Best value helmet?

[What?]

I've written off two Nitro helmets, both did the job that they were meant to do.

Anyone remember Robert Holden cartwheeling through the Holden billboards at Manfeild, and walking away from it? He was wearing (probably) the least expensive helmet on the market at the time (Pro Helmet). He made the same comment.

[Milts]

I've only owned two helmets, both HJC, but my $200 HCJ was very good value for money. Comfortable and very well ventilated, and held up well when it needed to. My current HJC was $150 but has much worse ventilation and is not as comfortable. Wind noise was loud but acceptable in both, although slightly better in my current one.
If I had to buy another helmet right now, it would be the $200 HJC hands down - excellent ventilation and comfort, I would consider it to be very good value for money.
That said, go to a shop and try on a bunch. Pick whicher fits you best.

[Crasherfromwayback]

I don't think $600-$1000 helmets are worth that. Actually I think they are a lot of elitist wank.
Steve

Bullshit. There's (apart from importation taxes etc) a reason they're expensive.

Anyone remember Robert Holden cartwheeling through the Holden billboards at Manfeild, and walking away from it? He was wearing (probably) the least expensive helmet on the market at the time (Pro Helmet). He made the same comment.

Who said he bashed the sign down with his head though?

I'm not saying a $200.00 helmet won't do as good a job as a $1000.00 helmet...but I sure as fuck don't want to find it it doesn't come the big one.

And I've had some pretty big ones!

[pritch]

I don't think $600-$1000 helmets are worth that. Actually I think they are a lot of elitist wank.

Funny. I was just scrolling down the page and saw that comment. The thought immediately occurred, "I know who wrote that." And it was indeed he.

I'd hate to be that predictable.

Once a helmet is approved, and fits, it's safe. The extra money may buy R&D, exotic materials, lower sound levels, more comfort, linings that are removable for cleaning, or fancy paint jobs.

I used to buy black because it's cheaper, but for years I had coveted a fancy paint job and last year Santa delivered one.

Elitist wank? Dunno but I like my AGV, whether DB or anybody else approves or not is irrelevant. I also like my black Shoei. They are both nicer and more comfortable than the (free) Shark which I wear on the Moped because it fits under the seat.

[KiWiP]

Originally Posted by DangerousBastard
I don't think $600-$1000 helmets are worth that. Actually I think they are a lot of elitist wank.

Bullshit. There's (apart from importation taxes etc) a reason they're expensive.

An element of truth in both statements I think. Expensive helmets have a name, fancy graphics, useful features as well such as removable linings, internal sunshields, extra vents. But safety is not guaranteed with price. ALL helmets sold meet a minimum requirement. SHARP (http://sharp.direct.gov.uk) ratings are a much more extensive suite of tests and compare like for like giving a 1 to 5 star rating.

not so good buy (safety per dollar)
Schuberth S1 Pro £450 ($1000+) 2 stars
Arai Condor £240 ($600+) 2 stars

Better buy :
Nitro N755VX £70 ($160) 4 stars
Box BX2 £60 ($135) 4 stars

So lashing out the bucks doesn't guarantee a SAFER helmet (remembering any helmet is safe as it has a rating).
But overall helmet must fit correctly (said lots of times before but worth saying again).
Age is relevant because helmet liner deforms with time, it beds in doesn't it so no reason for the deformation to stop.

I have a Shark S650, 4 stars, $300 and very cool graphics (my 13 year old nephew says so so it must be cool). and it fits like a glove so I'm happy

[pritch]

SHARP (http://sharp.direct.gov.uk) ratings are a much more extensive suite of tests and compare like for like giving a 1 to 5 star rating.

As has been discussed here before, the SHARP tests are considered by some (including me) to be seriously flawed. It's your money though and if that's what makes you feel good, by all means buy a helmet highly rated by SHARP.

Meantime until they sort it all out I'll continue to ignore them. If I was buying a new helmet tomorrow it'd probably be a lowly rated Arai.

[DEATH_INC.]

Here's some ideas.....

[Flange]

Like lots of others have said, fit and comfort is real important. So too is quietness, and of course the helmet should have passed a reputable test.

So too is weight - the more weight that's flogging around at the end of your neck in a crash, the more likely that neck is to be damaged.

Most helmets have weight stickers on them, but if you know a dealer well enough for him to allow you to take a set of precision scales to his shop and then weigh the helmets, you will find that the stickers are largely crap.

I have a nice HJC carbon fibre helmet which feels really light, yet when weighed against the cheapass CAN helmet that I use day to day, guess which one is lighter ? It's not the $600 HJC.

The CAN fits my swede well, is relatively quiet, is very resistant to fogging, it's the lightest thing I've found so far, and is EC approved.

And at just a bit over a hundred bucks, it's not too difficult to slide it up on the top shelf after a couple of years and go buy a new one.

As for price equating to quality, well Arai, Shoei, AGV and the likes, all pay big bucks each year to the big name riders for them to wear their product. Who pays for this ? I figure that a fair chunk of what you pay for an AGV ends up in Valentino's very deserving pocket. Conversely, probably none of what we pay for a no name brand goes out in sponsorship and this is probably the main reason why the no name brands are so much cheaper.

Cheers
Flange

[Swoop]

Anyone have opinions on who makes the quietest helmets regardless of price?

That is a very rare beast indeed. Lots of personal preferences and opinion on noise and it can be affected by the type of bike you are riding at the time.

[pritch]

As for price equating to quality, well Arai, Shoei, AGV and the likes, all pay big bucks each year to the big name riders for them to wear their product.

That can probably be filed under R&D? If the helmet isn't up to snuff the rider is sure as Hell going to let the manufacturer know. Ant West scored himself a sponsorship from an unusual helmet manufacturer a couple of seasons ago and blew his chances in one race completely when the helmet fogged up so bad he couldn't see. The message would've got back to the factory real quick.

[Dave Lobster]

That can probably be filed under R&D? If the helmet isn't up to snuff the rider is sure as hell going to let the manufacturer know.

Apart from Arai, which manufacturers give their riders an off the shelf lid?

[p.dath]

As has been discussed here before, the SHARP tests are considered by some (including me) to be seriously flawed. It's your money though and if that's what makes you feel good, by all means buy a helmet highly rated by SHARP.

Meantime until they sort it all out I'll continue to ignore them. If I was buying a new helmet tomorrow it'd probably be a lowly rated Arai.

Which testing standard do you prefer that allows you to compare one helmet to another?

[pritch]

Which testing standard do you prefer that allows you to compare one helmet to another?

Is that a trick question? There doesn't seem to be a sensible answer.
Which in itself may be an indication as to the nature of the question...

I know you're a fan of the SHARP
ratings and that's nice for you. What I've read tells me the tests are seriously flawed, and as they exist, are a nonsense. I'm not going into that again, y'all can do your own reading.

If they change the regime to get credible results then the SHARP ratings will certainly be useful for what you suggest.

I note that fans of the system love to point out that cheap hats that I normally wouldn't consider buying get better results than say f'rinstance Arai. I'd suggest that is a good indication the testing regime is
flawed.

Lest it be thought that I hold a grudge because my helmets didn't rate highly: my AGV rates five stars, my Shoei gets three, and the Shark I use on the moped gets four. None of which will tempt me to use the Shoei on the moped, because it's a superior helmet to the Shark in all other respects but one. The Shark has a coating on the visor that renders pinlocks and Cat Crap and all that other nonsense obsolete (so too does the AGV).

[ynot slow]

We have a ladies LS2and she likes it,quiet,my Shoei is a little noisy,but lighter than my HJC,and I like the lightness.

[CookMySock]

An element of truth in both statements I think.

One of those "commentors" sells helmets though, and the other one doesn't care what anyone thinks about what he says.

We have a ladies LS2and she likes it,quiet,my Shoei is a little noisy,but lighter than my HJC,and I like the lightness.

Which is weird coz I have an LS2 and its noisy.. or maybe I just ride faster or something..

My son and my mrs have HJC helmets, and I particularly dislike the visor mechanism. It's detents are in the wrong place and theres not enough of them, making it hard to find a proper place to put your visor when you flick it up. The LS2 visor is much much better, with TWO detents available for use below the eye-horizon line of the rider, giving much better flexibility.

The main problem with the LS2 is the bloody thing leaks in the rain! Water pisses in around the visor and streams down the inside.. not good! Both my daughters' and my LS2 leak quite badly in the rain, where my old FFM was much better.

Comparing further, the HJC did not fog as bad as the FFM, and the LS2 is also a lot better in the fogging department compared to the FFM. The FFM fogged like a bitch, making it almost unusable in the winter.

The LS2 has a ratchet fastening clip compared to the FFM and HJC with their D-ring fastener, which I hate. I will always have a helmet with a ratchet fastner now - so so so much less dicking around, and safer I think - since when you put your helmet on you click it locked in one movement - it's just too easy to do, so you just do it. Not so with the D rings.

Overall, I like the LS2 better than the HJC and the FFM, and it was $135. It looks nice too.

Steve