Safety | Inline Skate World

Buying a skate helmet is somewhere you don’t want to skimp and you definitely don't want to get one you’re not happy wearing or a cheap one that will fall apart if you actually fell. Fortunately most skating helmets from reputable sellers are pretty good quality and will do the job. They generally have to meet safety requirements of the country they’re produced and sold in, so in America that is the ASTM (American Society for Testing and Materials), CPSC (U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission) and Snell. But the ones who actually do so normally advertise this fact, so if you're looking at a brand and they don't it should raise alarm bells. Helmets that meet the standards undergo a variety of testing conditions, such as hot and cold weather testing, peripheral vision and impact testing. Given that there are a few good ones that do a similar job performance wise, to cut through all the clutter out there in short, I recommend the Triple Eight Certified Sweatsaver Helmet. You can get it here from Amazon Why I Recommend The Triple Eight Certified Helmet The issue with helmets comes with the trade off that we used to have between comfort and safety – the helmets that used to fit really well were the ones that were basically all padding inside the helmet but not often certified by the safety standards, whereas the ones that were certified weren’t as comfortable and might slip around your head. The Triple Eight Sweat saver helmet in particular, has managed to combine both, and this is why it's one of the best skating helmets you can buy and a solid one to go with. There are other helmets that do this, but the Triple Eight Sweatsaver is a safe choice. Not only is the helmet super comfortable to wear, it also fits super snugly on your head, gripping your head and not wobbling around like lots of other helmets do. Triple Eight have been making helmets for the skating industry since 1996, working closely with pro’s to get feedback on the best design. This is what's gone into this helmet. Tony Hawk acts sometimes as a spokesman, so it gets the thumbs up by the big man. The helmet has an ABS outer shell with EPS liner. The outer foam layer moulds to your head which is what gives you that comfortable snug fit. The Sweatsaver version of the helmet is also lined with a sweat wicking fabric designed to keep your hair and scalp dry so you don’t get a hot, itchy head while skating. Worth noting that though the name of some of these helmets has “rubber” in them, it is actually a rubberised plastic shell, in case you thought it might be made of rubber. The Triple Eight Certified Helmet has certified in its name to remind you it meets safety guidelines. It is actually dual certified, complying with both the bike standards (U.S. CPSC Bike) and the skating standards (ASTM). Being certified by both bike riding (which can get up to faster speeds) as well as skating is a definite plus point. You can get it here from Amazon Why The Look Of The Triple Eight Matters Everyone loves to jump on the idea that the ony thing about helmets that matter is how safe they are. I mean, this is the critical function of the helmet so it’s incredibly important and the Triple Eight scores well here. But what’s actually arguably more important, is whether someone actually wears the helmet. For someone to wear the helmet it has to be comfortable, but crucially, if you’re under the age of 45 you probably care what you look like. (If you’re older than 45 congratulations, you don’t care if you look a little silly, which I imagine must be very freeing). The Triple Eight helmet is worn by Tony Hawk and a bunch of other pros. It’s a pro helmet, it looks cool. If you can wear a helmet and still feel mildly cool, then you’re going to wear it much more often. The Triple Eight comes with a very large range of colors as well (including a rainbow version if you're into that!), and most of these colors look quite cool as well. they haven’t chosen a random Microsoft powerpoint color palette to choose from, so the colors are often matte finished, understated, almost industrial looking greys, blacks, navy blue, “united” red, mint. Color matters and because this helmet is safe AND comes with great colors, it’s a fantastic option. The only drawback if you care about it is that it comes with a big triple eight logo on the back and a small one on the front but because the brand is well regarded this can be for many people a plus point. But the final word on this is that this helmet doesn’t look nerdy. That’s enough. You don’t want a nerdy helmet. No one wants a nerdy helmet, let’s just come out and say it for god’s sake. Will The Triple Eight Fit My Weird Shaped Head? We all think we have weird shaped heads. And, for my money, we’re all right. I head my head scanned and they gave me the MRI image and I had no idea my entire skull slopes down towards my forehead like a straight ramp. But this helmet fits me great, and I’ve heard other people who say they have big heads say it fits them too. But you must measure your head with a tape measure before buying the helmet. XS/S 18.9 – 21.3 in (48 – 54 cm) S/M 21.7 – 22.8 in (55 – 58 cm) L/XL 23.2 – 24 in (59 – 61 cm) If your head fits into that range then congratulations. Padding strips come with the helmet to help you adjust the internal section so the fit is actually snug as it should be, and if you need different ones (which you totally shouldn’t) then you can always buy these separately. The helmet, as basically every helmet on the market, comes with your standard adjustable nylon buckled straps. Nothing fancy as far a I can tell with these, but they work just fine. What’s The Difference Between the The Triple Eight Sweatsaver and Brainsaver? The one I’ve been talking about here is the Sweatsaver version. Both helmets are good options if safety and looks are your main concern but the Sweatsaver version is more comfortable, and has this extra sweat-wicking fabric inside, I recommend getting that one. Do I Really Need A Helmet? The best skaters in the world still wear helmets when they are doing their tricks. The very nature of the sport is that you should expect the unexpected. The wheels roll around under your feet, the surface of the floor is sometimes uneven, other people on their bikes and in their cars exist, other runners exist. It is absolutely not worth smashing your skull on the concrete. Ever. So you should probably wear a helmet every single time you are skating. Many people don’t go in for that, even though I stick by that recommendation. So at the very least you should wear a helmet whenever you are doing something a bit more than just skating slowly along a safe area. If you are trying tricks, for god’s sake wear a helmet. How Much Does the Triple Eight Sweatsaver Cost? Do not use the price to decide which helmet to buy. If price is really an issue and you’re really struggling to afford this helmet, then find another helmet that meets safety standards. The price of this helmet depending on the size you’re getting is: $37.99 - $103.32 To you, personally, there is literally not one thing more important than your life... If you were to have a bad fall or to be hit by moving traffic or something, then that's it... Don't be that person who learns this lesson... You need to spend your money here to make sure you’re protected. The whole point of a helmet is an insurance policy against the worst happening. You can get it here from Amazon