Last month, after losing my rather old Netti bike helmet, I went in search of a new one.
I tried to buy a helmet at my local bike shop for about $50, but the cheapest one they had was $64.99 and wouldn't fit my big head.
The adjustable plastic banding that encircles one's skull, on the other hand, was just around 2mm x 1mm thick, which is a failure waiting to happen.
My original Netti was around 13mm x 1mm.
Then I looked at a $329 helmet with a distinctive brand emblem that had similar 2mm x 1mm strapping.
Furthermore, all of these helmets are built in the same fashion, with a thin plastic shell glued to a polystyrene substrate.
Finally, I went online. Found a good
bike review and got a helmet from one of the sellers for $24.99, which had considerably more substantial strapping than the $329 helmet.