I'd be interested in hearing opinions from anyone who owns either of these helmets, and even the 9002x if it doesnt have sidewindows.... do the sidewindows really improve the helmet by much?
Does the Nexgen have an orange tinted screen and if so, do you find it comfortable? do you use the 3-1 option often? I use plasma about 3-4 days a week, but not much gas welding/cutting. Most of my work is grinding/welding and I'd like to not have to carry safety glasses as well. Is it much brighter than other auto-darkening helmets in the clear state? is the 3-1 hard to switch and do you have to remove the helmet to do so?
how comfortable are either of these to wear 10 hours a day?
I get the impression that the speedglas is overall a bit more robust though perhaps a little lackluster featurewise compared to some other helmets. strength is definitely the first requirement to me as I work on-site and dont treat my tools very kindly. My helmet can expect to be wet, dropped, left in snow and mud and buried in grinder dust. I go through a pair of safety glasses every other week. If I could get a year out of a helmet I would be super impressed. Price isnt that important.
any opinions appreciated, Shaun