Deeper Helmets

[Chadd 916]

Carbster.

That was the deepest fit I've ever had. My V08 is very deep, and a great helmet as well.

Can someone direct me to info on the V08 (I searched), why is it a great helmet and the 2008 Helmet of the Year?

Thanks,

There are very few "new" helmets released in a given year, so the pool of potential winners is very small. That said, the V08 was/is well put together and had no real drawbacks in the overall design. It didn't make a lot of promises that it was unable to deliver. There was nothing to fix, it was essentially perfect from day one. I'm also a big believer in VN being "better" than EPP, though I have never seen scientific proof of either offering more safety. My beliefs were formed due to observations and anecdotal evidence only.

EPP absorbs more energy, and is thus more protective. There has been scientific work done, there's a reason EPP foams and their variants are used in virtually every high impact helmet these days (Bike, motorcycle, racing...).

VN does recover from impacts better though. EPP can break, though not as easily as the EPP formulated for bike helmets, which is even more protective, but will break with one impact. Once EPP breaks, it's useless. VN survives that, but becomes less protective as it hardens with age.

Neither material is perfect. I do want to learn more about FXPP though, the stuff used in the 9500. According to the Bauer people (via an old post in the 9500 thread), it's supposed to absorb 20% more energy then the EPP currently used in helmets and is supposed to reduce fractures.

Hockey impacts do not result in skull fractures, they result in concussions. EPP is great for bike helmets or other applications where a skull fracture is more likely to happen. I do not believe that EPP is superior to VN for reducing concussions and I share this belief with others in the industry, including someone that used to work for a helmet manufacturer. I would love to see actual information that shows one or the other provides better protection for hockey players. I really like the concept behind the cascade helmet. I only hope they can improve it to the point where the positives outweigh the negatives, and I'm not just talking about appearance.

[Jarick 5]

Well the concussion is caused by sudden change in acceleration, something that a helmet probably wouldn't do much about. I can see how a helmet would reduce skull fractures and soften impact.

Story about a new helmet

What I see is helmets today absorb and disperse force from impact. To prevent a concussion requires some kind of air bladder or spring that would reduce the change in acceleration. They would likely be quite large and expensive.

[Chadd 916]

Well the concussion is caused by sudden change in acceleration, something that a helmet probably wouldn't do much about. I can see how a helmet would reduce skull fractures and soften impact.

Story about a new helmet

What I see is helmets today absorb and disperse force from impact. To prevent a concussion requires some kind of air bladder or spring that would reduce the change in acceleration. They would likely be quite large and expensive.

The fact that VN is softer and actually has some give should have some type of effect. At least that's the theory some of us believe in.

[Jarick 5]

I can see that, but it'd have to be a lot of it, and more of a sponge. If you had a really thick material with a lot of pores in it, like a sponge, that would compress and reduce the acceleration upon impact. I think that's the theory behind the new Cascade helmet (side note, isn't Cascade a dish soap?).

[Chadd 916]

I can see that, but it'd have to be a lot of it, and more of a sponge.

Hence the problems Hefter/CCM had with Zorbium. Believe me I wasn't trying to imply that it was a huge difference.

[Jarick 5]

After cleaning up my old Intake and realizing it's just too far gone to even sell, I decided to spring for a new lid.

I tried on the Bauer 4500, 5100, 5500, 8500, and 9500, the CCM V04, V05, and V08, the Easton S7, S9, and S17, and the RBK 4k, 5k, and 8k. The Easton S9 and Bauer 5100 were both the closest fit, although they were both too narrow in the temples.

I ended up with the last black medium 5500 they had left. It fit about the same as my Intake, maybe a bit deeper. Seems a bit more snug without any pressure. Hopefully the air flow is tolerable because nothing else on the market was fitting at all.

[duch 0]

The 5500 is a nice fitting helmet and a nice cross between the 4500 and 8500. It's right there in the middle. One of my favourite helmets. Fits deeper and wider than the Easton S-9 or 17 but not as wide as the RBK 6 or 8K. Excellent choice.