Welding helmets are a crucial piece of welding equipment, and they are expensive. But, selecting a welding hood is not straightforward, and it’s easy to make a mistake.
So, we made a concise buying guide to help you find the welding helmet that best suits your needs.
The most recognised helmet brands are:
Optrel, ESAB, 3M, and similar brands target professional welders whose work demands high precision and productivity. Their helmets are expensive, but one exception is ESAB’s Sentinel A50 which is relatively affordable.
While providing an exceptional welding experience, these high-end helmets don’t benefit beginners, and it is hard to justify the cost for new welders. Professional welding helmets are designed to improve productivity, reduce effort, increase weld quality, and ultimately help you earn more money. That’s why experienced welders buy them, even if they cost more.
Miller, Lincoln Electric, and Jackson Safety work great for hobby welders and professionals alike. They compete well against sophisticated helmets from the brands mentioned above. What they lack in technology, they make up with in endurance. For example, the Miller and Lincoln welding helmets can handle harsh working conditions better than the Optrel or ESAB offerings.
YesWelder, Hobart, and Ironton are geared toward the hobbyist market. Hobart is a big brand name, but their welding helmet line cannot compete with Miller or Lincoln. Hobart’s helmets are more affordable but limited in features. YesWelder’s 900B helmet comes close to the big brand names, but the warranty is not as long. Plus, YesWelder is a hobbyist-grade brand, so don’t expect the helmet to endure the same conditions as welding hoods from Miller or Lincoln.
The bigger the viewport, the more light will enter through the ADF. But, most importantly, with a big viewport, you’ll see more of your workspace. If you put the helmet in grind mode, you can work efficiently with a large viewing area. But, if you have a small viewport like on the Ironton helmet, you cannot complete every task without removing the helmet.
Once you put on a helmet from Optrel, you’ll likely not be satisfied with any other helmet’s color and light transmission. Seeing clearly with real-life colors is a must for a welding professional.
But using old, green-tinted ADF does the job, even if the welding experience is inferior. You will have to deal with things like you can hardly see the weld puddle, and you won’t be able to tell if a slight color or length change happens with the welding arc.
On the other hand, true color technology lets you see the tiniest details. So, you can prevent weld defects by reacting in real-time. Why finish the entire weld if you noticed that porosity occurred mid-way? Just stop, re-grind, and restart the weld. That’s why accurate color and light transmission saves time and money.
Almost all welding helmets on the market are either 1/1/1/1 or 1/1/1/2 rated for optical clarity. Either is a good choice. The 1/1/1/1 lens provides the best image accuracy; there is no distortion. However, the 1/1/1/2 lens distorts the image slightly when looking at an angle. But, this is minimal, and unless you are a precision TIG welder, you are unlikely to have any issues with 1/1/1/2 helmets.
Just avoid helmets with a rating other than these two. There is no reason to get inferior lenses when the two best ratings are widely available nowadays.
Grind mode prevents the ADF from activating and darkening your view. This mode keeps the helmet at the lightest available shade to help you see better. The shades are usually DIN 3 or DIN 4. But, some high-end helmets like Optrel Panoramaxx CLT offer DIN 2, which is near life-like illumination.
It’s always preferable for the grind mode button to be external. Hobbyists can work with an internal grind button. But, constantly taking off the helmet to click the grind mode button and putting the helmet back on is very frustrating in a professional environment.
Your headgear quality determines the fit adjustability and comfort. For example, you cannot adjust the basic headgear provided by Ironton and Hobart for a comfortable, balanced fit. You may have gaps between the headgear straps and your head, the straps may catch your hair, and the lack of padded cushions reduces comfort.
High-end helmets from ESAB, Optrel, Miller, or Lincoln offer good headgear designs. If you weld all day, get a helmet with a headgear that allows multi-point adjustments. Properly balancing the helmet’s weight goes a long way in reducing strain, neck pain, and neck joint degeneration.
The most durable helmets usually have simple designs and heavy shells. For example, helmets from Optrel are ultra-light, but their shells are thin. While made with excellent plastics, they shouldn’t be used in extreme conditions where slag constantly falls on the shell.
On the other hand, Miller and Lincoln’s helmets have a simple design with minimal crevices and thicker shell plastic, allowing them to handle harsher conditions. But, the 3M Speedglas welding helmets are made to endure the work in the toughest welding industries like mining and construction.
Many people make the mistake of buying an overly heavy helmet just to find out that it’s uncomfortable to wear all day. If you weld occasionally, this is not much of a concern. But if you weld often, a light helmet makes the day under the hood far more pleasant.
A large viewport, sophisticated headgear design, and thick shell plastics are always welcome. But, all of these add weight, making the helmet unbearable. However, we only picked relatively light helmets in our review since this is an area that can make or break the welding experience. Still, some helmets are heavier than others. So, if welding takes a significant portion of your day, go with the lightest helmet that gives you all the features you need.
Lastly, this goes without saying, but the helmet should meet safety standard ANSI Z87.1.
Choose your auto-darkening welding helmet based on your needs, and you won’t spend too much money or buy a helmet that hinders your productivity. You should get the YesWelder 900B or the Hobart Inventor as the best low-cost option if you are a hobbyist.
Alternatively, you can also get the Miller Digital Elite as a low-cost version of the Digital Infinity to save some money. You get a professional-grade hood with a slightly smaller viewing area. So, it is a good intermediate-level choice.
But, if you don’t weld often and prefer to save money when buying your startup welding equipment, the Ironton is a safe choice.
If you are a professional welder and have never owned a high-end welding helmet, getting any of the big brand names we discussed will increase your productivity. Miller and Lincoln Electric offer slightly better durability, while Optrel provides unmatched light and color transmission. The 3M Speedglas is best suited for industrial-level work, while still providing an exceptionally clear view.
Passive welding helmets
Top picks – Speedglas welding helmets
For more information custom auto darkening welding helmet, please get in touch with us!