Safest helmets, EC and DOT certified

[charliefirpo]

Hi,

I am getting a bike soon and I need a helmet.

The way I approached this is that I looked at the SHARP test page and went for the best ones I want to afford: up to £300

A few things would be ideal:

internal sun visor

I have been tool that a sun visor makes the helmet more expensive and less save because there is less space for padding.
Should I not consider this option if safety is my highest priority? Or is the difference not such a huge deal?

DOT certification

I have been told that it will be very difficult to find a helmet with both EC and DOT certification. Is that true? Should I forget about a dual certification? (I will be moving to North America within the life span of a helmet I am about to buy).

About the SHARP test:
I have been told at a shop that the SHARP test doesn't actually mean shit because some manufacturers build their helmets just for the test and reinforce them in the areas that get tested. Is that true? I figure the people at the shop who told me that said that to me so that I buy their in stock helmets which were either not tested or not rated with a perfect score as the ones I asked about.

Generally there are many helmets that I would like and that fit me but some of them are either not rated at all or not rated highly by SHARP. Would that deter you guys?
I kinda feel I'm making buying a helmet a really big complicated process with a lot of research which it might not have to be. Should I not worry too much get what I like (feature wise), what fits and feels high quality?

So far I found that the Schubert S2 fits me best. Is that a good helmet? It's actually expensive for my taste (£350) but it feels good. I was told by a shop that this one still has the proper amount of padding even though it has the internal sun visor. Schubert created the fore head area on the helmet so that it is bigger to accommodate for the visor which pretty much none other manufacturers do.

(Btw I need to find a helmet until the end of next week)

[mentalboy]

The shop said helmet manufacturers designed helmets just to fit the SHARP testing regime - possibly but it might be better for a cheapo manufacturer to make you a helmet that will protect your head in an accident rather than having them skimp on safety and build in stuff like great soundproofing.
The more you spend the better the all round features but don't just ignore SHARP because a shop monkey wants to sell you a fancy pink lid that'll split when you slide down the road.

Look at SHARP, compare the kind of models you're interested in and are within budget and go for those. It is a bit of a ballache navigating the SHARP site though!

I think inbuilt sun-visor models are only found in the cheapo models and don't recall ever checking their safety rating but seem to recall hearing that they don't factor very well
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[Howling TerrorOutOfOffice]

It's difficult to choose a particular helmet without wearing it first. When I say wear it, I mean put it on... go wander the shop for 5 mins.
General rule is you shouldn't be able to poke a finger between helmet and forehead.
See if you can tilt it backways and frontway<<sorry about that off your head. Cheeks should look slightly hamster(ish). No pressure points.
Do the air vents feel solid or are they flimsy?

Has it an ACU sticker(for use on tracks). My Schuberth R1 (with sunvisor) didn't.
Has it a removable lining? They can get sweaty at times.
Does it have a pinlock system?

Then...What is it's rating.
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[mentalboy]

[charliefirpo]

OK, thank you guys, so I will not ignore the SHARP test and go for one with a good rating (+ of course a good fit)

Now the most important thing for me is: Are there helmets with DOT and ECE certification? This is really what will decide about the helmet because from what I can tell there are only a hand full of helmets on the market which actually serve both standards. Is that even possible or did I read that wrong? It will be a lot easier to just find a good ECE helmet because there simple are way more available.

[Andy_Pagin]

The safest helmet is the one that's most comfortable and the best fit. Ie. the one that's least likely to impinge on you're riding safely.
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[lukamon]

[Ste]

Fit is more important than the SHARP rating.

You'll only know if a lid is a good fit by trying on lots of other lids. You can order a lid online, try it on when it arrives and be thinking 'yeah this fits good' but given the number of lid on the market to choose from, it would be very lucky if the one you picked from the picture on some website turns out to be the one which really does fit you best.

A £50 cheapo lid from Lidl that fits you well will protect you better in a crash than the latest and greatest, most expensive, highest SHARP rated lid with go faster stripes on it.

Go to a bike shop and try lots of lids on.

[mentalboy]

[pinkyfloyd]

[wr6133]

Most things that are ECE are also DOT and vice versa. Manufacturers often only label them up for the market they will be sold in. You can see it on US store webpages, helmets that are sold here as ECE are sold there as DOT often with no mention made of the other.

[Rogerborg]

[mentalboy]

[wr6133]

[SQL]

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/DOT-helmet-sticker-regulation-decal-/180874565587?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2a1cf6d7d3

[talkToTheHat]

Fit is everything, a lid is no use if it comes off and is dangerous moves so as to interfere with concentration or vision. Don't wear a lid that doesn't fit.

A sunvisor must block enough sun without impacting face - shark 900 visor smacks me in the nose, speed r is ok if a little high at the sides.

Pinlocks are great unless you're carrying a pinlocked clear visor in a visor bag around your waist because no sunvisor. Fit of pinlock to visor can be compromised. Great on helmets with sunvisors. Especially the newer maxvision style which is fits really well.

A removable liner and anti-odor technology is important. A lot of time is spent with your head stuffed into a lid. Consider helmets with permanent liners an expensive toy.

Then start considering sharp score.

Also consider performance of vents, are they easily operated with a gloved hand? How well do they work, are they strong enough to survive several years use, or are they flimsy as hell. I'd argue the vent that falls off on the slightest impact is safer than a big external mechanism until the former falls apart.
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[stigger]

You need to remember that the DOT testing is "Self-compliance"

Which means that the manufacturers to the testing and tell you that they passed.

So it's worthless.

[mentalboy]

[Rogerborg]

^^^
A question that I've oft pondered is: who enforces helmet markings?

Quite aside from the issue of manufacturers submitting one lot of lids for ECE or BSI testing and then producing quite another, what's to stop Whang Dong Industrial Plastic Sundries Co. from just slapping ECE 22.05P or BSI whatevs stickers on some novelty toys, and selling 10,000 of them to a European distributor?

How would I as a buyer verify that any similar lid has been tested by the claimed standards body. Say, E13 (Luxembourg). Can you find a way?

One of the big deals about SHARP is that tests are run on lids bought at retail, not provided by the manufacturer.
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[talkToTheHat]