One of the most important things in any job that could be dangerous is safety. You should never try to save yourself some money if it will lower the level of your security. This is especially true when it comes to welding as it is very important to get all the best safety gear you can.
Besides, your hands, your eyes and your face are at the highest risk of injury when you are welding, so you should invest in a high-quality helmet that will last for a few years.
Optrel is one of the top companies that provides what welders need. Here are the best 5 they currently have available.
In a Rush? Here is Our Top Choice
Optrel e680
5 Best Optrel Welding Helmets - Reviews
1. Optrel e680 Auto Darkening Welding Helmet
This Optrel e680 is a new and improved model over its predecessor Optrel Satellite model. It outshines it in every aspect. It offers you convenience and comfort for all welding jobs, this includes Stick welding, MIG, TIG, and a lot more.
Once you put it on you don't need to take it off until you get the job done as all of the controls are on the outside of the helmet. It also has a remote control you can use to adjust it if you find the external controls cumbersome to use.
That’s right; I said this helmet has a remote control. How cool is that? It features a time delay, adjustable sensitivity slider, and a grinding mode and you can adjust it all without removing the helmet.
The Optrel e680 also has a high-quality truecolor display that will provide you with a bright, detailed view of the weld puddle and machine controls. The window itself measures approximately 4 by 2 inches.
This helmet is a jack of all trades, meaning that you can use it for whatever purpose you want from MIG to Micro Plasma Arc Welding. It is truly one of the many versatile welding helmets out there.
The top priority on this helmet is the safety of your eyes and face. The hood of the helmet will protect you from all forms of danger in the welding environment, including sound, UV and IR light,debris and sparks. The lens darkens automatically between shades 5 and 13.
It’s a pretty helmet that will cost a pretty penny. You should expect to spend for one of these babies.
2. Optrel Panoramaxx Auto-darkening Welding Helmet
The Optrel Panoramaxx provides up to six times larger viewing area than a standard welding helmet. This comes in handy to you while you are welding. Because of the way it is designed, the lens are positioned closer to your face, which provides you with a better picture.
The measurements of the viewing window are 2.3“ x 6.3“. It also has the true color lens that ranges auto darkens from shades 5 to 12.
It has the familiar grind mode and external slider for easy adjustment. The battery on Panoramaxx is auto-rechargeable through the arc light, but if you need to charge it manually, you can use a micro USB charging port. This helmet is very comfortable to wear and won’t weigh you down at all.
The trade off is a narrow variable shade range for a larger viewing area.
3. Optrel e650 Auto dark Welding-Helmet
The Optrel e650 is another high-end helmet, though not quite as expensive. It’s a step down from the e680 series in that it only It has a 9 to 13 variable lens shade instead of a 5-13. Still, it’s an auto-darkening helmet that will automatically adjust your view and prevent the hazardous light from harming your eyes.
It has the same response speed as the above (1/10,000 of a second) and the same viewing window (4“ x 2“) but without the true color feature. Like the above, any automatic adjustment is triggered by two light sensors and you can adjust the settings with the external side knob; sorry, no remote control.
Like the e680, it runs on both battery and solar power and will keep its battery charge for a long time. The battery life on this helmet is and astonishing 2,500 hours. It also has a grinding mode for extra safety.
4. Optrel e684 Auto-darkening Welders' Helmet
The Optrel e684 is a combination of features from some of the models above. The lens ratio on this helmet is superb at 1/1/1/1 lens rating with fully automatic darkening shade 5 to 13 arc brightness detection. It also has 3 sensors of 2.
You can also manually adjust lens between shades 4 and 13 so you can get your own view of the arc. You can easily switch between the weld and grind modes and back again externally. You can also control the delay and sensitivity by the external knobs.
It also has a Twilight Feature that will gradually lighten the lens when you switch from dark to light states to ease your eye fatigue. It passes all the color tests with the best ratings due to its true color technology.
The view window measures approximately 4“ x 2“ and the solar battery lasts 3,000 hours.
5. Optrel VegaView 2.5 Auto-Dark Welding Helmet
The Optrel VegaView 2.5 is an ultimate safety helmet. It is very comfortable but it also has all the elements needed to protect your eyes and neck from the light and debris that may come your way while welding.
The art on the helmet is meant for welders especially. In the light state, this helmet has a better view than most other helmets on the market. It offers a 180° view of your surrounding so that you can see all that is going around you while you are welding.
It is very portable and light. You can carry it around without much effort, and you won't even feel it on your head. It also has a 9-point high-quality halo headgear with a replaceable sweat absorbent pad.
With true color and auto darkening from shades 8 to 12 with external adjustment, it certainly ranks among Optrel’s top products. It’s also the lowest cost on our list.
Our Top Choice
Optrel e680
So, to conclude, all of these Optrel models would make a worthy addition to your PPE arsenal.
The best, however, is the Optrel e680. I mean, who wouldn’t want a remote for their helmet?
But besides that, it has all the best features of the others: auto darkening welding helmet in the widest shade range, true color, a 4“ by 2“ window, external controls, a solar cell battery, and fantastic safety. Plus, it comes with a 3-year warranty to ensure that you’ve made the right purchasing choice.
If you have the budget, get only the high-quality welding helmets to make sure you are protected from harmful substance.