Helmet Recommendations

[Gatlin5]

Hey All,

Just getting back to wanting to ride again after a layoff due to injury from riding and a bunch of personal stuff. The last time I rode I got off pretty easy considering how hard I hit this tree. :oops: I took the blow from my helmet down through my shoulder, chest, arm, side and knee. I was in a whoop section in fourth gear and got kicked off the trail into a tree :roost: (Croom, FL). My helmets visor was a complete lost and the helmet shows a pretty good scrape so I know it's time for a new one. Cost is not an issue, safety is. I would appreciate any recommendations.

Thanks in advance.

Ps. I'll make sure I get it from a RDF sponsor!

[fastlearner]

I was just thinking the same thing, Joe. At the shop yesterday I tried on the Arai VX3-pro and the Troy Lee SE-2. I've got a Shoei riight now. In my opinion, even though Arai's marketing might say otherwise, I think these 3 helmets are all in the same league. I actually liked Troy Lee the best. The fabric on the padding felt great and the fit was right for my head. Try'em on and pick the one that's best for the shape of your head.

[mx24mom]

I personally love the NoFear ones...snell and dot approved, not very expensive, and I love the fit!

[Gatlin5]

Thanks for the responses. I went ahead and purchased a SHOEI VFX-W SABRE from Motorsports.com with the RDF option. That is so cool, nice job getting them to sponsor that idea. Now if we can get the promoters to put that on all event ticket orders.

[iphorde]

I'm not an expert on helmets. But you want one that has the quick pull outs on the sides like Shoei and Arai have. If you have a head injury and brain swelling from what I understand any additional pressure is really bad. Someone correct this if they know better.

[David Bailey]

I recently recieved an education on helmets from my local dealer. I have always known that you want a SNELL approved helmet as its testing is more rigirous than DOT. I have recently heard that there may be some concerns about Fox helmets, but I found that is not true. There are basically 2 helmet makers that provide most of the helmets in the us under different company names. They are HJC and I forget the other company name, but they basically make all the Fox, Fly, Thor, Bell, Tory Lee Designs, One Industries, etc and then there is Arai and Shoei who make their own helmets.

There are 2 major things to look for in a helmet; first it must be SNELL approved (I think they are now up to SNELL 2010) and it must fit properly for maximum protection.

Bottom line to me and my family... safety equipment is no place to save money and cut corners. Everyone wears a top rated helmet and a Leatt neck brace - no excepetions!

Here is a detailed explanation of DOT vs. SNELL from Troy Lee Designs.



DOT Helmet Information



D.O.T. Helmet Standards

Helmet Standards Organizations
There are two organizations setting safety standards for motorcycle helmets in the United States, the Department of Transportation (DOT) and the Snell Memorial Foundation (SMF).

DOT Helmet Standard
The US Department of Transportation (DOT), National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), announced in 1972, a draft motorcycle helmet standard. The Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 218 (FMVSS 218), which is commonly referred to as the "DOT" standard. The FMVSS 218 draft was taken almost directly from the 1971 American National Standards Institute (ANSI) standard Z90.1. The original NHTSA plan included a major revision in 1974, just prior to the standard going into effect.

ANSI revised the Z90.1 standard in 1973. The criteria from the earlier standard was developed using older methodology. ANSI felt the 1971 standard was too difficult and added complexity that would not necessarily lead to better helmets. NHTSA on the other hand, continued with the original 1971 ANSI criteria. Unfortunately, the planned 1974 revision to the FMVSS 218 standard was not made. In 1974, FMVSS 218 went into effect essentially unchanged from the original draft.

Beginning in 1974, motorcycle helmets were required to meet the minimum requirements established by FMVSS 218, the standard detailed guidelines and test criteria a helmet must pass to receive a " DOT" approval. Over the years, slight changes have been made to FMVSS 218. However, 28 years later the standard remains essentially unchanged from its original draft form. Currently NHTSA has studies underway to evaluate and consider changes to FMVSS 218.

DOT Approved Helmets
How can you tell a helmet is DOT approved? Typically a sticker on the rear of the helmet with the letters "DOT."

How does the DOT monitor compliance with FMVSS 218? Would you be surprised to learn it's based on the honor system? Yes, you read that correct. The government relies on the manufacturer's word that the helmet was tested and passed!

Does the government do any testing? Yes, they do very, very limited testing of helmets. How limited? In 2001, they tested 40 helmets. Under the honor system, we shouldn't have to test any helmets.

What if a helmet fails? They publish the data and rely on the manufacturer to bring the product into compliance. In 2001, 20% of the tested helmets failed the performance tests. Helmets manufactured by AFX, Fulmer, HJC, M2R, NEXL and THH. At a 20% failure rate, do you think there are others out there that might fail the performance test?

DOT FMVSS 218 Standard Summary:

Developed 28 year ago.
Very, very limited testing.
Based on the honor system.

Snell Memorial Foundation
The foundation is named after William "Pete" Snell, a race car driver that died in 1956 of massive head injuries sustained in a racing accident. His friends and associates formed the Snell Memorial Foundation (SMF) in 1957, a not-for-profit organization. The foundation's goals were to investigate and understand the mechanisms of head injuries in automotive sports and to encourage the development of truly protective helmets.

Today, the SMF tests various kinds of helmets and certifies them for use in prescribed activities. It currently publishes standards for protective headgear for use in automotive racing, karting, motorcycling, bicycling, non-motorized sports, harness racing and equestrian sports, competitive skiing and snowboarding. The Foundation is interested in just about every kind of headgear worn to protect against crash impact injury.

Snell Approval Process
Helmet manufacturers submit their products for certification. If their helmets pass the demanding series of performance tests, the manufacturers are invited to enter into a contract with the SMF. The contract entitles the manufacturer to use the Snell name and logo on their packaging and in their advertising. The manufacturer also purchases certification decals for use on their certified products.

Under the contract with the SMF, the manufacturer is required to maintain their high standards for all of their certified production. Verification is achieved through a random sample test program. In this program, the SMF acquires helmets and tests them to certify the continuing quality of the products. The SMF takes pains to see that these random sample helmets are drawn from the same supply as those sold in stores; thus they are able to monitor the quality of the helmets sold directly to the consumer.

The SMF maintains a state of the art testing facility in the US and England.

Snell Standard Summary:

Updated every 5 years.
Current standard 2000.
Extensive testing and research.
Verification through continuous random testing.

Comparing Helmet Standards
DOT vs. SNELL - Testing
Both Snell and DOT position a helmet on a test headform and then drop that helmeted head form onto fixed steel anvil. Impact severity is a matter of head mass and drop height, the higher the fall or the heavier the headform, the more severe the impact. Each test helmet is impacted on at least four different sites against either a flat or hemispherical shaped anvil. The difference between DOT and Snell tests are impact severity and impact criteria. Snell requires helmets withstand substantially larger impacts while transmitting less force than DOT.

Unfortunately, it’s not the fall that does the damage, it’s the sudden stop. Both Snell and DOT measure the suddenness of the stop with an accelerometer fixed inside the headform. When the helmet smacks into the anvil, the accelerometer measures the headform deceleration throughout the duration of the impact event. This acceleration pulse is generally plotted as G’s versus milliseconds. The testers analyze the acceleration pulse to determine whether the helmet passed or failed the test. Snell and DOT use different methods to analyze the results.

Snell limits the peak value to no more than 300 G’s. Dr. George Snively, one of Snell’s founders, had determined on the basis of his own research that young adult men could survive head crash impact accelerations at levels between 400 to 600 G’s. He selected test criteria on the order of 300 G’s for the Snell standards as acceleration levels that would be safe for almost all healthy people.

The DOT Standard requires that the peak acceleration not exceed 400 G’s but they also put duration limits on the acceleration pulse. The period of time for which the pulse exceeds 200 G’s must not be longer than 2 milliseconds. The period of time for which the pulse exceeds 150 G’s must not be longer than 4 milliseconds. Duration criteria was taken from the 1971 ANSI Z90.1 standard. This criteria was dropped by ANSI in 1973 prior to the DOT standard going into effect.

DOT vs. Snell - Verification
To receive the Snell certification, a manufacturer must submit five helmets of a particular style. Of them, four are destroyed in testing and one is retained as a reference. If the helmet passes and the manufacturer enters into a contract, the helmet is certified. Then the SMF regularly buys samples of the helmet to test for continued compliance with the standard.

The DOT certification is done on the honor system. The helmet manufacturer determines whether their helmets satisfy DOT requirements and then claim the qualification for themselves. There is no reporting or proof of testing required. The government does conduct very, very limited spot checks at commercial and private labs.

DOT vs. Snell
Bottom Line
The DOT standard is by no means a bad standard, Snell is simply better. Snell uses harder impacts while requiring lower forces to the rider. Bottom line, a Snell certified helmet exceeds the DOT standard.

Almost every day we are reminded in the news that a corporation was less than truthful. Why would helmets manufacturers be any different? The DOT standard relies 100% on the integrity of the manufacturer. The Snell standard uses continuous random sampling.

If you want to be sure that your helmet meets the DOT standard, get a Snell certified helmet. A Snell sticker is your best assurance that the helmet meets both Snell and DOT. Without the Snell certification, it’s a gamble that the helmet meets any standard at all. At BMW of Orlando, we feature both Arai and Shoei Snell certified Full Face and Open Face helmets.

Is It Really a Full Face Helmet?
BMW pioneered the System Helmet by Schuberth with interchangeable fronts giving the owner maximum flexibility. A single helmet that could change from a Full Face flip front to an Off-Rode or Open Face (3/4). The patent for this design expired in the early 90's and several manufacturers have released their own version of the flip front helmet.

Shoei was one of the early ones to develop a flip front helmet. Their design possessed a unique benefit, it was rated as a true Full Face helmet. Unfortunately, most of the flip front helmets on the market today are rated by the manufacturer as Open Face helmets. If you check, you will learn the front is for cosmetic or aerodynamics purposes only. It does not provide the protection for your face or chin that you get from of a Full Face helmet.

If you normally ride with an Open Face helmet and you buy one of these flip front helmets for cosmetic or aerodynamic purposes, great! On the other hand, if you bought one thinking it was a full face with the added benefit of a flip front... If you thought the price was too good to be true, guess what. There may be some details or fine print someone failed to mention when you bought the helmet.

If you wear riding glasses, you may want the benefit of a flip front helmet. If you want one that is truly rated as a Full Face, check out the Shoei SyncroTec and Schuberth Concept.

Conclusion
Without objective monitoring, the honor system is prone to serious problems. If you are not convinced, ask anyone you know that owns any Enron stock. When considering your next helmet or evaluating your existing one, consider the facts. If you read this far, you are better prepared to evaluate motorcycle helmets based on safety standards.

As a final note, you should carefully consider helmet fit. All manufacturers and Snell agree that the correct fit is critical for a helmet to perform properly. So much so, that Arai has taken a bold step and eliminated sales other than one-on-one with a qualified salesperson. Protective gear (helmets and riders wear), needs to fit properly for it to perform as designed. Consult your local dealer and let them help you with your needs.





Aiya Group Inc.
Corporate Headquarters
1871 W. Commonwealth Ave, Fullerton CA 92833 USA
Tel: 714-879-8882 / Fax: 319-937-4457
Toll Free: 800-288-0640

[Tatonka]

I just read this thread on VitalMX over the weekend....interesting read that will possibly dispel some long held beliefs. http://www.vitalmx.com/forums/MotoRelated,20/Helmet-Safety-Classification-Question,759596

Here is a write up from Shenzi (Chris Favro who used to be with RXR protect and now works for Dianese), he's a good guy regardless of what they say about him. :D

"Shenzi, are you at liberty to talk brands and safety, or are you tied to something where you cannot?
Are you at liberty to say what standard you would rather have on your head for a motorcycle/motocross application? ECE, Snell?
IMO, DOT isn't enough, but after reading the article, and what it takes to get a Snell cert, I'm not so sure.
Like I posted, lots of companies helmets are running DOT and ECE certs, with NO Snell.

Shenzi wrote: Actually, I believe I am at liberty to talk about helmet safety and ratings. For 2 years in a row I participated to a helmet safety conference at Parts Unlimited NVP, this last year as one of the representatives who took question from the room.
Even though I am employed by a European manufacturer, I have never hidden my preferences towards the better structured, better researched, European safety ratings, from body-armor and other protections to helmets. I have never been a fan of things you can pay to obtain.

Here's a small reply I had posted on a friend's forum:

OK, here we go I am going to try to give as much info on this, but it's probably going to be an ongoing conversation.

First of all, I do not want to offend anyone but the idea that the most expensive helmets are the safest ones is an urban legend, used in marketing by mainly 2 brands over the past years, in the US. The amount of $$ you spend in your helmet doesn't have an direct correlation with the level of safety, even though "too cheap" is surely not good neither.

What you buy when you spend money in an "expensive" (above $500) helmet is mainly comfort, better fabric, better cheek-pads feel, more features, usually more venting because more work has been spent in design and development of the lid. More vents, more complicated mold and eps.)

In some cases, the major brands, Fox, TLD, Thor, One, increase the price of the helmets depending on graphics (as an example, our high-end road racing helmet retails around $670 but one of our graphics retails at $759 because as you know it's all decals manually applied on the helmets by workers (mostly ladies in Italy) and the more complex the graphics, the longer it takes to apply them correctly.)

a quick example about helmet prices vs. safety:
The June 2005 Motorcyclist magazine addressed this controversy. That issue contains a detailed article on an extensive test that was conducted on 16 different motorcycle helmets, ranging from the $89.00 Z1R to the $700.00 Schuberth S1.

Their conclusion is that the inexpensive, polycarbonate shell Z1R transferred an average of 152Gs to the head-form, vs. 211Gs of the Snell-approved Scorpion EXO-700.

Also, the UK's RIDE magazine tested 28 helmets in the May 2005 issue (and over and over again since then, finding the same results). While the testing methodology was slightly different, they also found that the HJC AC-11 provided the second best impact absorption of the lot. Could it be that a motorcycle helmet doesn't necessarily have to be expensive to provide good protection?

There's much, much more to the story, and I strongly suggest reading both articles and studying this subject before you buy your next helmet. One of the conclusions in the Motorcyclist magazine article is that a softer polycarbonate DOT-only approved helmet may provide the highest levels of protection.
This has been proven by the 2008 introduction of the SHARP standard in the UK which has proven, by testing helmets further and harder than any other standards that the more expensive Arais and Shoei didn't necessarily provide better impact absorption.

The confusion is due to the various standards and the war between SNELL and DOT and the ECE standards. Both the DOT and the ECE being compulsory, DOT for the US and ECE for the 27 nations of the European Union. SNELL is not compulsory and a paying standard (manufacturers pay the SNELL sticker $0.40 per helmet).
SNELL of course, being an American company has a very good image in the US market (SNELL helmets do not pass the ECE tests so cannot be sold in the EU) and the Snell sticker has become a marketing gimmick. A manufacturer puts that sticker in his helmet and he can increase the price by $50 to 100. Because the image associated with Snell means a better and stronger helmet. Therefore must be worth a whole lot more money.

All motorcycle helmets sold in the U.S.A. must meet DOT standards, but they are not required to meet Snell standards. A motorcycle helmet that meets both DOT and Snell standards may have gone through different testing schemes, but may not necessarily be superior to helmets that meet only the DOT standard, although many motorcyclists look for helmets that meet both DOT and Snell standards.

There's some level of controversy regarding which standard or testing regime is the "best", and it gets more complicated if you consider the European ECE 22.05 standard. For example, it's our understanding that Snell uses an edge anvil test that is not required in the DOT standard.

You may hear different opinions about this particular test, and some manufacturers claim that a helmet designed to meet the Snell edge anvil test may end up being heavier than the same model designed to meet DOT-only or ECE 22.05.

Heavier helmets may not be as desirable as lighter helmets, and may cause different types of trauma in case of an accident. Especially here, we are talking motocross and off-road. unfortunately most tests and standard are based on road motorcycling and road accidents.

Here's an interesting comparison study (http://www.msf-usa.org/imsc/proceedings/a-Thom-ComparisonTestsofMotorcycleHelmets.pdf) by the Motorcycle Safety Foundation comparing the forces transmitted to helmets that meet different safety standards.

The hardest Snell test for a motorcycle helmet is a two-strike test onto a hemispherical chunk of stainless steel about the size of an orange. The first hit is at an energy of 150 joules, which translates to dropping a 5-kilo weight about 10 feet—an extremely high-energy impact. The next hit, on the same spot, is set at 110 joules, or about an 8-foot drop. To pass, the helmet is not allowed to transmit more than 300 Gs to the headform in either hit.

Tough tests such as this have driven helmet development over the years. But do they have any practical application on the street, where a hit as hard as the hardest single Snell impact may only happen in 1 percent of actual accidents? And where an impact as severe as the two-drop hemi test happens just short of never?

For SNELL the manufacturer has to send some helmets to SNELL before production. SNELL tests the helmets with 2 blow to an area that encompasses the top of the helmet, mostly the crown.

ECE tests the helmets on 6 impact points (sides, chin, rear, front and crown). ECE imposes batch testing, which means that every certain number of helmet produced, a small amount is taken our of the line of production and re-tested. The maximum batch allowed is 3,200 units.

So, ECE helmets are always lighter than the SNELL helmets, therefore resulting in less concussions because more emphasis is put on the absorption of the impact, which is actually more important to us off-road/MXers.
The Arai, Shoei, Fox, etc used in Europe are lighter than the SNELL ones found in the US and the FIM required standard is the ECE standard.

All this was all good and fine and the SNELL versus ECE war was raging nicely while we were all sipping our Diet Coke and ice-tea until out of the blue, SNELL decided to amend their standard and from SNELL M2005 moved to SNELL M2010 this past October.

Motorcyclist magazine:
“Snell sees the light
Sometimes it's hard to be humble. The Snell Foundation recently announced major changes to its proposed M2010 motorcycle helmet standard that would bring it more in line with the U.S. DOT and European ECE 22.05 standards.
Snell is now acknowledging the fact that smaller heads weigh less than bigger ones—and that the helmets we put on those heads should be designed around that fact.
Practically speaking, this means smaller-sized Snell 2010 helmets will likely be designed using less-rigid shells and softer Styrofoam liners (EXACTLY WHAT THE ECE STANDARD HAVE BEEN SAYING FOR A DECADE), because the head forms they will be tested with will be considerably lighter, reducing the total energy of the test impacts.
This is a very good thing. It also means a smaller helmet designed to meet Snell M2010 might not pass Snell 2005. Which would we pick? The 2010 helmet, every time.
We questioned Snell's position that "one weight fits all" in our "Blowing the Lid Off" helmet-impact-test story (Motorcyclist, June 2005).
Snell's recent reversal of its position acknowledges that the respected head-injury scientists who have been arguing with the Foundation about this for years were right.”

For your info, 2.2% of severe head injuries result from impact on the crown of the helmet, where SNELL do their impact test.

Anyway, to go back to the pricing questions, there's more than just safety when it comes to the cost of a helmet.

Choosing a motorcycle helmet would be easy if it was simply matter of picking out a size and a color. Unfortunately, different brands of helmets or even different models within the same brand can have a completely different fit and feel – and cost has nothing to do with it, because some of the least inexpensive helmets will fit and feel better than helmets costing twice as much or more.

Apparently, many motorcyclists don’t realize that in addition to size, motorcycle helmets come in a variety of different internal shapes.

Shape is one of the most important factors to understand when purchasing a motorcycle helmet. Helmets are expensive, and if you can only own one, it should be the highest quality, best fitting helmet you can find within your budget constraints.

In fact, it's almost impossible to find the "perfect" fit, or even an acceptable fit, without trying on at least several different helmets and wearing each one for an extended period of time. Even a helmet that feels great in the shop may feel like a medieval torture device after only a few minutes on a motorcycle.

Obviously, the problem of finding a helmet with the correct fit will be compounded when purchasing from an online vendor, because the sale is usually completed without actually seeing the helmet and without trying it on.

Safety is the primary reason for wearing a motorcycle helmet, but one of the most important factors to consider when purchasing a new helmet is comfort. Any protection that a helmet can offer is of no value if it is too uncomfortable to wear.

The first and one of the most important manufacturer who have decided it was time to stop creaming on the consumer and that safety wasn't only linked to high dollar, is SHOEI! You must have noticed that drastic price reduction in the Shoei off-road helmet. Protection is the same, the SNELL sticker is still on there, but it dropped about $250 over the last year.

Arai themselves, the arrogant (but oh so good) company that refuses to change things, especially in the off-road segment (they got to pay-off those molds and machines at some points) is now introducing a new street helmet that will retail in the $600, after all the blah-blah about their $800 lid. Is the $400 Arai less safe than the $600 which is less safe than the $800? Absolutely not. The price difference is reached by features and comfort.

Keep an eye on this one too, very much criticized by lobbies led by Arai and Shoei importer in the UK and Europe, it does give some good idea. unfortunately they are late on their MX helmets test releases.

My point
By any helmet you feel comfortable, Fox, Thor, One Industries, Arai, Shoei, Bell, Shark, AGV, TLD, Shift, HJC, KBC, as long as the price is right for your budget, as long as the fit is good and the helmet comfortable over a 30 minutes moto or a long off-road ride, those are all as safe as each others. There's been as many concussion on Arai and Shoei helmets in MX/SX (Josh Grant, Travis Preston, Travis Pastrana, Zach Ozborne, Broc Hepler, Steve Ramon, Trey Canard) as in other helmets.
Try your helmet, get comfortable, it is very important to try different cheek-pads and crown-pads to find the right fit and go with what you can get. The DOT ECe helmets will be lighter than the DOT SNELL helmets and the SNELL released after October 2009 are lighter and offer better absorption than the previous SNELL M2005.

China, Indonesia, Korea produce great helmets, as good as what we do in Europe and what's done in Japan. But China produces what you ask them and if you don't control the quality, the production, be ready for some surprises, some untold cost savings, etc.
Our helmets are designed, developed, first produced, tested and finished in Italy (Fox, Thor, TLD, etc, do that here in the US). We all then take our production to Asia because the labor is overall much cheaper and because the main 3 helmets factories have the best tools and machinery right now. A mold costs between $1.5M and $2M over there (if that mold was done here, it would cost up to 45% more than that).

The most important point with China, Indonesia or Korea is that the manufacturer need to very strongly control production. We have 3 Italian guys living there as expats' who are accountable for the quality control. With the ECE batch testing, there is really no mistake allowed for us. Hence why we are sometimes late in delivering our helmets to our partners. When you have to throw away 5,000 lids because your resident dude found a screw up on 5 lids, it is painful. Result, we are 2 months late on the delivery in the US, but my son will wear our helmet because I have been through the development process and I know how it was made.

But Tanner has been wearing his One Industries, Taao his Thor and me a Bell, Axo, Shoei, One Ind. and Arai in the last years. All good. Tanner now uses his One for BMX and an AGV for go-kart. I have moved to the AGV for road riding and karting of course and will be using our MT-X and AX-8 when those come available.

By the way, as soon as I receive my size test samples for the AX-8 (our carbon/kevlar composite lid) Brad and I will organize a test private Club 57 test sessions. I will need guys who wear from S to XXL. "


Thanks Chris - good info!! :thumb

Also - here is another good read:
http://www.motorcyclistonline.com/...et_review/index.html

This is a VERY important conversation!!!

[fastlearner]

WOW. That's great stuff, Bruce.

[SuzukiVroooom]

I just read this thread on VitalMX over the weekend....interesting read that will possibly dispel some long held beliefs. http://www.vitalmx.com/forums/MotoRelated,20/Helmet-Safety-Classification-Question,759596

Here is a write up from Shenzi (Chris Favro who used to be with RXR protect and now works for Dianese), he's a good guy regardless of what they say about him. http://snellhelmetsblog.com/images/Snell%20Helmets.gif (http://snellhelmetsblog.com)

"Shenzi, are you at liberty to talk brands and safety, or are you tied to something where you cannot?
Are you at liberty to say what standard you would rather have on your head for a motorcycle/motocross application? ECE, Snell?
IMO, DOT isn't enough, but after reading the article, and what it takes to get a Snell cert, I'm not so sure.
Like I posted, lots of companies helmets are running DOT and ECE certs, with NO Snell.

Shenzi wrote: Actually, I believe I am at liberty to talk about helmet safety and ratings. For 2 years in a row I participated to a helmet safety conference at Parts Unlimited NVP, this last year as one of the representatives who took question from the room.
Even though I am employed by a European manufacturer, I have never hidden my preferences towards the better structured, better researched, European safety ratings, from body-armor and other protections to helmets. I have never been a fan of things you can pay to obtain.

Here's a small reply I had posted on a friend's forum:

OK, here we go I am going to try to give as much info on this, but it's probably going to be an ongoing conversation.

First of all, I do not want to offend anyone but the idea that the most expensive helmets are the safest ones is an urban legend, used in marketing by mainly 2 brands over the past years, in the US. The amount of $$ you spend in your helmet doesn't have an direct correlation with the level of safety, even though "too cheap" is surely not good neither.
...

But Tanner has been wearing his One Industries, Taao his Thor and me a Bell, Axo, Shoei, One Ind. and Arai in the last years. All good. Tanner now uses his One for BMX and an AGV for go-kart. I have moved to the AGV for road riding and karting of course and will be using our MT-X and AX-8 when those come available.

By the way, as soon as I receive my size test samples for the AX-8 (our carbon/kevlar composite lid) Brad and I will organize a test private Club 57 test sessions. I will need guys who wear from S to XXL. "


Thanks Chris - good info!! http://snellhelmetsblog.com/images/Buy-A-Snell-Helmet.gif (http://SnellHelmetsBlog.com/Buy-A-Snell-Helmet)

Also - here is another good read:
http://www.motorcyclistonline.com/...et_review/index.html

This is a VERY important conversation!!!

This is honestly kind of a brilliant discussion. Thank you so much for sharing that! I was aware of the DOT certification being on the honor system which had always turned me off. I've always leaned towards snell because it was the most rigorous.

I was also aware that there was contention about snell-certified helmets being 'overengineered' to a degree (sort of how a ferrari may not be the most comfortable city car). I wasn't really swayed before, but seeing that snell has essentially conceded that their certification could be improved (by moving to the more European style cert) I am sold. I'll definitely be looking for the M2010 cert from here on out! :thumb

-JM