Introduction
I was dreading the summer of 2018. Last season was all about heatstroke, intense humidity and overcrowded roads. These are those few things most bikers would try to avoid on a regular basis. But for the BikeWale team, it isn’t an option. We have fuel runs, shoots and testing to deal with almost every other day. Unfortunately, this is the story every year and completely unavoidable. But, things might be a little different and maybe a little more comfortable this year, thanks to BluArmor, a company that has just launched a helmet cooler, the BluSnap.
What is it?
Simply put, it’s a helmet cooler. The BluSnap unit is divided into two major parts –a unit that does all the cooling and the second where the cooling is thrown to the rider’s face via twin rubber tubes. The BluSnap is attached to the chin of a full face helmet (that’s right, this won’t work in half-face helmets) through a flexible strap.
How does it work?
The BluSnap uses force ventilation, water and a fan that is powered by battery to cool the rider. There’s a small water reservoir at the bottom of the unit that can hold upto 60ml of water. The water can be filled through a small water inlet that is present on the top of the unit. The other side houses the power switch along with a USB charging port and LED charging indicator. The LEDs will glow continuously to indicate the amount of charge available. BluSnap uses a 2500mAh battery, and the charging time to go from empty to full charge could be 5-6 hours. Once the unit is charged, all the four LEDs will stay on.
With a full charge, the company claims that this cooling device will run for 10 hours of riding time. But the water reservoir lasts only for 2 hours. So the reservoir needs to be filled every 2 hours. There’s a water reservoir lock below the unit which has two positions – open and close. When switched to open, there’s a free flow of water from the reservoir to the cooling filter. In locked condition, there’s no flow of water. Inside the BluSnap is a dust filter that needs to be cleaned regularly to maximise the operational efficiency. Behind this filter, is a small fan that makes this whole cooling system work.
What can it do?
The company claims that BluSnap can lower the temperatures inside the helmet by 6 to 15 degrees depending on various conditions. This will help the rider stay cool which directly reduces fatigue.
What's inside?
Inside the box sits the main BluSnap unit, removable strap and an extra filter. The company is providing various strap options, from plain to some really funky ones.
Is it expensive?
The BluSnap retails at Rs 2298. If you want to have an extra filter, you need to shell out another Rs 100.
Photography by Kaustubh Gandhi