£16 Helmet on Ebay

[L3nny]

It doesn't matter anymore cause the deal has now finished so there is no point bickering about it.


Just thought I'd point out a good deal I saw, didn't want to start a pi$$ing contest.

Originally Posted by merlin427

Why is that? Apart from the fact that Rossi's is almost certainly not an off the shelf model built the same as yours his does not have the prospect of the same number of hazards as a road helmet does - There is not as many things to hit on a race track.

I'm surprised about the 'splitting down the glue line' incident, I though the shells of most helmets were molded in one piece and the 'glue line' was infact the joint of the mold, not like a cream egg. Perhaps not all helmets are created equal, maybe I'd like to know more about how my helmet was made before I make a purchase.

I'd not worry too much about impacts in transit, it will have protection presumably. What damages a helmet is impact while carrying a load inside such as a heavy skull and it's contents after this the all important shock absorbing foam will be useless even if the shell is perfectly serviceable.

Having paid top dollar for your helmet how long will you be tempted to keep it? Perhaps it would be better to pay half as much and replace twice as often.

Fair point about the comparison between Rossi's helmet and the off the shelf helmet and the difference between race tracks and roads: more sliding along surfaces than hitting solid objects like curbs and walls.

But I would still be wary of anything sent in transit though. I've seen boxes bounced off conveyer belts, trailer floors etc by people who do not appreciate whats inside them. I would expect a transited helmet to be encased with a mould of polystyrene filling the rest of the box. Maybe I'm a little too cynical about my industry but I wouldn't be surprised if I had to ask the vendor for at least one immediate replacement due to packaging damage.

As for the glue-line incident it was just the outer-shell that split but surely that does increase the vulnerability of the important bit ie the skull compared to a helmet that's outer shell is moulded into 1 piece.

I'm not sure that half-price/twice as often is the way forward. I would have thought that some kind of impact is needed to knacker a helmet either a crash or it being dropped. Does the protective material expire after a certain amount of time?

I'm selling Arai helmets for £2000 for those who equate head value to helmet cost!

Originally Posted by svdemon

I'm selling Arai helmets for £2000 for those who equate head value to helmet cost!

Will you accept £5000. I'd feel so much better

Not to start the whole thing off again but Ive got a Duchinni d701 it cost me £60 allthough they can be found for £40 I did some research and on sharps testing - the uk government helmet testing thingy http://sharp.direct.gov.uk/ and it rates 4 out of 5 stars.
this is better than most arai's including the £500 rx7.
it is equal too or better than all shoei's.
check out your lid, they do lots of serious testing.

... I would never wear a cheap jock strap - well if you got 99p nuts then wear a 99p......................

[yorkie_chris]

We've been here before...

The SHARP testing is a load of b0llocks. Buy the lid which fits you best and is the best quality you can afford.

With lids safety is guaranteed by the legal testing, the rest you are paying for quality, service, lifespan of it. Etc. Etc.

Originally Posted by Rob969

So why do you now wear Arai

Because I had my Condor discounted because I work part-time for a guy who sells them, which made it cheaper than the top of the range Nitro, and my Chaser was acquired from my ex-girlfriend as a barely used example in a straight swop for a Scorpion race can (the Chaser didn't fit her properly, so was worn twice then put aside). I wear the Condor on the road, and the Chaser on track.

The fit and finish of any Arai is leagues ahead of a Nitro, but the Condor doesn't have the ventilation offered by top of the range Nitros. It's a trade off but I went for the helmet that will last me 5 years, as opposed to the one that will last me 2.

Originally Posted by merlin427

Why is that? Apart from the fact that Rossi's is almost certainly not an off the shelf model built the same as yours his does not have the prospect of the same number of hazards as a road helmet does - There is not as many things to hit on a race track.

You are actually wrong about Mr Rossi not having an off the shelf helmet. After failed attempts to fit a lid to suit Vale's head, AGV found that a standard off the shelf model was perfect for him, and that's all he uses now.

Originally Posted by merlin427

I'm surprised about the 'splitting down the glue line' incident, I though the shells of most helmets were molded in one piece and the 'glue line' was infact the joint of the mold, not like a cream egg. Perhaps not all helmets are created equal, maybe I'd like to know more about how my helmet was made before I make a purchase.

You are correct, the line seen down the middle of some helmets is a moulding flashing line, where the two halves of the mould are joined during the injection process, not a physical join between two halves of the shell that have been glued or welded together. Anyone claiming a helmet split perfectly down this line is talking out of their 4rse

Originally Posted by Cairo

Fair point about the comparison between Rossi's helmet and the off the shelf helmet and the difference between race tracks and roads: more sliding along surfaces than hitting solid objects like curbs and walls.

But I would still be wary of anything sent in transit though. I've seen boxes bounced off conveyer belts, trailer floors etc by people who do not appreciate whats inside them. I would expect a transited helmet to be encased with a mould of polystyrene filling the rest of the box. Maybe I'm a little too cynical about my industry but I wouldn't be surprised if I had to ask the vendor for at least one immediate replacement due to packaging damage.

As for the glue-line incident it was just the outer-shell that split but surely that does increase the vulnerability of the important bit ie the skull compared to a helmet that's outer shell is moulded into 1 piece.

I'm not sure that half-price/twice as often is the way forward. I would have thought that some kind of impact is needed to knacker a helmet either a crash or it being dropped. Does the protective material expire after a certain amount of time?

Re-Shell splitting
I guess it could be argued that in splitting the shell, impact was absorbed, which is fine if it happens at the point when you come to a stop but if it's halfway between the 'off' and the 'stop' then ability of the inner lining to do its job and withstand further impact will be reduced as without the protective cover it can now fall apart. I have always gone for helmets with composite shells as I think they are less likely to suffer 'catastrophic' failure and so maintain some degree of protection (to both wearer and lining) for longer and successive impacts, this kind of construction implies a higher price tag as its less easy to automate manufacture - or so I'm led to believe, seems to make sense.

I think with most things there is a price below which it is not possible to make an item of an adequate standard (in an ethical way), in my eyes £16 is too low a price, someone must be suffering! And I'd be too worried I may be the one. Mind you it's horses for courses, if I were riding a scooter I guess it would be adequate protection wise. There's still the worry about whether it was made in a sweat shop in China though if that worries you.

Being a cheapskate I like to save money so I tend to look for good quality items which are sold at a discount due to being unacceptable due to colour or design. I'm not and never have been very fashion conscious so I'm just as happy to have a helmet (or other product) in last years colourway and save a bit of cash and the quality is intact.

On the damage during transit issue, I would have thought if the packaging were not damaged the helmet should be OK? Even buying from a shop the helmet has been delivered at some point. I guess you have to trust someone.