Optrel vs esab

[kmaysob]

Hey guys , I am getting ready to pull the trigger on my upgraded machine and going to grab a new helmet while I’m at it. I am stuck between an optrel helmet and the esab a50. The optrel is about $100 more. The two selling features that have me by the lip is that it’s rechargeable and if I mess up and leave it in grind mode , it will catch that and darken . I haven’t really used grind mode on my miller’s for that reason . It ends up being a bigger pain. Any
Experience between these two here?

https://www.weldingsuppliesfromioc.c...elmet-1010-000

https://mam.esab.com/assets/1/BDBA5C...et_Main-01.pdf

[E T]

No experience with the Optrel, but I do have the Esab A50 with papr.

Plus:
The headgear is top notch with a lot of adjustment possibilities and the hood is very comfortable.
ADF is very good with good range of settings and very clear view. The availability of 8 memory settings is a nice feature.
Grinding mode button is big and on the outside, so very easy to use with gloved hands.

Minus:
The front cover lens isn't recessed, so scratches easily.
In grinding mode there is a flashing LED inside the hood, but it's not in your line of sight and flashes with a low frequency. In the first weeks I had this hood I flashed myself on a regular basis after forgetting and not noticing that I was still in grinding mode. In my view that LED light should be higher up so it's in your line of sight and flashing more frequently.
The adaptive shade on the Optrel sounds like a nice option to have.

Overall I'm very impressed with the Esab. Since I've owned this hood all my other hoods haven't left their hooks on the wall of my workshop.

[Broccoli1]

no experience between those two but I did have a Optrel with a Grind mode but I found myself just using a clear face shield for grinding.

[leightrepairs]

I have the Optrel Panoramaxx and the optics are awesome but I do not like the hood in general. The headgear has a lot of adjustability, but I can't make it fit me well. The helmet wont stay up, have to keep tightening the knobs all day long and the cheater lens hits my glass and scratches very easily. I might buy another optrel but not the Panoramaxx. Not sure what you mean by it will catch it if you leave it in grind mode, not something I have seen and it is hard to see the blinking blue light that tells you it is in grind. I have never used an Esab, so can't offer any opinion on it.

[Tool Junkie]

I recently bought an Optrel Crystal 2.0. I LOVE it!!!
I can see what I am doing better than with any helmet I have EVER used.

[Munkul]

I have both plain A50 and A50 PAPR. They're great.

The headgear and hood shell in particular, are the best around... the design and the fit/feel, the adjustability, etc. The ADF is great too, as good as most modern true colour ADFs.

I haven't tried the newer Optrel headgears but a few years back I tried on the e684 and panoramaxx... thought they felt awful and uncomfortable. I know they've been updated since then.

To me, the 3M Speedglas 9100xxi and adflo version is the top of the pile. Great ergonomic design, best reliability, made for people who weld every day, and able to take a beating. Neither Esab nor Optrel can take the beating that a Speedglas can.
BUT... you pay for it. They're twice the price of an Esab A50 package over here.

[Lis2323]

no experience between those two but I did have a Optrel with a Grind mode but I found myself just using a clear face shield for grinding.

I never use grind mode on my helmets. Just too awkward.

I would much rather take an extra moment to take it off and grab a face shield or safety glasses.


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[Welder Dave]

See which one has the best availability and price for cover plates and such. Any helmet is useless if you can't find replacement cover plates. Speedglass is very popular as mentioned. I forget the model but Speedglass has a new helmet(as of a couple years ago) that is based on a very popular old model but has an upgraded lens. It's also less expensive than the new model. I think it was based on a 9000 series but not positive.

[E T]

See which one has the best availability and price for cover plates and such. Any helmet is useless if you can't find replacement cover plates.

That's a very good point.
As far as I know the Esab A50 front cover lenses are pretty expensive, so that is a thing to consider seeing that they scratch easily for not being recessed.
My Esab A50 was left over from a welding hood test we did at our Dutch welding forum, so I got it cheap with two big plastic bags filled with outer and inner lenses, head bands and papr filters all supplied by the Dutch importer for the test. I'm set for years to come.

[filetobeef]

have a panoramaxx 2.5. best helmet i've had so far.

[Oscar]

I have the panoramaxxx CLT 2.0. Great field of vision, but the awkward controls on the inside are....aawkward. Only drawback IMO.

[kmaysob]

Well guys, I pulled the trigger on the esab because the price was just too good at the time . I used it for all of 10 minutes tonight, but overall I feel like I am happy with it . What a world of difference the clear light lenses make ! First impressions :

Pros:
super clear
Lighter than my old Miller
Comfortable
I like the display

Cons:

Viewing window is actually smaller than my old Miller even though it has that monster front lens.
I may give the optrel a try down the line , who knows .