Arai DT-X
?Handbuilt? is a popular buzzword right now, eschewing corporate anonymity and a throwaway culture in favor of personalization and a human touch?bonus points if the packaging uses an old-timey font. But seriously, in a world where looking the part has become more important than actually adhering to the handbuilt ideal, it?s easy to forget that there are some companies who have been doing just that since before you were a twinkle in your daddy?s eye.
Arai is one of those companies; this small, family-owned business has been making helmets in its Japanese factory for more than 60 years, and each and every one is made by hand. In fact, there are two?count them, two?people whose job it is to sign off on every shell that is produced. Graphics are hand-laid, holes are hand-drilled. Arai could be accused of being stuck in the past, but you have to give it credit for sticking to its mission: making the safest helmet possible?which isn?t necessarily what helmet the market wants. To the folks at Arai, if you want something they don?t make, go buy it somewhere else. They?ll keep making their helmets to their safety standards: a rounded, egg-inspired shape, minimal recessions in the shell, the strongest shell possible and as few cutouts in the EPS liner as possible. The DT-X has one large vent in the center of the helmet that scoops in air. Two more intakes are incorporated into the rear spoiler, plus there is a chin bar vent and two brow vents in the shield. Photos by Drew R...