Bento Heads vs Standard Mesh – What’s Right For You?

Note: While the images in this blog post are from 2017, the content has been reviewed and updated for 2020.
This post is currently in the process of being updated. Please bear in mind the info presented may be out of date. A more in depth version is coming soon!

While the standard system heads can look nice, many people opt for mesh heads instead. With mesh you have many options, not only based on creator and style, but also in what type of head to get. Both standard and bento mesh heads have their uses. Read on to learn which is more suited to your own personal needs.

Catwa: Vampire Annie (Standard Mesh)

Standard Mesh Heads

Standard mesh heads are a bit out of date now that bento has been out for a while. What you see is what you get in terms of shape. You can alter the appearance with different skins, but the base itself will not change. Think of using skins like painting a sculpture. The final product will look different depending on the colors and shapes you use but the sculpture itself remains unchanged under the paint. For more information about how much of an impact shapes and skins have on your look check out our informational post.

Standard doesn’t necessarily mean static. While some standard mesh heads don’t move at all, many have movement options. The movement ranges from basic blinking to more in depth expression HUDs allowing for smiling, sticking tongues out, and more. Standard mesh heads won’t move with bento AOs or poses, however. They’ll only move with whatever HUDs are made for that specific head.

Bento Heads

Catwa: Lona (Bento Mesh)

Bento mesh heads are a godsend for people who want to switch up their appearance on a regular basis. With bento mesh you can adjust your facial shape with the appearance sliders. This allows for an entirely different base shape as often as you’d like. Combined with the use of skins you can get many different looks with just one purchase. For more information about how much of an impact shapes and skins have on your look check out our informational post.

As with standard heads, bento heads do not have to remain static. Many have in depth animations so you can express your mood through your face. Different brands have different animations so make sure to look into them before purchasing. Now that bento has been out for a while, bento animations are widely available. Companies like Vista can animate your bento face as part of their AOs.

Making The Choice

So which is best for you? Just like nearly every aspect of your avatar that depends entirely on user preference. Research to find out what heads offer the options you need. I  encourage you to demo any and every head you may be interested in. That said, I highly recommend bento as they are so common and high quality. It’s the modern style.

How I Chose

I selected my first bento head when the big options were LeLutka’s Simone and Catwa’s Catya. Demoing made it clear that I preferred the wide variety of shape variation in the LeLutka head, but liked Catwa’s animations better. Since my focus is blogging I made LeLutka’s Simone my first purchase. Later on Catwa released a head I liked the looks of, Lona, and I picked her up so I could take advantage of Catwa’s beautiful animations.

When I was searching for a bento head I also noticed Catwa’s Vampire Annie. I was looking for bento at the time so I didn’t give it honest consideration but I grabbed the demo to play with anyway. I ended up purchasing her a bit later because I just absolutely loved the look and vampire animations even though she’s a standard mesh head. When you’re searching for something specific don’t be afraid to grab demos of items that catch your eye. You may just end up falling in love with them too!

In addition to personal preference you’ll want to consider the price. Standard Mesh heads are generally less expensive while bento will cost you a bit more. Keep in mind that the bento heads are giving you tons of options with shape, so it’s like getting many standard heads in one purchase. For me bento is well worth the cost. Do your research, try some demos, and see what’s right for you!


Pics & Credits

Head – Catwa: Vampire Annie

Head – Catwa: Lona
Body – Maitreya: Lara
Shape – Regeneration: Trisha
Skin – 7 Deadly s{K}ins: Candie
Hair – TRUTH: Gaea
Eyes – Catwa: Mesh Eyes
Top – KingbalStores: Carol Top
Pose/Location – Comhar Photo Studio
Like this post? Share it!

2 thoughts on “Bento Heads vs Standard Mesh – What’s Right For You?”

  1. Fantastic post, Asia! I have one of the ‘basic’ mesh heads from Catwa right now, and I REALLY like it, but I’ve been going back and forth on potentially getting a Bento head for some time. Thanks for helping me make my decision (now I just need to save my pennies and dimes!).

    Reply
    • Thanks, I’m glad to help!! I absolutely love my vampire Annie which is also a Catwa static, but the bento customization options were just too good to pass up!! And even after you purchase a bento head it’s not like you can’t use your non bento one anymore! 🙂

      Reply

Leave a Comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Toggle Dark Mode (Site Designed for Light)