Originally Posted by Allister
I'm not sure of the benefit of the outer elastic layer - could you elaborate? I think the outer layer should be a smooth hard shell. One of the potential problems with the current design is it's tendency to 'dig in' on impact, possibly introducing harmful rotational forces to the neck. I'd prefer it to skid across the road surface.
It's true that a better helmet would cost more, but I'd be prepared to pay it, especially if it was reuseable. A $500 helmet that survives 5 or more crashes is better than a $100 one that survives none.
Oops, I didn't mean it in that order. Ideally you'd want a hard outer layer combined with a crumpling layer underneath and then something like a viscoelastic foam. It's actually something new that I haven't seen before. The foam is kind of like a thick foam that resists rapid deformation with greater pressure. Kinda like if traditional foams were a spring, this thing would be a damper. So when you hit something, the hard shell prevents penetration and distributes the load through the crumpling layer, which absorbs energy while the viscoelastic layer allows your head to decelerate on it's end.
OTOH, I don't expect myself to get into THAT many accidents in my lifetime. And such a helmet at $500 would offer the amount of weight and ventilation that a $40 helmet would offer. For that price, I'd stick with a $40 helmet.