Which Heil headset is the best for me?

This is the most common question. I’ll try to answer it in the most simple, practical way.

In general, there are three choices: heavy, medium and light.

Yes, we are talking here about the actual weight.

Heavy headsets like Pro 7 are a ‘helicopter pilots’ set. Massive, robust, heavy, offering excellent ‘outside noise’ reduction. I call them the ‘contesting set’: think of a room full of contesters, trying to pull out a weak signal while yelling for 48 hours, non-stop. Most of you will find the Pro 7 heavy and uncomfortable, especially in the summer. But for what they are, they are cheap as chips (real pilots sets cost $1,500 or $2,000).

Personally, mid-size is the way to go. Pro Set Elite or just Pro Set (I call them ‘gold’). Nice fit, comfortable, you can wear them for hours.

Light range: PMS and similar. Ideal for expeditions, outdoors, portable work, travel, light on the head, light to pack.

All three categories offer both iC or HC-6 elements, so there is no difference in how you sound on the other side.

The special groups are the SDR only set and handheld sets (HTH).

Yes, you need a radio specific AD1 adapter for all sets except HTH which comes with a pre-moulded connector.

A footswitch is optional, and yes, I do keep in stock adapters for almost every radio you can think of.

Here is an important bit: to avoid disappointment please let me know if you intend to buy a Heil headset before Christmas. Shipping to Australia is expensive, especially on ‘voluminous’ items like headsets. Planning ahead will save us time and money. A small curiosity: apart from 10% GST on import, there is also a 5% duty on Heil. Import duty (or customs duty) is a tax collected by the government. For two purposes: to raise money for the government and to intentionally make the imported goods expensive to you and me. Practically, to discourage us from buying ‘foreign made’ products instead of domestically manufactured ones. Just saying.

Link to Heil headsets: https://www.dxing.com.au/