Top of the range riding hats ££££

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Muddywellies

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Just a thought.
I just saw a FB post from Donna Diva advertising a super blingy Kask riding hat 'reduced' from £1180 to £885.
Now I will admit that everything I do, is done on a shoestring. But are hats of this value any safer and do they do a better job than your standard Charles Owen / Champion etc hats. That price is eye-watering, and is more than my car is worth. Its a whole different world....
 
The range seem to be marked at VG1 which is a fairly high standard - not the best; but definitely better than the basic. Not £800 good. You could get a hat with the same, or better, level of protection for £100 - £150.
 
Shay said:
The range seem to be marked at VG1 which is a fairly high standard - not the best; but definitely better than the basic. Not £800 good. You could get a hat with the same, or better, level of protection for £100 - £150.
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But I just wonder where that incredible price tag comes from? Are you just paying for the bling? I can't even imagine paying over a grand for a riding hat
 
Muddywellies said:
But I just wonder where that incredible price tag comes from? Are you just paying for the bling? I can't even imagine paying over a grand for a riding hat
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It’ll be the bling. I saw this and thought the same ? but absolutely each to their own, if they can afford and want to buy, why not.

I love Kask, I tried the basic one on (still retails at around £400) and it fit beautifully but I just couldn’t quite justify it when I don’t do much competing and would be scared to wear it hacking or jumping so it would sit about a lot! Instead I got a Charles Owen!
 
a £1000 hat doesn't neccessarily protect you 10x as much as a £100 hat but hats are now designed for more than safety. Safety obviously being paramount but then people also want to consider more things when purchasing a hat; how does it look? whats the air flow like? will it keep me cooler when riding in hot climates? is the liner removable for cleaning?

Its all personal preference, I longed for a KASK for years, literally, and finally bought one last year. I saved for it by working abroad for two months; 2months of long days, early mornings, missing my family/friends/horse etc. My hat was £500 - to me it felt excessive to spend that amount on a hat BUT I work hard like most people and wanted to treat myself. And acctually I prefer it a tonne more to my Ayr8 that I wear every day at home, it feels lighter, cooler and I think it looks really smart - I love getting to wear it at shows!

You are right though, it is a completely different world out there. Yes, there are people like me who have stupidly hats but worked hard to treat themselves, but then there are also the people who have those hats and ride a string of horses that probably cost £80-100k + each, drive lorries that are £500k+, fly horses all over the world, state of the art yards etc etc and then suddenly £1000 on a hat is an insignificant expense.

I always think, if thats what people want to spend their money on then leave them to it ;)
 
One with good airflow and not a lot of padding makes a massive difference to me. I get so overheated in the padded, non airflow ones. I get heat headaches from them. I have a uvex that's also dial adjustable and has a removable and washable liner. It was under €100 (£85)on sale so I was quite happy with that.
 
It’s all relative isn’t it. To some people £1000 on a hat is equivalent to another persons £100.
It might be safer the first time you fall off but could you afford to replace it every time you fall off? I couldn’t. Lol I think affording a fresh Charles Owen or similar after a fall is safer than a £1000 kask you might be tempted to keep hold of and wear again after a fall. Xx
(Or if your anything like me and put it on the roof of the car before driving off)
 
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Dwyran_gold said:
It’s all relative isn’t it. To some people £1000 on a hat equivalent to another persons £100.
It might be safer the first time you fall off but could you afford to replace it every time you fall off? I couldn’t. Lol I think affording a fresh Charles Owen or similar after a fall is safer than a £1000 kask you might be tempted to keep hold of and wear again after a fall. Xx
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I agree - and it doesn't actually need to be a fall - if the hat is dropped then it is compromised.

Also hats should be replaced after a few years even if they have not had a fall or a bash because the safety material is only safe for a certain period of time.
 
I love some of the fancy hats, kask are very pretty! Unfortunately for me, but fortunately for my bank account, none of them fit me!

I'm a Charles owen girl, nothing else fits properly although gatehouse come close!

I saved up for a kask and was so excited but tried it on and it didnt fit! Boo
 
LeannePip said:
Safety obviously being paramount but then people also want to consider more things when purchasing a hat; how does it look? whats the air flow like? will it keep me cooler when riding in hot climates? is the liner removable for cleaning?
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When I was looking for a new hat, my criteria were to have normal good protection and then cooling and no peak sticking out in front. A removable liner was a "nice to have" but not a deal breaker. I ended up with a Charles Owens for something like €200, and after about eight months' use, I'm entirely happy with it.

Any fool can take a well-made, functional item and then stick some bling on it and multiply its price by ten or a hundred. And with the right connections, such a product will find buyers.
 
After needing to replace my champion skull cap, after a fall, I happened upon Samshield.
They offer a checking service in the event of an accident:
http://www.samshield.com/en/after-sales-service/
ThIs helmet doesn’t meet all uk standards, so may not be suitable for everyone, but they can replace parts, which is a great service imho, or offer a discount on a replacement hat if it can’t be fixed.
 
I have a bottom of the range kask, I saved up and originally only used it at shows but then thought life's too short to have nice things and barely use them. It's now my everyday hat, I swap to a different one for jumping though as I consider that higher risk and I'd rather not have to buy another one prematurely. I'd love a super blingy one but I can't justify the expense, I can't really afford to replace an £800 or £1000 hat but some people can so if that's how they choose to spend their money then no harm done.
 
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