A Giro Agilis saved my life when I was struck broadside by a car making a careless left-hand turn across traffic back in Nov. ‘21.

I smashed the car’s windshield with my shoulder and the side of my head. The Agilis helmet was very seriously crushed on that side but as far as head injuries go, I just had a mild concussion. The rest of my injuries were extensive, but I did recover.

If my unprotected head had hit, I’d almost certainly have died on impact!

I replaced it with the same model.

MIPS is a good feature; it lets the helmet shell move a bit around the liner, so when the shell hits the ground, it doesn't tend to twist the head as much, which in turn leads to fewer neck injuries.

Built-in lights are a nice feature. I have them on my Lumos Ultra E-Bike helmet.

3rd party safety certifications are good to have too. Without them, we don't really know what testing was done on them or how. (my Lumos has that too, though it was $200. Is that too much to spend after a crash, when the SUV driver should be paying?)

If I were to buy again, I might not get the eBike version. The flip-down face shield does help with bugs in the eyes, but doesn't help with wind (which whips right under) and prevents me from using my favorite helmet-mounted mirror. The regular Lumos Ultra version is within your budget:
https://ridelumos.com/products/lumos-ultra
(no affiliation)

When shopping for a bike helmet with built-in lights, consider the position of the lights. I've seen a few that have the rear lights kind of high on the back of the helmet, where they wouldn't be visible to a car following if the rider were leaned forward on a road bike, for example. They should be low on the back of the helmet and maybe aimed down a bit or at least have a really nice wide angle of projection.

Thanks for all the suggestions and whatnot, you were all very helpful.
I did take one ride without wearing a helmet, but that same day, I managed to find an old black BMX (early 90's) Bell helmet in a garage closet.
Finally got to my LBS and tried on a few helmets and went for a Smith Engage Mips.

Screenshot from Smith Optics website
The helmet was on discount by Smith already and the shop also gave me a discount, so I got a great helmet for a even greater price. At least that's what I'm thinking?
Thanks again for all the help with this. I was really lost and going to my LBS was a solid suggestion. Not to mention all the other suggestions.
Hopefully this new helmet will never have to fulfill it's duty.
My life without a bicycle just wouldn't be complete.

FWIW Koroyd tends to restrict airflow where it covers the openings in the helmet. I found that my first Mips helmet had a lot of Koroyd and didn't allow enough ventilation to suit me in our Tallahassee summers. I bought a different Mips helmet that had more open vents to wear in the Summer. I still wear the first one when it is cold. Both are nice helmets, They just suit different conditions better.

That's a wonderful observation!

I did consider how the "crumple zones" within the helmet would or wouldn't hinder airflow, but I've been wearing this new Smith helmet since I purchased it, and the airflow seems OK for me.

It's actually a big improvement from my last helmet, where it seems that airflow wasn't a top priority.

I actually was mistaken about mine being two different brands. The are actually both Smith helmets, but different models. The one that is better ventilated and cooler is the Engage and the hotter one is Forefront 2. I like the Forefront 2 for it's light mounting setup. Also the extra Korpyd may offer more protection. It is a lot hotter though. So I wear it in cool weather only.

I was thinking one of them was a Fox model, but that was an earlier one that I broke before I bought either of the Smith models.

Any way, I think that you need to consider the model, and possibly the year and size as well when choosing which helmet will be cooler. You can make a pretty good guess from the illustrations or the helmet itself by looking at the vents and seeing where they are and whether they are blocked.

There are many factors one may consider in addition to safety. I do not regret the money paid for my Giro Aries. (I'm in southern Arizona and ventilation is a major concern when shopping for headgear.) Helmets are a long-term purchase for me, like shoes or bib shorts, and with that in mind I buy the best I can afford.

I agree to a point. I will just say that spending more doesn't always mean better meeting one's needs. Personally I have seldom found that price was the limiting factor in my choices when shopping for helmets. Sometimes I've spent a couple hundred and sometimes less than a hundred. I always picked based on fit, features, and reviews.

The Aries looks super well ventilated. That alone might be enough reason to choose it in some conditions. I chose a helmet for hot weather and almost didn't buy it because I was put off by the price. I was a bit concerned that it was too cheap (Smith Engage on sale for $77 at the time). I decided to go for it since I was happy with the similar Smith Forefront 2 other than the poor ventilation due to extensive use of Koroyde.I felt better when I realized that the Engage was usually $150

BTW, I wish I could say that helmets were a long term purchase for me, but I seem to crash too often to really say that. I am lucky to get a 2 or 3 years out of a helmet before I either crack it or worry that it has been crashed pretty hard. I ride mostly single track so crashing once in a while is not unusual. I am getting a bit more cautious as I age into my mid 70's so maybe I'll get more years out of my helmets in the future

Shoes I buy nice ones (I like Sidis), but not the very top of the line. I figure that shoes are definitely not a place to scrimp, but my current Dominator 10s would be hard to improve on IMO. I could spend another couple hundred for the Drakos, but for trail riding I doubt that I'd benefit enough fron the carbon soles and other bling to spend an extra $200.

Bibs... I figure Pearl Izumi mid to high end models are good enough (for me). I've never been too fussy about shorts. I rode with Nashbar branded low to mid grade shorts and no complaints until I moved to mid range PI stuff. I did lots of multiweek and some multi month stuff including crossing the US a couple times. I never considered the shorts a problem.

I'm very happy with my new Smith Engage helmet. Also got a new saddle this past week and went for a wider, more plush one this time.
I was using the Wittkop MTB saddle but switched to the Wittkop Touring saddle. The MTB saddle rails were bent, and there was a hole in the nose.
So far the helmet and the new saddle are working out great.
I've never worn cycling-specific clothing, and I've always used flats, so no clipping in for me.
I just get on and go.