Custom Bats Cricket Forum
Cricket Manufacturers / Brands => Ayrtek Cricket => Topic started by: hairson on November 21, 2011, 08:34:53 PM
-
Now im not normally one to whip up a storm but this could well do it.
I Haven't been interested in different cricket gear since me and Galge stop running JandG (now that seems like a million years ago).
But after viewing Gareth's post about his upcoming website I decided to have a look around here and ended up on Tom's companies' website.
Now comes the debate, I looked at his products his initial helmet seemed good value at £80, but then the model up came in at a whopping £199.99.
Don't get me wrong, i'm sure this helmet would survive a nuclear holocaust, but who can really justify spending this amount on a helmet!
I have seen countless test players get hit on the head by a 90mph quick wearing a Masuri or Albion (both about £80 quid each for the Titanium models). I have even seen some Asian players get rattled wearing a helmet that looks like they found it in their club's store cupbord after it being stuck behind an old set of pads for about 15 years and they are not dead yet!
So back to the question, how can anyone justify spending £200 on a helmet?
Note, this is not an attack on Tom or his company. From what I remember he seems a very genuine guy and has worked very hard to make his company a success.
-
Same reason people buy 300/400 bats Because they want to ,
At the end of the day matey no one telling you to buy one ,
We just do cos we want to haha maybe a screw loose
-
I have also seen a large number of injuries even where helmets have been worn, so I guess if you want top protection then Ayrtek is the best bet...
-
So just buy Premier which is for 80 and offer same level of protection as 200 one ;-)
-
Good point Shaq.
But if you buy a £70 or a £250 Bat, the bigger the price tag - most of the time it's better!
But I'm sure Tom will prove why it's worth spending your hard earned cash Joe.
-
Because simply put, they are the top level of protection, and some people want to go out to bat/keep in the comfort that their head will stay intact when wearing it.
-
Note, this is not an attack on Tom or his company. From what I remember he seems a very genuine guy and has worked very hard to make his company a success.
I am purely interested on people's thoughts about spending £200 on a helmet, when there are proven models on the market for a much smaller price.
-
Much comfier, better visibility, a lot safer and much lighter. What more can a batsman want?
-
Other models are heavier though aren't they? So the extra money is buying you state of the art lightweight material.
-
For £200 you do get a custom helmet, which look pretty special though...
-
For £200 you do get a custom helmet, which look pretty special though...
If you want looks you might as well go to Asos and buy a designer cap and go out to bat.
-
You know me too well.
-
Improved vision lightness confidence in safety plus looking rather dapper (or is that just me)
Some of the reasons I got an elite plus the option of having it refurbed at the end of the season to look new
-
Improved vision lightness confidence in safety plus looking rather dapper (or is that just me)
Some of the reasons I got an elite plus the option of having it refurbed at the end of the season to look new
You mentioned confidence in safety.
How many first class and test players wear Masuri, does that not inspire confidence instead of spending an extra £120?
-
Other models are heavier though aren't they? So the extra money is buying you state of the art lightweight material.
Yup they are in fact.
I think weight of Premier comes near other 80 Pounds helmet OP mentioned...so if you consider 80 Pounds helmet then well you have Ayrtek for 80 too 8)
-
You mentioned confidence in safety.
How many first class and test players wear Masuri, does that not inspire confidence instead of spending an extra £120?
Have a look at this video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CrPFB1XLU0Y&feature=player_embedded
-
Yes but masuri has been around for a long time and have big namemplayers like I said a few topics ago if pietersen or cookie promoted this then theynwould be a bigger Market , however if I'm not wrong did johnny b and James Taylor both not get in touch with Tom about been interested ???? Two up and coming players WANTING to wear toms gear
-
Much comfier, better visibility, a lot safer and much lighter. What more can a batsman want?
Talent.... :(
-
You mentioned confidence in safety.
How many first class and test players wear Masuri, does that not inspire confidence instead of spending an extra £120?
You must have noticed how many F/C cricketers are now wearing his helmet. He's been around for a couple of years, he's making big waves now. There was no challenger to Albion/Masuri's stake in the market until now. Anyway, Albion have a £170 helmet out, why not take a shot at them for doing that?
-
Yup they are in fact.
I think weight of Premier comes near other 80 Pounds helmet OP mentioned...so if you consider 80 Pounds helmet then well you have Ayrtek for 80 too 8)
I did mention that the £80 model was good value, i'm, purely question the £200 model.
I'l say it again, this is not an attack on Tom or Ayrtek.
If I had found another company offering a similar prices helmet I would have used them as an example to.
-
You must have noticed how many F/C cricketers are now wearing his helmet. He's been around for a couple of years, he's making big waves now. There was no challenger to Albion/Masuri's stake in the market until now. Anyway, Albion have a £170 helmet out, why not take a shot at them for doing that?
I am not having a shot at Tom or his helmets if you had read my initial post and others in the thread.
-
Box and Helmet are two pieces of equipment where I want the best I can afford. I'd spend £100 on a box if it guaranteed it wouldn't hurt when I get hit in the spuds.
-
Yes but masuri has been around for a long time and have big namemplayers like I said a few topics ago if pietersen or cookie promoted this then theynwould be a bigger Market , however if I'm not wrong did johnny b and James Taylor both not get in touch with Tom about been interested ???? Two up and coming players WANTING to wear toms gear
Give Ayrtek as much time as Masuri have had and then watch how common Ayrtek will become in the market, I can guarantee that 8 out of 11 players would be wearing them.
-
To echo what a few other people have written - style, function and comfort are, in my opinion, the 3 main attributes helmets should be judged on and Ayrtek, again in my opinion, come out above the other companies mentioned in probably all 3 of these criteria - i'm not sure of the safety aspect of Masuri and Albion lids and how they compare but the Ayrtek is more than sufficient for the level and amount of cricket I play.
They offer things that the other manufacturers don't - A.C.I.S, Customising etc and the Premier Range is only marginally more expensive than the top of Masuri and Albions range.
-
Mate you may not be having a shot , but every time we give u a response you back it up with well the masuri is a 120 cheaper the fact is known , no one is saying buy it matey , some people can't afford an ayrtek that's just life I saved for mine and it's worth every god damn penny
-
I am sure Tom's helmets will become a common sight in world cricket, which is the reason I am probably anticipating his response more than any of the ones posted so far.
This has been a hard place to pose the question, as many of you no doubt look up to Tom and it has come across in the posts.
If I had come along and said, I paid £170 for my bat made by James at fusion and then after that I had seen a bat in the Lords club shop for £450 pounds which was very similar to the one i just had made for me by James the response would of been very different to the one that I have seen in this thread regarding helmets.
-
Have a look at this video
[url]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CrPFB1XLU0Y&feature=player_embedded[/url]
Oops missed you posting this.
Not sure he should of turned his head away from the ball, would be interesting to see how other helmets perform when smacked on the back as a similar pace.
-
Why spend £200 on a raw carbon fibre helmet? Because it looks cool!
-
Me personally, If i had the money to buy one of Toms lids, i would do so without thinking. But like many of you (not you Canners) i do not hold a wallet full of spare change, so I have to make do within the margin I can afford, and this is a Masuri.
One day, maybe, one day.
-
I am sure Tom's helmets will become a common sight in world cricket, which is the reason I am probably anticipating his response more than any of the ones posted so far.
This has been a hard place to pose the question, as many of you no doubt look up to Tom and it has come across in the posts.
If I had come along and said, I paid £170 for my bat made by James at fusion and then after that I had seen a bat in the Lords club shop for £450 pounds which was very similar to the one i just had made for me by James the response would of been very different to the one that I have seen in this thread regarding helmets.
Any discussion about bats is subjective. This discussion on lids is different because, as far as I am aware, the Ayrtek design has been proven to be the safest. If Ayrtek want to make a £200 quid carbon fibre version of it then good on them and if people want to buy it then fair play to them.
It's much the same as Newberry producing the Cenkos bat. Why would anyone want one of them? A grand for a bat? It's actually a lot harder to justify that than it is to justify £200 on an Ayrtek that might save your life...and is lighter and stronger than the cheaper models available.
By the way.I wear a Masuri... :D
-
I bought an Ayrtek Premier direct from Ayrtek. I didn't know who Tom was but spoke to him on the phone. He treated me like a Pro and nothing was a problem for him. Okay I was paying £200 for a helmet that at the moment I've only worn in the kitchen (It just looks so coooool)
Even if I fail with the bat, I will look good, yes my mates will take the pee, but I bet someone will want to try it out.
I sold my Masuri and saved hard.
My first lid was an Albion with a perspex grill. I will be the oldest swinger in town :)
-
Now im not normally one to whip up a storm but this could well do it.
I Haven't been interested in different cricket gear since me and Galge stop running JandG (now that seems like a million years ago).
But after viewing Gareth's post about his upcoming website I decided to have a look around here and ended up on Tom's companies' website.
Now comes the debate, I looked at his products his initial helmet seemed good value at £80, but then the model up came in at a whopping £199.99.
Don't get me wrong, i'm sure this helmet would survive a nuclear holocaust, but who can really justify spending this amount on a helmet!
I have seen countless test players get hit on the head by a 90mph quick wearing a Masuri or Albion (both about £80 quid each for the Titanium models). I have even seen some Asian players get rattled wearing a helmet that looks like they found it in their club's store cupbord after it being stuck behind an old set of pads for about 15 years and they are not dead yet!
So back to the question, how can anyone justify spending £200 on a helmet?
Note, this is not an attack on Tom or his company. From what I remember he seems a very genuine guy and has worked very hard to make his company a success.
If you could be bothered to do any research whatsoever you would not even need to ask
-
If you could be bothered to do any research whatsoever you would not even need to ask
Firstly, there is no need to come across as arrogant on the internet mate.
I have done my research and yes Tom's helmets are meant to be very safe and light, but is the extra safety needed?
-
I bought an Ayrtek Premier direct from Ayrtek. I didn't know who Tom was but spoke to him on the phone. He treated me like a Pro and nothing was a problem for him. Okay I was paying £200 for a helmet that at the moment I've only worn in the kitchen (It just looks so coooool)
Even if I fail with the bat, I will look good, yes my mates will take the pee, but I bet someone will want to try it out.
I sold my Masuri and saved hard.
My first lid was an Albion with a perspex grill. I will be the oldest swinger in town :)
Thats a great customer review, the same treatment I got when dealing with James and Bill at fusion.
They were even shocked to receive a cheque before I had the bat in my hands.
-
Firstly, there is no need to come across as arrogant on the internet mate.
I have done my research and yes Tom's helmets are meant to be very safe and light, but is the extra safety needed?
You could say the same with any type of product though, cars, clothes etc
Ayrtek have a brand now proven to be the safest and lightest which also has additional features the rivals can't offer and some people will always pay the premium for that
-
You could say the same with any type of product though, cars, clothes etc
Ayrtek have a brand now proven to be the safest and lightest which also has additional features the rivals can't offer and some people will always pay the premium for that
That is a better answer.
Tom himself has seen the thread, I eagerly anticipate his response.
-
I too used to think these were overpriced then I managed to pick up a slightly used one off here and it is the best bit of gear I have ever bought. I was never that comfortable wearing a helmet as I am so old we never had them as juniors. The thing that does it for me is the weight - or lack of !. Other aged non helmet wearing teammates also find they are much more comfortable in this than anything else they have tried.
The one size fits all is also a massive advantage as 4 of us play in our family so it is pretty much used every day.
I also bought the older premier helmet off here for times when our games clash which is good but it does feel heavier after you have used the raw.
So for me would I pay £200 for a helmet
before I tried one - no way
now - absolutely
-
Great to read a topic with such a range of views and opinions......why pay £200 for a helmet...becasue the materials used within in dictate the price tag that it yields.
You dont see a carbon fibre dashboard in a ford focus, yet in a £65k + car this feature might be an option. We choose to look beyond washing up bowl plastics and fibreglass designs that already existed and looked to push the boundaries of safety as the issue was highlighted by the injuries occurring when we looked at the market.
If you speak to people on the forum when they bought their helmets back in 2008 they snapped them up for £99, at the time we looked to offer them so people could get to see what we were trying to achieve with the design and technology. DUe to the cost factor of using Carbon Fibre and kevlar it simply isnt a cheap material to manufacture from....try finding a true CF helmet in any other sport for sub £300!
If truth be told we should be pitching them along the lines of these....
http://www.equiporium.co.uk/gpa-highlite-helmet-non-kite-marl/prod_839.html
Bats in regards to raw materials cant drastically have increasing in cost to make yet the uplift in price is rising for us to see £400-£500 bats. Yet only 12 months ago the £300 was scoffed at as people fell off their chairs/sofa at the thought of paying that much for a bat!
Safety wise we are trying to set new standards and maintain them.....some of which i cannot go into too much depth on but having the ICC use you as the flagship is always nice ;)
-
That is a perfect reply to my question Tom.
And glad you enjoyed reading the thread.
-
Tom is there a way to show an empirical test on safety to the public, comparing the different helmets in the market. Lightness we can discern ourselves. Even if not for the other helmets just something on how the Ayrtek would withstand a 90-95 mph ball.
There might be something already out there which I don't know about.
-
A little disappointed how some people came across so defensively to hairson. A lot of people (including myself) reiterated already made posts about the helmet yet added their own little comments which weren't entirely necessary. Anyway, now Tom's answered the question, case closed?
-
We did some FEA analysis on the helmets prior to them being made based on a 101 mph deliver that features on our YouTube and Facebook pages. On my phone ATM so hard to find the link!!
James Taylor took a 90mph one to the grille and Keith barker 84mph for real life examples of these scenarios.
-
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WnUMK5nlGmw
http://www.youtube.com/user/Ayrtek
The youtube video of Barker and then the channel in general.
-
Thanks mate, try to show how the development came about and that's it's no fluke they work :)
-
Thanks mate!
-
Jimmy Anderson hitting Daniel Flynn (wearing an Albion)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WcpwNpP0bHM
Jade Dernbach hitting James Taylor (Wearing an Ayrtek)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HLu014gkX8A
Although you cannot see the results of the JT incident I believe he escaped with a tiny cut on his nose?
It's enough evidence for me! :)
-
No worries, hope that was what you meant by it?
There is a pic of his lid after the impact somewhere...quite the dent!
-
Tom another question, someone posted a video of Chanderpaul getting hit of the back of his lid by Lee, which seemed to knock him unconscious.
I presume helmets are tested for this circumstance before being certified fit for sale and use?
-
Yes they have to pass a BSI standard, this area that covers the rear of the head has been highlighted as an area that needs addressing by the ICC.....Puma, GN and Ourselves are rated as the most protective in this region incidentally.
The helmets are dropped upon a metal anvil and have to fall below a specified impact level in order to pass the testing in different conditions.
-
Hairson - I have the £230 elite top model.
I also have top of the range Albion but never got on with any others.
I wear the Ayrtek as it's light, very comfortable, the safest, and I can have it whatever colour I want. I like everything about it, and the fact that the peak is stronger and the fit is adjustable helps! Plus the customer service is as good as it gets.
-
Thanks Pete...I'll slip you that £5 later ;)
-
Tom - you know me well enough to know that I tell it how I see it!
And the £5 as paypal gift this time!!! ;)
-
Haha I know mate...always nice to hear from a satisfied customer!!
-
For me personally I just don't like the look/style (im a masuri ti man) but on safety terms they can not be beaten and are head and shoulders above most other companies
-
ive got a raw!
and its the weight that does it for me!
my knees have enough trouble holding up 20 stone let alone another few grams with a helmet! lol
-
Regarding Albion, have a look at the picture below and then read little article in the link below;
(http://www.espncricinfo.com/db/PICTURES/CMS/139200/139200.jpg)
Article
http://www.pakpassion.net/ppforum/showthread.php?t=140508
-
Off topic but how good are the smileys on that forum hahahaha
(http://www.pakpassion.net/ppforum/images/smilies/yousuf1.gif)
(http://www.pakpassion.net/ppforum/images/smilies/afridi.gif)
-
Off topic but how good are the smileys on that forum hahahaha
([url]http://www.pakpassion.net/ppforum/images/smilies/yousuf1.gif[/url])
([url]http://www.pakpassion.net/ppforum/images/smilies/afridi.gif[/url])
Haha LOL
-
I always have a browse on that forum there are people on there as mad as us haha ,
In really should join just for the chit chat
-
One point chin strap design and if it doesn't fit properly the grille will rock back onto your face...iv got a helmet I the office where ajmal took a bouncer to the temple from bresnan. Played it safe and replaced it but it did its job!!
-
when my current on beats it im gerting a ayrtek.
-
My objection to spending £200 is the theory of replacing a helmet if it suffers a serious impact as its protection may be compramised, which would be ironic considering the point of buying a premium helmet it the first place. And whereas with a bat you can repair damage more often than not, with a £200 helmet, to my knowledge you cant repair it and are effectivley £200 out of pocket.
Realisticly none of us are facing 85-90mph bowling on a hard and bouncy track, a £80 and a £200 helmet would both protect you from a serious impact and should both be replaced folowing.
-
Carbon fibre can be repaired as it happens if you wanted to much like it can be stripped back and re-sprayed like you would refurb your bat at the end of the season.
It like arguing why you would buy a Porsche when a Peugeot would do the same job! Those who can afford it like to opt for the upgrade and why not if you have that level of disposable income?
-
i personally think the hole if hit get replaced is a load of cosh! unless u get hit at 90mph lol
even then i dont think the carbon version would be damaged at all.,
hell ive dropped kicked mine across the changing room into a breeze blocks and it wasnt even scratched lol
-
Funny that Masuri sales have been cut by a third over the last 2 years and i i think Albion sales have been hit as well
Now i not saying it all to do with Ayrtek but i would have thought there sales have gone up steady for the last 2 seasons
There that many helemets out there it hard to detect a good one
I guess if a person is willing to pay 200 notes for a helmet then it is a good investment it may save your life
My spellinj has gone backwards
Protection in cricket is widely overlooked and i feel better protected iam the better i feel
-
I've notcied that Albion has been spending the dosh to get players to wear their gear recently. Michael Clarke has used a Masuri for years, but he seems to have permanantly switched from Masuri to Albion, as he has worn one in Australia's last 2 test series against SL and SA.
-
Had a quick look on the albion site and i had to laugh when their general manager says "your not going to find a better looking, safer helmet"...aren't looks in the eye of the beholder or beer holder? :D
I'd have to say that safety is way more important!!!
forgot to add the source;
http://www.youtube.com/user/albioncricket?feature=mhee#p/u/16/_sPkTnGq3FI
-
Tom, you need to get in YouTube with videos like that!
-
Most people hear the words 'Air Craft Technology' 'Formula One' and will buy it straight away as they think it's automatically the best. Shame really.
-
Most people hear the words 'Air Craft Technology' 'Formula One' and will buy it straight away as they think it's automatically the best. Shame really.
deffo, i think Tom was the 1st person/ company to use those materials...oh and they look miles better then the albion
cant wait for my new Ayrket helmet :D
-
yes we use those buzz words back in 2008 prior to Albion launching their Ultimate helmet....strip the cloth off of an Ultimate and is not 100% carbon/kevlar thats for sure!!!
-
but good "buzz" words are where it is at.
-
but good "buzz" words are where it is at.
That's what you get when you have a massive pot for advertising.
You should film some pros giving feedback Tom, be good for the website...oh I me professional cricketers not the other type of pros haha