Expensive = Quality?

[rachprice]

In the market for a new helmet. Have been reading some stuff, some of you think if its approved its all good and others think the more expensive the better the quality.
Being a lady of science I am interested in research (yes Im a nerd) or actual experiences to suggest that more money = better. Being a student I'm poor as hell, don't want to spend copious amounts of money if I don't have to but at the same time would spend it if it meant I didn't have brain damage for the rest of my life. Don't really want just want to go on what people say because often its just what someone has told them and told them and so on.
Any thoughts/opinions would be greatly appreciated! :)

[HenryDorsetCase]

Don't we as taxpayers subcontract out the role of empirical testing to gummint agencies? (standards NZ or whatever)?

Dont our anointed gummint agents then go "well overseas they have these standards and so if it meets an overseas standard its good enough for us" (DOT/SNELL/Aussie)?

Don't we as riders then have the confidence that if a helmet is being sold at a reputable dealer then it meets those basic safety standards?

That being the case then arent we as riders all just pissing in the wind trying to compare safety features or pretending to, when we are either just waving our willies about saying "Nyah Nyah I have more money than you because I spent $1200 or more on a helmet" or this helmet has feature X which means its better than yours?

What I went looking for when I shopped for helmets last was:

FIT

comfort (related but separate).

did it look special?

could I replace the visor easily? (I wear glasses so I often wear a tinted visor).

Was it quiet? (hard to test in the shop.......)

venting?

lastiy: did it fit well.

my partner wears HJC, and likes it, one of my mates also. I hae a Shoei which I really like (after trying on a LOT of arais which did not fit me).

But its such an intensely personal thing that all I can say is: "Go try a bunch on and buy the one that fits best"

[Bonez]

It was suggested around 2006 that the cheaper brands where potentially putting European riders at risk. This was proven incorrect by a idependent tester. The "budget" brands performed well, so well in fact Arai, Shoei et al pulled advertising from the site that conducted test. MCN I think it was. The big name brands wanted the testers to retract their conclusions, which they didn't. There's a thread floating about with the link to the tests conducted.

[AllanB]

Very happy with my HJC.

Fit and comfort (within your budget) should be your top priority. Then look at the features as listed earlier. Bloody pointless posing around in your $2000 helmet if it does not fit correctly.
Buy from a bike shop, not some suspect import on Trademe.

[Katman]

Shark do a range of helmets priced from about $250 to over $1000. The $250 helmets are every bit as safe as the $1000 helmets. As the price increases you start paying for things like increased comfort, better venting, washable interiors, flashy graphics etc. The degree of safety provided remains the same.

[Skunk]

Cheaper means just as safe but noisier, 'crappy' vents, lesser aerodynamics, and comfort features such as washable liners etc.

[McJim]

The most expensive feature on a helmet is weight. Most modern helmets are alright but the top end helmets are getting seriously lightweight.

There are also some tests I read about different kinds of helmets being more suitable for different kinds of impacts. From memory there's not an awful lot of difference between an expensive well fitted helmet and a cheaper well fitted helmet - so long as it's got the propoer saefty rating.

[HungusMaximist]

The most expensive feature on a helmet is weight. Most modern helmets are alright but the top end helmets are getting seriously lightweight.

There are also some tests I read about different kinds of helmets being more suitable for different kinds of impacts. From memory there's not an awful lot of difference between an expensive well fitted helmet and a cheaper well fitted helmet - so long as it's got the propoer saefty rating.

I agree, and I've bought myself a $149 Nitro and smashed my head into the ground, the helmet is totally stuffed but I didn't get any concussion at all.

Of course, it depends on how you land but yes, paying more doesn't necessarily mean safer!

[R6_kid]

$600 for a plain coloured shoei seems pretty reasonable to me - also check out the range of Shark helmets.

All helmets have to reach a certain standard which one would hope would be enough to mean that all helmets on sale NZ shops are safe to buy.

A lot of development goes into noise and weight reduction - which means $$$ for the helmets that benefit from such research - also by not buying the latest race replica or cool graphic helmet you can save yourself a fair bit in most cases.

[Moki]

Just bought an Arai XD Challenge online from the US for just under NZ$500-delivered. They key is to know what you want, what fits, and then search for the best deal.

[Usarka]

Expensive doesn't nececesarily mean better.

But it's a better chance of being good quality than one of lesser value.

As for helmets, it has been suggested that the Snell rating makes helmets too rigid as they need to withstand two sharp blows. Snell rated are usually more expensive and this may be a case where $$$ not equal good.....

[McJim]

This is nice.

What are peoples thoughts on the Polycarb versus fibreglass versus carbon fibre for lid material?

[rachprice]

Thanks for the advice, yeah I will just need to take some time out to go round trying them on.
How would you know if they are noisy or not?

[Storm]

This is nice.

What are peoples thoughts on the Polycarb versus fibreglass versus carbon fibre for lid material?

I've got the polycarb version of that helmet and its been great for me. Fits well, the vents do what they're supposed to, the liner is comfortable.

[vifferman]

Thanks for the advice, yeah I will just need to take some time out to go round trying them on.
How would you know if they are noisy or not?
The only way you can tell is to test-ride one, which just about never happens (I was offered a test-ride of a helmet once and ended up buying it).
Other riders can tell you their helmet is really quiet, but it depends on so many things apart from the helmet itself: the bike's aerodynamics, your seated height and posture, and how that relates to the windshield (if the bike has one), and even things like what you wear, as a bike jacket's collar can produce significant turbulence which makes the helmet noisier.
Also "noise" can mean more than one thing. My last helmet (AGV X-Vent) was very quiet, in that I couldn't hear much ambient noise (other traffic, the bike's engine, etc.) However, when I first wore my Shoei XR1000, I thought, "Wow - this is noisy!" as I could hear much more traffic noise. It's substantially quieter as far as wind noise goes though, as it seems more aerodynamic.

[mowgli]

Thanks for the advice, yeah I will just need to take some time out to go round trying them on.
How would you know if they are noisy or not?
Only way to tell is to test ride them. Cheapest way to fix a noisy helmet is ear plugs. Other things you can try are hush kits, thicker pads, scarves and snoods to prevent airflow coming up under the helmet.

Sometimes it's not the helmet but the combination of your back length and the front of your bike. My Shoei Raid II was noisy on my GT250R unless I stretched up and put my head out of the disturbed flow coming off the screen. Same helmet is quiet as on my VTR even at significantly higher speeds.

Your original question was does price = quality. I would say generally yes. This is easy to apply to a single brand but much harder when comparing brands. If you meant safety then I reckon there are only two things to consider: is it NZ standards approved, and does it fit my head shape snugly?

[blueblade]

Some of the cheaper brands have rubbish visors with optical distortion and scratch easily. I've always had Shoei helmets. Started with the original Raid 1 which I think cost about $500. Now have an X spirit that cost about $1200. The X Spirit is considerably lighter and has much better venting.

[Badjelly]

Here's another consideration about helmet safety that I don't recall being mentioned on this site...

It's from this article

http://www.motorcyclistonline.com/gearbox/motorcycle_helmet_review/index.html
where the authors argue that helmets meeting the Snell standard tend to be too stiff, leading to excessive head acceleration. But they also say...


If you're hit very violently on the jaw, as in a head-on impact, the force can be transmitted to the base of the skull, which can fracture and sever your spine. It's a common cause of death in helmeted motorcycle riders—and a very good reason to wear a full-face helmet and insist on thick EPS padding—not resilient foam—in the helmet's chin bar.

My helmet has resilient (bouncy, not energy absorbing) foam here. :Oops:

[McJim]

Luckily I'm not bright enough to understand all of these debates so I don't actually have enough brain to protect making the whole debate academic for me. Cool.:rofl:

[HornetBoy]

All i would do is reccommend certain brands to you from personal eperiences in comparison to other helmets ive owned .
Only crashed off once so couldnt say which protected my head the best really;) only that my KBC VR2 Legend i have now is really comfortable and tight ,and the visor system on it is pretty fool proof ,the helmet itself holds together pretty bloody well in terms of a high speed crash :whistle:

When i shop for a helmet i dont really go for the higest priceing as i dont entirely believe in the whole "pay for what you get" saying that alot of people live by ,i just buy reputable brands that way you know they will be making helmets that stand up to the standards etc as how else would they have got their name established so highly if the helmets were crap:first:


Chris

[ital916]

My 2c.

No price does not always mean better protection. As a general rule *in my eyes* though it's a good indication that the quality and such is going up. There are exceptions like momos and davidas and the such which are specialist brands and as such the price of higher models in the range are quite high. All helmets are approved to the safety standard, thus you can say an entry level helmet will protect your head as much as an expensive one.

Many people say this, their opinion, but I disagree. Even though an entry level helmet will protect your head to the same standard, I find the more expensive helmets will not only have better ventilation, looks etc but a lot of them come with added safety features which will take that safety level above and beyond the required amount. To state that a cheapie will do the same as an expensive helmet is a bit of a fallacy.

An example would be shoeis x-spirit helmet, your not only paying for a lighter helmet with better ventilation, different *not always better* decals and the such but a lot of advanced safety features, like a carbon fibre weave construction etc *other brands also have excellent safety features e.g. arai and shark*. Said features would not be found in cheaper entry level helmets.

In the end rachel, fit and comfort should be a priority, but as well as taking ventilation and looks in account, also take into account that some of the more expensive helmets do come with some extra protection features, more advanced construction etc which meet the standard but then take the safety level above just the bog standard one required. Moto gp racers don't ride in entry level helmets for a reason. Good luck finding a helmet :niceone:

[Phurrball]

Try and get a test ride, but if you can't, sit in the shop and read a mag for half and hour with the helmet on...

That will give some indication of comfort, but not things such as wind noise.

I've seen some really good end-of-season deals on top helmets - can be worth waiting for if you're not in a huge hurry.

If you're a geek, you'll have a healthy scientific-method-developed bullshit detector to filter out misinformation, so get boolean on the subject's arse and hit teh interweb - read all the raging debates on DOT v Snell and shell construction etc

That'll also give you an excellent tool for avoiding actual university study, but still learning lots of "stuff" ;)

Yay for geeks!

[JeremyW]

When you have selected a helmet, whatever it may be LOOK AFTER IT :Oi:.
The number of people who treat their helmets like crap is appalling, almost disgusting. A good helmet WILL become NOT SAFE if it is dropped, the only thing it will protect you from is a ticket.

A drop from a bike seat is enough to destroy a helmet protection shell, don't hang it on handle bars or sit it on the seat, no matter what any one else does. Helmets have a reasonably tough (usually leather) base to the liner so you can put the helmet on the ground and it wont affect it much.

You only have one head, don't take any chances with it :niceone:
My 2c