all I can tell you is i haven't wore sun glass's with this helmet - 100% satisfied - your results may differ

 

At that price we'll never know my results!! I'm just not convinced there is any difference in protection between that helmet, or others in it's price range, and a good quality run-of-the-mill helmet. It may have more features and be more comfortable, but I'm just not convinced it's $500-$600 better in a crash. And after all, that is why I wear helmet in the first place. (If my income increases substantially, my opinion could change!)

 

I'm a big fan of Arai's helmets as well. To the original poster: watch some of the youtube videos showing how to change your shield. and be sure you use the silicone lubricant (should be in a small container attached to the strap if you bought it new, or in the box) around the pivot point and the shield gasket. It takes practice to learn the shield swap routine, but once you learn that skill, you'll be able to swap shields quickly with gloves on and leaving the helmet on your head.

I've got two Profiles in a black diamond and a white, and an XD3. Both are comfortable for me to ride in all day.

'fooz

 

To some people quality of materials and construction matter.

an Arai helmet may not grant you greater protection in a crash than a less expensive helmet, but there is no denying that paint, fit and finish, and over all craftsmanship are second to none.

many well informed riders, that can wear any lid they choose regardless of price chose an Arai.

They quality of the paint, and the plushness of the helmet liner are world class.

 

I feel your pain. When I was young(er), everyone thought the thing to do was to lube up with baby oil and lay out at the pool all day, trying to get that coveted and much sought-after tan. What we were blissfully unaware of (and what most young people today don't know) is that "tan" equates to damaged skin, and we got a lot of damage.

The worst part is that the damage is cumulative over your lifetime, and once you reach your 50s-60s, you begin having to pay for it at the dermatologist to keep all those little reddish, scaly areas of actinic keratosis from becoming full blown basal cell skin cancers. I have annual appointments with my dermatologist to keep things under control now.

It's a real problem, particularly for us light-complected folks. The wife has already had surgery for malignant melanoma, one of the more serious skin cancers. We both take it very seriously.

Actually, I believe that does hold true for helmets, like anything else, in most cases. I've never owned an Arai, but the visor shield sealing and lining on my Schuberth S1, for example, and for which I paid about $600, are noticeably better constructed than my Shoei or HJC. I'm not trying to argue that the higher-priced helmets will give greater protection - that's highly variable, and they may or may not, depending on a lot of things. But it's easy to see that most of them are just built to higher quality standards.

I hate 'em all, actually, but wear one nowadays when I ride.