Welding is an important task where people do it as a professional or hobby; however, regardless of whether its hobby or professional, safety is paramount. Welding helmets are indispensable and keeps your eyes and face safe from the bright light. The helmets are made with different degrees of protection. Therefore, the premium a helmet is, the more protection it can offer to your eyes. With different types of helmets, they offer varying features and performance.
There are helmets with the ability to sense and darken the visor depending on the light intensity. They are the latest development, which allows users to enjoy maximum protection with little intervention. However, the traditional passive helmets are also great since they enable people to enjoy superb depending on the type the visor. Depending on your welding and preference, many helmets range from cheap to expensive options. The list below gives you the ultimate welding helmets for excellent protection.
List of Best Welding Helmets
Welding Helmet Buying Guide
Auto-darkening ability
The ability of a helmet to automatically darken is vital. It helps to keep your eyes safe from the extreme torchlight. Unlike traditional helmets, modern ones are improved. They ensure no more flipping visor every time you are welding.
There are different helmets available with varying rates of auto-darkening. However, the ability to react quickly to UV light is a vital consideration. Since the welders are exposed to intense wavelengths for a long time, they can suffer from arc eye. The condition is excruciating, and also the light can damage the eyes. Therefore for people who weld daily, high sensitive helmets are an excellent investment.
Helmet power option
For helmets to function appropriately, they are designed with the ability to use batteries or solar. The source of power is essential to keep the helmet well powered. When you opt for a modern helmet, it calls for the choice of power option critically. For solar-powered helmets, they are lightweight and eco-friendly. Therefore, as long as there is the sun, the helmet is efficient. However, when no sun, these helmets will need back-up batteries.
Apart from the solar-powered helmets, others come with battery power. Therefore, they can be rechargeable or alkaline. The only problem with battery-powered helmets is a bit heavy due to the batteries. On the other side, being able to replace batteries gives you convenience ion your job.
Large viewing area
The viewing window is essential for user comfort and convenience. Usually, the ability to see without obstruction is every welder dream. Different helmets offer varying viewing sized visors. Often, most of the available helmets offer viewing area between 6 – 9 square inches. However, the size of the viewing window depends on your application. For simple tasks, small windows are enough. However, for industrial applications, they need to have large viewing visors.
Respiratory protection
Welding produces toxic fumes. It is this reason that the user needs to wear protective masks. Instead of wearing a separate respirator, it is ideal to have a helmet with a respirator. It helps in keeping the user safe from harmful burning metal fumes. Some of the helmets come with inbuilt fume extractors. They only need changing filters once in a while. This ensures your full face is fully protected.
Shade options
There are different lens options available on the market. The number of shades is excellent since they determine the ability to protect eyes from different types of welding. Usually, helmets offer shades ranging from 6 to 13. The higher the number, the better protection it delivers. Standard welding helmets for TIG and stick, they range from 10 to 11. For arc welding, it calls for helmets with a darker lens. Depending on the welding type, there is a need to choose shades correctly. Some of the helmets offer magnification ability, which is excellent for high precision welding.
