# STIHL Head, Hearing, and Face Protection Forestry Helmet



## FlowRider (Apr 7, 2019)

I own and operate a number of Stihl products, and have for many years.

Chainsaw, string trimmer, stick edger, hedge trimmers, bed redefiner.

All of these power tools can fling objects at your face, teeth and eyes.

I usually wear a hard hat equipped with a clear plastic flip down shield.

The only issue I have is heat buildup inside the face shield in summer.

I have always wanted to buy the Stihl Forestry Helmet to use instead.

I decided to purchase it for this growing season for pruning and limbing as well as weed whacking with the string trimmer, and still be safe....

This is what I decided on:


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## FlowRider (Apr 7, 2019)

Here is what is in the box when you open it up - it ships ready to use:


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## FlowRider (Apr 7, 2019)

Here it is with the protective face shield down, frontal view:


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## FlowRider (Apr 7, 2019)

Here is a view with the face shield raised to its first raised position:


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## FlowRider (Apr 7, 2019)

Here is a side view, showing the integrated attached hearing protection:


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## Gilley11 (Nov 3, 2019)

That would be pretty handy when cutting up trees. I wear ear protection for pretty much all machinery. After years of ear abuse my hearing has gotten pretty sensitive.


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## craigdt (Apr 21, 2018)

Need that for changing baby diapers.


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## SWB (Sep 22, 2018)

That's nice....I might consider that. The heat would be a deal breaker for me but that looks like it would not be a problem.
Ona different note, how do you like the bed definer?


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## FlowRider (Apr 7, 2019)

Gilley11 said:


> That would be pretty handy when cutting up trees. I wear ear protection for pretty much all machinery. After years of ear abuse my hearing has gotten pretty sensitive.


It is actually designed for cutting trees. I first saw these when a company was clearing the electrical utility right of way behind a house I used to own that backed up to the ROW behind my woods.

Those guys were tree climbers, and would drop the trees into the ROW as they cut. I allowed them to cross onto the ROW by using my property. I used the ROW to compost yard debris and leaves. It kept the area clear (I spread the leaves as mulch too, to keep the weeds down) so they would stage equipment back behind my house. They would prune or cut trees for me in exchange for access.

The helmet saves your noggin if a branch hits you and the face shield blocks chainsaw sawdust.

The attached integrated earmuffs work great. Branches cannot snatch your ear pro off your head.


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## FlowRider (Apr 7, 2019)

craigdt said:


> Need that for changing baby diapers.


Works real good for raising puppies too, I would imagine.... :lol:


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## FlowRider (Apr 7, 2019)

SWB said:


> That's nice....I might consider that. The heat would be a deal breaker for me but that looks like it would not be a problem.
> Ona different note, how do you like the bed definer?


The key feature to look for in a hard hat is the ratcheting suspension system. It is what keeps the helmet off your skin and skull bones. It is designed to absorb the blow for a minor hit to the noggin.

The ratcheting mechanism makes it very easy to adjust the helmet to fit your head. You just spin the dial and it loosens or tightens the headband strap that goes around your forehead and brain stem.

If you look closely, you can see the sweat band on the front of the helmet. These are designed to be worn when cutting, and then removed. I just replace the head hand with a towel and a bandanna.


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## FlowRider (Apr 7, 2019)

I have holly bushes along my perimeter fence that grow holly berries. The flowers bring out bees and paper wasps like to nest in these. So when I mow along that area, I get swarmed by flying insects. The mower makes them swarm and frenzy, so it can get a little exciting mowing there....

The face shield will help keep the insects from getting to my face, and I wear long sleeves and gloves. We also have yellow jackets, bumble bees, and hornets. And kamikaze horseflies. Yippee!

The main reason I bought this is for weed whacking. I get blasted in the face sometimes by debris.

And I do have my chainsaw, although I do not live in the woods anymore, so I use it less frequently.

The second reason was the screen face shield will let air circulate better, so less heat and fogging.

The third reason was I do hit my head sometimes on tree branches when I am mowing, but I plan to limb those up so I can go back to baseball caps when it gets oppressively hot in the Summer....


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## FlowRider (Apr 7, 2019)

SWB said:


> On a different note, how do you like the bed definer?


I have used it on my flower beds and tree rings in my yards and I really like it, works really well.

The blade works best when the soil is not wet. It can clog up the tool if it is muddy and sticky clay.

When it is dry, the blade churns through the dirt and tosses it in a nice pattern up into the beds.

If you have mulch, the fine dirt will just wash out when it rains, or you can spray it with a hose nozzle.

It makes some really nice bed edges, and air gaps the Bermuda so it can't grow into your beds. That is a really nice aspect of cutting a deep edge along your flower beds, no more hand weeding beds.

I recently bought the stronger (more horsepower) model of the Stihl Kombi Motor power head.

Stihl recommends you use the stronger engine. KM131R is the model designation. 33% more power.

I used my KM11R the first time, and the mud caused the motor to almost stall out once. It is not a big deal, kind of like when you bog down a chain saw. It just stops running, but there is no clutch to stall out, so the motor will quit running. So I decided to get the more powerful engine just for this use.

I plan to use the KM131R for stick edging and hedge trimming, and the KM111R for weed whacking.

Once you understand how to properly use the bed redefiner, it is a real time and labor saving tool.

I have a project coming up on redefining my beds and tree rings this Spring, so I will post that up....


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## SWB (Sep 22, 2018)

Thanks for that info. I'm going to stop by my Sthil dealer tomorrow and take a peek at the FB 131.


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## FlowRider (Apr 7, 2019)

I tried out the helmet last evening doing some weed whacking, which is the main reason I bought it.

Here are some things I like:

The integrated attached earmuffs fit well, are comfortable, and do a good job of reducing noise. The cap-mounts are snug, and the earmuffs have a very good noise reduction rating of 24 decibels.

The epoxy coated face shield mesh is very good at knocking down incoming debris and rocks, etc.

The helmet has a vertical harness setting adjustment that has three positions, so you can adjust the harness attachment clip to three alternative heights. This is the part of the helmet where the ratcheting suspension knob is located. In other words, it can fit onto the back of your head better.

The face shield can be raised or lowered in three positions, all the way down or up, and halfway open. Nice for getting a sip of water or adjusting your mask or safety glasses. It blocks wood chips, grass clippings and sand, but dust and pollen can get through the screen to your mask/bandanna.

The interface between the top of the helmet and the face screen has a billed lip and rain trough so that water or debris cannot slide or drip off the helmet and get behind the face shield to your eyes.

The ratcheting suspension system is a six points harness, which helps keep the helmet centered. It is very high quality, and typical excellent Stihl engineering and material quality. Helmet is ABS plastic.

Things I don't like:

It is warm inside the helmet, great in the winter, not so great in the heat and humidity. It is still much better at letting air circulate than a full face plastic shield, which can be hot and hard to breathe in.

It can obstruct your peripheral vision, so you have stay aware of what is in front of and around you.

Debris and flying insects can get in under the neckline of the face shield; plan for that in advance.

Overall, this is a very solid helmet and excellent personal protective equipment for it intended use.

I am very pleased with it and it will be getting a lot of use. It cost $75 US, but well worth it in quality.


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## FlowRider (Apr 7, 2019)

For those of you who may think that price is expensive, I have had rocks hit me in my teeth before.

No damage, but believe me when I tell you, it can hurt if that happens. It could've been much worse,

It definitely could save you from serious injury, especially from cuts and banging your head on stuff.

I think it should be required equipment for chain sawing. I am certain it is worth the money, for me.


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## jerrywil (9 mo ago)

Just ordered this helmet and it is probably one of the best purchase ever.
Now i just need to change my hearing aids and add couple of extra things from hearing aid supplies online and i will be sorted for the next couple of years. Any recommendations on those?


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