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lightfighter-

To go along with what Steve said, if you hadn't read the Motorcyclist report last fall, they strung up Snell for using the same head weight and drop height no matter the size of the helmet, even though it can be scientifically proven that someone wearing an XS helmet has a much lighter head than someone that wears, say, a 3XL.

Snell also used some rather questionable "two drops on the same point onto an orange-shaped object" tests, and made claims that harder helmets were better, even though ECE and DOT studies clearly showed that a lining with more "give" to it actually decelerated the head (and brain) at a more reasonable pace, which reduced overall injuries.

I think Snell was more concerned with penetration of the shell than with the actual protection of the brain.

Hopefully someone can get alumifoam out to the market sooner, rather than later, as it is shown to provide 2-3 times the benefit of styrofoam liners at the same thickness, leading to either safer or thinner helmets (and better crash protection on cars, etc).