Best Optrel Welding Helmets – 2023 Guide

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The Optrel Crystal 2.0 Auto Darkening Welding Helmet is a high end helmet for professional welders. When it's resting in grind mode, it's at shade level 2. Most helmets are shade level 3 or 4 in grind mode. That means it's sharper and brighter at rest. Users often praise the comfortable headgear.

The automatic darkening process has 4 to 12 shade levels. The Optrel Crystal 2.0 Auto-Dark Welding Helmet equips this helmet with a "twilight" feature that gradually illuminates the viewport after welding has stopped. Autopilot is a function that automatically adjusts the darkness level according to the light level of the arc. The sensor slides to change the arc detection angle to prevent activation by other nearby welders.

The Optrel Crystal 2.0 also has the ability to adjust the darkness level or manually enter grinding mode. Latency and sensitivity settings are controlled externally. Some users have reported issues with damaging the grind mode button. The usual solution is to turn down the shadow level to the lowest setting. It features a 1/1/1/1 optical clarity rating and True Color technology for outstanding visuals, making it one of the best on the market.

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The Optrel Panoramaxx Auto Darkening Welding Helmet has a sizable 5" by 2" viewport filter that is shaped to fit the bridge of your nose. This design brings the filter closer to your eye for a larger field of view. When the helmet is in grind mode, it runs at a shade level of 2.5, which is lighter than the usual grind mode of 3.

This is a true color filter with 1/1/1/2 optical clarity for a wide field of view. The Optrel Panoramaxx Auto Darkening Welding Helmet features an autopilot system that automatically controls shade level settings based on arc brightness. This system can be disabled to allow you to manually set shadow levels. The Panoramaxx also features FadeTronic, which gradually brightens the filter after you stop soldering, rather than all at once. This idea helps limit eye strain.

One of the best features of the Optrel Panoramaxx Auto Darkening Welding Helmets is the IsoFit headgear, found on every Optrel helmet. It's an unconventional design with a bike helmet-like padded design for great balance and comfort.

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The Optrel E684 ADF Welding Helmet is a professional welding helmet featuring the highest quality optics with 1/1/1/1 optical clarity. The helmet has a shade control that automatically adjusts from 5-13 levels. If you prefer to adjust shadow levels yourself, you can override the automatic adjustment. The grind mode on the E684 is 4 shades. Delay, sensitivity and grind mode controls are external, allowing the helmet to be operated without taking it off.

This helmet features true color technology for a better and more realistic view of the weld pool, offering real opportunities to improve weld quality. The Optrel E684 ADF welding helmet uses solar energy and welding arc light to charge the batteries. Nominal battery life is 3000 hours of run time. Some users expressed issues with the hood remaining in a raised position, while others reported distracting reflections from the viewport's massive shelf-like illustrations.

The Optrel E684 ADF welding helmet is compatible with Optrel's E3000 powered air-purifying respirator or PAPR helmet systems. It is coated with a silver heat reflective paint that minimizes heat and temperature transfer from the environment to the interior of the helmet.

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Featuring flip-up lenses, this helmet features True Color technology to bring out real-world colors as you weld. The Optrel Liteflip Autopilot Auto-Darkening Welding Helmet uses Autopilot automatic shade levels to maintain darkness levels based on the brightness of the welding arc and lighting conditions. You can manually adjust the shadow level 1-2 levels plus or minus according to your preference.

The Optrel Liteflip Autopilot Auto-Darkening Welding Helmet has a large 8 inch square viewing area on the flip lens and 10 inch square viewing area on the clear viewport below. Unfortunately, the flipped lens doesn't quite sit against the viewport, leaving a gap that allows smoke to envelop the lens. That means you'll need to stop occasionally to clean the lens. Optrel may leave gaps to minimize viewport wear. The lens cap is a non-standard size and the only supplier is Optrel.

The helmet is very light at only 1.2 lbs and has an IsoFit helmet with hood. These features make the Optrel Liteflip Autopilot Auto-Darkening Welding Helmet extremely comfortable. Flip-up lenses also feature a micro-light system that gradually illuminates the lenses after the arc ceases.

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The Optrel VegaView 2.5 Auto Darkening Welding Helmet is the world's fastest auto darkening welding helmet with a response time of a millionth of a second. The Autopilot system used in this helmet uses the Optrel Autopilot automatic shading system, and the shading level is 8-12, which is actually a bit narrow. Everything is a compromise, which is why Optrel gets such fast reaction times. Some high current welding should really use class 13 hoods, so this is a pain point for some owners.

This is another helmet with the E3000 PAPR respirator system. The Optrel VegaView 2.5 auto-darkening welding helmet features true color lenses for excellent weld seam vision, especially with excellent 1/1/1/2 optical clarity. The grind pattern is 2.5 shades, which is over 4 times lighter than the industry average.

The Optrel VegaView 2.5 Auto Darkening Welding Helmet comes with a helmet bag. Some users have reported that the helmet does not always reliably light up after the arc stops without pressing the reset button. The IsoFit helmet is light, comfortable and highly adjustable. This is a very light helmet, weighing just over a pound.