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Chainsaw helmet buying guide

Updated: 17 October 2026

You are about to order a forestry helmet for a petrol saw or strimmer that stays on the ground, and the amazon.co.uk title already sounds complete. What has to be clear first is which standard is printed, whether a mesh visor and helmet-mounted ear defenders are in the same kit, and whether that kit matches ground work in the United Kingdom. This chainsaw helmet buying guide is that checklist. Prices and the eleven-row table live on the [forestry helmet comparison](/hub/protective-clothing/forestry-helmet). Compiled on 17 October 2026 from those listings and Health and Safety Executive guidance. There was no lab drop test. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

You are about to order a forestry helmet for a petrol saw or strimmer that stays on the ground, and the amazon.co.uk title already sounds complete.

Our top picks

Stihl Stihl Function Basic helmet

Best overall

Stihl Stihl Function Basic helmet
8.7/10about £42.99
View offer
Oregon Oregon Protect chainsaw helmet

Alternative

Oregon Oregon Protect chainsaw helmet
7.3/10about £28.99
View offer
Rotatech Rotatech chainsaw helmet

Preis-Tipp

Rotatech Rotatech chainsaw helmet
7.6/10about £23.99
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.What a ground chainsaw helmet has to show
  2. 2.Noise figure, marking and fit
  3. 3.How the listings in this set print those lines
  4. 4.What to leave for another page

What a ground chainsaw helmet has to show

On the ground, the HSE chainsaw PPE page names three helmet standards: BS EN 397, BS EN 14052 or BS EN 12492. BS EN 397 is the industrial hard-hat line most of these kits print. BS EN 12492 is the mountaineering helmet, which HSE also allows on the ground when the risk assessment does not rule it out. Off the ground the recommendation narrows, and that split is the job of EN 397 vs EN 12492. The shell is only one line. HSE also lists a BS EN 1731 mesh visor for chips and BS EN 352 hearing protection, with helmet-mounted muffs commonly marked EN 352-3. A bare hard hat with none of those lines is a different product. ANSI Z89.1 is a United States hard-hat mark. It is not the HSE chainsaw list, even when the same listing also says CE. If the bullets never name a helmet standard, you do not yet know which of those three lines you are buying.

Noise figure, marking and fit

Combustion chainsaws are typically around 100 dB(A). HSE’s hearing-protection indication table puts about 25–35 dB SNR against task noise of 95–100 dB(A). The kits in this set print figures from 23 dB to 32 dB. SNR is a guide to assumed protection. Subtracting the number from 100 does not show that the noise regulations have been met. Taking the level at the ear below about 70 dB can also hide a warning shout. Great Britain accepts UKCA or CE on PPE, with instructions in English. A mark without the EN numbers above does not tell you the visor and the muffs were assessed as a forestry set. Look for a printed head range, often around 51–66 cm, and a rear ratchet. Ear defenders that break or fall off when the visor flips mean the certified combination is no longer on your head.
Stihl Stihl Function Basic helmet

Testsieger

Stihl Stihl Function Basic helmet
8.7/10about £42.99
View offer

How the listings in this set print those lines

Use the listings as examples of what is printed, not as a second ranking. Rotatech, about £23.99, prints EN 397, EN 1731 and EN 352-3 together, with 23 dB and 3.8 from seven reviews. That is a complete printed set at the bottom of the price band. Oregon Protect, about £28.99, prints 26 dB SNR and 4.3 from 148 reviews, and it ranks first in Forestry Helmets. The amazon file does not print an EN number. A UK retailer lists EN numbers for model 675100. For the price you pay on Amazon, that file is the one in front of you. SAFEYEAR, about £29.99, prints EN 397 and 27 dB, with 4.3 from 1,120 reviews. Stihl Function Basic, about £42.99, prints EN 397 and SNR 24, with 4.5 from 2,776 reviews, and the title does not name a visor standard. TOOLIOM, about £37.99, prints ANSI Z89.1 Type 1 Class C, not the EN trio. The £99.99 Bluetooth kit is the dearest row, and a dearer shell is not evidence that every HSE line has been named.

What to leave for another page

If you only need one listing to open first, the best forestry helmet page states the top pick and the best value inside this set. Climbing stays off this page. When an EN number is missing, do not fill the gap from a US mark or from a photograph of mesh. Send it back if the parts you need were never in the box. The chainsaw helmet with visor and ear defenders page is where the three head jobs are spelled out.

Common questions

What has to be printed on a ground chainsaw helmet?
For chainsaw use on the ground, HSE names a helmet to BS EN 397, BS EN 14052 or BS EN 12492, hearing protection to BS EN 352, and a mesh visor to BS EN 1731. Safety glasses to BS EN 166 are listed as well, because mesh is not the whole eye line. If those numbers are absent, the price is not yet the decision.
Is a mesh visor a substitute for safety glasses?
No. HSE lists BS EN 1731 mesh and BS EN 166 eye protection as separate items. Mesh is there to stop chips and larger fragments from the saw or the strimmer. It does not block ultraviolet light, and it does not become impact-rated spectacles because it hangs on the same helmet.
What SNR is in the right band for a petrol chainsaw?
HSE’s indication table puts about 25–35 dB SNR against noise of 95–100 dB(A), and combustion chainsaws are typically around 100 dB(A). Kits here print about 23–32 dB. That band is a buying clue. It does not prove your exposure at the ear is under 85 dB(A), and a short job is not an exemption.
Is ANSI Z89.1 enough on a UK listing?
ANSI Z89.1 Type 1 Class C is a US hard-hat classification. The TOOLIOM listing prints it with a CE sentence, and it does not print EN 397, EN 1731 and EN 352-3. CE marking is about placing the product on the Great Britain market. It is not a substitute for the HSE chainsaw lines.
Why do two head sizes appear on one SAFEYEAR file?
The SAFEYEAR listing prints 52–66 cm and 53–64 cm. Those are two statements on one file, not a prompt to invent a single midpoint. Check which range applies to the harness you will wear, and treat a contradiction as something to confirm before you rely on the fit.

Related pages

How to fit a forestry helmet

Forestry helmet

Best forestry helmet: the Stihl pick in this set

EN 397 vs EN 12492 for ground work or climbing

Chainsaw helmet with visor and ear defenders UK

Sources

Public UK sources and the amazon.co.uk listings used for this comparison, last checked on 17 October 2026.

  1. HSE, chainsaw PPE (retrieved 17 October 2026)
  2. HSE, aerial tree-work PPE (retrieved 17 October 2026)
  3. HSE AFAG308, aerial tree work (retrieved 17 October 2026)
  4. Control of Noise at Work Regulations 2005, regulation 4 (retrieved 17 October 2026)
  5. HSE, hearing protection (retrieved 17 October 2026)
  6. HSE RR1183, chainsaw noise (retrieved 17 October 2026)
  7. HSE L25, noise at work (retrieved 17 October 2026)
  8. HSE, PPE supply (retrieved 17 October 2026)