Crash helmets, how long do they last??

[Boomer]

I have the Evoline 2 and if you keep the visor closed no water should get to the inside of the visor.
The original Evoline did suffer with a poor seal at the top of the visor.
My 2 suffers from the fact that you have to lift the visor to raise the chin piece.
The 3 sounds like it's really sorted.
On hot sunny days when cruising the country lanes I like the ability to raise the chin whilst riding, but still have the use of the sun visor and clear visor.

It still amazes me that companies like Schuberth and Arai can charge £700+ for a helmet that fares worse on the SHARP tests than a helmet that costs £200.
I guess what amazes me most is that people buy them at those prices.
A true triumph of marketing over value.

I am also amazed that the helmet manufacturers haven't gone with the Laser Revolution double-glazed visor design.
Imagine a whole visor that fogs less than with a Pinlock.
I only ever got mine to fog up around my nose in the pouring rain, after 5 years of ownership.
I'd have another one now but they stopped making them.
They were a bit heavy and noisy though.

Older polycarb lids got a bad reputation as they were made in 2 halves and welded together.
Some of the cheaper ones split in half on impact.
New Polycarbs are moulded in one piece and are as good as most other materials once you consider that a helmet is a 1 accident item.
Most accidents that will break up a polycarb lid will break your neck first.

[Winston Smith]

 

Some small amount of water ingress, via the upper slot for the internal visor mechanism - main visor is fine - and I find due to it's design that the VOX kicks in on the Autocom unless the bike screen is halfup (which I don't like!)

Not had any visor issues.  There's a 5 year warrenty on them...

[Winston Smith]

The  was for thye prior post George - You posted whilst I was responding!

[kelpac]

Thanks for all the input, all good points. best I go look for a new one.

[Deon]

AGV, Shark, Caberg, Nolan, HJC, KBC along with the likes of Boxer, Viper etc all produce plastic lids as they are the cheaper end of their ranges (AGV/Nolan/Shark/HJC) or the mainstay in the case of the others.

Not all are cheap, I have a £320 Shark Evoline 3 which is a Polycarb lid.

Nothing wrong with plastic lids, they are evenly made due to the injection methods of moulding, unlike the layering of multi compsites but are heavier and more prone to chemical/sunlight damage.

Painted ones are better (and more expensive!) and to be fair most are now.

Well, lets agree to disagree. Plastic does not shatter like a composite lid would on impact and plastic does not have a "memory". So, if impact "crushes" helmet it will stay in that shape putting pressure on the brain.
I for one, will never wear a plastic lid - because I don't have a plastic brain !! 
But, it is your life, so wear what you like I suppose

Deon

[Boomer]

Deon, if you are relying on the shell to shatter to absorb the energy then you are already dead.
On any lid the forces required to shatter the shell would kill the rider outright.
The whole point of the shell is to stay intact to contain the polystyrene foam.
It's the foam that absorbs the energy, the shell just contains the foam and provides protection in a slide and to distribute point impacts.
The only time I have ever seen a lid with exposed foam was after a 110Mph slide and he wore through the shell to expose the foam.
I have never seen a shell shatter.

As for the polycarbonate shells, polycarbonate is very rigid plastic, not to be confused with other plastics.
The windscreen on your bike is polycarb and they do shatter and they do have a memory.

People hear the word plastic and assume it's made of lemonade bottle or sandwich box plastic.
There are a lot of different plastics with VERY different properties.
Bakelite is an ancient plastic and is as rigid and brittle as cast iron.

[Deon]

As I said before. Let's agree to disagree.

Deon

[Ros]

A balaclava??  Not in this heat!   

[winnsworld]

A balaclava??  Not in this heat!   

and it helps to avoid my ears rubbing on the speakers of my headset 

[routemaster]

Totally agree with Boomer it is the inner polystyrene foam that abosorbs the energy and reduces the risk of head injuries.

Kind regards

Steve

Deon, if you are relying on the shell to shatter to absorb the energy then you are already dead.
On any lid the forces required to shatter the shell would kill the rider outright.
The whole point of the shell is to stay intact to contain the polystyrene foam.
It's the foam that absorbs the energy, the shell just contains the foam and provides protection in a slide and to distribute point impacts.
The only time I have ever seen a lid with exposed foam was after a 110Mph slide and he wore through the shell to expose the foam.
I have never seen a shell shatter.

As for the polycarbonate shells, polycarbonate is very rigid plastic, not to be confused with other plastics.
The windscreen on your bike is polycarb and they do shatter and they do have a memory.

People hear the word plastic and assume it's made of lemonade bottle or sandwich box plastic.
There are a lot of different plastics with VERY different properties.
Bakelite is an ancient plastic and is as rigid and brittle as cast iron.

[Winston Smith]

Deon, you don't seem to understand the physics and mechanics of helmet construction and how they are designed to work in am=n impact or slide.

Composites don't shatter, the polycarbonate plastic doesn't shatter.  The hard shell will flex, possibly break but it designed to absorb and spread the initial impact forces.  The polystyrene inner does crush and absorbs more forces - quite likely it will be squashed but this effect stops the direct impact of the blow being transferred to your skull.

In a slide, the hard outer shell will slide over the ground to an extent and will only wear through due to prolonged friction wearing it away.

Helmets are designed more for impact at lower speeds or light skimming if sliding.

[viper]

would you class this as a shatter ?

[coman37]

That picture explains a lot, and stop licking the screen

Coman

[viper]

That picture explains a lot, and stop licking the screen

Coman

what ?

[routemaster]

Interesting photograph - so what was the nature of the accident/impact to casue that amount of damage?