Along with advanced helmet design, TLD has always been about the look. Originally, the A1 Drone was launched as sort of the antithesis of the original A1. Where the first version of the A1 was clad in gold and literally quite flashy, the Drone edition came along with more muted matte colors that seemed more at home in the woods. Since then, the wide range of colors offered on the A1 Classic MIPS have been toned down a bit, covering everything from matte black, to matte grey, matte white, and a number of versions with brighter but solid colors.
As a result, while the Drone has been relaunched back into the line up, now it’s really just a slightly less expensive version of the A1 Classic MIPS, minus the MIPS. Otherwise, it appears to be the same reinforced polycarbonate shell and EPS liner design with 8 intake and 8 exhaust vents with an adjustable dial fit retention system for the same legendary fit the A1 is known for. Since the Drone lacks the MIPS system, the helmet comes in 25g lighter than the A1 MIPS Classic.
According to TLD, the A1 Drone will be available for a limited time starting November 17th. Offered in three colors, the Drone is priced at $109 or $30 less than the A1 Classic with MIPS.