Aldi/Lidl Helmet - The Truth!

Aldi/Lidl Helmet - The Truth!

Author
Discussion

budd

407 posts

267 months

Thursday 10th March 2011
quotequote all
have a look at this youtube clip

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xJxmGvh_bPE

I know it’s not a scientific test ( I’m not sure how you’d discribe 3 guys smacking a Arai against a pylon bolt but scientific isn’t a word I’d use ) however it does appear to be a pretty thorough test, that helmet takes quite a pounding before it finally fails, like I said not scientific but good enough for me so I’ll not be rushing to change my RX7 anytime soon, plus racers who buy their own helmets tend to buy Arai

RemyMartin

6,759 posts

204 months

Thursday 10th March 2011
quotequote all
Those hunger break tins are nice. The big BBQ is the mutts nuts. I'm sure lidls do something similar which is much cheaper.....not as good as the original though....

There's a metaphor in all that.....

trickywoo

11,706 posts

229 months

Thursday 10th March 2011
quotequote all
If expensive equals safe this must make you invincible http://www.hein-gericke.co.uk/shop/product_info.ph...

budd

407 posts

267 months

Thursday 10th March 2011
quotequote all
trickywoo said:
If expensive equals safe this must make you invincible http://www.hein-gericke.co.uk/shop/product_info.ph...
yeah that's got to be 100% safe 'cause you wouldn't want to be seen in public wearing it!!!

redtwin

7,518 posts

181 months

Thursday 10th March 2011
quotequote all
I always hear that if you have a £30 head then wear a £30 helmet.

Clearly all the Arai and Schuberth users have £300 or £400 heads. hehe

I bought an Arai many years ago because it was comfortable, quiet and I liked the design and the colours best matched my riding gear. I didn't know, nor did I care what safety ratings it had. It met all the legal requirements and that was good enough for me.

I have an HJC now because it is comfortable, quiet and I liked the flip down sun visor, the design and the colour best matched my bike. I don't know, nor do I care what safety ratings it has. It meets all the legal requirements and that is good enough for me.

Oh, and Heinz beans for me.

dern

14,055 posts

278 months

Thursday 10th March 2011
quotequote all
redtwin said:
I always hear that if you have a £30 head then wear a £30 helmet.
Wasn't that just a marketing tag line from years ago which is regurgitated regularly on the internet by fkwits?

Biker's Nemesis

38,536 posts

207 months

Thursday 10th March 2011
quotequote all
dern said:
redtwin said:
I always hear that if you have a £30 head then wear a £30 helmet.
Wasn't that just a marketing tag line from years ago which is regurgitated regularly on the internet by fkwits?
I was told this by a bike cop when I was 16.

dern

14,055 posts

278 months

Thursday 10th March 2011
quotequote all
Biker's Nemesis said:
dern said:
redtwin said:
I always hear that if you have a £30 head then wear a £30 helmet.
Wasn't that just a marketing tag line from years ago which is regurgitated regularly on the internet by fkwits?
I was told this by a bike cop when I was 16.
...not just the internet then.

srob

11,566 posts

237 months

Thursday 10th March 2011
quotequote all
redtwin said:
I always hear that if you have a £30 head then wear a £30 helmet.
I love that saying. My helmet was free hehe

Biker's Nemesis

38,536 posts

207 months

Thursday 10th March 2011
quotequote all
dern said:
Biker's Nemesis said:
dern said:
redtwin said:
I always hear that if you have a £30 head then wear a £30 helmet.
Wasn't that just a marketing tag line from years ago which is regurgitated regularly on the internet by fkwits?
I was told this by a bike cop when I was 16.
...not just the internet then.
No.

nellyleelephant

2,705 posts

233 months

Thursday 10th March 2011
quotequote all
budd said:
have a look at this youtube clip

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xJxmGvh_bPE

I know it’s not a scientific test ( I’m not sure how you’d discribe 3 guys smacking a Arai against a pylon bolt but scientific isn’t a word I’d use ) however it does appear to be a pretty thorough test, that helmet takes quite a pounding before it finally fails, like I said not scientific but good enough for me so I’ll not be rushing to change my RX7 anytime soon, plus racers who buy their own helmets tend to buy Arai
(Noted that you said it wasn't a scientific test!)

There's more to helmet design than how much of a pounding it can take before it breaks. How the force is transferred to the head is more important, I would say that the liner is sometimes more important than the shell.

I haven't looked at the tests mentioned previously, but when we design our helmets (riot, fire, airforce) a lot of thought goes in to the way energy is absorbed and transferred. Having seen first hand the amount of work that goes into a helmet design, I don't know how they can produce and sell them for £30!

dern

14,055 posts

278 months

Thursday 10th March 2011
quotequote all
nellyleelephant said:
I haven't looked at the tests mentioned previously, but when we design our helmets (riot, fire, airforce) a lot of thought goes in to the way energy is absorbed and transferred. Having seen first hand the amount of work that goes into a helmet design, I don't know how they can produce and sell them for £30!
At a guess you buy a design from someone else or get someone else to make up of their existing designs badged up as your own and knock out thousands of them or they're loss leaders to get you in to the store and buy a load of other stuff.

Rick448

1,677 posts

223 months

Thursday 10th March 2011
quotequote all
Castrol Craig said:
good old fashioned word of mouth and experience.

and the race paddock is always a good place to rely on.

nome of the guys in bsb etc get paid to wear lids, but yet the majority wear arai.....i dont see anyone wearing lidld 'pishpot special'
I agree that they will wear what appears to be the best lid. But i doubt there are any hard facts behind their decisions. I have always tried to buy helmets that fit me well and are "quality" but i only base that on what i see other wearing and not on any proof. I currently have a Shoei X spirit and an HJC R-PHA 10 neither of which were cheap, but in all honesty i have no idea if they are any safer than n Aldi or Lidl lid.

Rick448

1,677 posts

223 months

Thursday 10th March 2011
quotequote all
Castrol Craig said:
good old fashioned word of mouth and experience.

and the race paddock is always a good place to rely on.

nome of the guys in bsb etc get paid to wear lids, but yet the majority wear arai.....i dont see anyone wearing lidld 'pishpot special'
I agree that they will wear what appears to be the best lid. But i doubt there are any hard facts behind their decisions. I have always tried to buy helmets that fit me well and are "quality" but i only base that on what i see other wearing and not on any proof. I currently have a Shoei X spirit and an HJC R-PHA 10 neither of which were cheap, but in all honesty i have no idea if they are any safer than n Aldi or Lidl lid.

paps

Original Poster:

1,040 posts

226 months

Thursday 10th March 2011
quotequote all
So what are we saying here chaps?

That if a lidl lid fairs badly in the Sharp test its cos its cheap.
and
That if an expensive lid from Arai does badly its because the test is floored?!?

Some consistency please.

RemaL

24,967 posts

233 months

Thursday 10th March 2011
quotequote all
paps said:
So what are we saying here chaps?

That if a lidl lid fairs badly in the Sharp test its cos its cheap.
and
That if an expensive lid from Arai does badly its because the test is floored?!?

Some consistency please.
Nope that the sharp Tests are SH IT, not many take any notice of them due to flaws in the side impact that has been brought up to sharp a few times.

that if cheap lids get 5 stars people won't think they are better than £500 lids. just made to meet flawed sharp tests

if that make sense ?

srob

11,566 posts

237 months

Thursday 10th March 2011
quotequote all
I'd wear one.

black-k1

11,889 posts

228 months

Thursday 10th March 2011
quotequote all
paps said:
So what are we saying here chaps?

That if a lidl lid fairs badly in the Sharp test its cos its cheap.
and
That if an expensive lid from Arai does badly its because the test is floored?!?

Some consistency please.
That is consistency! The same thing has been said by some consistently ever since SHARP was launched and Aria didn't do very well.

Biker's Nemesis

38,536 posts

207 months

Thursday 10th March 2011
quotequote all
It's all to do how they test the helmets.

It has nothing to do with any make of helmet that some consider to be fashionable getting a lower mark than those that are not considered fashionable.

budd

407 posts

267 months

Thursday 10th March 2011
quotequote all
nellyleelephant said:
(Noted that you said it wasn't a scientific test!)

There's more to helmet design than how much of a pounding it can take before it breaks. How the force is transferred to the head is more important, I would say that the liner is sometimes more important than the shell.

I haven't looked at the tests mentioned previously, but when we design our helmets (riot, fire, airforce) a lot of thought goes in to the way energy is absorbed and transferred. Having seen first hand the amount of work that goes into a helmet design, I don't know how they can produce and sell them for £30!
I thought the clip amusing as much as anything, helmet testing from the former Soviet Union !!! There’s obviously more to helmet design and testing than the amount of physical punishment it can take and I wasn’t suggesting otherwise. But I do think it unwise to rely solely on government test results when choosing a helmet, taken literally and using just the ratings to choose it would appear that (for comparisons sake only) a Airoh Speedfire @£60 (4 star rating) is twice as good /safe as a Arai Condor @£240(2 stars), this would be a natural conclusion based solely on the ratings.
Potential problems with the test criteria appear when you look at the spec of the 2 helmets, the Airoh features a quick release buckle these are much less safe / reliable than the D ring system, then there’s the thermoplastic shell much more susceptible to heat / UV / solvent damage than the GRP shell of the Arai, and IIRC would render it unsuitable for racing and probably trackdays to.
Also I notice the only Arai to receive a 5 star rating the GP5 isn’t a MC helmet at all but a Snell 2005 approved car racing helmet (now superseded by the GP6 ) and was a damn site more than the quoted £250.
And I agree god knows how it's possible to make a helmet for £30, maybe they should be tested when they are a year or so old (if they are still in one piece) afterall the lid should retain it's ability to protect over it's lifetime not just when new.


Edited by budd on Thursday 10th March 19:35