Kirby Morgan is the long-standing pre-eminent designer and manufacturer of diving helmets. With such a proven track record over the past 50 years, KM has been able to lead the front on innovation within this niche market of undersea professionals.

Released in 2006, the Superlite 57 represents one of the newest additions to the Kirby Morgan lineup. Three noticeably new features on the helmet include the new Superflow 450 second stage regulator, the Quad-Valve Exhaust System, and an internally adjustable chin support.

Review

Being partial to my old stubborn ways, I was hesitant to write a review for this helmet until I put it to the test. I have been diving a KM27 for my entire professional career to-date, a design which dates to the early 90’s. Being a quantum leap in innovation, I was eager to put the helmet to work. I have put over 50 hours on the KM57 prior to writing this review, which includes a number of hazmat situations.

I’ll start by discussing my ‘dislikes’, as my ‘likes’ do outweigh the dislikes, and I feel that it would be a disservice to Kirby Morgan to end on a sour note.

Being used to the much more compact volume of the KM27, the larger internal volume of the 57 took some getting used to. However, the volume does allow for more padding, which was an improvement for comfort for longer duration dives. While the body of the new Superflow 450 second stage is stainless steel, the front cover for the reg is plastic. In warm conditions, it was easily depressible to activate the purge. In coldwater however, this plastic cover was so stiff that it was not depressible. While not a huge issue, as venting the hat will urge the regulator, losing this feature is not ideal. Lastly, the internal chin strap is very uncomfortable. On nearly every dive, the strap would work itself above the chin pad and chafe my chin. After several dives, this internal strap was removed and repositioned in its classic location on the outside of the neck dam assembly which worked just fine, and was much more comfortable.

The two very impressive features on my ‘like’ list include the increased field of view, and the improved work of breathing afforded with the newly designed regulator. The face plate is oriented more vertically than the 27, which is designed for working on the bottom. This vertical orientation allows for a roving/swimming diver to see more peripherally. For working engineering or scientific dives, this is a great asset to the helmet. The easy work of breathing afforded with the new Superflow 450 regulator is unsurpassed. The valve’s cracking pressure is unnoticeable, and a true pleasure to breathe off of for extended periods. I pushed this to over 3 hours on a few occasions with 6 hours cumulative dive time for the day, and had very little lung fatigue.

In close, it is clear that Kirby Morgan responded to the call from industry with this helmet. With our lives as divers being ever-more complex than most, and having to rely on someone else’s ingenuity to survive, I trust Kirby Morgan explicitly. Their new Superlite 57 is a step in a much needed direction; as it affords phenomenal breathing characteristics coupled with a design suitable for everyday diving and diving in contaminated environments.  I look forward to what’s coming next!