All you need to know about the MT Blade 2 SV Review

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MT Blade 2 SV: Amazing value SHARP 4 star full face helmet.

Spanish helmet maker MT has been making some really great budget helmets recently. Their old Blade 1 was a good solid all-rounder and, according to MT’s UK distributor, was their top selling helmet.

So when we heard the MT Blade 2 SV was recently tested by the UK helmet testing bods at SHARP – and when we heard it scored a 4 star safety rating – we just had to check it out.

Ordinarily, a 4 star rating is reasonably big news. I mean, SHARP doesn’t test that many helmets and there’s relatively few score so highly.

But the thing about MT helmets is that you can usually bag one for under a ton which means you’re getting a lot of high-performing helmet for your money. Which is always nice.

MT-Blade-2-SV-Breeze-matt-grey-crash-helmet-side-view- — MT Blade 2 SV in Breeze graphics

So, read on to find out more about the MT Blade 2 SV (sun visor) and see if it’s worth spodging your wodge on.

Thermoplastic full face helmet
ECE & DOT certified
Integrated sun visor
Pinlock Max Vision antifog included
Two shell sizes
1.6 Kg (heavier than avg)
Micrometric fastener
Sizes XS-XXL
Expect to pay £90-£140

Best places to buy an MT Blade 2 SV?

Please click below to visit the MT Blade 2 SV helmets pages at our recommended stores. And if you buy from one, we get a small sum from the sale at no extra cost to you – a massive THANKS! (it’s how we finance the site).

Overall/Summary

If you’re after a low price full face helmet with proven safety credentials, then the MT Blade 2 SV is very much worth considering.

But it’s more than that. OK, it uses materials at the cheaper end of the market (thermoplastic), but you don’t half get a lot of bang for your buck!

MT-Blade-2-SV-model-89-black-yellow-rear-view- — Rear spoilers and contouring on the rear of the Blade 2 ’89’

An optically-correct visor with a Pinlock Max vision insert thrown in is great value even for a helmet three times the price. Not only that, the Blade 2 SV has a drop down sun visor which can be essential when the sun’s strong, and it’s is a great safety feature too.

All in all, MT has put together a superb value package that could work for commuters on a budget as well as serious touring guys looking for a proven protective all rounder helmet.

Well worth a look.

Safety

(more about helmet safety)

Like all helmets on sale in Europe, it’s ECE 2205 certified (and it’s DOT too for the US). But it’s that SHARP four star safety rating that’s really got us excited.

That means it offers good levels of impact protection – not excellent (you should probably opt for a 5 star rated helmet for that) but still, four stars is very good.

As you can see from the SHARP 8.5m/s test picture, it looks like it’s mostly dropped points for side impact protection. If a helmet’s going to drop points, we usually see that it’s from the side impact tests.

MT-Blade-2-SHARP-8.5ms-test-results — MT Blade 2 SV SHARP 8.5m/s impact test results: courtesy of sharp.dft.gov.uk

In addition, MT makes the Blade 2 SV in two shell sizes. More shell sizes usually equates to a more optimal fit and look, and the fact that MT creates this budget helmet in two shell sizes is actually pretty good.

OK, so the MT Blade 2 SV should give you decent impact protection – but what about everything else?

Well, second to the overall protection level is probably a good visor system.

MT don’t claim the Blade 2’s visor system is particularly wide (we like helmets with good peripheral vision) but it does come with a quality anti-fog solution in the form of a free Pinlock Max Vision insert. And on a low-cost helmet, that really is very generous and very welcome.

MT-Blade-2-SV-matt-black-motorbike-helmet-front-view- — Front on view of the matt black Blade 2

MT also claims it’s an optically correct visor too – that’s a nice-to-have rather than a must-have feature but, again, it’s rare to see on a cheaper helmet.

The whole thing’s kept securely on your head using a metal micrometric ratchet fastener.

They’re particularly easy to use and are very secure – as long as you ensure it’s fastened tightly for every trip. Helmets do come off during accidents and it’s probably as a result of riders not tightening them up rigorously enough rather than the strap failing.

Ventilation

(more about helmet ventilation)

The Blade 2 SV has a single chin vent and single crown vent.

Both are opened/closed by large sliding panels that are pretty easy to find and operate in gloves.

MT-Blade-2-SV-gloss-pearl-white-motorbike-helmet-front-view- — Front & top vents clearly visible on this gloss white Blade 2 SV

The chin vent takes air onto the back of the visor to help with demisting and that top vent takes air into the helmet shell to circulate air around the helmet through channels inside the multi-density EPS liner.

There’s a pair of rear vents/spoilers at the back of the helmet to vent warm, moist air outside.

It’s a pretty conventional setup and we’d expect it to be OK. MT helmets are usually pretty reasonable for venting – nothing particularly special but not too bad either.

If you’re looking for a helmet with particularly excellent venting, you might wanna head over to our best venting helmets pages.

Visor

(more about visors)

MT’s obviously put a good deal of thought into the visor system on the Blade 2 SV.

It’s a quick change visor and it’s got a visor lock which MT says is there to keep the visor pulled tight against the gasket, rather than for safety.

They also say it’s an optically correct visor (to minimise any distortion) and it’s Pinlock-ready and a Pinlock Max Vision antifog insert comes free in the box.

That alone would set you back the best part of £30 so that’s amazing value for a helmet that comes in around £100.

A couple of useful links…

– SHARP 5 star helmet reviews –
– Top 10 full face helmets –

The quick change visor is pretty easy to use to swap out or clean the visor. Just open the visor, pull the tabs on each side and pull the visor off. They’re usually a bit more tricky to get back on, but with a bit of practice you should get the hang of it.

There’s a single central opening tab which means you can open it up with either hand which is useful. And the visor works on a ratchet with a cracked-open venting position which is good for getting some extra venting in there but still keeping your eyes protected.

All in all, MT’s done a great job on adding in all the essentials, so you should be getting a great performing visor system if you buy a Blade 2 SV.

Fog Off Insert

You can actually fit something called a Fog Off insert onto the back of the visor of the Blade 2 SV if you like.

MT-Blade-2-SV-model-89-black-red-side-view- — This one’s the Blade 2 SV ’89’ with red highlights

A Fog Off is an antifog insert that’s currently only available for MT helmets, that attaches to the back of the visor in a similar way to a Pinlock (though it doesn’t use locating pins) and it provides a similar demist capabilities.

The interesting thing is that Fog Offs are photochromic too, meaning they’ll change to a tint in sunlight and back again when it’s not so bright.

That’s a great idea and should either remove the need for a sun visor or complement it if you want lots of eye protection.

The only downside is that, in regular use, the photochromic part of the Fog Off only lasts for 90 days before reverting to a clear antifog visor. If you don’t use your helmet daily, they say it can last up to a year.

It’s kind of a good idea but the fact it doesn’t last long is going to be a deal breaker for most people I’d have thought. Though you might be tempted to try it if you’re off on a holiday and/or you’re curious as to how photochromic visors work.

Sun Visor

(more about sun visors)

Sun visors are a great addition to any helmet we reckon. They’re not everybody’s cup of tea of course – some folks find them too lightly tinted (unfortunately, they can’t be too dark for legal reasons) and others don’t like the way you sometimes get a bright stripe of light at the bottom if it doesn’t drop down low enough.

MT-Blade-2-SV-gloss-titanium-motorcycle-helmet-side-view- — Titanium Blade 2 SV with sun visor fully dropped

They’re fair enough comments. But for most Northern European riders where it’s not usually too bright sunny for months on end, I reckon they’re very handy.

I know i’m a fan and it’s saved me from days of riding into the sun many a time.

Anyhow, the Blade 2 SV has an integral sun visor, operated by the switch behind the left hand visor pivot.

That’s a pretty handy place to put it and means if you want to add a bluetooth kit onto the side of the helmet, you can with the Blade 2 becuase there’s acres of flat space to mount it without a sun visor slider getting in the way.

The sun visor’s been designed to drop down into 3 positions, primarily to let you modify how far it drops to accomodate different sizes of noses, which is a nice touch.

Comfort and Sizing

(more about comfort and sizing)

There’s a fully removable and washable liner inside the Blade 2 SV, made with hypo allergenic fabrics.

It’s also been designed to be glasses-friendly with a pair of grooves in there to take the stems of glasses or sunglasses.

It’s available in sizes XS-M (one shell size) and L-XXL (second shell size).

Looks & Graphics

There’s a wide range of solid plain colours as well as graphic versions of the Blade 2 SV.

MT-Blade-2-SV-matt-black-helmet-rear-view- — It’s a good looking helmet at the back as well as the front

If you’re interested in plain helmets, it comes in gloss white, gloss and matt black, and there’s a titanium version too.

There’s currently four graphic versions all shown in one form or another up and down the page. That’s the 89, Breeze, Check and Plus versions – most with one or two colourways available.

We can only put so many examples up and down the page – so to see more, and to see new versions that have been released since we wrote this review, please click below to drop straight onto the MT Blade 2 SV helmet pages at our recommended retailers.

Best places to buy an MT Blade 2 SV helmet?

MT Blade 2 SV Video

There aren’t many useful English language Blade 2 videos out there yet, so we’ll have to make do with this 1m21s look over the Blade from MT.

Other stuff – weight, warranty

It’s not the lightest full face helmet, but then, because it’s a thermoplastic helmet, you probably expected that, right? It weighs around 1.6Kg which is around 100g or so above average weight for a full face. But you shouldn’t have any weight issues when wearing it.

MT helmets only come with a basic one year warranty.

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.

Good Alternatives to the MT Blade 2 SV?

So, you’re after a great all-rounder full face helmet that’s proven to give great impact protection? Here’s some of the best available for you to take a look at.

hjc-fg-st-besty-motorcycle-crash-helmet-top-view — HJC FG-ST Besty

First up, the HJC FG-ST. It’s a SHARP 5 star rated full face with a fibreglass shell and drop down sun visor. It comes with a Pinlock in the box too and it was Ride magazine recommended.

shark-skwal-2-switch-rider-helmet-side-view — Shark Skwal 2 Switch Rider

Shark’s Skwal 2 scored 4 SHARP stars when it was tested. Sun visor, included Pinlock, 5 year warranty, a smidge lighter than the MT – plus it’s got rechargeable LED lights!

Scorpion exo-st1400 antrim grey white carbon helmet side view — Carbon fibre ST1400 Air

Ok it’s a bit more expensive than the Blade, but Scorpion Exo’s composite fibre ST 1400 Air is an accomplished lid with a more sportsbike lilt. SHARP 4 Star, Pinlock ready, 5 year warranty, plus it’s got airpockets in the cheek pads to really tailor the fit.

airoh-valor-rockstar-motorcycle-helmet-side-view — Airo Valor in Rockstar graphics

Finally, you can get a SHARP 5 star sportsbike helmet for less money than the MT Blade 2! Check out the thermoplastic Airoh Valor. It’s not widely available but it’s ACU gold, has a wide visor and is Pinlock ready. Amazing value that.

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Best places to buy an MT Blade 2 SV?

Other full face helmets?

We've got lots of other ways you can find your ideal full face helmet. You can check out our Top 10 full-face crash helmets list to see our best rated helmets or head over to our Smartish Filters pages and zoom in on helmets with your 'must have' features. You can browse through all our full face crash helmet reviews as well as our safest motorcycle helmets page where you'll only find helmets that are SHARP four or five star rated - so you'll know you're wearing the best protection out there. Finally, check out our helmet gallery to find a lid that takes your fancy.