Looking at the table, three different concepts can be seen:

1. Equipment manufacturers developing their own airbag system (Dainese, Alpinestar)
2. Manufacturers specializing in airbag products (Helite)
3. Equipment manufacturers who obtain the know-how for the control electronics from a third-party manufacturer

Of course, I cannot evaluate the functionality or the respective specific protective effect of the individual products, here everyone can deal with the statements of the manufacturers and the specialist publications themselves.

I would like to draw attention to a few other aspects that have not yet been mentioned in the specialist publications:

1. Flexibility: Can I use the airbag if necessary? Can you also combine it with different items of clothing (summer jacket, leather jacket, touring jacket…)? In the case of touring jackets from Alpinestar, Dainese and RST, this must be answered with a clear NO, because in this case the airbag is firmly integrated into the jacket. Held offers the option of using the vest in different Held jackets; the vests from Alpinestar, Dainese, Helite, Ixon, Furygan and KLIM can in principle be worn under any jacket and RST is a special case in that the control electronics Can be used with different jackets from RST as well as Held, Ixon, Furygan or KLIM. This means that I buy the “brain” once and can use it with different products.
   
   
2. Maintenance costs: what happens after a trip?
   The  Alpinestar and Dainese I have to send the vest or jacket to the manufacturer after each activation and have it checked. Dainese charges 250 euros for the then necessary replacement of the “airbag”, Alpinestar as much as 500 euros. Alpinestar also recommends maintenance every two years at a price of 200 euros. Of course, these are costs that cannot be ignored.
   With the on In & Motion based systems, the vest or jacket should be checked by the manufacturer after the third activation. Price of the replacement cartridge for the propellant: approx. 90 € (you can replace it yourself for the second and third triggering).
   helite indicates a theoretically unlimited number of releases without manufacturer verification, exchange cartridge approx. 60 €
   
   Of course, you always have to consider the damage that may be caused. caused by a fall on clothing. Slight slip-ups without major wounds can still result in follow-up costs for the inspection at Alpinestar and Dainese. With more violent "departures", the jacket (or Helite vest) may be in the bucket anyway and must be replaced. Only the vests worn under protective clothing have a real chance of being reused.
   
   
3. Further development: elektronische Components are subject to permanent further development. Algorithms are being further developed, triggering strategies are being optimized, hardware is subject to wear and tear and is also being further developed.
   All of this costs money on the manufacturer side and has to be financed in the long term. The larger the number of units I sell my product, the more likely I, as a manufacturer, will be able to serve the market in the long term. The question always arises as to where I as a manufacturer actually have my know-how? In the manufacture of clothing or (also) in the development of hardware and software?
   As the only real clothing manufacturer, Dainese has many years of experience developing an electronic airbag for motorcyclists. As a company specializing in airbags, Helite has only recently started offering an electronic airbag. Alpinestar probably messed up the partnership with BMW through the patent litigation with Dainese, the products were not allowed to be sold in Europe for over a year. In comparison to Dainese, Alpinestar also came onto the market very late with its own product.
   
   In & Motion is a French company that was founded in 2014 and since then has specialized exclusively in the development of intelligent protection systems, not only for motorcyclists but also for skiers and riders. The concept was conceived in such a way that In & Motion concentrates exclusively on the development of the electronic components and their software, but leaves the development of the protective clothing to the equipment manufacturers. 
   This "division of labor" means that In & Motion does not compete with companies like Held, Stadler, BMW, RST, KLIM and others, but allows these manufacturers to upgrade their own products with additional protective components.
   The In & Motion pricing model is also interesting: you can buy the box for a one-off price of € 399, which gives you the usual two-year guarantee and the option to update the software via an app. The second option is to rent the box for € 120 a year and receive a lifelong guarantee, an exchange of the box within 72 hours in the event of damage and a new box free of charge after three years if there is a further development. You can also buy the box for 99 € after three years, if you want.
   
   When I was looking for an electronic airbag vest in spring 2019, there was only the product from Ixon with In & Motion technology. Within a year, three other manufacturers decided on the same platform and I venture to predict that more manufacturers will follow. From my point of view, a clear win-win-win situation: As a manufacturer, In & Motion sell large quantities and thus finance further development. The equipment manufacturers receive an additional protective component with extremely manageable development effort (and costs) and we as customers have a large selection and flexibility in the use of protective clothing.

You have surely already recognized the direction in which "my heart beats" or which concept I consider the most promising. My experience in the electronic product market tells me that only high sales volumes ensure long-term survival. Of course, Alpinestar and Dainese can cross-finance their products from other sectors, the only question is how long this will actually happen.

Helite is a special case for me. They have many years of airbag experience in riding and with motorcyclists. However, always with mechanical airbags. In addition, not everyone likes the look of the vest worn over protective clothing. But that's a matter of taste. The question is whether Helite has the breath to finance the development of the electronic airbag in the long term. I cannot judge ...

The concept of In & Motion seems to me personally the most promising, because the more equipment manufacturers jump on this bandwagon, the more this system will develop into a "standard" and give us customers maximum freedom of choice while reducing costs. 

However, I don't want to hide one disadvantage of these electronic vests: none of them can be washed! So if you sweat in your vest for a long summer, all you have to do is ventilate for a long time or use a textile spray. Washing machine or hand washing is not possible.
This, too, actually speaks in favor of the vest, because it shouldn't behave much differently with the jackets, at least I haven't found any corresponding information from any manufacturer. However, if the airbag is removable from the jackets (this was the case with my Helite jacket), it can of course be washed according to the manufacturer's recommendations. However, it is best to ask specialist retailers about this.

I myself bought the Ixon vest in spring 2019 (now replaced by the KLIM vest) and combine it with a Stadler touring jacket. So far I'm very satisfied and will look at the jacket from RST in the future, you don't want to wear the same thing every day :-)).

Addendum: I also own the RST jacket and use it depending on my mood and the weather.

At that time I also had a look at the Alpinestar and Dainese jackets, but these are rather not cut for full-grown Teutons or available in the corresponding sizes, so there was a pinch in every corner. Slimmer people than I am can be happy with it.

From my point of view, there are now few or no arguments against wearing an airbag vest (or jacket). Of course, these airbag vests only realistically offer protection in the speed range up to approx. 50 km / h. Anyone who rushes against a standing obstacle with 200 things no longer needs an airbag. But if the professionals on the racetrack only drive with airbags, we should also take this as an example.

All of this is my very personal assessment. If I overlooked something or wrote nonsense, please feel free to give us feedback peterk@bmw-gs-club.com.