# lowest profile helmet/hardhat



## tiredpanda (Nov 3, 2012)

I'm looking for a helmet or hard hat for protection against minor bumps dings cuts and so on. I know no helmet will protect you in more serious knocks so I'm looking for the lowest profile that fits me well. Just bought a red mutiny (fits the best out of protec and sandbox) without much research and now I'm thinking of returning it and ordering a berns watts/baker . Input?


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## Supra (Jan 11, 2012)

why would you return a helmet that fits you the best?


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## tiredpanda (Nov 3, 2012)

Lol forgot to mention. It fits best out of protec and sandbox lol. I didn't get to try on the bern or smith models I'm also looking at because the shop that I stopped at doesn't Carey them .


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## phony_stark (Jul 2, 2011)

Smith Maze was lowest/lightest for me. Didn't fit as well. 

Give Giro a try, the revolver fit SUPER well or the bern hard hat...SO COMFY.


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## 61ragtop (Aug 7, 2012)

I am considering the mutiny or the sandbox this year what do you like better on the mutiny and or what don't ya like on the sandbox?


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## Supra (Jan 11, 2012)

well, try the others before you take the mutiny back. I don't like the hard hats because they are ...hard hats, not helmets. They won't do much for your head on impact


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## phony_stark (Jul 2, 2011)

Well you haul ass, this is a fact.

The poster is looking for a helmet for minor bumps and dings, which I took to mean, you know, skateboard type injuries or shit that happens in the park. I think a hardhat is better for that, as there's less "bell ringing" and chance for concussion. You can also bonk it multiple times. Real helmets are one and done.


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## Supra (Jan 11, 2012)

I bow to your superior OP reading comprehension abilities, Phony.


Go for the hard hat!


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## phony_stark (Jul 2, 2011)

Supra said:


> I bow to your superior OP reading comprehension abilities, Phony.
> 
> 
> Go for the hard hat!


You won't bow when you read that I DIDN'T read the differences between the re:flex malavitas and the cartels (man....I brought this to three threads....we'll leave it here). We're even.


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## matty19 (Nov 19, 2010)

One quick warning on the bern helmets - they run about a size small, so order one size larger than you would normally get.


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## Supra (Jan 11, 2012)

matty19 said:


> One quick warning on the bern helmets - they run about a size small, so order one size larger than you would normally get.


Now, that is some golden advice right there


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## Cycle4Fun (Feb 22, 2012)

tiredpanda said:


> I know no helmet will protect you in more serious knocks so I'm looking for the lowest profile that fits me well.


You're wrong about the serious knocks. That's what helmets are designed to do. Prevent severe injury from serious impacts. This level of protection ultimately means the smaller knocks aren't serious at all. A good helmet will save your life from serious knocks to the head. A helmet with reduced profile may not be able to absorb as much impact energy, it may not have as much coverage down the back of the head. Yes, you can still die from head trauma while wearing a helmet, that's true. It's just less likely and impacts need to be much greater.

The other thing is helmets reduce concussions. They aren't designed to prevent concussions.

I'll give you two real life examples in my life. They are bicycle related, but the technology, design, and impact speeds and fundamentals are similar.

Five years ago June, I was sitting at work when I got a phone call. My friends father was being life flighted to the local hospital in critical condition. I learned this when I got there. Coming down a hill with a corner in a group ride road bike ride, he hit some gravel. He slid across the road and hit a tree square to his back. The impact broke his vertebrae damaging his nerves while causing severe internal bleeding. He had a major concussion when the back of his head hit the tree as his body wrapped around it, but no bleeding in his brain. We estimate he hit the tree at 25-30mph. The trauma surgeon said he would have died at the scene if he wasn't wearing a helmet. One year later that bad ass was back on the bicycle.

That's an effing serious knock to the head.

Second story. While mountain biking I went over a rock feature on a nice dry day. Turns out those rocks had moss on them that made them as slick as East Cost snow. The bike went out from under me and the side of my head hit the edge of the rectangular cut rock. 1/4" dent into the 1/2" foam. I was only shaken up. Doubtful I got even a minor concussion. Wearing a helmet turned what would have been a serious and bloody concussion from impact to the side of my skull into a loss of $50.

Best $50 I've ever spent.

Just make sure the helmet is certified to ASTM 2040 / CE EN 1077 and has good coverage on the side and back of the head. You wear a helmet because it will save your life. It also happens to keep your head and ears warm better than a beanie. You don't buy a helmet because it looks good.


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## Cycle4Fun (Feb 22, 2012)

Here's another good bicycling link from Bicycling Magazine.

"These are just a few of the examples of how modern helmets are far safer than those from even a decade ago. Further proof that helmets are safe: Don't wear one and you die. According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), since 1998 thousands of people have died in bicycle accidents, more than 90 percent of whom weren't wearing helmets. In 2008, IIHS stats show that *714 cyclists were killed. Only 58 of those cyclists were wearing helmets. The rest, 656, were lidless."*

Bicycle Helmets: Injury Prevention | Bicycling Magazine


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## tiredpanda (Nov 3, 2012)

There has been a ton of research I have put into both snowboard helmets and bicycle helmets. I have concluded for myself that they don't do much for speeds greater then about 20mph. Thanks for the stories I'm always glad to hear when people male it out of bad crashes. But the fact is in both stories it is just a guess that the helmet saved you and your dad. 

Not really a park rat I just want something to eat up some of the energy from blunt trauma. When snowboarding and I feel the need I carry a mouth guard which I feel is more effective at preventing concussions .


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## phony_stark (Jul 2, 2011)

This is why I like hardhats the best. They're soft, so they prevent low speed impacts and you're less likely to get a concussion. 

I don't haul ass like supra though. I tree the mountian more like a skatepark with the occasional "half ass" hauling.


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## tiredpanda (Nov 3, 2012)

I can't find Brock foam berns anywhere in Canada ugh . Only single IMPACt and multi impact foam. Is the Brock foam squishy? If so its probably insanely comfortable. Oh does the normal been helms fit the same size as Brock foam version


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## matty19 (Nov 19, 2010)

Isn't the multi-impact foam te Brock foam?

In my experience, the hard hats and the certified helmets have the same fit. Again, on my head, they run about a size small.


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## phony_stark (Jul 2, 2011)

I have the sinkfit helmet for my bike and the brock foam for skating/snowboarding....duuuuude the Brock foam is very comfy. It's not WILD squishy, but it's markedly more comfy than any other helmet that I've owned.


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## tiredpanda (Nov 3, 2012)

They only have multi impact for other brands not the bern tho. I went and tried on the been eps and wasn't as comfy as the red mutiny. Thanks everyone


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## Triple8Sol (Nov 24, 2008)

As far as low profile lids go, I tried on the newish Protec ones and they seemed just as low-pro as my Bern Watts but even lighter.


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## Sudden_Death (Mar 23, 2011)

It isn't the forward speed of a fall that is really important but the downward force. Falling from a jump or rail will likely result in more than someone hauling ass flat based. Plus there is the issue of smacking your head on the feature. If I were riding park I'd be wanting more protection not less.:dunno:


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## phony_stark (Jul 2, 2011)

That's totally valid and I am by no means doing insane shit in the park, but in my experience doing that and skating, a hard hat has been just fine and, in a side by side comparison of having to use my certified helmet has resulted in less bell ringing. 

Again, what you're saying makes sense, but the hardhat has been what has worked for me better.


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## Sudden_Death (Mar 23, 2011)

That's cool, go with whatever works for you. I'd love to find something less bulky too if I had the coin right now.


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