Whitewater Forum: carbon fiber vs plastic helmets

carbon fiber vs plastic helmets

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URL: http://www.professorpaddle.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=12295
Printed Date: 25 Apr 2024 at 11:01am

Topic: carbon fiber vs plastic helmets

Posted By: mokelumnekid
Subject: carbon fiber vs plastic helmets
Date Posted: 10 Jul 2012 at 11:26pm

Someone I respect recently told me that in his experience, taking those head-bumps in a carbon fiber helmet was noticeably less of a thump than a plastic helmet. I think he has the Sweet Rocker (not the full face).

Be interested in other's experiences or opinions. I've only had plastic helmets (WRSI regular and a SR full face).

Thanks,

George B.

Replies:

Posted By: Sam_Graftton
Date Posted: 10 Jul 2012 at 11:38pm

Sweet is changing there helmets to incorporate a Thermoplastic Composite. From what I heard there finding it to be stronger with this design.

Check it out http://www.sweetprotection.com/

Posted By: Jed Hawkes
Date Posted: 11 Jul 2012 at 9:56am

I've heard both sides, Some say carbon helmets are better, some say plastic flexes more and absorbs more impact. I don't think there are any peer reviewed journal articles on this subject, but I'd like to see some real data and not just anecdotal on this subject.

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The line will become apparent
978-273-7723

Posted By: nelsonwoods
Date Posted: 11 Jul 2012 at 7:48pm

well i have a shred ready full face, my last trip to rapid river, i had a good roll and whacked my head real hard on about 37 different rocks(exageration), when i finally got to the take out, i was seeing stars, dizy, and ready to vomit. im not sure what the helmet is made of, but pretty sure its not carbon fiber, definately looking at the possibility of upgrading. not saying the shred ready is a bad helmet, sayin it might not have the best padding siutation.

Posted By: Mr.Grinch
Date Posted: 12 Jul 2012 at 5:43pm

Charles explained to me one day at Aqua Sports that plastic degrades over time, while a painted (UV protection) CF helmet could last a lifetime due to negligible degradation. Made sense to me. In Cali I worked for a company making bass and guitar necks from carbon fiber. We used a clear finish with UV inhibitors. I got into the CF thing a bit while there and spent some time picking the brains of the engineers who worked at the company tha supplied our raw material. Fun note, we used the same raw stock that was being used by GM for the more extreme Corvettes. Blah blah blah.....anyway, carbon is superior, though more costly for sure. The crossweave will not shatter like plastic, reducing puncture depth.

Something to consider that is as important as the shell is the foam between the shell and yer dome. I used a skateboarding helmet in WW for almost three years and it did fine. The foam lining wasn't meant to be wet a lot, but Pro-Tec did a fine job without knowing it. That helmet paid for itself many times both on boards and in boats.

When considering plastic, though, UV exposure combined with continuous hardening does lead to potential problems over time. Not to say that some binding agents (resin in CF and fiber glass) don't cure more over time, but that is why certain chemicals are chosen for certain applications, and why very strict tolerances are applied to the resin/media ratio. UV seems to be the worst thing for CF, and why we don't see much exposed weave on helmets. At Modulus (the company in Cali), we still reccomended that our instruments not see a great deal of direct sunlight because the inhibitors didn't block everything, just most of it by far. Didn't WRSI have a helmet with a clear coat over carbon weave? Probably the same deal. Probably the same deal to meet warranty requirements for automotive body panels (if they can be bought unfinished).

Sorry, sometimes I type too much.....

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nnln.

Posted By: KBfree
Date Posted: 12 Jul 2012 at 5:43pm

First off.. this is a personal preference question so the responses might be all over the place.

I've taken a few shots with a carbon / kevlar helmet and give the materials a ton of credit. I am a materials engineer so I won't get into the technical stuff too much, but there are many reasons why I chose a carbon / kevlar helmet. After deciding on what I feel are the best materials, I chose my helmet based on the coverage around the brow. And although there is no Snell rating for Whitewate helmets, Head Trips is also sold as a motorcycle helmet. I think the biggest piece of information you can get here is.....choose a helmet that makes you feel safe. I currently have 5 helmets... because I kept trying different ones until I found one I liked. This is a very personal item, and I need to feel that it's going to protect me.

One example is my WRSI helmet. I liked the safety and fit, but I felt exposed in the temple and brow. My kevlar Shred Ready also fits well, but it feels flimsy compared the Head Trips. I've tested all types of materials at work, and as soon as I put my current helmet in my hands, I could feel how sturdy it was. Again.. this is a personal thing.

Money aside, Carbon / kevlar wins in my book.

http://www.headtriphelmets.com/ - http://www.headtriphelmets.com/

**I just looked... they are not DOT approved, but are used for motorcycles. I use the daffy.

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Kirk B

Posted By: Courtney
Date Posted: 12 Jul 2012 at 6:45pm

Originally posted by Mr.Grinch

I used a skateboarding helmet in WW for almost three years and it did fine. The foam lining wasn't meant to be wet a lot, but Pro-Tec did a fine job without knowing it. That helmet paid for itself many times both on boards and in boats.

When I started paddling Protec was one of the few helmet choices.

Jimmy

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