Thanks for all the advice so far, folks. I'm taking it all in.

Andy K said "I'm surprised to hear about a helmet smashing into 1000 pieces,". Boy, you aren't kidding it was surprising. I was pretty shocked when I saw it. Thank GOD it was the helmet and not his head. He rode over a plank footbridge and caught his front tire between two planks. He did a perfect endo on his bean. He's a big guy and that's a lot of force. I emailed pictures of the remains of the helmet to friends & family, it was so impressive!

"One use" - I'm still giggling. There would be no second use for THAT helmet.

I'm glad to hear what you all say about cheaper helmets providing good protection as long as they fit. I'll be thinking in those terms. And while I'm asking questions - anybody want to point me at any particular helmet online?

Thanks so much.

Sharon

btw... My honey is okay aside from some bruising on his face and a rather painful stiff neck. When he crashed, I took him his old (truly ancient) helmet. He put it on and kept riding.