Hello bjaspud, the best helmet is the one that fits you best while providing good coverage and comfort. I see too many people wearing poor fitting helmets that won't provide proper protection. If you properly adjust most helmets they will protect your head properly but depending on your head shape, some helmets won't work well.

I have never owned and am very suspicious of "one-size-fits-all" helmets which tend to be on the low end of the price spectrum. A helmet should fit you snugly, but not tight, almost all the way around your head. What protects your head in a fall is the "Styrofoam" part of the helmet. The foam reduces the forces that your head experiences by compressing. If there is a noticeable gap between your head and the foam (nominally you should NOT be able to fit a finger between your head and any part of the inside if the helmet) it won't work as well as designed or tested.

What is the difference between an expensive helmet and a "cheap" helmet (assuming, both have the same safety certifications)? As other above have said, weight and ventilation can be big differences. I also find a big difference are the adjustment and retention systems that help keep a helmet from rolling off your head in a fall. Finally, pad quality generally increases with price too.

Hi oilman_15106, the Genesis is my personal favorite too. I think Lazer's Rollsys fitting system is great and I use its on-the-fly adjustment all of the time. However, helmet fit can be very personal and what works well for one person may be terrible for another.