We have all seen the Aldi & LIDL bargain motorcycle gear, and some love it, some hate it. But its got me thinking.
My partner bought a Crivit Sports flip up helmet, which came with two visors, 2 sets of padding, and integral sun visor. . . all for £39.99. She has worn it for the last 2 months, and loves the comfortable fit & good ventilation. In fact the only complaint is that the integral visor is tricky to operate with gloves on.
It conforms to ECE-R 22.05 safety standards, and has a 3 year warranty.
At first I was dubious, and had the 'You get what you pay for' attitude, and most people i talked to about it said similar things . . . 'would you trust your head in a £40 helmet?', 'Cant be any good for £40', 'You must be daft buying one of those' etc. So I had a quick search, and find (so far in my limited searching) That the main reason for not getting one is that it is considered crap because its so cheap. . . . . But is it crap?
Has anybody got any experience of an off in one of these helmets? If so, was it any better protection than a £400/500 (or more)helmet? . . . . Are we all being conned into paying huge amounts for big name brands, when a cheaper one is just the same when we get past the 'Cant be any good for that price' train of thought.
I am not saying cheaper is better, as I really dont know, and I still wear a Caberg that was five times that price. But Im sure the answer is out there.
It would be interesting to hear peoples thoughts.
As i say, almost everybody ive spoken to came back with variations of 'you get what you pay for' but had no evidence that the cheap helmet is sub standard.
Ill keep researching online, as I may be missing some obvious difference that'll make people think Im being stupid, but let me know what you all think.
bluesbiker In: Birmingham in th
Posts: 2510
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The major helmet manufacturers have to make their helmets conform to all tests in all countries they sell them.
they are made to be very strong becouse of this.
the euro test is very limited and easy to pass which is why these cheap helmets are flooding the market. They may look nice and be comfy but your probably never going to know if buying a cheap helmet is a good idea. buy an arai, shoei, agv or shark ect then chances are it won't have split and you'll wake up and find out. Your choice.
Hi as an instructor we teach trainees that all helmets legally sold in shops etc have to have passed the E U safety tests.
So a cheaper helmet will have passed the same as a medium priced to expensive ones.
there are no statistics to say that an expensive helmet has exceded the required pass levels or not, only that they had passed.
Perhaps it would be better if this data was availible then we know how much better it is or not as the case may be.
so its a case of you pays your money and takes your choice.
Same applies to visors, you dont have to wear one by law, but if you do it has to have passed E U tests to be legal.
However you can wear glasses or sunglasses and they have passed no tests.
I'm shocked to see what Wills posted, that Aldi helmets haven't been tested!
Surely, as Mr Todd said, ALL helmets must have been tested, especially if they are for the UK market?
I suspect that the cheaper helmets, altho conforming to the compulsory standards, are made from materials that are less generous in quantity than the more expensive helmets. Thinner padding, maybe a bit noisier?
Perhaps after a certain price it's just the brand name we are paying for?
Blues . . . . 'your probably never going to know if buying a cheap helmet is a good idea. buy an arai, shoei, agv or shark ect' . . . . . Sorry, but that sounds like, I dont know, but buy the expensive one.
Wills . . . . Have looked at the Sharp scheme. As you say, some interesting results, but no review on the Crivit yet.
Sweeny . . . . 'Perhaps it would be better if this data was availible then we know how much better it is or not as the case may be' . . . . Agree totally.
david, interesting clip, but unless they tell us the names of helmets tested, then a totally useless as a guide.
Another point made by one person I asked.
If you drop a helmet, it needs to be replaced. How many people are wearing a helmet that has been dropped (several times), but is too expensive to replace? . . . If it was a £40 would you get a new one?
And which is safer now, a new 'cheap' helmet, or a dropped expensive one?
the simple fact is - you can go buy a 500 quid helmet and you've no way of knowing whether its been damaged during transit.
Helmets are tested at manufacture but not after that.
Without scanning every helmet at point of sale you really have no idea what you are buying whether it be 30 quid or 500 quid.
Im sure all the major manufacturers will disagree and tell you that you get what you pay for but then......they would say that wouldnt they!
the main requirement should be to get a helmet that fits YOU.
I wouldnt worry Slidy - if its got the required safety marks is comforatable and it fits then its ok! Why do we feel the need to over analyse everything?
Well said kwakgirl.
Not really overanalsing, just trying to work out the difference between paying £40 or £400 for something that does the same thing . . protects your head.
I only thought about it when Tash wanted to buy a cheap helmet, I said dont, and she asked why not? Its a question I couldnt answer, and still cant.
bluesbiker In: Birmingham in th
Posts: 2510
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Slidy, My choice is to wear a helmet that i'm confident will give me the best chance of surviving an impact. I don't wear it becouse its expensive. i'm sure i'll be told otherwise by others but most if not all these cheap helmets are knocked out in china. feel free to disagree anytime. The cost price is a fraction of the mark up price. so if your paying £35 i'd be surprised if it cost £20 to make.
If you want to buy a helmet from a discount store then carry on I'm not telling you or anyone else wot to do. or would ever do so.
Its personal choice.
I survived after being hit side on by a car. i landed head first and face down into a pub carpark. helmet saved me. if id been wearing an openface or polly carb helmet im sure the outcome would've been different.
as i said , wear wot you like. I try and keep the odds in my favour.
Yeah Blues, its all personal choice what we wear, and heaven forbid Im coming across as saying 'expensive helmet wearers are just vain' which is not the case at all . . . each to their own.
Interesting though are your points about the cheap ones being knocked out in china, and polly carb hemets. There's something else for me to look into. Thanks.
Thats the sort of thing I was looking for, thanks Blues!
amongst all the technical details, a couple of paragraphs stand out:
A huge amount of information -- or should I say misinformation -- exists regarding the differences between worldwide motorcycle helmet safety standards.
Unfortunately, even with all that information, there isn't a consensus among motorcycle riders on which standard provides the most protective, or "safest" helmet. Even the experts don't agree (and apparently don't really know) which test and what type of forces will optimize protection for the rider's head.
and:
By the way, there's also the question of polycarbonate vs. composite. While you may think "OK, a composite shell is higher tech and more expensive so it must be better", this may not necessarily be the case. Again, there are compromises.
A composite helmet shell usually is lighter in weight, and the composite helmet has to pass the same standard tests. But the helmet shell will delaminate or worse in an impact, although it will still distribute the energy within the specifications called out in the standards. But to make a definitive statement that one is better than the other is difficult.
In fact, after seeing the abuse it can take (watch the video), I now have a healthier respect for good ol' polycarbonate. It may make for a slightly heavier helmet, but I like the way it absorbs energy without shattering.
As I was quoted £46 for a new visor for my caberg, when I can get a new helmet with 2 visors for less than that, Im closer to making my mind up which way to go.
in the 'old' days it used to be Polycarbonate Vs Fibreglass helmets & I was always told go for the fibreglass as this was stronger. Also if you had polycarb helmets & put stickers on them or got them sprayed up then this would re-act with the polycarb & render them useless.
But as I say...that was in the 80's!
BUT this has affected the way I look at helmets nowadays & do tend to stick to the bigger names...rightly or wrongly I don't know!
bluesbiker In: Birmingham in th
Posts: 2510
Karma:
There's no right or wrong stella. You go with your gut.
How much do you think a £35 helmet actually costs to make. take away the vat and the retailers profit and the importers profit there aint a lot left. it can't be all down to labour costs.
testing standards are all well and good but helmets are made to pass the test. the chances of you having an impact in the sameway as the test was carried out are remote.
I know whats goin on my bonce.
slidey, regarding your response to th MCN video
david, interesting clip, but unless they tell us the names of helmets tested, then a totally useless as a guide.
I think the point was that the failure rate of the cheap helmets tested was extremly high. My answer to that is, the model or manufacturer bears no meaning, they are all cheap helmets that were tested and I would therefore not entertain anything in that price bracket. I think a reasonably priced helmet is in the £140 to £200 range. This is cheap in terms of pain and possible long term suffering.
Point taken david.
I would be very interested though to see MCN or some other indepenent body test Cheap, mid range, and expensive helmets the same way, and compare the results.
I can only find test videos of high end lids done by the manufacturer.
I think choice of helmets is very much a personal thing, but Im still trying to find, anywhere, anybody saying something like 'Cheap helmets are not as safe as expensive helmets, and here's why . . . ' or something along those lines.
Thanks for all the responses.
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