For almost every rider, almost all of the time, the answer is full-face - and if you want one pick, it is the Shoei RF-1400: DOT + Snell M2025 at about 1,385 g, with the shield seal that makes it the quiet reference in its class. Who the open-face answer is for: the rider doing short, slow, around-town miles who genuinely values air on their face and is making the coverage trade knowingly. That is a real rider and we are not going to pretend otherwise - but it is a narrower case than the sales floor suggests, and this page is about understanding the trade precisely rather than being talked out of it.
We do not crash-test helmets and we have no lab. What follows is drawn from the published homologations for each helmet, the manufacturers' own specifications, and what the certification standards themselves do and do not test - all cited at the foot of the page. Where a US-market build is certified differently from its European twin, we give the US answer.
The one structural difference, and everything that follows from it
A full-face helmet has a chin bar: a continuous, EPS-lined structure running under your jaw and in front of your chin, bonded into the shell. An open-face (also called a three-quarter, or a 3/4) has the crown, the sides and the back - and nothing in front of your face. That is the whole of the difference, and every other difference between the formats is downstream of it.
Why it matters so much: the chin and lower face region is the most frequently struck part of a motorcycle helmet in a crash, which is exactly why the certification standards devote specific tests to it. ECE 22.06 and DOT both run impact tests at defined points on the shell, and ECE additionally runs a chin-bar test on helmets that have one. An open-face cannot pass a chin-bar test because it does not have a chin bar - so the standard simply does not apply, and no amount of certification on the rest of the shell changes what is in front of your face. This is also why no open-face helmet carries a Snell M-series rating, and why SHARP does not star-rate the class at all: there is no comparative result for a structure that is absent.
What each format actually gives you
| | Full-face | Open-face (3/4) |
|---|
| Chin and jaw coverage | Yes - EPS-lined chin bar | No |
| Highest standard available | ECE 22.06, Snell M2025, SHARP stars | DOT, and ECE where the maker publishes it |
| Wind noise | Lower - sealed shield and neck roll | Much higher - open air at your ears and jaw |
| Eye protection | Shield included and sealed | Usually an accessory; the Custom 500 ships without one |
| Heat at low speed | Warmer in traffic | Noticeably cooler - the real reason people buy them |
| Weight | Heavier - a chin bar is structure | Lighter, and sits lower on the head |
| Glasses and comms | Shield seal complicates fogging; molded speaker pockets standard | Easy on and off; wired mic usually needed for comms |
The honest case for an open-face
It is not nothing. In stop-start summer traffic a full-face is genuinely hot, and the heat is not a comfort footnote - a rider who is overheating is a rider who is not concentrating. Open-faces are also lighter, which matters on a short commute with a lot of head-turning, and they sit lower on the head so they feel less like wearing a bowling ball. They are far easier to put on and take off with glasses, and some riders simply do not tolerate the enclosed feeling of a chin bar - claustrophobia is a real reason and worth respecting.
What makes that case hold or collapse is speed and duration. Around town at town speeds, the trade is defensible. At sustained highway speeds it gets much weaker: wind noise alone becomes a hearing-damage question over hours (the physics is in how to make your helmet quieter), there is nothing sealing your eyes from grit and rain, and the impact exposure is highest where the coverage is absent.
The modular middle ground
There is a third answer this comparison usually skips: a modular helmet with P/J dual homologation, which is approved to be ridden both closed and open. That is the format that genuinely gives you both - a certified chin bar when you are moving and an open face at the lights - and the key phrase is P/J, because most flip-ups are approved only in the closed position. The HJC RPHA 91 and LS2 Advant X both carry 22.06 with P/J. If that is what you were really asking for, start at modular helmets, read are modular helmets safe? for the structural caveats, and compare the formats directly in modular vs full-face helmets.
What to look for once you have picked a format
If you go full-face: look for a named certification (ECE 22.06 or Snell M2025, not just DOT), a Pinlock-ready shield so you can ride in the cold, weight under about 1,500 g if you do long days, and a shield seal you can hear the difference in. A drop-down sun visor is a convenience, not a safety feature, and the sportier shells skip it.
If you go open-face: the two things that matter most are shell sizing - a helmet with multiple real shell and EPS sizes fits far better than one shell padded out across the range - and eye protection, because you will be buying it separately. Check the snap pattern before you buy shields, and budget for earplugs from day one rather than as an afterthought.
The four helmets that answer this, and who each is for
Shoei RF-1400 - the full-face default. DOT + Snell M2025, multi-ply AIM+ at about 1,385 g, and its European twin the NXR2 took a perfect 5/5 at SHARP. Who it is for: the rider covering real distance who wants quiet and finish. Honest cons: no internal sun visor, and the US build is Snell rather than ECE 22.06. Detail in the RF-1400 review.
AGV K1 S - the cheapest way into a named current standard. Genuine US DOT + ECE 22.06 in a thermoplastic shell with a race-derived aero profile and a wide eyeport. Who it is for: the rider who wants 22.06 at the lowest price it comes at. Honest cons: about 1,600 g and it feels like the cheaper construction it is; no sun visor; no SHARP result. See the K1 S review.
Biltwell Gringo SV - the helmet for the rider who wanted an open-face for the look. It gives you the period silhouette and keeps the chin bar, with Biltwell stating DOT plus ECE R22.06, in three shell sizes with five EPS options. Who it is for: the retro rider who does not actually want less coverage. Honest cons: heavy at a published 3.69 lb, no sun visor, no published Pinlock provision, basic venting.
Bell Custom 500 - the open-face done properly, with the trade stated. Five separate shell and EPS sizes, a thin shell that sits low, and the 5-snap pattern that accepts the whole aftermarket of bubble shields and peaks. Who it is for: the around-town cruiser rider making the coverage trade knowingly. Honest cons: no chin bar at all; sold in the US as a DOT build with US listings disagreeing about ECE, so we assert no revision; no shield, seal or sun visor in the box, and it is widely reported to run small. The class is in best open-face motorcycle helmets, and the model in full in our Bell Custom 500 review.
So, full-face or open-face?
Full-face if you ride highway miles, ride in the cold or wet, ride for more than about an hour at a time, or want access to the strongest certifications that exist - which is most riders. Open-face if your riding is genuinely short and slow, heat is your limiting factor, and you have read the chin-bar paragraph above and accepted it. Modular with P/J if what you actually wanted was both. Whichever you choose, fit decides more than format does - start with how to measure your helmet size, and the ranked full-face list is at full-face helmets.
