Last Updated on January 13, 2022 by Stephen Paul Robertson
At all times, the safety of your head should be the topmost priority. This should be the case any day and every day. And to ensure the safety of our heads-the most important and sensitive part of our body- hard hats play an important role. Be it plastic, aluminum, or fiberglass, any material of the hard hat is crucial for our protection.
However, the problems of people with large heads are often ignored when it comes to distributing hard hats. Most often than not, these people find it difficult to find a large enough hat to fit their heads. If you are one such person, don’t fret because our article is curated specially for you and we have an amazing selection of the best hard hats for large heads! Have a read and find out for yourself!
Our Top Picks Of the Best Hard Hats for Big Heads
- DAX Safety Hard Hat: This hard hat is exclusively designed for your comfort with mind-blowing moisture-wicking features. It meets the requirements for Classes G and C and can easily be considered as one of the most ideal hard hats for large heads.
- Honeywell E2QRW11A000 Hard Hat: This super reasonably priced hat is what every worker with a hard hat must purchase! This is an excellent extra large hard hat with incredibly lightweight.
- Amston Safety Hard Hat: This vetted hard hat is the perfect large-sized hard hat that will snuggly fit almost anyone. Moreover, this is a highly reliable brand so you can rest assured that you will receive excellent products and even better aftercare.
- ACERPAL Hard Hat: This full brim hard hat will provide you with the utmost protection from any stray objects or debris because of its extended brim that will go all around your head. This meets the standards of Classes E, G, and C and also comes in a variety of colors. This is super lightweight which makes it the perfect hard hat for hot weather.
ACERPAL Full Brim Hard Hat: This is yet another astounding jumbo-sized full-brimmed hard hat from ACERPAL with a 4 point adjustable suspension that will provide extra protection from impactful blows on the front and back sides.
- LIFT Safety Hard Hat: This carbon fiber hat not only provides excellent protection but is also comfortable for everyday use and especially for long hours. Its 6 point adjustable suspension will provide you with flexibility and maximum comfort; this also makes it the best fitting hard hat.
Now that you have taken a glance at what we have in store for you, read further to know about these hard hats in more detail.
Product Reviews of Best Large Hard Hats
DAX Safety Hard Hat
Top Specs
- Weight: 1.6 pounds
- Material: Carbon Fiber
- Dimensions: 13 x 11.1 x 6.5 inches
Our Analysis
This hard hat should be your ultimate pick if safety is your top priority. It has numerous amazing features which will enable it to fit snugly on your head. It has a 6 point suspension as well as a large ratcheting fitment dial, both of which you can use to adjust the hat to your preference.
Moreover, DAX takes it a level further by ensuring that the material is also top-notch. It consists of a moisture-wicking foam along with a microfiber liner which eliminates and decreases the build-up of sweat. The hat’s synthetic leather dome also provides ample comfort.
This hard hat will also give you superior protection. Its brim grip allows a sense of security while its fiber-reinforced resin shell, as well as its triple-reinforced crown, will give you expert protection.
Honeywell E2QRW11A000 Hard Hat
Top Specs
- Weight: 12.6 ounces
- Material: Fiber metal
- Dimensions: 12 x 9 x 9 inches
Our Analysis
This is a super lightweight hard hat that will give you high-class protection, especially since it is fully brimmed, against stray debris and objects falling on your head from above. This is a perfect hard hat to accompany your welding hood. Moreover, this comes at an exceptionally reasonable price.
To take this hard hat to the next level, it has a Terry fabric sweatband right in the front part to help you stay cool and clean during extra long hours of work in the heat.
Amston Safety Hard Hat
Top Specs
- Weight: 14 ounces
- Material: High-Density Polyethylene
- Dimensions: 11.22 x 8.66 x 6.5 inches
Our Analysis
This is a massively flexible and adjustable hard hat with multiple point adjustments which you can use to make your hat fit in the way that suits you the best. It is also compatible with dust masks and eye protection.
Moreover, it is lightweight and has sufficient ventilation points to help you get through long hours and work comfortably even in high temperatures. Lastly, its sweatbands will absorb your sweat and help you work without making a mess.
ACERPAL Hard Hat
Top Specs
- Weight: 15.2 ounces
- Material: ABS
- Dimensions: 12 x 12 x 7 inches
Our Analysis
Despite being lightweight, this is a super strong and durable hard hat. This hard hat abides by Classes E, G, and C so you can also get electrical protection of up to 20,000 volts with this hat.
This unisex hard hat has 6 point suspensions allowing you to adjust the hard hat according to your comfort. Its brow padding, head pad, and adjustable chin strap all come together to provide you with an enjoyable experience.
ACERPAL Hard Hat
Top Specs
- Weight: 13.7 ounces
- Material: ABS
- Dimensions: 12 x 7 x 12 inches
Our Analysis
This is yet another perfect hard hat for people with large heads. The ABS material ensures that it is lightweight and sturdy at the same time.
Level up your comfort with this hard hat. With a padded harness, brow pads, and even a completely flexible and adjustable ratchet suspension, you can put your hands on one of the best unisex hard hats ever. This hat also falls under classes E, G, and C, meaning you get electrical protection with this too!
Moreover, with its full brimmed dome, you have been assured complete protection from all sorts of stray debris.
LIFT Safety Hard Hat
Top Specs
- Weight: 1.65 pounds
- Material: Carbon Fiber
- Dimensions: 13.11 x 11.3 x 6.61 inches
Our Analysis
Even when you are working in harsh conditions, you can trust this hard hat to have your back. It is perfectly comfortable-lightweight and comes with a brim grip for a superbly secure feel.
The LIFT hard hat is made up of a carbon-fiber-reinforced resin shell which will guarantee top-notch protection and safety. Its EVA foam layer and its triple-reinforced crown is perfect for absorbing impactful blows and shocks.
This hat is also super user-friendly considering that it comes fully assembled, no extra attachments are required to be fixed. Simply adjust the hat to your preference.
Read Also: Best Carbon Fiver Hard Hats
What To Consider When Buying S Hard Hat?
Since all workers work in different sectors of construction- electrical, fire, crane, and heavy lifting; they all require different types and classes of hard hats. This is why there are a few important factors such as class, color, aftercare, and other factors that you must consider before your purchase. Let’s have a look at them below.
Hard Hat Classes
- Class E (Electrical): Electrical voltages of up to 20,000 volts can be withstood by this helmet.
- Class G (General): Electrical voltages of up to 2200 volts can be withstood by this class.
- Class C (Conductive): This hat offers no protection against electrical risks.
Now that you know about the different classes, this will help you navigate through the class of hardhat you require specifically for your type of work.
Hard Hat Colors
Interestingly, hard hat colors play an important role when it comes to what job you are working. It might look like the vibrant colors are just there for the show, but that is not the case, at all. So what does each color signify?
- White hard hat: Supervisors, engineers, and site managers typically wear white hard hats.
- Yellow hard hat: The typical group of laborers and workers wears these hats.
- Blue hard hat: Technical operators, electrical mechanics, and anyone else who works with electricity wear these caps.
- Green hard hat: A green hat is necessary for new workers or beginners. A green hat is sometimes also worn by safety inspectors.
- Orange hard hat: Operators of cranes and lifting equipment wear orange hard hats.
- Red hard hat: A red hard helmet is needed for firefighters and fire marshals.
- Brown hard hat: Brown hard hats are essential for workers who deal with extreme heat, such as welders.
- Grey hard hat: A grey hard hat is essential for site visitors or inspectors.
So, choose your hard hat color wisely and correctly so that your job can be identified by simply looking at you once.
Tips For Choosing A Hard Hat
Price
You might have a different budget for your hard hat as opposed to your friend and that is completely normal. Everyone has different budgets in mind while choosing a hard hat and that does not create any problem since luckily, the hard hat market is saturated with hard hats of different prices, high and low. Depending on a hard hat’s purpose, durability, material, and various additional features, a hard hat might have varying levels of price.
Polyethylene hard hats have prices as low as only $10 while some fiberglass hard hats may even cost you around $130! ABS hard hats, on the other hand, have reasonable price points of $25-35 dollars. Usually, the size of the hard hat does not matter when it comes to the pricing, so you might find hard hats for your large head at a reasonable price. The hard hats we have specifically mentioned above are well-rounded and are priced reasonably so we hope you find one within your budget.
Comfortability
If your work requires you to be wearing hard hats for extremely long periods or a long period, it is super important that you invest your money in a flexible, comfortable, and well-fitting hard hat because, at the end of the day, this will motivate you to keep your hat on your head.
It will be wise to choose hard hats with padding, foam linings, and brow paddings such as the ACERPAL or the Honeywell hard hats both of which come with brow padding and sweatbands. These features may seem petty, but trust us, these will keep you calm and fresh at work.
For longer durations, you should also consider the heft of your hard hats. Always choose lightweight hard hats in that case. Remember, lightweight does not always mean poor quality when it comes to hard hats. ABS hard hats are a great example of this, they are super lightweight but don’t shy away from providing you with superior protection. Aluminum hard hats, on the other hand, may be sturdy and of higher quality, but they weigh relatively more.
Certification
It is without a doubt very important that you check and double-check that your hard hat meets the safety standards of ANSI if you are from the USA. This ensures that you abide by your country’s laws and keep yourself reliably safe at the same time.
What are ANSI standards?
ANSI standards are pretty straightforward to follow. We have saved you the trouble and have ensured that all of the hard hats above are fully ANSI certified. For the certification, your hard hat must fall under any of the three classes discussed above, Class E, Class G, Class C. And it must also fall another the types of Type 1 and Type 2 which are as follows:
Type 1: Only items falling from above will be protected by these sorts of hard helmets. Blows and strikes from above are reduced by Type I helmets. If you’re going to work on a construction site where errant things could hit your head, this will come in handy. In the United States, this is the most popular hard hat.
Type 2: These shields you from all sides, including the front, rear, sides, and top. The impact of force from all sides is reduced by this type of hard hat. This is a requirement when working with moving equipment or materials where a side blow is a possibility. Type II hard helmets are additionally tested for off-center puncture resistance and chin strap retention. In Europe, Type II is widely utilized.
However, if you are outside the USA, you might have different standardized requirements. For Canadian citizens, your hat must be approved by CSA.
Hard Hat Safety
Like all material and consumer things, hard hats have an expiry date too. Not really, but at least a suggested usage period is always recommended. ANSI recommends that you change your head every 5 years. However, if you see any visible signs of damage earlier than that such as dents or cracks, go ahead and replace your hard hat.
Other than the expiry date itself, there are a few other important aspects we would like to bring to your attention.
- Before putting your hat on, always lookout for any signs of damage. This may be in the form of dents, cracks, discoloration, chipping, and even a weird, powdery, chalky texture. Along with the shell, check for any damages in the suspension as well.
- You may find the idea of vibrant paints or stickers or embellishments on your hat cool, but trust us that is not very smart in reality. Stickers and chemicals might not only cause chemical disruptions but can also often hide signs of damage which can prove to be extremely dangerous.
- NEVER store random objects such as cigarettes, lighters, keys, pens in between your suspension. This is highly dangerous as this can defeat the entire purpose of safety and instead cause serious injuries and even death by putting a large force on your neck or head if you are hit by an object. Additionally, avoid wearing accessories or clothing with your hats such as caps, hoodies, or regular hats as these too will reduce the effectiveness of the actual hard hat. But sometimes they also come in handy as they can make wearing a hard hat more comfortable.
- We highly suggest that you buy a full brim hard hat and even if you are not, wear a hard hat with the brim facing forward (some workers choose to wear the brim backward). This is important because the brim will protect your delicate eyes and face from splashes or spills of harsh chemicals or liquids.
- Buy hard hats that are compatible with other protection gears such as ear muffs and eye protection. Always remember that a hard hat, no matter how amazing, will only protect your head from injuries. We suggest that you pair a PPE along with your hard hat.
Aftercare
Similar to any other object, a hard hat will require proper aftercare and attention. Taking care of a hard hat is pretty straightforward. You can ensure the following steps to have a durable hard hat and maximum safety.
- Clean your hat regularly with only mild soap. Avoid fancy or harsh detergents as that may cause unnoticeable damages.
- Store in a cool, dry environment. Avoid harsh temperatures, direct sunlight, or extreme cold. Store hats in a secure place, away from impacts and damages.
- For your hygiene, replace sweatbands, linings, and paddings regularly.
- Do not throw, drop or put unnecessary pressure on your hard hat
- If your hard hat has been struck with a great blow, without taking further risks, replace it.
Following these steps will make sure that your hard hat is protecting you as efficiently as it ought to.
Final Words
As a concluding statement, we cannot simply stress enough how important it is for you to be safe at your workplace. Your life over anything, any day. Secondly, please remember that even after proper aftercare and security, you simply cannot make your hard hat last forever. Replace it as and when necessary, or after every five years.
We hope you make the right choices and we hope our article helps in some way to make those choices. We thank you for your time. Have a safe day at work!
Paul, a graduate from the University of California, has been a Safety Advisor for over 5 years in USA. Along with his other 2 partners, who are professional bikers, he has been the chief of the headsafetyguard.com to create mass awareness on an often neglected issue: HEAD SAFETY