Saturday, January 24, 2009

Disposable Bike Helmets

I've often wondered what the actual cost of producing a bike helmet is. I mean the vacuum-formed-with-foam variety. Well, now I know. It's something less than 4 bucks. No, really. You can go to this site and buy as many bike helmets as you want for $3.65 each (plus shipping, which if you order 36 helmets or more is $1.00 per helmet. You can get free shipping if you're willing to buy 20 cases, or 720 helmets.)

Now you or I don't need even a single case (36 units) of helmets, but this is an interesting proposition for a police department, a club, or anyone who is teaching people to ride and needs an economical helmet. At $3.65 each, the helmets are almost disposable. And, they meet CPSC safety standards!

7 comments:

o9watts said...

this is great to see an inexpensive helmet. However I am chagrined that my recently purchased $30 helmet is made of such flimsy materials and glued together so poorly that it is falling apart after only a short period. The helmet I had before (from the same manufacturer) not only lasted me 20 years of daily use, it is still in good shape. I've even contemplated switching back to it.
I know some of you are going to tell me that helmets degrade and should automatically be replaced every x years, but I'm concerned here with the fact that this contemporary helmet which looks just like the $3.65 one above is deteriorating before my eyes in a matter of months.

Unknown said...

I wonder if these cheap helmets have met safety standards? Are they comfortable?
I am a member of the saved-by-the-bucket clan. While I use an inexpensive helmet, it does meet DOT/Snell.
As o9watts remarked, there may be no correlation between price and quality, but again, there may be. Get a sales sample before you invest too much money.

Robert Anderson said...

Joe, it says on the website that they meet CPSC and Snell standards. (Practically speaking, I don't think you could sell a helmet in the litigious USA without it meeting these standards.)

R.

Jamey said...

Skater helmets tend to be much more durable as they have a thicker plastic shell. Bike helmets in the USA must now meet the CPSC standard rather than Snell standard... Many inexpensive bicycle helmets are certified by both saftey organizations. Here is a resource for other low cost helmet options

Jamey said...

http://www.helmets.org/cheapies.htm

Snell Helmets said...

I saw and visit your site. This is very informative for me. The proper use of motorcycle helmets can reduce the risk of injuries and death.This disposable bike helmet is very comfortable, very high quality helmet.

ajlounyinjurylaw said...

Although headgear is not 100% foolproof, Manufacturer's claim their headgear reduces the probability of a concussion by 50%. Some protection is better than none.