Since I did not make the helmet and did not see the helmet being made, I can not verify that any helmet (including Arai) has been put together 'properly'. A company charging more for their helmet doesn't mean they followed some of the production steps you outlined. And also dosn't mean a so called 'less well known' manufacturer can not use the same standards.
I would not even consider a helmet that did not have a recognized standard attributed to it. They are there for a reason. Can they be better? Sure, but based on what I know of these standards is enough to influence my decision about one helmet over another that isn't approved.
I have actually seen some of the tests they perform for Snell standards (in a video, I forget where I saw it) and I thought they were very relevant. Some of the tests even went beyond the scope of normal everyday situations. Like having a pointy and weighted (not sure how much weight) lead cone impact the helmet from a 5 or 10 foot height, impacting at different spots on the helmet, while measuring devices collect the data. And from what I am led to believe, the Euro standards are even more stringent. :idunno:
Doing 5% better in a crash is all very good, and I'd probably pay alittle more just for that fact (if it can be proved), but no helmet can protect your brain or spine from a severe impact, no matter how 'good' the helmet is.
Your helmet can stand up to most medium or even severe crashes...your brain can't. Even a small impact can cause anything from a concussion to internal bleeding in your brain, let alone the multitude of spine injuries. And no amount of money for a better helmet can change that....that's just physics. Not to say that a good helmet doesn't help in reducing the physical damage, but there is a point where any helmet may not make a difference.
We just have different opinions based on our own personal experiences and points of view...nothing wrong with that.
I still think the top of the line HJC and KBC helmets are very fine and very capable products.
Anyway, this is far too depressing...and we can't have that!

Crashing sucks...nuf said.
