I have two helmets for my daily commuting, a Nolan N62 Classic (gloss black) and an Arai RX7-RR4 (Colin Edwards replica).

the N62 is quite comfortable, the fit isn't so snug yet firm enough so it doesn't shake loose on my head. it's pretty light too, I can wear it for a long time without feeling like wearing a bowling ball on my head. good sound insulation, though a balaclava would help reducing noise better. the visor is really easy to remove and install, since it doesn't have that oh-i'm-gonna-break visor mechanism like the Arai. however, the visor fogs up very easily when fully closed, despite the chin vents have been fully opened.

but personally, I like the RX7-RR4 better. it's even lighter than the N62, it flows more air to the interior (which makes it feel cooler on a hot sunny day), and the visor won't fog when it's fully closed (despite the vents only open halfway). despite its snug fit (size M), it feels comfortable around my head and cheek. while wearing my SonyEricsson's earplugs, the padding holds the earplugs in place, unlike the N62 which won't hold it as good, meaning I have to correct the position some times (which is really annoying while wearing gloves).

 

ive read there is really no difference between the exo400 and exo700
i have the exo400 sting and its really comfortable, its like a pillow around my head, lol and its only $150
i rode for a few hours straight saturday and it never got uncomfortable

 

I went with the Shark helmet. Much better price than the Soumy's I was looking at. It also met ECE 22-05.

Snell I was told is kinda silly - it was designed for car racing where in an accident you'd hit the same part of the helmet repeatedly (head on the roll cage). On a bike you hit a few places - but most of the time it is one big whack, and a few lesser rolls. It makes sense to rate a car helmet and a bike helmet differently as they will have different stresses.

Ranked in order of my understanding:
DOT
SNELL
BSI
ECE 22-05

 

If I recall BSI is the best rating....

If I remember right.....I had some info on it about 6 years ago....who knows if I can find it again...

 

Thanks guys for the help. I ended up going in and trying on a lot of helmets. Was gonna get a scorpion, but then found a dandyHJC for 170 bucks. Tried it on and it fit so nice! The fit was really large, I wear an XS in it, and others I wear a Small and sometimes Medium. But the fit was great! It doesn't have stuff rubbing on your ears, it almost has a pocket for them hollowed out, and it was snell and dot approved so I snatched it up. Here's a picture



I haven't had any problems with it and I've ridden for 2+ hours already straight.