Caberg Vox motorcycle crash helmet review

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Caberg’s 5 star rated polycarbonate full face helmet with built-in sun visor

If you’re going to buy a new crash helmet, you might as well start by looking for a helmet that’s top-rated for safety, right? Well, the budget-priced Caberg Vox is five star SHARP rated for safety, is cheap to buy, has a drop down sun visor and is Pinlock-ready. All of which makes it a very attractive proposition. But what about the rest of it – how does it rate for usability, comfort, ventilation etc. etc. i.e. all the other stuff that makes a helmet easy to use and live with?

Overall/Summary

A comfortable, well ventilated and reasonably light polycarbonate helmet let down only by slight fogging issues and being quite noisy (though with ear plugs it’s fine). But it’s as safe as they come (SHARP 5 star rated for safety) and has some useful features such as the drop down sun visor and easy to use micrometric fastener and represents excellent value for money. Well worth considering.

SHARP 5 star rated for safety (maximum)
Polycarbonate shell
1.45Kg (light for a polycarbonate helmet)
Available in sizes XS-XL (53/4 – 61/2 cms)
Typically priced between £90-£130

Looking to buy this Caberg?

It's been discontinued for a while now, but you could still find it on Amazon UK the last time we checked. Please click the link and you'll drop straight onto their Caberg helmets pages (then use site search).

Safety

The Caberg Vox has been tested by SHARP and was awarded a maximum score of 5 stars. That means it should be as effective in an accident as pretty much any crash helmet on the market today (and miles better than the vast majority). It may be a polycarbonate (i.e. plastic shelled) crash helmet available at a low price but, as we’ve pointed out here and based on one of the most comprehensive motorcycle accident studies ever (Cost 327), in a survivable accident, the flex allowed by a polycarbonate helmet which absorbs the energy of an accident and allows the polystyrene liner seems to allow for better impact absorption than rock solid helmet shells.

Other stuff that impacts on safety include the shell sizes, strap and visors. You’ll see more information on the visors in the visor section below, however both the main clear visor and the drop down sun visor are both antiscratch (sun visors aren’t always antiscratch so that’s good). The main visor is a little prone to fogging straight out of the box, probably because of a lack of ventilation – though that can be resolved by fitting a Pinlock anti fog insert.

The strap is a micrometric locking mechanism – which are tried and tested and easy to use – so that’s good.

We’re not sure how many shell sizes the Vox is produced in as Caberg haven’t released the information. We’re assuming that means they probably use just one, maybe two shell sizes – which possibly isn’t ideal. However, overall, the Caberg Vox is probably as safe as they come.

Helmet Noise

Helmet noise suppression isn’t one of the Caberg Vox’s strong points. Most owners reckon it’s slightly below average in comparison to their previous helmets. As usual, if you wear ear plugs – which most of us do – the Vox is fine. But if having a quiet helmet is important for you, then you should probably avoid the Vox and check out our Quietest crash helmets section to find a quieter helmet.

Size

The Vox is available in sizes XS (about 53/54 cms) to XL (about 61/62cms).

Ventilation

The Vox has a chin vent that pushes air into the front of the helmet and towards the visor, as well as a pair of forehead vents to ventilate the crown of the head.

The chin vent is operated by a toggle underneath the chin guard (see picture below) rather than the outside of the helmet. It’s a bit fiddly to operate but it does open and close the vent effectively. However, this chin vent is a bit weedy – not letting in quite enough air – and owners reckon that, even though the main visor is treated with Caberg’s own anti-fog treatment, it’s s a bit prone to fogging; as is the sun visor. Obviously, fogging on the main visor can be sorted by buying a Pinlock antifog insert and the Vox visor is conveniently Pinlock-ready, though doesn’t come with one in the box.

Rear view of the Vox Rival in black. Red button is the chin vent switch.

The top vents are operated by little sliders at the top of the helmet – again a bit fiddly but OK once you get the hang of them – and allow air into channels within the helmet liner to ventilate the head and exit the helmet via exhaust vents at the rear.

Overall ventilation to the front could be better to help with demisting the visor, but overall owners say ventilation is good.

Visor

As mentioned above, both visors are anti-scratch, and apart from the tendency for both visors to fog up in cooler weather and when a Pinlock isn’t used (mentioned above), there aren’t any other worries.

The sun visor drops down by using the slider behind the visor pivot on the left hand side of the helmet and is pretty analogue, meaning you can have it fully up or down or any position in between, which can be really useful (not all allow that).

Once you’ve got the hang of it, both visors are reasonably easy to remove and you don’t need any tools to remove them. The main visor needs you to line up a couple of arrows on each side, before sliding a tab and moving the visor backwards. It’s not rocket science (once you know how!) but it’s more fiddly than many other helmet manufacturers who seem to have got the quick removal of visors nailed. It’s probably not a deal breaker though.

Comfort

Lots of positive comments about the comfort of the Caberg Vox. It doesn’t do anything particularly special – the lining’s removable and washable – and that’s about it. But many owners reckon it’s more comfortable than their previous helmets, so unless you’re used to particularly light and expensive helmets, we’d expect you to be happy with the Vox.

Looks & Graphics

There aren’t too many graphics to choose from in the Vox range (which may be a good or bad thing!). There’s the usual white or matt black, but unusually no gloss black. There’s the Rival in black/white and the Romantik (right) which is probably aimed at the more, erm, feminine rider (though don’t let that stop you chaps!). You may still be able to find a few more of the older graphics on other stores – such as the Daytona or the Freehand.

We’ve tried to put examples of the currently available graphics across the page – but visit our suggested store below to find out what’s available now.

Best place to buy this Caberg?

The last time we checked, you could still find this helmet at Amazon UK. Click the link to drop through to their Caberg Helmets page (then use search) - but make sure you only buy from the highest rated sellers. And if you order from there we get a small payment from Amazon at no extra cost to you - so thanks for that (it's how we cover the cost of the site).

Other stuff

The Caberg Vox is designed for use with the JustSpeak bluetooth kit. It comes with a removable breath guard and chin curtain in the box.

Crash Helmet Buying Guides & Top 10s

For (hopefully!) other useful information to help you when buying your next helmet, check our various Motorcycle Helmet Buying Guides - or have a look at our Top 10 best helmet lists where we've got the top 10 best rated helmets overall along with Top 10 Best Budget/Top 10 Safest/Top 10 Best Full Face/Top 10 Best Modular/Flip-up/ Top 10 Best Sportsbike/Track helmets.

Alternatives to the Vox

If you’re after a full face helmet in a similar price range to the Vox, there are a few worth looking at. Firstly, the MT Revenge is another SHARP 5 Star rated full face helmet. It’s about the same weight, price and specs as the Vox that offers equally outstanding value. A tad more expensive is the Scorpion Exo 410 Air. It’s ‘only’ four star rated but is recommended for comfort and ventilation. If you’re willing to spend a little more, you could get the AGV K3-SV – a SHARP 4 star helmet with sun visor that’s well rated and comes with a Pinlock antifog in the box.