I’d definitely look at 3M, Miller, and ESAB before making a decision. I think comfort gets overlooked a lot. If you’re wearing the thing for 8 hours, a good headgear system matters just as much as the lens.

Ever try that trick with the load chart's tiny footnotes about ground conditions?

I get what you're saying about only greasing the lower part, but I've always put a very thin coat over the whole post. I wipe off almost all of it, so there's just a film left. That way it's protected along its whole length and I've never had it creep up into the frame.