[Closed] Serious helmet question

is this a wind up?

You're fine.

There is a school of thought that helmets only last five years or so but even that is blamed on a combination of UV exposure and sweat. A helmet that has been unused and boxed should be as good as new.

I fear it might not be.

OP does the label say "best before"?

What do POC say?

It's not a windup, given that half the retailers and all the manufacturers force the 'irrespective of use change every 4-5 years' spiel, I was surprised to receive such old stock.

Serious helmet question

I prefer funny helmets.

I'd send that back on the grounds, although I am not sure on what grounds..

I think you'll be OK

It's that mysterious black hole that is helmets where there is lots of stuff banded around, but actually scientific evidence is thin on the ground.

Personally I'd be asking for another. No science behind it, but as helmet conpanies say, we shouldn't keep them that long. I doubt the place you bought it from kept the helmet for 5 yrs in a climate controlled environment

Polymers degrade due to exposure to UV and ozone.

Given how outrageously expensive POC helmets are, and the 5-year rule that is trotted out by retailers and manufacturers alike, I'd be sending it back.

If you bought it mail order you've got a 7 day cooling off period where you can return it "just because", you'd think they'd like to keep the sale by replacing it with a new one rather than refund your money.

Unless it was a bargain I'd send it back to if it were that old

I was gonna say, i think I'd be more annoyed by being sold something 4 years old without a hefty discount!

the 5-year rule that is trotted out by retailers and manufacturers alike

i'm pretty sure its 3 years...or at least thats what madison say about the giro helmets...but i would send it back due to it being such old stock and buy from elsewhere unless POC are still willing to honour any warranty the helmet may have.

Polymers degrade due to exposure to UV and ozone.

How much ozone is there in the atmosphere?

Aren't helmets made of EPS not polymers?

I'd happily wear it if I needed a new lid urgently, but don't let anyone make you feel like a berk for sending it back.

🙂

Shelf life and use life tend to be different. Most climbing helmets manufacturers (eg Petzl) say a max shelf life (ie unused in the box) of 10 years, and a maximum use life (assuming reasonable handling, UV exposure etc) of 5 years. That tend to apply more to hard shell helmets as the plastics are more prone to ageing than expanded foam type contructions (IIRC). I've tested end-of-life hard shell helmets with a sledgehammer and the effects of age degradation are alarming!

It all varies from manufacturer to manufacturer though - there's no hard and fast rule other than "don't use beyond the manufacturer's recommendations". If you ask POC I'm pretty sure they'll tell you what they're max shelf life is. If it's 10 years then you'll be fine to get 5 years use out of it, if 5 years is their max use time.

How much ozone is there in the atmosphere?

its a natural component, and can be concentrated by pollution.

Aren't helmets made of EPS not polymers?

Expanded POLY Styrene is a polymer, made by joining styrene monomers

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What colour is it?

[i]Done already?[/i]

Mine says 2002 in it 😯

If a helmet degrades to a point of been unsafe after 3-5 years sat on a shelf I'd be trusting a different helmet. Seriously. Th only reason they have a shelf life and then usage life is that CE markings dictate that they must.

Not directly applicable and we weren't being very scientific (!), but still interesting what age can do to plastics. Want to see the difference between a 5 yr old and a 10 yr old climbing helmet?

^^^

It's amazing what happens to two different helmets if you hit one harder than the other!

That sledgehammer was fully calibrated 😉

CTM do you have any evidence that there's enough ozone in the atmosphere to degrade EPS?

Or UV?

you've only stated it's possible so far, which says precisely nothing.

When I googled light degradation of EPS I found nothing.

If helmets get brittle with age image the condition of your skull!!