I tried on a few of the cheapies too and thought they all looked extremely dorkie on me. Ended up buying a new Giro. It fits perfect and looks just fine. No mushrooms here. I really believe that the fit makes a lot of difference. Don't go to Wal Mart or Target(or wherever) and expect to find a size that actually fits. They normally have "youth" and "adult". The "adult" ones I tried on were definately mushroom material. The "youth" size fit my noggin better but still looked like hell.