Aha   True Yorkshire thriftyness   So Ian, if you don't mind  .......   How much would it have cost without the discount ?   Just for research and future reference                                                                                                                                                                               

Truth is helmets are generally the same material for all makers so there is real cost in the making of them, the only difference is in the time spent designing and testing them, classic example is my shoei xr1100, it's last years Tommy Hill colours so it was discounted to £275 and i got mates rates discount at the shop so that made it £250, this years model with new paint jobs is selling for £415 so the price is way over inflated for most helmets.

I think I paid £275, so it should of been £375. but the prices are a bit cheaper now as newer models have been introduced                                                                                                                                                                                 

After 30 years of biking it's still a question I can't decided on. Expensive lid vs frequent replacement. The standard is the same on all of them (pretty much) and who can honestly say that AGV has a higher standard than Shark or another cheaper brand? We assume so because we want to to, but do we know?

Is it all marketing hype?

I just cannot decide....

                                                                                                                                                                             

  They all have to meet the safety criteria, all you need to choose is the fit and comfort and design.                                                                                                                                                                             

 they do have to but when my ex bought a kbc back in 2006 it got knocked of a coffee table and hit the floor and cracked.so being a cheaper lid i wasnt impressed when it went back turned out it was a manufacturing fault.not being funny but i cant imagine agv,arai,shoei or some of the other bigger companies having a problem like that.it was a one off fault but still only takes one.i still think you buy the best you can afford i trust agv with my head and life but at the end of the day as ive said in an earlier post the most expensive lid,leathers etc will not stop your neck snapping only good riding and watching everyone else on the road can stop that doesnt matter if your lid cost 500 quid or 50 quid thats the bottom line                                                                                                                                                                              

I wear an Arai RX7 corsair and have owned it for six years, although it was expensive I do feel that I have had good value for money.
I have had it serviced every year and during that time it has had the the inside rebuilt twice with new cheek pads and the skull pad, the mouth vent has been replaced, a new side pod fitted all for free. Arai after sales service is second to none.                                                                                                                                                                              

We live in a market economy. Driven by demand, you will always pay a premium for the latest and most popular helmets. Last years model wether it be a car, bike, helmet or anything else will be that much cheaper especially if any major changes are made like colours or design.
The orginal question was more to do with cheap nasty helmets at the lowest end of the market place. The £35 chinese imports. Manaufacturers sell to importers. Importers sell to retailers who sell on to you. so by the time you buy it of course a fair amount of profit is made from the original manufacturing cost. my concern is if you are paying £35 then how much did it cost to make it? I very much doubt that a lot of R&D was done. i'll stick to my shoei                                                                                                                                                                              

That is  spot on Blues...im sticking with my Shoei too.. Our trust in a lid is vital ...so go with what you trust everyone eh ...                                                                                                                                                                              

this  is  a great  discussion , as we all  know  the  helmet  is  the  most  important  piece of  kit  we  can  buy . yes  your  helmet   should  be unece 22.05 approved . BS 6658  dissapeared  in june   2000 . so  if  you  got  a  blue  or  green sticker  with  bs  6658  on your  helmet  its  time  to  throw  it  away  .. cuz  its  now  minimum 12 years  old  and  max  27 years  old . as you  would  have  read  in earlier  posts   5  years  is  really  the  max  to  keep  a helmet , less if  its  a  poly  carbonate  one  . The  more  you  spend  on a  helmet  the  stronger  it  is .You will also  find  its  lighter due to  materials  used . It  will  also  deal with  db  levels (keeping  them  lower). if  you  want  a  fancy  paint  job (replica or  not)  its  gonna  cost  you too  .. . i  recently  had  a  cbt  student   produce  a  helmet  to  me  at  the  school  .  It  was  obviously  brand  new but  there  were  no  unece 22.05  marks  ( not  uncommon)  but  there  were  no  "e"  marks  either .  usually  sown into  padding  or  the  fastening strap . i  asked  where  she  got  helmet  from  . she  replied  lidl  " i got  a  bargain  only  £30"  .  unfortunatly  for  the  student   we  could  not  legally  carry  on  with  cbt  that  day .   my  advice  is  :- look online  to  find  rrp of  your  desired  helmet  . note down  the  online  price being  offered . now  go  to  a  real  shop   and  try  on the  said  helmet , wear as long as possible . if  it  hurts   try  a  different  size  or   manufacturer .  i  personally  cant  wear  agv  helmets  (they  just  dont  fit  my  head ). ask  for  best  price  showing   proof of internet  price . but  be  prepared to  pay  more  for  proper  human  service  .     once  you  got  it  , look after it  , and do  it  up  correctly  .   .                                                                                                                                                                              

i've had shoei helmets ever since my old griffin clubman fell to bits from daily use over a decade.....stuck with shoei ,not the quietist on the market ,but personal fit excellent,you can spend more on a lid but can you wear it 12 hours straight,my current one shoei raid 2,pinlock insert visor.paid £220 on amazon,free delivery,blue orb design .very happy.ta

I've had Arai's since the late 80's (wes cooley replica), I have an Arai Condor and a KBC (that ain't comfy) and have just purchased my first shoei xr1100 and it's the best helmet I've ever owned, light quiet, cool, and don't fog up. Still messes the hair up though Lol.                                                                                                                                                                              

What          You have hair       Wish I had some to "mess up"