Roman Helmet “Cassius”
Roman helmet with SCA grill visor
Roman Helmet “Cassius” with SCA visor
Stainless steel and brass Roman helmet
Even the most loyal Centurion had his doubts about The Emperor – it’s difficult to look tyranny in the eye and not feel the pull of rebellion rise from within. Though it was a surprise to many that Cassius was the one who planned the assassination, it wasn’t much of a shock to his superiors. He was the perfect soldier, after all: trustworthy, disciplined, and hard-working. And it always seemed to be the best ones who couldn’t resist the chance to be a hero, even if it meant treason.
Our customers have asked for it, and we have heard you! Introducing, “Cassius”, our first collection of Roman-inspired armor. Based on the Principate Empire, we have taken everything we love about the extant pieces and elaborated on them to create a set that is practical, handsome, and undeniably Roman. We loved combining the utilitarian aspects of Roman armor with modern manufacturing techniques and materials – the end result is something that we think any soldier would be proud to wear! Researching for this collection was an absolute pleasure due to the very advanced and studious record keeping of the Romans. Their obsession with documenting military clothing and strategy makes them a surprisingly text rich civilization.
This helmet does what ArmStreet is known to do best: take history and make it even better! We have adapted the best parts of a few different Roman helmets to create something that is SCA compatible and ready for combat. The shape of this helmet is inspired by the Coolus, an average standard-issue soldier helmet that was originally made from bronze. We have made a number of adjustments, of course, including an extended back of the helmet to better cover your neck and perforated ear holes to keep your ears whilst not compromising your ability to hear too much. The biggest change in the form, off course, is the addition of the SCA bar grill. This helmet was originally an open helmet, so the addition of the grill is purely to make it SCA legal. The cheek plates and hinges on this helmet are shaped in a way that they will lock together when the bar grill is attached, creating a solid helmet. The grill can be removed if you wish to march to war in a more historical helmet, though! Another anachronistic aspect of this helm is that it is made of stainless steel instead of bronze. Though it doesn’t look quite as striking, we have also added brass accents to still make sure this helmet is a marvel to look at.
We have used nothing but the best materials when it comes to making this helmet. It is made from 2mm stainless steel with 3mm stainless peak. Stainless steel means you’ll spend less time cleaning this helmet and more time fighting (even in the rain!) because it is delightfully rust-resistant. 1mm brass has been used for all of the edging, as well as the brass fitting on the cheek plates. The bar grill is very strong and is made from 6mm diameter steel wire, and locks in place via 3 fixed points and 2 hooks that go through 3mm steel triangles. This helmet is ready for combat, with extensive SCA approved padding and strapping to keep you safe – even the cheek plates! Solid rivets (and small solid rivets on the brass) have been used through to make sure everything is securely attached.
To check how to measure yourself please click here.
Please contact us if you have any additional questions.
- 2mm stainless steel;
- 3mm stainless steel peak;
- 6mm diameter steel wire at bar grill;
- 1mm brass;
- Solid brass rivets;
- Leather straps;
- Padding.
- Historically inspired;
- Optimized for SCA;
- Removable bar grill;
- Brass accents;
- Rust-resistant stainless steel;
- Extensive padding.
- no padding by request;
- cell foam fabric padding.
This item is part of the “Rome” collection View collection
I have received the helm and it looks wonderful. I am unable to pop the springs to take the grill off, but I can easily slip the helm on and off. The chin straps are a bit of a mystery to me as I have never encountered this kind before. When going through SCA armor inspection the helm has to be strapped on such that it can not be knocked off my head if I take a rising spear or sword shot to the grill and it hits the visor. Have not hit in the helm yet as I received it 2 days before I left for a long winter holiday with family. Will try it out in armor later this week. Overall, gorgeous helm and feels solid.
I received my helmet February 2023, and have been using it in practices twice a week for over two months. These are my thoughts on the helmet so far. Overall: The helmet is comfortable and looks great, but it will need significant work to make it more durable if you fight in it frequently. If you get it with padding, it'll be riveted in place so you can't clean or replace it easily. I bought the helmet on sale so I feel I got my money's worth, but Armstreet needs to make the hinges and visor stronger for this to become a five-star helmet. The Good: The helmet looks great! It looks as good in person as it does in the promotional photos, and I have gotten lots of complements on it. Manufacturing and shipping were incredibly fast too, it only took one month from placing the order to having the helmet in hand. The helmet fit well right out of the box, I was worried about ordering a helmet using just one measurement, but I made sure I got an accurate measurement using a fabric measuring tape and another person, and it turned out fine. I'm able to quickly slip the helmet on and off, and it fits snugly, with the chin straps being almost unneeded. The padding and straps were pre-installed (this is optional), so it was also battle-ready right out of the box. I like the perforated ear openings, they help a lot with being able to hear while wearing it, and massively cut down on the noise when the helmet is hit on the side. I also like the extra protection for the back of the neck, and that all rivets on the inside of the helmet were covered. The Bad: The metal for the cheek hinges is MUCH too thin! After two months, all the hinge knuckles were pulling apart, and one had broken completely. I ended up having to drilling out four rivets to completely replace the broken hinge, and I'll have to do the same to the other side in the near future. This is my biggest complaint about the helmet, as it becomes a safety issue over time. Armstreet: you need to switch to a stronger hinge! The visor is also too wide, it has become bent way down from blows. This is a cosmetic issue, but it does look goofy when the visor is bent asymmetrically, and makes the grille even harder to get on or off. I think I will have to eventually cut the visor down, or remove it entirely. If the helmet is redesigned, the visor should be made shorter and with thicker metal. The Meh: The removable grille is difficult to get on or off, don't expect to be taking it off to get a drink of water while fighting, but it is nice to be able to remove it for photos. The padding and strapping are all riveted to the helmet, so if you want to replace them or clean them, you'll either need to replace structural rivets, or cut them out and leave scraps around the rivets. Order the helmet without padding if this is a concern for you. The springs for the push-buttons for the grille are old band-saw blades. It's functional and covered with padding, but it makes me question the overall quality.