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:Me]

$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.