Arai or BEll?

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Ei guys,

I am wondering if you could help me choose between arai helmet and bell helmet. Who among you here have tried using the two brands? Had an accident last month, so I have to buy a new helmet. I would appreciate your replies. Thanks.
 
I have an arai and Love it. It's an rxq. It's comfy light and tons of ventilation.

I tried a bell at the store but like the fit of the arai
 
I have a Shoei. I'd prefer Arai over Bell. I could very likely be wrong but I feel like Arai & Shoei are a bit higher end, therefore I trust them a bit more lol!

I tried a Bell before, a size small. After awhile it hurt me like hell. My xxs Shoei just fits me way better. (I'm surprised about the size difference...)
 
Go for fit. The Bell Vortex fits my head like a glove and arguably is the best helmet in its price range ($170 at Competition Cycle) with all the venting. There's also a transitions lense for it. It's even Snell 2010 certified.

My only complaints:
After break-in I needed bigger cheek pads
VERY loud at speed without earplugs.

Jinniwind said:
I have a Shoei. I'd prefer Arai over Bell. I could very likely be wrong but I feel like Arai & Shoei are a bit higher end, therefore I trust them a bit more lol!


I tried a Bell before, a size small. After awhile it hurt me like hell. My xxs Shoei just fits me way better. (I'm surprised about the size difference...)
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Common misconception. Arai and Shoei tend to cater towards the top of the line crowd. Bell has helmets in every single price range. Comparing an Arrow or Vortex to a RF1100 is apples to oranges. Comparing say a Star or Carbon Star to one would be much closer.
 
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If a helmet is DOT, ECE, and Snell certified, then price has nothing to do with safety. That's like saying a BMW with a 5 star crash rating is safer than a Toyota with a 5 star crash rating because it's more expensive. They may be lighter, quieter, or have other features that are better, but the safety should be the same. I was just at Sturges on the weekend and the lady there (don't know her name, but really knowledgeable) had me try on a bunch of helmets and came to the conclusion that I can't have a lot of helmets because of head shape. That's what you should be looking for, is proper fit, not price. Just my opinion.
 
Renboy said:
If a helmet is DOT, ECE, and Snell certified, then price has nothing to do with safety.
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I don't necessarily agree on this... People say how much you value your head, how much money you should put into your helmet. Most of the helmets in the market are DOT, Snell & etc. approved, but the price ranges are huge. I don't think the price difference is solely due to design and branding. DOT & Snell certification gives you an industry standard of protection that a typical rider needs (by using statistics and stuff). But if you wanna go extra miles to have extra protection all depends on yourself. An inappropriate and totally made up example would be, a low price range DOT & Snell approved helmet may protect you from head injuries from a sedan, but better helmets may protect you from head injuries from an 18 wheeler or a tank. If you wanna throw in extra money to have extra protection is all up to you.

But yeah I do agree that price and quality is not always perfectly correlated.
 
Macs said:
Common misconception. Arai and Shoei tend to cater towards the top of the line crowd. Bell has helmets in every single price range. Comparing an Arrow or Vortex to a RF1100 is apples to oranges. Comparing say a Star or Carbon Star to one would be much closer.
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Ya I do see expensive Bell helmets too. You are right that Bell offers wider price ranges than the other two. I guess I should restate it: if I compare a $100 Bell and a $500 Arai, I would probably go for the later one. lol! If they are both in the same price/quality range, I would go for the better fitting one.
 
I find Arai is the most comfy one. The padding's super soft, yet you feel protected. I can have both ear buds in and don't feel like I'm ripping my ears off every time I take off my helmet. I have the Corsair V model. I find that it's a pain in the butt to swap visors. Easier to wear my sunglasses with it and I don't even feel the frame/arm pinching.

Also have a Shoei X-Twelve. Super snug padding, even after extended wear. It's got the best visor-swapping system. Easy release buttons on both sides.

Unfortunately, Bell didn't quite fit me well. It seems to fit smaller than the stated size, at least to me.

Stay away from Icon. They look cool, but I find them extremely noisy.
 
Jinniwind said:
I don't necessarily agree on this... People say how much you value your head, how much money you should put into your helmet. Most of the helmets in the market are DOT, Snell & etc. approved, but the price ranges are huge. I don't think the price difference is solely due to design and branding. DOT & Snell certification gives you an industry standard of protection that a typical rider needs (by using statistics and stuff). But if you wanna go extra miles to have extra protection all depends on yourself. An inappropriate and totally made up example would be, a low price range DOT & Snell approved helmet may protect you from head injuries from a sedan, but better helmets may protect you from head injuries from an 18 wheeler or a tank. If you wanna throw in extra money to have extra protection is all up to you.

But yeah I do agree that price and quality is not always perfectly correlated.
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There is one standard and it applies to everybody. DOT or SNELL certification doesn't adjust it's standards towards a certain brand. ONE STANDARD FOR ALL. There are helmet that costs $50 and there are helmets that are $300 that are both DOT approved. They have a minimum standard that must be met by both helmets at these different price ranges. Now, you pay for quality and durability of the finish. Poor venting, bad visor (distorted vision) durability and etc are some of the characteristics of a cheap helmet but it doesn't make it less safer.

Now with ARAI and SHOEI you do pay for the brand name whether you want it or not. That's how everything is in life. Same with brand or no name brands prescription drugs that are manufactured with the same ingredients, but it doesn't mean it's worse because it's not the brand name. However, Shoei or Arai maybe in fact better helmets, quality wise but safety wise they meet the standard like any other helmet. This is arguable though since we have to look at the testing data. When the passing mark is 50 points, then a score of 51 or 95 both get SNELL/DOT certification. Catch my drift? I
 
malim said:
There is one standard and it applies to everybody. DOT or SNELL certification doesn't adjust it's standards towards a certain brand. ONE STANDARD FOR ALL. There are helmet that costs $50 and there are helmets that are $300 that are both DOT approved. They have a minimum standard that must be met by both helmets at these different price ranges. Now, you pay for quality and durability of the finish. Poor venting, bad visor (distorted vision) durability and etc are some of the characteristics of a cheap helmet but it doesn't make it less safer.

Now with ARAI and SHOEI you do pay for the brand name whether you want it or not. That's how everything is in life. Same with brand or no name brands prescription drugs that are manufactured with the same ingredients, but it doesn't mean it's worse because it's not the brand name. However, Shoei or Arai maybe in fact better helmets, quality wise but safety wise they meet the standard like any other helmet. This is arguable though since we have to look at the testing data. When the passing mark is 50 points, then a score of 51 or 95 both get SNELL/DOT certification. Catch my drift? I
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Not sure you quoted me to agree or disagree with me, but basically i was saying the same thing. DOT and Snell standard is a minimum that every helmet needs to meet, but extra protection is something else. Just like u said, passing rate is 50, and a lower range one could score 51 and a higher range one could score 95. But i did acknowledge that quality, including safety scores, and price are not necessarily perfectly correlated. Now one can argue that my shoei could score 51 and a no name could score 95. I agree. However, first of all if a no name scores 95, then the manufacturer must have used either very good material or advanced technology, either way the price would probably not be cheap at all. Second of all, as an average consumer, you may not have the resource to the testing data. In my case, i'd pay more and prefer my shoei over a no name just for the peace of mind. In this particular case, both bell and arai are good brands, but as a consumer, i'd personally FEEL safer with a $500 arai or bell over a $100 bell. Its just my preference as an average consumer without studying their actual safety scores of DOT and Snell tests. If you feel the other way around then it's your preference.

Also, i agree with you that branding is a big factor, and my statement was, i dont believe that the price difference is SOLELY due to design (prints and looks, not functionality) and branding. One can argue that Functionality design contributes to safety too. Durability is part of safety too, i'd say. Average life of a helmet is 3-5 years. When you are approaching the 5th year or pushing it to the 6th year, would the more durable/higher quality one be safer and leas likely to crack? Again i'm not a scientist and haven't read any detailed consumer report or testing data, i may not as smart but i'd bet on the higher range ones if i have to.
 
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I bought a Bell Vortex helmet at the January show with the transition visor and I'm happy with the helmet. It's pretty loud on the highway (fixed with earplugs anytime I plan on going on the highway for an extended trip). I also find that the helmet gets heavy after about a 2-3hr ride. But that's fixed with a quick stop for gas and just to stretch around.

As for venting and fit, I'm very happy with it.
 
Personally I love Arai. But you have to go try it on yourself and see which one fit you. Even the same brand with different models, the head shape is different
 
It has really nothing to do with our opinions, but with your head shape. Go to the store, try helmets from both manufacturers, put them on and walk around the store for several minutes (I assume you picked those two based on the reviews that you liked). Whichever one fits properly and you feel comfortable in is your new helmet.
 
Jinniwind said:
Not sure you quoted me to agree or disagree with me, but basically i was saying the same thing. DOT and Snell standard is a minimum that every helmet needs to meet, but extra protection is something else. Just like u said, passing rate is 50, and a lower range one could score 51 and a higher range one could score 95. But i did acknowledge that quality, including safety scores, and price are not necessarily perfectly correlated. Now one can argue that my shoei could score 51 and a no name could score 95. I agree. However, first of all if a no name scores 95, then the manufacturer must have used either very good material or advanced technology, either way the price would probably not be cheap at all. Second of all, as an average consumer, you may not have the resource to the testing data. In my case, i'd pay more and prefer my shoei over a no name just for the peace of mind. In this particular case, both bell and arai are good brands, but as a consumer, i'd personally FEEL safer with a $500 arai or bell over a $100 bell. Its just my preference as an average consumer without studying their actual safety scores of DOT and Snell tests. If you feel the other way around then it's your preference.

Also, i agree with you that branding is a big factor, and my statement was, i dont believe that the price difference is SOLELY due to design (prints and looks, not functionality) and branding. One can argue that Functionality design contributes to safety too. Durability is part of safety too, i'd say. Average life of a helmet is 3-5 years. When you are approaching the 5th year or pushing it to the 6th year, would the more durable/higher quality one be safer and leas likely to crack? Again i'm not a scientist and haven't read any detailed consumer report or testing data, i may not as smart but i'd bet on the higher range ones if i have to.
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Well I started my post by disagreeing with you in mind but ended it quite differently... lol =) Yeah, i feel the same way.
 
Here's the thing, regardless of what people say, you need to pick your helmet based on your comfort level, budget size and your safety concern. As it has been mentioned before, most helmets sold over the counter are DoT approved with some also being SNELL approved. Basic safety requirements to be able to sell helmets. In case of Shoie and Arai, they are hand made and that's one of the reasons they are higher priced. Personally I've decided to spend a few extra bucks and get a Shoei 1100 due to fit and a higher safety assurance as opposed to getting a 79 dollar helmet. My 2 cents.
 
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