New helmet but safe to use?

[Asudef]

Bought a past season helmet for cheap but it arrived with a "sample only" sticker and I'm wondering if its safe/all safety features intact or anyone know why it would say that?

Its from Smith and I'm trying to get in touch with them+the retailer to ask but business is done for the day so figured I'd ask here.

[Tony]

Where did you purchase the helmet?

[charliedid]

I don't know but it may be that that helmet was provided free of cost to the/a retailer for try-on purposes and not meant to be sold at retail.

Just thinking out loud.

[Asudef]

Level9 Sports.

I had the same thought that it was a sample that's getting sold but at the same time it was cheap and what I was looking for. I'm going to get in touch over the phone and get some clarity.

[commonguy001]

Could it have been a sales rep sample? I used to get all my Giros from the rep at our velo swap back in the day although I don’t remember them having any special stickers.

[mokofoko]

Originally Posted by Asudef

Level9 Sports.

I had the same thought that it was a sample that's getting sold but at the same time it was cheap and what I was looking for. I'm going to get in touch over the phone and get some clarity.

I figured Sierra Trading Post when I saw that--they end up reselling a TON of goods labeled "sample". Not inferior in any way. Not prototypes. They're generally just goods that were allocated to stores for display purposes and likely did NOT come with any packaging materials. At least with Arcteryx samples, the hangtags are clearly different and labeled as such.

"Sample" goods no longer worry me, but I can see how you might be concerned when it comes to protective gear for your noggin.

[oldpotatoe]

Originally Posted by mokofoko

I figured Sierra Trading Post when I saw that--they end up reselling a TON of goods labeled "sample". Not inferior in any way. Not prototypes. They're generally just goods that were allocated to stores for display purposes and likely did NOT come with any packaging materials. At least with Arcteryx samples, the hangtags are clearly different and labeled as such.

"Sample" goods no longer worry me, but I can see how you might be concerned when it comes to protective gear for your noggin.

Except it says 'sample ONLY', as in, not for sale..I wouldn't use it and dumb for the company to sell it. That's a lawsuit waiting to happen..even IF it's a first tier product(not a blem or second')...

[Nomadmax]

Can't be any worse than an old leather hairnet

[soulspinner]

Originally Posted by Nomadmax

Can't be any worse than an old leather hairnet

[doomridesout]

Taking off my personal injury lawyer hat for a second: do you think it’s cost effective for Smith to have two separate manufacturing processes for “sample” goods and the real thing? The inside doesn’t look any different than the Network I have.

[charliedid]

Originally Posted by doomridesout

Taking off my personal injury lawyer hat for a second: do you think it’s cost effective for Smith to have two separate manufacturing processes for “sample” goods and the real thing? The inside doesn’t look any different than the Network I have.

Totally agree.

[Mark McM]

Does the helmet have a CPSC sticker in it? All helmets sold in the US must pass the CPSC standards. If it doesn't have the sticker, there's no telling if it meets safety standards.

[mokofoko]

Originally Posted by oldpotatoe

Except it says 'sample ONLY', as in, not for sale..I wouldn't use it and dumb for the company to sell it. That's a lawsuit waiting to happen..even IF it's a first tier product(not a blem or second')...

You're certainly within your rights to feel that way, especially when it comes to protective gear. But when I looked into this topic years ago, I was told that Sample goods are 100% identical in quality to any other item off the line. it's just that the company has specifically designated said item to be given to a retailer/distributor/etc for testing/display. Generally the manufacturer won't sell anything labeled "sample" (arcteryx does sell returned "sample" stock during their annual secondhand sale in canada), but it's not at all illegal for such goods to be resold. Sierra Trading Post (under the TJMAXX umbrella) wouldn't have gotten away with the practice for years if it wasn't legal.

I'm sure that policies (and quality of goods) would vary from manufacturer to manufacturer, so it definitely wouldn't be out of line to contact the helmet maker to confirm that their samples come from normal stock and have passed QC checks.

[Asudef]

Hmm, good points all.

It actually doesn't have the CPSC sticker and having worked in the product industry, we got a lot of pre production samples which is what I'm thinking this could be now.

I was concerned since I haven't stayed current with helmet technology and wasn't sure if thats what MIPS or Koroyd should look and feel like and there's no store or sales rep to answer questions and reassure me that they are indeed meant to look/function that way.

[Frankwurst]

Send it to me. I will give it a complete safety test and return it with the results and pictures to verify it has been tested. Testing of this nature does take time though, sometimes up to three+ years, but rest assured you can trust the results.