Then we found out about these new helmets from TORC. Never heard of TORC you say? Well we hadn't either so we did a little digging. Turns out they are a part of a multi-national company called H&H Sports Protection (offices USA, Brazil, Italy, and Shanghai). They've been in business for 18 years and built more than 2 million helmets in 2010 as an OEM (they build 'em and you put your sticker on 'em). They launched TORC in February 2011 to (and I quote) “offer a lifestyle brand that people can afford”.

So what has TORC done differently? Well if you check the right option boxes some TORC helmets can be equipped with options that aren't normally found on helmets in general, and certainly not at these price points.

What are these options you ask? Metallic paint? Soft bunny ears? Fur? No to all guesses. You can get the Prodigy T-10 with an optional built-in Bluetooth communication system and the Route 66 T-50 with optional built in speakers.

I thought those two things were intriguing enough to warrant actually reviewing the helmets instead of dropping them off a building to see how high they bounce.....not that we'd ever do that of course.

TORC sent us the Prodigy T-10 (with Bluetooth) in a flat black color which has a silky smooth feel and looks great – until you get your oily, greasy fingerprints all over it. To be fair all flat black helmets have this issue to some extent with the really soft, smooth finishes fairing the worst; and the T-10's finish is pretty soft and smooth.

It was interesting that at the same time we had the TORC helmets in our office we also had the Bell RS-1 in for a review (which you can read about here if you'd like). Both the Prodigy and the RS-1 were sent to us in the flat black color but the finish on the Bell picks-up much less oil and grease than the finish on the TORC – of course the the finish isn't as soft and smooth feeling either.

Another thing I noticed about the pair is overall shape: the Bell (which by itself looks sleek and modern) is much more of a blunt shape than the TORC which looks rakish and very sleek. The Prodigy's overall shape contributes to one of the quietest “B Range” helmets I've ever worn (B Range are the helmets that aren't the top tier international brands like Arai, Shoei, HJC, etc..).

Another place where that raked back profile shape comes in handy is in eliminating buffeting. I never really felt any buffeting even with a gusty quartering headwind.

Ventilation is OK although the day I rode with the helmet it was 96 degrees with what felt like 400% humidity (but was actually around 75%) meaning that it was too hot to really judge airflow. However overall I'd give the Prodigy T-10 a score of 6 on a scale of 1-10 for airflow.

Helmet shape is a big factor as the wrong shape can affect comfort and wearability. The Prodigy T-10 is biased more towards a round shape but will fit a long-oval head well enough – if you bump up to the next size bigger than you normally wear (We don't recommend doing this however due to the overall fit of a helmet – but we also understand that some riders may not have a choice).

The interior of the Prodigy T-10 is actually very nice; especially for a helmet in this price range, and is removable and washable; a nice feature for when your cootie infestation acts-up. Plus they completely cover the “styrofoam” interior instead of leaving it visible – this looks so much nicer that it makes me wonder why every manufacturer doesn't do it; it can't be that much more money to layer a thin piece of cloth in there, can it?

The outer shell is made from ABS plastic and the Prodigy T-10 is DOT approved.

This leads us to the very last item on our list o' things to chat about: the Bluetooth system, or BLINC (I probably should have asked what that stands for but my investigative journalism skills are lacking at the moment).

Simply put the BLINC (Butch Lesbians Invade North Carolina? Umm....probably not) system in the Prodigy T-10 acts just like an exterior Bluetooth system that you attach to the outside of your helmet (TORC has one of those as well – but more on that later). You can sync it up with another Bluetooth equipped Prodigy T-10 for passenger-to-passenger/rider-to-rider communication and/or sync it up to your Bluetooth capable phone or GPS for instant distractions while you ride; “Yes dear I'm on my way home. No dear I won't forget the milk and bread. Hang on dear the GPS is telling me I need to turn left here but I don't see a road”.

One of the best things about the BLINC (Bermuda Limits Invasive Northern Canaries? Nope probably not that either) system is the control panel. On the port side of the helmet (that would be left for all you landlubbers) there is a wheel that controls volume; that's it. No buttons to push. Simple and easy. The system recharges via a wall plug that plugs into a port under the rear padding inside the helmet. The downside is that the BLINC (Blind Lemurs Instigate....oh this is just getting silly) system in the Prodigy T-10 won't sync up with any other external BLINC device (such as the M2 unit TORC also sent us). This is the only stumble in an otherwise cool and usable system; but to me it is a sizable stumble that basically forces you to choose between either buying two Prodigy's with the BLINC system or buying another brand of helmet and putting the BLINC stand-alone system in them (or buying two Prodigy's that aren't Bluetooth equipped and putting an external unit on them...).

Other than that one stumble the Prodigy T-10 impresses me with its level of fit and finish, comfort, lack of buffeting, and overall quietness at speed. Add the pricing structure that TORC came up with and the Prodigy T-10 starts looking like a very good option for someone looking for a quality inexpensive helmet - with or without the Bluetooth option.

Pricing:

Prodigy non-Blinc $99.99 to $137.49

Prodigy Blinc 1 $199.99 to $262.99

More info: http://torchelmets.com/home