Half Helmet vs. Full Face Helmet - Which Is Better?

If you're thinking about purchasing a new helmet for the upcoming motorcycle riding season, then one choice you will have to make is whether or not you should purchase a half helmet or a full face helmet. If you're thinking about purchasing a new helmet for the upcoming motorcycle riding season, then one choice you will have to make is whether or not you should purchase a half helmet or a full face helmet. Here is a brief explanation of the two.

The simple truth is that each helmet has it pros and cons, and which one you buy really boils down to your personal preference and concern for safety. Safety, in fact, is the number one factor that you should consider when buying a helmet, so hopefully you keep that in mind when making your final decision.

Let's analyze each helmet to get a better idea of which helmet might be best for you:

The Half Helmet

Perhaps one of the most popular types of helmet on the market today, the half helmet offers a high level of freedom to the rider in that there is less coverage of the head. This means that more air can provide ventilation for the rider. This particular style of helmet covers the top half of the head from about the ear line up.

What does this mean from a safety standpoint? It basically means that you are going to have increased exposure to flying objects, and will not have any protection for your face whatsoever. If you're comfortable with this and willing to accept the risk, then this particular type of helmet might be a great choice for you.

Another point worth mentioning is that this particular style is more often than not much less expensive than the full face counterpart. Seems reasonable right? After all, there is essentially half the amount of material used to make this type of helmet, so it only seems fair that it be much less costly.

The Full Face Helmet

Now, if you're more concerned about safety, then you probably will want to consider the full face helmet for your next purchase. Why? Because this particular style of helmet simply provides you with more protection due to the fact that it covers the entire head and not just the top half.

If you're concerned about ventilation and restrictiveness, then this style of helmet may not be your best option because it is more restrictive and does not offer the ventilation like that of it's counterpart the half helmet.

From a cost standpoint you'll have to be willing to spend more money for this type of helmet because of the fact that it is made with more material, more features, and is simply more expensive to make. In the end though, the full face version is much safer than the half version so if safety is your number one priority, then the full face helmet is the way to go.

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