Haven't read all the posts and I don't think I will because the first pages suggests to me that you don't really need advice on a helmet choice.

Seems to me you have already made up your mind by buying a Nitro lid.

If its simply a debate on cheaper v dearer, then its a differnt story

I believe, if its of interest, that you do get what you pay for to a greater or lesser degree. Wasting money, in my opinion, is buying a race rep helmet at £80 more than the same model in plain colours. I have owned a Shoei, and then have moved to Arai as they are most comfortable for me. I also own an HJC moto-cross lid, so its not a question of blind brand loyalty. What do you get? The R&D such a "BIG" one can invest in, removable liners, interchangeable pad sizes, decent venting systems to keep your head cooler, or in my case, lessen the steaming of my glasses, does not come cheaply. In certain cases, improvements in less wind noise, and better seals on the visor are also apparent. Its not all about crash protection; its useability and longevity. When you have to replace a lid, unless you've binned it, its because the liners have decayed, not that the shell is suddenly weakened.

A friend works in Accessory sales and he once showed me a cross section of an Arai lid and another popular brand (courtesy of some race sponsorship). Crash, friction, penetration tests are done on a standardised area of the helmet, the same way emissions are tested at set revs, and not through out the rev range often giving modern bikes nice little flat spots. In this case, the Arai was a consistent 3-4mm shell thickness throughout and the other lid was down to about 1 mm in parts of the shell that, conveniently where not in the zone that is used for tests: not fun if that is where you land.

Not saying all cheaper lids are like this, but saying that pricier lids are no better is also not necessarily the case. All that this article you refer to says is that the Nitro lid, when tested in these set ways performed, as well, and was cheaper, thus good value. Would it survive closer, more thorough scrutiny? Perhaps, or perhaps not.

I do not see that this industry will be so different from others. Generic Drug companies wait for patents to expire on existing medications so they can sell them at a cheaper rate than the Pharma companies sell them, eg Ibuprofen. They did not do the R&D so the costs are cheaper and so is the price. However, this also means that the technology is (in the case of medications) 15 years out of date. How out of date is the technology of these cheaper lid companies? Which is the better bike, the Honda CG125, or the Chinese made equivalent, after they bought rights from Honda to copy the design. Me? I think the Honda. Although the design is the same, the Quality Control is not. Same with lids: Do we really know how much cross batch variation there is. Where di they get their manufacturing specs from? Is it just a Shoei design that was scrapped from the development line as another design had more promise?

If the safety test requirements were upped by another 50% would the cheaper lids still do as well?

I hope this SHARP initiative yeilds positive things, but as specified, bikers are only a V. small percentage of road users. Will the government really divert enough funds to create a programme based on good science, or will it simply fill a gap with psuedo-science and look proactive to the casual observer. That is to say, will the tests really mimic the actual traumas a lid must overcome in order to protect a cranium in the event of a real-life impact, not just a bit wet-and-dry on a treadmill.

To give a parallel example: kids now do exams at 11 yrs, to show the government is so proactive about education, whilst teachers typically say its an utter waste of time...
PR stunt? Lets hope not for our heads' sakes.

All that said, I hear X-lites aren't bad!! Right... where's my Takei?

PS: The fact I plan to shortly to post asking for advice on open face lids is pure coincidence and ALL input is welcome there!! Ta muchly...

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Adventure: it's an experience, not a style!
(so ride what you like, but ride it somewhere new!)