EXPENSIVE VERSUS CHEAP HELMETS: WATCH ANALOGY Some people are more susceptible than others to marketing and sales ploys, such as premium pricing (whereby prices are set high to create an impression of better quality), sponsorship (whereby people or collectives of people who are in the public eye are funded with products and money for promoting them) and gifting of these same or similar products to commentators who have the public ear in exchange for advertising and a review. Notwithstanding that there are often perfectly good reasons why some products can be much more expensive than others of the same ilk, we should all know that the profits from premium pricing and all of the costs associated with sponsorship and gifting comes from the end buyer of the products. We dont care much what people think of this assertion. No matter how flawed or little reason they have to support their argument, folks are entitled to their opinions. But what does annoy us is when people who through need or inclination are buying to a budget and from advice given to them are wrongly made to feel that they would compromise their health and safety by doing so. So can a cheap motorcycle helmet be in any way better than an expensive one? The short answer is a resounding YES! The primary function of a motorcycle helmet is to protect your head and the brain it contains from damage caused by knocks should you bash it into something. Like most Arai full face helmets my own £300 Nexx XR1R carbon gets a middle of the road SHARP 3 star rating which is lower than the 4 star rating of the £40 G-MAC Pilot. By way of analogy my £20 Casio watch has more functions and keeps better time than my £180 Rotary watch. So comes the question why when believing this and given the choice have I opted for the more expensive? If only life was so simple! Ill start with the watches! As one of their most basic entry level models the battery powered Casio is perfectly functional. It served me well through all of the knocks and getting into scraps as a frontline police officer on the city streets. But compared to automatic (kinetic) movement and pleasant looking face of the Rotary the Casio, it is simply quite bland. I sometimes take pleasure in pondering the intricate workings visible through the glass back and the craftsmanship that has gone into making it. The Rotary watch gains a few minutes over the course of a month. The day and month lettering on the face are too small for me to read even with my glasses on, but still it is a thing of beauty and I love it. Let down by side impact protection in the results of the impeccable SHARP testing and regardless that it may have scored better on other impact areas I have no rightful claim that my £300 Nexx helmet offers more protection than the £40 G-MAC helmets that we also sell in our shop. But that isnt everything there is to it! As with the Rotary watch, the carbon-fibre shell Nexx helmet is a thing of beauty. Incredible light weight, a plush liner, low noise levels and huge field of vision create the best fitting and most comfortable helmet I have ever owned. I am at a point in life, where I value and can better afford such qualities. But in terms of primary function and safety no way will my choice be more wise than someone with a lot less money to spend.
Posted on: Fri, 30 May 2014 17:46:19 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015