Optrel Crystal 2.0 Auto-Darkening Welding Helmet 1006.901

I have had their vegaview 2.5 for about 4 years and it’s still working great. I decided to get this crystal 2.0 so I could have the vegaview as my home hood. The crystal view in passive state is so light I can do a lot of layout and fitting without lifting my hood up.

I had a Miller helmet I have been using the past 7 years (Elite model) and last week the digital display circuit board died. ITIG welded some custom parts yesterday with this new helmet and man-o-man is the weld puddle crystal clear. Best buy I ever made, what a world of difference. If you are just starting out with TIG or an old pro, buy once, spend as much as you can and get a super high quality hat like this Optrel and you will be able to see that puddle so easily. A+ 10 out of 10, great product.

I can actually see everything I'm doing. Absolutely love this hood. A big plus it is light, easily work 10 hours with this on my head.

I have been welding for over 40 years, and have had a large number of helmets in that time.I have never been able to see like I can with this one.I can see the wire, the arc, the puddle, and the work piece with unbelievable clarity.It is extremely light, the headgear is comfortable, and the shade 2 clear state is very nice too. I often don't flip the helmet up at all between beads.Recommend Highly!

Hood is nice and light, so light I dropped it 25 story’s up first day I used it(didn’t adjust the headgear and it fell off) and all it got was a little scrape, headgear is good holds on to my head AFTER adjustment, view is pretty clear, it’s not just like daylight but it’s closer than most hoods to a true color, grind/weld button on the side for quick change between welding or cutting, the tech is good make sure to buy extra lens covers, is it worth $450, not in my opinion, but if you got the money and want the luxury of having it go for it.

I wish I bought this sooner. I've been welding for over 25 years. Within the first 10 seconds of using it I fell in love ❤️

Pros: looks good, fairly comfortable and lightweightCons: too expense, doesn't get dark enough, sensitivity doesn't go low enough, grind button gets stuck, flashes me when I'm doing a lot of mig tacking, and I wish the lense was bigger.In conclusion I regret buying it but I don't know of any better options. Welding helmet tech is not where I wish it was. I've tried all the supposedly "best" ones and they all disappointed me. The next best option is the ESAB but I really dislike the design of those.

Best welding hood I’ve ever known.