If you're not a helmet wearing person or wanna flame about those that do or do not wear a helmet, please move on.

Otherwise....

I currently wear a Giro helmet. It's a lower end helmet (this I realize), but what do you get by going upwards? Are we talking just aero benefits? or is there a difference in fit or comfortableness? It does appear that the higher end tend to breath more, but how much difference does it make?

i.e. as long as they're certified and quality, does the protection get better or what? Is there a major difference?

More expensive helmets are lighter and more stylish (subjective). Sometimes they may be more comfortable or add more features, but usually they don't. In my opinion the best helmets are the middle range ones. If you want more protection, consider a helmet with less vents. The Pro-Tec SXP helmets are skate-style helmets that are rated for multiple crashes. I don't recommend using any helmet after a serious accident, but those are probably sturdier than the average bike helmet. They aren't too expensive either.

https://helmets.org/

Yes.

In the summer the additional ventilation makes a big difference. Other than that, I don't think any are really more protective than others - oh, I suppose the more it's like a motorcycle helmet the more protective it is. Other than that they're all silly looking!

Helmets, like with most cycling components, you pay more to get less.

Pricey helmets have more and larger vents, reducing weight and increasing airflow.

All helmets have to meet the same standard so there is no functional difference between a $40 and a $140 helmet. The only difference is styling, weight and, maybe, some ease of adjustment.

The more expensive the road helmet, the greater the ventilation, as a general rule. I am a hell of a sweater (until about this time of year), and I really appreciate the higher-end helmets and the increased venting from them.

Of course, with more / bigger vents, there's a greater chance of something piercing your more exposed scalp, so there's definitely a trade off (not to mention that of price).

thanks.
I've been looking at other helmets and the price ranges are quite wide. I don't "dislike" my current helmet really, I was more wondering if I was missing out on something. The only thing I've noticed with my current helmet is that it gets tight real quick when I add a skullcap under it for warmth

Knowing how hot it gets up there in the summer, I think you'll want get the best ventilated helmet you can afford!

(Personally, I love my Bell Sweep R. It looks good, it's well ventilated, and it has a very secure and easy to use adjustment wheel in the back. And it's relatively inexpensive for a "race" helmet.)

Ummm.... fail.

Of course some brands and models will provide an increased level of protection from others. Do you have a way to distinguish the more-safe from the less-safe? No

Seriously people.... they have to meet the same MINIMUM standard - just because all cars pass a crash test doesn't make them equally safe.

If a helmet exceeds a minimum standard, don't you think that the manufacturers would be shouting from the rooftops that their's is much better. I have yet to see a helmet sold that states: "Exceeds xxxx standard."

From the Bicycle Helmet Safety Institute

At the high end, you will still find big vents and high prices, but no verifiable advantage in impact performance. A helmet with less foam has to have denser foam, a disadvantage in lesser impacts. You can pay more than $200 if you want to, but Target, Wal-Mart and other discounters have models that meet the same CPSC impact standard at an everyday price of $10. And for about $20 they have better looking and better fitting models. Wal-Mart has a round, smooth Bell Impulse for $25 that is molded in the shell, a high quality construction technique.

I only wear hard shell skate-type helmets because they cover and protect the back of my head much better than any microshell helmet I've seen. My TSG Evolution comes down the back of my head almost as much as a motorbike helmet, but the helmet as a whole feels as though it would be more protective than a microshell simply because it's heavier and more substantial, so I think hard shell helmets are more protective than microshells. I've never seen it proved, but I reckon they are.

The only reason I buy slightly upscale helmets (Bell Metro, last year's model, $40) is that I have a big head and nothing in the department stores will fit.

As far as looks, dude, we're adults riding bikes. With a cheap helmet, dork factor=90. With a $250 helmet, dork factor=87. Not worth it. The only people who will even notice are other cyclists, and most of them take one look at a commuter rig and write you off anyway.

Dork factor is irrelevant. IMHO
Buy what you like and fits good. If that is a $20 or a $300 helmet so be it.
Personally, I like lightweight helmets with plenty of venting. I usually purchase helmets around the $100 price mark.

There has been a great debate in the motorcycle world about helmet designs providing injury protection in excess of what's required by the minimum standards. There have been independent tests replete with smashing machines and accelerometers, and results indicate some available helmets deliver far lower G forces to the brain.

I'm unaware of any corresponding tests on bicycle helmets.

tcs

The standard does many things, among which: it makes sure nobody buys a helmet that underperforms the minimum level, and it provides some protection to manufacturers from lawsuits if their designs are certified to those minimum level tests.

I can see the engineers at a helmet company sincerely trying to design a "safer" helmet. I can't see the legal department signing off on an advertisment that makes that claim.

tcs

Key word there being verifiable. Of course it's not verifiable if you only test (or publish) to a minimum spec.

I wouldn't expect the $200 helmets to be the best in a safety test anyway. It's highly likely that the cheaper ones, assuming correct fit, would receive the highest scores.

I would maintain that the vast majority of people do not buy a helmet based on safety anyway. They buy the cute pink one, or the cheap one, or the "punk" one with the graffiti pre-painted on it, or the light one, or the one they see the racers wearing on tv. The industry has decided to differentiate based on features, and safety is apparently not one - or at least not one worth discussing.

And if lacking in the hair dept. the air flow from the extra vents isn't needed. I sweat like pig, have ridden 100+ degree heat & had plenty of ventilation from a low end helmet

I fail to see, then, what your issue is with my statement that there is no functional difference between a $40 helmet and a $140 helmet. Functional as in the helmet's primary function, i.e. impact resistance. Ventilation is not the primary function. Ventilation is nice but it's still in the style category which is exactly what you stated below.

Sorry but that is simply not true. Being that I am balding I shave my head. Venting is still very important for me in hot weather.

Heat affects different people in different ways. I keep my hair fairly short, so that helps, but even with a Bell Metro which has very little venting, I've never felt uncomfortable even on 100+ degree days. Heat doesn't bother me much though.

I am from a hot climate. Heat bothers me very little and I still enjoy venting.

in my case a $190 helmet made by LAS was the only helmet that fit my weird shaped skull (long and narrow and shaved bald). It pained me to pay that much, but now that I've ridden it for a summer, I have no regrets. It was worth every penny. The fitting "system" of an LAS helmet is top notch in my opinion.

You definitely get ease of adjustment. Look at any company's line and at the low end you'll see simple straps with simple fasteners to go along with simple shapes and simple graphics. As you go up you'll see fancier adjustments for both the straps and the headband and in general those fancier adjustments do help customize the fit (including ease of adjustment while riding) and allow for varying thicknesses of head coverings under the helmet. The fact that the vent designs and graphics get fancier as well with increased cost just makes sense from a marketing point of view. The cost-benefit curve is pretty steep though and you don't have to go very far up in cost to get most of the features.

And if people are willing to pay $200 for a helmet, why shouldn't they have that choice? Jeez I know women who spend way more than that on a flimsy pair of shoes.