As a parent, it’s hard to resist the temptation to deck your kid out in cuteness. And bike helmets are no exception. Raskullz bike helmets appeal to this urge that’s in all of us. They make a wide variety of bike helmet designs that make your kid’s head look like an animal. They make sizes for all ages of kids too, from 1 to 14 years old. We’ve had two of these helmets for our kids, and while they definitely get points for style there are some flaws that lead me to think your money might be better spent elsewhere.

Raskullz unicorn kids helmet
My daughters unicorn Raskullz helmet – note the missing ear

First and foremost, I should point out that these bike helmets are Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) certified for bicycling. You can read more about what that means here, but in a nutshell it means these helmets are safe for bicycling. The expanded polystyrene (EPS) inner shell meets the most important safety standards. These helmets will keep your kids safe according to CPSC and ASTM, and that’s the most important thing.

These helmets are also stylish and attention-grabbing. My kids get comments on how cool their helmets are ALL THE TIME. Both kids and adults will often remark as we’re cycling past how neat the helmets are. Their designs are unique and colorful. Using rubbery 3D elements to enhance the design, these helmets stand out! My daughter has the unicorn version and hers even includes a button on the back that makes the unicorn horn flash different colors (though, we only bike in the daytime for safety reasons and you can’t really see it that well during the day).

However, there are some drawbacks to the Raskullz helmets that I have to point out. First and foremost, they aren’t very durable. The outer “shell” of the helmet that has the designs on it is merely a thin layer of sticky plastic material that will eventually crack and chip off after regular use. Unlike most other helmets of this dome design, which have a hard and durable plastic outer shell, the Raskullz shell just feels cheap and weak. After a year or two of regular use, the shell will crack and look bad.

Cracks in Raskullz kids helmet
Cracking, peeling outer shell. My son’s T. rex helmet looked much worse but I threw that out before I wrote this blog post.

Further, depending on the design, some of the 3D design elements easily fall off or break. My daughter has the unicorn helmet and one of the ears broke off, likely from being thrown on the ground or thrown into the trunk of the car. So if you’re like me and you’re trying to cram three kids, five bikes, five helmets, and luggage to boot into a minivan, some of the 3D design elements may not survive the squeeze. That said, my son had the T. rex helmet and none of those design elements broke or fell off because they’re more low profile. But the outer shell still cracked after about one year of use.

Another issue I should note, because it is a potential safety issue, is that these helmets can be hard to secure to a kid’s head. These helmets lack a helmet fit system – i.e. one of those knobs you can turn on the back to secure the helmet to the head better. That might not really be an issue if the strap works well. But from my experience with two of these helmets, the under-chin strap slowly comes loose after a while. I found myself constantly retightening the chin straps to secure the helmets on my kids’ heads. I don’t know if it’s the buckle, strap material, or both that are the issue. But after a while the helmet may come loose enough to wiggle around your kid’s head, which you don’t want. So between a poorly retaining under-chin strap and lack of helmet fit system, this may not be the safest helmet to choose.

Under-chin strap on Raskullz kids helmet
The under-shin strap that keeps coming loose, posing a potential safety issue.

The final drawback I feel like I need to point out is that after a certain age, your kid may not think the helmet is cool anymore. While Raskullz makes helmets up to age 14, my son wanted a plain, normal helmet when he was age 6 because he didn’t like his T. rex helmet anymore. I think he actually came to dislike the attention and comments it got, and also wanted to feel older with a plain helmet. My 4 year old daughter still likes her unicorn helmet, but I won’t be shocked when in a couple years she wants something plainer. Heck, I might have to get her a new helmet soon anyway because the outer shell of her Raskullz is cracking.

Pros

  • PSC and ASTM certified for bicycling
  • Stylish (up to a certain age)

Cons

  • Not durable
  • Hard to secure onto kid’s head, easily comes loose
  • Loses its cool after a certain age

Rating: 2 / 5

Riding bikes is a great way to get outdoors and spend time with your family. To do it safely, everyone should wear a helmet. But overall I’d say a Raskullz helmet is not worth the money, there are better helmets on the market. Therefore they only get two stars. If the cool, stylish designs are the only way you can get your kid to wear a helmet then by all means go for it. But for the money, there are much safer and more durable options. Resist the temptation to go cute and instead go for something better. Since my son decided he wanted something “cooler” to replace his cracked and worn out Raskullz, I got him a Retrospec helmet instead in a flat blue. I would not buy a Raskullz helmet again – they just won’t last. I want a helmet I can pass down across three kids, and the Raskullz just aren’t cutting it. Sure they are cool looking and cute, but if your kid is a regular bike rider they will quickly wear it out and need a new one before too long. I would not recommend a Raskullz.

If you have experience with Raskullz helmets or have better helmet recommendations, please comment below!