CARLSBAD, Calif. — New football helmet technology is being created right here in Carlsbad. Light Helmet's newest product, the Apache helmet, has a 3D printed liner inside with adjustable pods that can add padding in certain areas depending on the player's position and size.
"The shell’s made of nylon, face mask usually made of titanium, internals are 3D printed," Light Helmet CEO and Founder Nicholas Esayian said.
Esayian said the company has the number one rated football helmet by the independent labs of Virginia Tech. Their lighter-weight helmets are worn by football players across the field.
"We've got helmets at San Diego State, we're in 40 D1 locker rooms, we're in 28 of 32 NFL locker rooms and we've got roughly 15 NFL players wearing the helmet now," Esayian said.
Light Helmets aren't just for the pros, local high school teams including Cathedral Catholic and La Costa Canyon High are using them too.
"Mar Vista actually switched from a competitive helmet to our helmet," Esayian said. "Went from 17 concussions down to two."
The Apache model takes the helmet one step further, adding specialized support while still keeping the helmet lightweight.
"Every Sunday I watch someone get tackled and their head slams into the ground and I think, ‘You can reduce the impact when you reduce the weight of the helmet'," Esayian said.
The average competitor helmet is around five pounds, while the Apache helmet is only three and a half pounds.
"It helps them play better, because they can move faster, because you're removing two pounds of weight from the worst part of the body," Esayian said.
Prices range from $250 for a youth helmet to in the $1,000 range for ones used in the NFL and for college. Youth Apache helmets are coming out in early 2025, and keep an eye out for other sport helmets in the future.