Cheapo helmets on Epay

[MX?]

What's the thoughts on these? My gut feeling is that they would be crap, but they supposedly have AS1698 compliance??? Certainly a low (price) starting point.....with goggles thrown in!
I'm planning to just use my road helmet for a while due to flack on the home front about the ever increasing costs of setting the bike up. but these might be a way out of that?

[mx250]

If it is genuine AS1698 approved you would have a good safe helmet. Fit, finsih comfort and durability might be issues (straps and lining pill up, stickers lift off and vinyls come unstuck or shrink). Be care of postage for the overall cost.

[maicomc490t]

$10 helmet $10 head rule still applies at my house.

Generally you get what you pay for.

Chinese no doubt?

Give me my Shoei any day - tried and true. Good liners and spares available.

Dave Mac

[MX?]

Should have given an item number.....Item number: 350175032624
$40.00 plus $25 postage in Oz.

$10 helmet $10 head rule still applies at my house.

Yep, I'm a bit that way myself.

Chinese no doubt?

For sure! though I guess we used to to say that about Japanese stuff once upon a time as well.

[bigk]

I wouldn't put my head in one and refuse to sell anything like it in the shop. Having been KO'd big time twice, I'm glad I was wearing a high end brand helmet. I'm still here thanks to them for sure. Incidentally, both helmets have been retired to the shelf having done their job completely. They both have little indication of having a big hit, but I simply won't take the risk. I doubt a $40 helmet would do the job.
Cheers,
K

[maicomc490t]

bigK - You're bang on the money mate!

MX - "For sure! though I guess we used to to say that about Japanese stuff once upon a time as well"

Agreed but there just seems to be a way about the Chinese (among others) that isn't just cheap - it's NASTY. Those 'charming' people couldn't give a f*&* about your head. All they see is money which is like a god to them.

The Japs on the other hand (while I am sure they like a dollar too, lol) seemed hell bent on rebuilding and advancing their country because they had something to be proud of (if you don't take into account a shit load of war crimes eg Sandakan Death March and 300000 people slaughterd in Nanking etc etc)

Bell, on the other hand, back in the day, were the good guys looking after all of us nice caucasian kiddies cos they cared (about the dollar? lol)

Who knows where the Chinese will end up (Australia, lol) At least Kevin "I'm from Queensland and I'm here to help you" speaks Mandarine (badly) so he'll be OK when his mates settle in - someone has to own the mineral wealth and everything else.

Dave Mac - who isn't at all racist, no siree !!!

[mx250]

Are they then subject to ongoing random inspection, testing  or assesment?

They are tested to destruction and a certain percntage of each batch are tested, 1%? If they past it is assumed the other 99% will be okay. If think there is also a ASA provision if any fail the initial test a bigger sample is then tested.
 

About the end of 1985 in a bike shop in Newcastle, I thumbled and dropped My plastic injected red full face "K**I" brand. From chest hieght on to the concrete. It split just like a choclate easter egg.

The plastic were doubtful back then. They would pass the test but when exposed to petrol, petrol fumes and UV light they quickly changed their plastic's engineering qualities and would fail. ASA has introduced additional test standards since then I believe.

Even so I think your experience was extreme and I would suss it was either old or had been exposed unintentionally or unknowingly to petrol, petrol fumes, solvents and/or UV light.

I'm confident any helmet that passes the ASA1698 test is a good helmet when it comes to absorbing shock and spreading out the load of impact, and not coming apart at the chin strap. There is good better and best but the differences in engineering terms is minimal.

 Ditto the argument between plastics vs plastics.

[VMX247]

Last year while scrutineering (not bike bits,I really don't know nothin  ).
I had to do a quick run around and find a coy of the Manual of Motorcycling-rule book.
Some riders helmet had an "E" in it..
    What      Europe
FIM International Helmet standards.
Interesting one-thought I'd come across a Legend in our midst,(mayby another day) 
Alison

You could ask why the Aust Standard wording is so large on the advert...bit suss

[cbc]

"About the end of 1985 in a bike shop in Newcastle, I thumbled and dropped My plastic injected red full face "K**I" brand. From chest hieght on to the concrete. It split just like a choclate easter egg. I have forgetten a lot, but never that."


Heard of a police force using a certain polish on their helmets until one day one was dropped and simply crystalised. It was discovered to be the polish.

[Wombat]

My experience with Chinese products:

1. The prototype is spot on
2. The production batch is not quite the same quality
3. As time goes on it gets worse

They can imitate ANYTHING.
It will LOOK the part.
Is the AS 1698 sticker a genuine qualification, or is that also a copy?

MX? I'd seriously reconsider the buy cheap thing.
Maybe use the road lid a while longer until you save up.
Look at Super Hunky. How cool does he look in his full face road lid?
Well, not cool at all... but who gives a rats arse!

Think safe.
 

[LWC82PE]

i think if they are a known brand name and have the standards qualification then they are ok but this one clearly has no brand name so i wouldnt go there. They are probably made by the same mobs that make those really cheap and nasty pit bikes.

you can get quite good helmets for $100-$200 range these days from good well known brands. Just go to your local shop, they will always have helmets on special or clearnces on last years models. I think its better to go that way than buy an unknown off ebay.

Even many of the well known brands are now made in Asia to the standards of their US or Euro based companies but they certainly are not $40.

[Nathan S]

The whole helmet thing is smoke and mirrors.

A mate cut open a medium priced AS1698 approved helmet, and discovered a small square of carbon fibre smack-bang in the top.
One of the AS tests in basically a big punch trying to penetrate the outer shell, and yes, the test is always on the top of the helmet - This helmet has been specifically designed to pass the test, rather than actually provide safety for its wearer.

I read a really detailled article in some US road bike mag in the mid 1990s. One of the things that has really stuck with me, is a comment by one of the experts talking about how the Snell test (M95 IIRC) was actually too harsh, and helmets were actually made less safe to pass the test. He reckoned that the safest helmet at the time (I assume it was a road bike helmet) was 'only' DOT approved and had actually failed the Snell test.
No idea how this relates to current standards, but is worth keeping in mind.

I had a pretty big crash about six months ago (six week off work, broken leg, blah blah - could have been a lot worse, particularly given my 'head-first, sack of shit' landing technique).
My $150 RXT helmet did everything that I expected from it: The peak sheared off without shattering (my neck muscles were sore but not seriously damaged), the polystyrene is noticably compressed in one large area, etc.
I really can't see how an $800 skid lid would have improved the outcome in any way, shape or form.

My old MDS helmet was never seriously crashed in. It was about ten years old when I pensioned it off. I cut it open, and discovered that the polystyrene was badly compressed on top of my head - it was less than half of the original thickness, and this was just from use.


From all of this, I've concluded that 'any' an AS1698 helmet is unlikely to make the difference between me picking myself up off the ground, and a worse outcome.
But an old might make the difference.

So I buy a new ~$200 helmet every 18 months, or after a big crash, which-ever comes first.

[mx250]

During the 80's when the 'plastic' molded helmets were becoming cheap and available there was a lot of debate and hand ringing amongst the safety experts. The more rigid fibreglass was favoured by some although the more pliable plastics worked well in testing. In this period the yanks, in California I think, did a study of crashes and the resulting injuries. After studying a large number of accidents they concluded that the more rigid fibreglass helmets worked better in high speed accidents and the more pliable helmet worked better in low speed accidents.

I don't consider that study conclusive but it one of the better ones. The problem is that there are so many variables that a helmet has to protect and protect from, it is hard to empirically measure and hence specify them in a standard. But I agree with Nathan, buy cheap, treat carefully and replace early rather than buy dear for prestige and appearance and make last 10 years .

I'm also confident any helmets that meets the ASA is a good safety helmet. I doubt if there were too many dodges to get around the standard as described. ASA couldn't afford to lose their cred.

[shorelinemc]

There has been some chinese helmets come in without the sticker then magicly appear with a sticker .check very carefully.If you are a large i have 2 VEMAR helmets (made in Italy)left  greyand a red one size large the last of a special i bought100.00 + post 20.00 should cover most of the eastern states 07 3821 6777

[Wombat]

There has been some chinese helmets come in without the sticker then magicly appear with a sticker .check very carefully...

My point exactly.
We were approached (by one of our Chinese Contractors who imports everything!) to buy bulk orders of fluoro lights.
Huge savings to be had blah, blah.
We weren't too keen on the Chinese tubes as we were chasing the new 'Enviro' types, you know the ones which are better all round for the environment?
Apparently these new type fluoro tubes have green ends to identify them.

So, willing to comply and get our business the Chinese response was "Sure, we can make the tube ends green!"

Not sure why but they just don't get it...