I think it’ll come down to who can get them to me in a timely fashion. Whichever unit I go with will be in either OD or foliage and I’ll hit it with some krylon in an effort to copy the dipped MC rails.

For those with amp arms, is it a right or loose fit in the previous generation rails? If it’s tight I don’t mind some thumping with a mallet but if it’s too loose then there is no point in saving a buck and using the dipped rails.

 

[PETRAS]

Reviving this for some supplemental info.

I find that the unity 2.0 mounts I’m using no longer seal properly like they did when I first installed them. Tried to bend them and it didn’t help. I have the MC dipped rails and didn’t get the second set of tans that were in spec like others did.

What prompted this is I’m thinking of getting on the bandwagon of amp arms for my comtacs so I’ll need to replace the rails, either with PGD factory units that are allegedly in spec now or the DLP tactical units mentioned previously that fit. Both are around 40 bucks so I think it’ll come down to who can get them to me in a timely fashion. Whichever unit I go with will be in either OD or foliage and I’ll hit it with some krylon in an effort to copy the dipped MC rails.

For those with amp arms, is it a right or loose fit in the previous generation rails? If it’s tight I don’t mind some thumping with a mallet but if it’s too loose then there is no point in saving a buck and using the dipped rails.

Either you replace the rails or modify/file down the peltor adapters to use them with the original rails which I did and seal very good.
I tested the amp arms with the PGD and the are nice too, It is another solution to have in mind.

 

[Keel Haul]

Thanks for the info. I think I’ll Take the chance and order the arms and the rac link kit and if the rails aren’t cooperating I’ll swap them out.

 

[Triton225]

Has anyone tried just running thier comtacs on the headset under the helmet. I understand you have to pull some pads and play with it a bit, but is comfortable. Benefit being can easily use headset without helmet, con would be not popping them open with helmet on.

 

[Keel Haul]

I’ve considered running the comtacs underneath and if the amp arms are a no go for my rails or the rails I get to replace the dipped factory ones, that’s what I’ll end up doing.

 

[Aries144]

Do the 3M head mounts have the same issue with losing tension as the Unity mounts do?

I hate running a headset under a helmet. Always makes hot spots, no matter what I do with the pads or how I move the headset around. I assume that's why helmet mounts were invented.

Amp arms are super comfy. The only complaint I ever hear about them is breaking when running into stuff.

 

[tam4511]

Either you replace the rails or modify/file down the peltor adapters to use them with the original rails which I did and seal very good.
I tested the amp arms with the PGD and the are nice too, It is another solution to have in mind.

How hard is it to fit ops core rails vs modifying the peltor adapters?

 

[tam4511]

Either you replace the rails or modify/file down the peltor adapters to use them with the original rails which I did and seal very good.
I tested the amp arms with the PGD and the are nice too, It is another solution to have in mind.

How hard is it to fit ops core rails vs modifying the Peltor adapters? Also, which rails fit best? Fast? Martine? Etc.

EDIT: I just ordered the updated PGD rails. For the price of the airsoft rails ($52 usd shipped), they are at least designed for real use and wont need any modification (or minimal to adapt to my old style helmet)

Reviving this for some supplemental info.

I find that the unity 2.0 mounts I’m using no longer seal properly like they did when I first installed them. Tried to bend them and it didn’t help. I have the MC dipped rails and didn’t get the second set of tans that were in spec like others did.

What prompted this is I’m thinking of getting on the bandwagon of amp arms for my comtacs so I’ll need to replace the rails, either with PGD factory units that are allegedly in spec now or the DLP tactical units mentioned previously that fit. Both are around 40 bucks so I think it’ll come down to who can get them to me in a timely fashion. Whichever unit I go with will be in either OD or foliage and I’ll hit it with some krylon in an effort to copy the dipped MC rails.

For those with amp arms, is it a right or loose fit in the previous generation rails? If it’s tight I don’t mind some thumping with a mallet but if it’s too loose then there is no point in saving a buck and using the dipped rails.

I had to file down the rail adapters on my amp arms to fit my pgd rails. They are VERY tight.
Im moving away from my amp arms if you want to try them. Will come with Axl comtac adapters and TW rail adapters as well

 

[Keel Haul]

So I must have been one of the lucky ones with my multicam dipped rails. I swapped the unity ear pro mounts with a set of amp arms and axl adapters for the comtac 3’s and while the rail was tight, I just needed to thump the amps arms once or twice with a small mallet and it went right on. No filing or sanding required. Glad I didn’t need to modify anything and I’m pretty happy with the set up.

 

[Triton225]

Has anyone used a wilcox g69 on this helmet insted of making use of the shroud it comes with?
Also, run comtecs on the headband under the helmet insted of on the rails?

 

[Dogtown]

Also, run comtecs on the headband under the helmet insted of on the rails?

I ran Comtacs down range in the GWOT with the band under the helmet. It becomes unbearable after a while if you just wear it as is, but if you re-arrange the pads to make a channel for the headband, then it's a non-issue. The helmet mounted route is just so much more convenient because you can slide them on/off without having to deal with the chin strap overlay (especially annoying with a mic).

 

[shootrj2003]

I’ll get one,it’ll look awsome riding my sportster

 

[Triton225]

Anyone know I'd the wilcox g69 will fit with no issues in place of factory shroud?

 

[TheHorta]

Anyone know I'd the wilcox g69 will fit with no issues in place of factory shroud?

Good question. I have a G69 that I haven’t taken out of the box since it arrived over a year ago. I’ll see if it lines up without modification.

 

[Triton225]

So denmark group got back with me and said it "should" work.
Is thier any disadvantage to using the g69 over the g24 with shroud?
Also thanks thehorta for checking to be sure.

 

[TheHorta]

So denmark group got back with me and said it "should" work.
Is thier any disadvantage to using the g69 over the g24 with shroud?
Also thanks thehorta for checking to be sure.

Only “disadvantage” is you can’t remove the mount, so you’ll have that proboscis sticking out while you’re not using NODs.

 

[rlsmith1]

Only “disadvantage” is you can’t remove the mount, so you’ll have that proboscis sticking out while you’re not using NODs.

I see no disadvantage...

 

[NevadaZielmeister]

Update... from post #609. My PDG helmet coves from DBR Custom Gear has shipped from Poland as promised in March. They are custom sewn to PDG helmet specs. I'll let you know how well they're made and how they fit.

Ok... received my PGD helmet covers from DBR Custom Gear. The stitching is great and as you can see from the pictures it actually fits this helmet.
He hand sews each one to the helmets specs so the waiting time is extreme but the price, after conversion, is the same or less than other companies who advertise an 80% fit.

My helmet is a large. As per DBR instructions I measured and the closest measurement was the size 1. It fits nearly perfect and I am pleased with the quality. Milo's Grabski, the owner, was great to work with and answered any of my correspondence in a timely and very friendly manner. Hope this helps.

Well I ordered from DBR Customs and when the item was lost in the mail between Poland and USA, he refused to refund me my money. I am out of pocket $100+ USD and am having to fight with PayPal to get my money back. You all have been warned.

 

[Bluedog82]

Are there any better “budget” ballistic helmets for the money these days?

 

[zeroz]

Well I ordered from DBR Customs and when the item was lost in the mail between Poland and USA, he refused to refund me my money. I am out of pocket $100+ USD and am having to fight with PayPal to get my money back. You all have been warned.

No shipping insurance?

 

[cypriss32]

Thank you sir. Ordered one tonight!

 

[Magsz18]

Are there any better “budget” ballistic helmets for the money these days?

Depends on what your budget is.

The Team Wendy Epic Specialist at 900ish dollars is a fantastic bargain considering the absurd price point of ops core ballistic helmets these days.

 

[mildot326]

Depends on what your budget is.

The Team Wendy Epic Specialist at 900ish dollars is a fantastic bargain considering the absurd price point of ops core ballistic helmets these days.

Roger that, BTW where is the place to get the "best bang for the buck?" Cheers

 

[Steve_In_29]

A bit of testing on the PGD helmet.