cutter's helmet

[ehp]

what is guys using for a cutter's helmet these days , I'm looking to go to something better than the Stihl or husky gear 

[Dave Shepard]

Protos Integral. I don't know what they are bare, but mine cost $650 with Sena 10R comms. Very adjustable and comfortable. 

[beenthere]

What is lacking in the Stihl or Husqvarna helmets? other than price ? 

[Big_eddy]

I have both Stihl Function (basic) and Husky Technical models. The NRR on my Stihl Function helmet was only 22 if I recall correctly, and I could immediately tell the difference between it and the Husky at NRR 24. I see the latest Stihl Function has improved muffs at 24, the same as their better model which has Peltor muffs and shield.

I ended up buying Helberg muffs (NRR28) and shield and a generic hard hat and that's what I wear the most often. I want the best hearing protection possible given how much time I spend with a saw in my hands.

I still like the Husky screen best of the 3 The Helberg has side shields that block part of your peripheral vision, as does the Stihl. 
The Husky helmet came with a sun shield which I originally didn't install, but it actually works well as a snow shield, extending the time it takes for a whiteout when cutting on a snowy day. 

I never wear the Stihl. I wear the Helberg the most often, and the Husky on snowy days.

[Old Greenhorn]

Well I am not your guy for a high end full time cutters helmet, I wear a full brim skull bucket and muffs with cheap safety gasses, don't go by me. BUT I do know a lot of guys who cut all day and many are switching to the Pfanner Protos, lots of options for interchangeable shields, screens, pretty colors, nice integral muffs, very comfy for full time wear I am told, and although pricey, the guys that have them, love them. Also integral coms are available and I see a bunch of the arborist crews all wearing them around here.  A month ago I even saw a crew between jobs in a truck cab on the road and they all had their helmets on. I thought that very odd, but then thought "Geez, they must be comfortable."
 YMMV

[Dave Shepard]

There was a crew that wore their helmets in the trucks. And yes, we made fun of them. One of them jumped ship and went to work with the co I was working for at the time. 

[PoginyHill]

I purchased a Protos helmet maybe 3-4 years ago and couldn't be happier with it. Very comfortable, adjustable, and nothing has busted. A quick online search has them around $260-300. I'd buy again when the time comes.

[teakwood]

i know all Professionals in Europe use the Pfanner helmet

https://www.bestdealsusa.com/protos-arborist-helmet?targetid=dsa-19959388920&matchtype=&device=c&campaignid=20586972393&creative=675370279154&adgroupid=156851160409&feeditemid=&loc_physical_ms=9070297&loc_interest_ms=&network=g&devicemodel=&placement=&keyword=$&target=&aceid=&adposition=&trackid=us_all_deals_9_1&mId=407-132-4411&trackOld=true&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAiAn9a9BhBtEiwAbKg6fhQ6PyuN_pv84Q2k8FdcVF1bgduxZoyEleRQADJm8f_vreKjY3julRoCuO8QAvD_BwE

[Hogdaddy]

I have a Protos, I like it pretty good, but i think the screen is just a little too small... other than that, good helmet

[Old saw fixer]

Another vote for the Pfanner Protos helmet!
I have had mine for several years and find it comfortable. 
The design has a smooth profile, earmuffs don't stick out and catch twigs and &.

[arojay]

Well I am not your guy for a high end full time cutters helmet, I wear a full brim skull bucket and muffs with cheap safety gasses, don't go by me.

So, I use about the same kind of headgear, except I go with plugs instead of muffs and I need prescription lenses so I use an insert in my safety glasses.  I used to use the simple Husqvarna skid lid with muffs and screen.  I mostly did that to satisfy OSHA and WCB requirements.  Working in cold weather and with old pollen and sawdust around, I usually start the day with a bit of nasal/sinus congestion.  That loosens up after I start working and inevitably, I would forget to raise the screen and end up with a big frozen greenie stuck to it for the rest of the day, plus my prescription glasses would fog up all the time.  That's not so safe either.  I am a pensioner now so I don't carry WCB and I seem to be able to stay under the regulatory radar.

That said, if you are required or like to to use the lid, screen and muffs combo, I'd suggest trying out as many different ones as possible and find out what feels best for you.

[ehp]

I went to the arborist store yesterday with the plan on buying the best helmet they had , I ended buying a better grade of husky helmet because it was the only one that fit , none of the other were even close to fitting my small head lol

[SwampDonkey]

I just wear the bare bones Husky Helmut and ear muffs for thinning all day long. I used to wear plugs, but I stopped using them a year ago. I wear an arborist safety glasses, just a metal screen and foam fit around the eyes. Can't wear any glass or plastic lens stuff, would be fogged up in 30 seconds. When I cut firewood I have no underbrush like hazel to slap me so don't need a face shield. Just need them glasses to stop a poke in the eye from a dry branch, or from a black spruce bow with prickly needles and to keep saw dust out. They don't want us using face shields running clearing saws anyway. I've never seen anyone use one on a brushing crew around here. Well I did see one guy try, but he had the screen ripped to shreds thinning red spruce. Cutting thickets is different than cutting log trees. :D I've never seen anyone wear those fanny helmets here in woods work.

[ehp]

Thing is here I'm seeing so much dead limbs on the trees I want something to help protect my neck better , bent over cutting on the stump is not a good thing when you got 6 inch plus diameter limbs flying at you when the tree moves

[SwampDonkey]

Yeah, even a 2" dead dry popple limb is heavy from 70 feet up. It'll seat your hard hat nice and firm when it glances off, and maybe a sore neck to boot. Buttress limbed old growth 40" diameter popple are even more dangerous than hardwoods. You couldn't pay me enough to cut in a stand of these monsters. That tree is 44" wide at 4-1/2' off the ground. Old fire popple. Dad cut in there 40 years ago. This picture was almost 20 years ago and them things are all on the ground now. They were 100 feet tall, I measured a couple that fell over, so it wasn't a clinometer measurement. 100 feet isn't anything exceptional, but consider these grow taller than our maple and birch. But these were on cedar ground with maple and birch mixed in. Not swampy wet cedar ground. Near there is a 77 foot yellow birch, around 30" and that aspen is way over it.





If one of them upswung  limbs hits a neighboring tree as the tree is going over, you better be ready to move fast. :D

[Old Greenhorn]

Those branches are the reason I go for the full brim. It's only 2 inches but that can make a difference. Maybe it's a takeoff from my firefighting experience where we wore those helmets with the big tail piece. I have been inside working structure fires where stuff was coaming down on us and that tail board saved my neck (literally) many times. Wires, sheetrock, plaster, and burning framing work would slide right off assuming it didn't put you on your knees. Having nothing over my neck worries me. As EHP says, when you are on one knee, even though you may look up, you rarely see the one that get you.
 
 I had been using plastic full brims for a while but got tired of buying new ones just because they expired and finally spent the money on a skull bucket (aluminum). It was new (2 weeks?) and I was cutting mushroom trees and had a helper that day for the first time. He watched and saw the branch come down and only had time to open his mouth but never got words out before it hit me. It caught the front half of my head and flipped that hard hat off like a bottle cap. It took us both 5 minutes to find my helmet in the bushes. I was back to work right away (once my vision cleared), but my helper was pale for the rest of the day.  I won't give up that full brim which limits my options for muffs and shields. I don't know why these high production manufacturers don't have some kind of neck protection. I guess they need a grant and a million dollar study to figure it out.

[Peter Drouin]

I have a Husky helmet that works just fine.

[SwampDonkey]

Those west coasters wear wide brim hard hats.  I never see anyone wear one or even see one for sale here.

https://deakin.com/products/Details.aspx?p=4004784

[Old Greenhorn]

Pretty much the same as mine except that is plastic and expires, mine is aluminum and doe not. Here's a photo from a few years back, I no longer use the screen,

[TroyC]

I always heard the line on that sticker....

"Old Age And Skill Will Overcome Youth And Treachery"

Maybe somewhere they rewrote it

[arojay]

Pretty much the same as mine except that is plastic and expires, mine is aluminum and doe not. Here's a photo from a few years back, I no longer use the screen,

The only real world issue with aluminum is conductivity, so that's up to your locality.  20+ miles to the nearest powerline for me.  I wouldn't mind having an old MacDonald 6-point.  I see those suspensions are being sold from a few suppliers, but I haven't had a MacT since I worked in the oil patch in the 70s.

[chep]

I've been wearing the husky technical forest helmet. I really like it, but the little plastic connectors that go from the visor to the helmet have gotten worn and love to pop off which is infuriating.  I also busted both springs on the visor.
I was able to find replacement springs for it, and when I pulled it apart I filed down the clips a bit to get a better bite, then a I melted some plastic bits into them to to secure them on. It's worked great for a month or so since my modifications.
I also added the Sena Bluetooth/comm system to it myself (more modifications ) and that has been great doing some tree work and machine assisted felling in some tight spots.
My logging partner has the protos and really likes it but says it's quite heavy and goes back and forth to a Peltor helmet