I think for me, my helmet first to atleast be shell and dot rated or i wont even pick it up. then it has to be good looking*flat black paint* And then comfie. If it dosent match all 3, its out the door.

 

With the exception of the bling factor and race support, I think very highly of the rest. Safety rating, comfort, price, and brand name all play a part in my decision as they all fall into a great quality helmet. For example, Arai (brand name) has a great safety rating, high price, but comfort varies between persons. When I teach my MSF course, the "best helmet" question always comes up. My response is "how much is your head worth to you." 9 times out of 10, pricey means good quality, comfort, AND safety. So I can't vote on just one. My .02 cents.

 

I have to disagree on money equals the best helmet. Obviously from the extensive testing done in the article is hows that the lower priced, plastic shelled helmets transmit less g's to a head. My friend just spent $600 on a Shoe X-11 !! Lol, what a nut. I understand they are good helmets but I would doubt they are going to provide better protection than my $200 KBC VR-1. The article seems to back this up. I told my girlfriend about the $600 helmet purchase and she said I'd be dead if I did that and we were married. Can't blame her. I for one do not buy into the whole SNELL thing, hogwash to me.

THis is the same expert level rider who spent $1600 on a Braking system brake setup including: Brembo calipers, pads, discs and mc. In the end he said it wasn't any better than his stock setup which had EBC rotors, stainless lines and everything else stock (besides brake pads). In the end he said he should've just gotten new rotors and kept everything else stock. A name or label doesnt' equal performance my friends.

 

My vote goes to safety with comfort not to far behind! I def. think pricing has something to do with quality thought. An Arai or Suomy (street lid) in my opinion are made a lot better than lets say an HJC or AGV. My MX helmet is a HJC and I love it but my street helmet is a Spec 1 R and I dont think I could use any others after owning it. It is so comfortable and meets all US and British safety.

 

I'm not gonna trust my head with a magazine article, but then again I am loathe to buy an Arai because they leverage the price of the helmets based on thier good name, won't sell to internet helmet dealers becuase they discount, and have threatened to sue a cycle club because they gave one of thier helmets a bad review (that really backfired on thier asswipe lawyers!).

 

FYI: There are only a few "true" helmet companies out there. All the others are made by KBC helmets, and sold to "aftermarket" companies to have "custom" foam and color put on. The companies that I know truly make there own are: Arai, KBC (of course)-which is the largest helmet comp. I'm told,HJC, Shoei--I believe, and a couple others that I can't recall right now. Every one else is a KBC in other clothing. Those KBC's are nice and they are not too expensive. That being said, I do not own one, other than a THOR (which is a KBC) and an O'Neil (which is also a KBC). The Thor has had three direct face hits on the pavement (one real hard, that brought out a red flag at horsethief) and the visor only has scrapes on it!!! The fit and feel is superb!! I get a deal on the top of the line THOR products, and my helmet was $300. + retail (not my cost) and is a phenominal helmet. My O'neil had one dirt face plant and the visor shattered. Hope this story helps. By the way, I've always been partial to Arai for the street and road racing. Just my $.02 SLIDEWAYS

 

recall

I haven't read any articles latey, so I'm going back about 6 yrs. in my memory(worth noteing in that time there's been 3 concussions & approx. 45 gal. of captain morgan's rum) but I thought the snell rating was said to protect more at a hi-speed or more severe blow to the head, & if you had a slight or low-speed hit, it would actually transmit more energy to you head cuz of harder shell or whatever, basicly if it was a soft blow you'd be better off with a D.O.T. only helmet, which you can't control, but that was my understanding.
:infrandom

 

While I don't much like Arai's marketing strategies, you can get them pretty cheap , brand new from Ebay stores. Or at a decent discount from your local dealer.

I have hit my head on the ground wearing a few different brands. For now I will choose Arai over others for the fact that it hurt a lot less when I have hit the ground in an Arai. It is a scary thing to wake up after being knocked unconscious. Sometimes you don't wake up.

There are other good brands out there. arai works for me. :thumbup:

Mike

 

I'm going from experience (read crash tested) on an Arai, Shoei, and OGK. 4 lowsides divided equally between a Shoei and OGK. And one nasty highside that took an Arai. No head injuries that I've known of to date. Thus my reasoning behind my earlier post. I currently have replaced one of each with the same and love them all equally as much. :thumbup:

 

nothing but Arai for protection on the tarmac!! :hammer:

 

Without actually data, who is to say one helmet is better than the others? If you are choosing between two helmets that both have a snell sticker, thats great, they both meet that standard. However, it won't tell you which will protect your head better. I haven't seen the article mentioned, but it sounds like they ran some tests on the helmets. Until the manufacturers release data regarding impact absorbtion, articles (assuming it has measured data) such as this are the only real measurement of safety.



-Drew

 

I may be criticizing arai but I do own 2 of their helmets and so it is an informed opinion....
kww

While I don't much like Arai's marketing strategies, you can get them pretty cheap , brand new from Ebay stores. Or at a decent discount from your local dealer.

I have hit my head on the ground wearing a few different brands. For now I will choose Arai over others for the fact that it hurt a lot less when I have hit the ground in an Arai. It is a scary thing to wake up after being knocked unconscious. Sometimes you don't wake up.

There are other good brands out there. arai works for me. :thumbup:

Mike

 

While I don't much like Arai's marketing strategies, you can get them pretty cheap , brand new from Ebay stores. Or at a decent discount from your local dealer....

Remember that if you buy an Arai off of eBay, your warranty may or may not be honored by Arai incase of a defect or malfuction. They're kinda fussy about their resellers.

 

Yeah, Arai won't honor any helmet purchased off the internet, though I would like to see them fight that in a law suit, especially when word gets out to the cycling public.

kww

Remember that if you buy an Arai off of eBay, your warranty may or may not be honored by Arai incase of a defect or malfuction. They're kinda fussy about their resellers.

 

When I buy a helmet, my main decision factor is comfort. Having said that, I only pick from well known brands. As far as safety rating goes I go with the German TUV or British Gold ACU approval. Usually helmets with the aforementioned safety stamps are also approved by main racing organizations. Snell is overkill, DOT is a joke ( HD brainbuckets! ), plus I don't think their testing is proper ( ie. modelising real events ).
In my opinion comfort is THE most important factor, because if the helmet is uncomfortable ( even if slightly ) it'll draw the rider's attention from actual riding, which is very dangerous. Also, uncomfortable helmet makes the rider tired very quickly.
I've tried many brands ( Arai, Shoei, AGV, Suomy, Marushin, UVEX, Schubert, Roof etc. ) but finally I settled with the Force Ten from FM. That is the most comfortable helmet for my amorphous head . Once I've ridden 25 hours straight in it without taking it off and I had no problems whatsoever. The finish is not on the same level like Arai's or Shoei's, but that's the price I have to pay for comfort.

 

The president of Shoei said that the only helmet he would wear if Shoei did no exist would be an Arai.

Personally I wear what fit's my head and what is comfortable, with safety being the factor that covers all choices. Snell rating for me artical or not as I've split a couple Arai's on the pavement...in short, they've saved my noodle bowl.

 

nothing but Arai for protection on the tarmac!! :hammer:

Hammy, you actually wear a helmet?

how does it get over those big ol' monkey ears of yours... and that sloping fore-head?

 

So what do you think about the Shock SpotR ?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/e...aymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=7967292570&ssPageName=STRK:MESE:IT

 

I don't wear my helmets cuz I don't want to scratch em, that way they stay nice & shiney! :hammer:

 

Its better to have a cheaper helmet that "fits right" rather than a $ 600.00 Arai that has pressure points etc....poor fitting helmets with pressure points are actually dangerous when receiving a hard blow :hammer:

 

So what do you think about the Shock SpotR ?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/e...aymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=7967292570&ssPageName=STRK:MESE:IT

I think it's useless...even the diagram is incorrect. Upon impact the shock dissipates evenly on the inner and outer shell. If the impact leaves a mark like on the drawing, you're most likely dead (with a nice hole/dent on your head) or crippled. the only sure way to be safe is replace the damaged helmet. It's still cheaper than the hospital bill...and it's definitely easier than not be able to wipe your own ass with your own hand... or something.

 

SCQTT
I'm listening to some bluegrass right now and your avatar is bouncing to the beat. Love it when that happens!
The only helmet that fits me correctly is tha Arai Signet GT and GTR series with it's "long oval" (Arai term) shape. Fortunately it is also one of the safest on the market.