Welding work is considered one of the most challenging professional tasks. Because a person needs to deal with different light sources, such as UV or infrared rays, that can cause serious harm to his/her eyes.
At this point, the best auto darkening welding helmet will be your best companion to keep your eyes safe. These helmets have to be OSHA-approved.
However, a lot of models and designs are available in the market. From there, I have compiled a list, and today I am going to share a list of auto-darkening welding helmets. Obviously, these listed helmets are approved by OSHA.
Stay with me; you will find this article worth reading.
Top 5 Best Auto Darkening Welding Helmets
Without safety gear, you must not continue a welding task. Different types of hazardous situations may arise during a welding task. That is the reason; I came up with the top 5 products of the auto darkening welding helmet.
Let’s go through the review section, I believe this section will assist you in finding the right helmet for your welding project.
1. Jackson Safety BH3 Auto Darkening Welding Helmet
There is no confusion Jackson Safety BH3 is one of the best auto darkening welding helmets surfing in the market. The design is incredible and detailed.
This will be a top pick for any person who is frequently working on a welding project. You may find it expensive, but won’t you love to pay a bit more $ for a product that is saving your life selflessly?
First of all, it is a top-class auto darkening welding helmet with Balder technology. The model offers angular dependence to its user. With this feature, you can work from every angle without any problem.
You will find significantly clear visibility. The light diffusion feature will allow you to work from a wide range of different angles by stopping the arc from blinding the welder.
It is a product that can suit itself to any welding project. And it will assist you in working in the most inconvenient and hard positions with more comfort.
The helmet comes with all required adjustment controls. Within the price range, you will find it one of the lightest helmets.
Additionally, high-quality material is used to make the helmet, like high-density plastic, that ensures the welder will get maximum protection while doing the welding task.
You will get a 5-year of warranty with the unit, and this offer makes the product worth purchasing.
Key Features:
- Balder Technology.
- Light diffusion.
- Angular dependence.
Pros
- Customizable headgear.
- Tremendous clear visibility.
- Comfortable welding mask.
Cons
- Not ideal as its competitor.
2. Miller Welding Helmet, Shade 3 and 8-12, Black
We all know welding tasks are a bit tricky. Razor-sharp materials, dust, and radiation can harm the welder’s eyes and face. Miller welding helmet will be a safe choice to keep yourself safe from these types of harmful particles.
Miller shade 3 and 8-12 welding helmet allows a full-looking area of 5 1/5 square inches. Also, it comes with a headgear ratchet and a cool welding hoods electromagnetic sensor.
The sensor can observe minimal changes in welding. Furthermore, the helmet becomes safer due to its smart ADF controls analogue and extended arc sensors.
You will love to hear the item uses solar power to complete its operation, which is the reason it is an eco-friendly welding helmet.
The capacity of the lens speed is 1/10,000 square inches. As a result, any slips or accidents occur without making any impact on the helmet. The item doesn’t consume much electricity because of its auto shut-on and off feature.
It is designed in such a way that it can give you efficient performance and save time. You will not feel any discomfort wearing the Miller welding helmet due to its double protective coverings placed at the front and back portions of the helmet.
One of the best features of this helmet is its versatility. It is not only compatible with the welding task, but also you can use it for a woodworking task.
Key Features:
- Electromagnetic sensor.
- Efficient.
- Smart ADF controls analog.
Pros
- Stylish design that can handle extreme pressure.
- Adjustable auto-darkening lens during high temperature.
- 5 1/5 inches large viewing area.
Cons
- Solar batteries require regular charging; otherwise, you can’t use them during the night.
3. 3M Speedglass Welding Helmet 9100 06-0100-30iSW
Do you need to work for a long time on your welding project? Well, you can choose the best tig welding helmet 3M Speedglass designed to give you additional safety at your workplace. The cushioned headband will provide you with much comfort when you are wearing it for an extended period.
It can save you from many harmful rays like UV radiation, infrared rays, sparks, and splatter with its auto-darkening filters. Even your eyes and face will be protected from debris when wearing a 3M Speedglass 9100 06-0100-30iSW welding helmet.
With top-level protection, it is also offering comfort so that you can concentrate more on your work. There is no confusion that you will find it a significant investment as it provides greater satisfaction.
The dimension of the viewing area is 72 X 107 mm, and you can see your work through the area without any hassle. The auto-darkening filter has 3 sensors, and they activate themselves without losing time when any arc strikes.
Within 0.1 milliseconds, the lens goes from light shade to dark shade, providing an instant welder transition while doing welding work.
Moreover, between torch placement, you don’t need to flip the helmet up and down because of the auto-darkening feature. This way, productivity remains the same, and you can save time and money.
The item is two Cr2030 3V lithium batteries powered, and you will be able to get nearly 2,000 hours of service from the battery. Replacement of the batteries is easy, ensuring the long lifespan of the helmet.
Key Features:
- 12.11 square inch viewing area.
- Nylon made an auto-darkening welding helmet.
- Quick sensitivity adjustment.
Pros
- Keeps your eyes and face safe from all types of harmful materials.
- Easily accessible battery.
- Long service period.
Cons
- Unavailability of solar energy.
4. Lincoln Electric 3350 Series Black Welding Helmet
The manufacturer, Lincoln Electric, has a reputation for manufacturing quality auto-darkening helmets. In continuation of this, they have introduced a Lincoln Electric 3350 Series black welding helmet that is sturdily built.
A person from industries like general fabrication, power generation, shipbuilding, industrial, offshore, and pipeline can take its service without any confusion.
Impressively, the item gains a 1-1-1-1 rating in all 4 visible categories. This is the reason it is one of the best welding helmets on the market. The 4C lens technology of the helmet reduces the visibility of the green tint. So you will never feel eye strain, and it is a safe choice for those who have to perform welding work daily for an extended period.
You may not find the viewing area 3.74 inches x 3.34 inches as one of the largest, but this dimension is good enough to observe and scrutinize the welding work. It is a great feature for beginners who are struggling to locate the best angle for optimal visibility.
Besides, you will never get different shades from different aspects. Providing a consistent shade view from every angle is its unique feature.
Additionally, you will not get blind spots while working because of its 4 high-tech sensors. The exposure to UV rays remains down since it has a 1/25,000 sec switching speed.
All in all, if you are looking for the best welding helmet for tig, MIG, or any different level of welding work, no other welding helmet can defeat Lincoln Electric 3350 Series black welding helmet
Key Features:
- 4C lens technology.
- 1-1-1-1 optical clarity rating.
- Switching speed: 1/25,000
Pros
- Ensures high comfortability.
- Unique flexible cushioned back pad.
- Adjustable resting position.
Cons
- Not a fully waterproof welding helmet.
5. ESAB 0700000800 Sentinel A50 Welding Helmet
Safety should get a top priority in a welding task, and a high-quality welding helmet is an item that can ensure you will get immense security during your welding task.
Without any concern, you can rely on the ESAB 0700000800 Sentinel A50 welding helmet that is promised to provide superior quality safety to its users. It has all the impressive features that can meet all your safety requirements.
Furthermore, the weight is only 1.4 lbs, and 5-point HALO headgear supports top-notch comfortability that focuses on reducing fatigue while wearing the helmet for a whole day. The ratcheting feature will allow you to make significant adjustments to shift the weight to reduce the pressure.
The clarity rating of the ESAB 0700000800 Sentinel A50 welding helmet is 1-1-1-2. Also, 5-13 ADF is its shade adjustability range.
It contains an external switch so that a welder can adjust the grind mode without any hassle. The curved lens doesn’t get damaged due to the anti-scratch feature on the lens.
The good news is just after unboxing the item, you can set it up without losing time. It is easy to use with its simple start guide. Interestingly, the control panel features touchscreen technology. Moreover, you can read the backlit display even in low-light conditions.
Key Features:
- Anti-scratch lens.
- Clarity rating: 1-1-1-2.
- Touch screen control panel.
Pros
- Easy to use.
- Robust and delicate stiff shell.
- HALO headgear to ensure comfortability.
Cons
- Inconsistent performance from the touch screen.
How to Pick the Best Auto Darkening Welding Helmet?
You will find a jungle out there of crazy welding helmets, which are not the best. Some helmets are quite similar in design and specifications, but the fact is all helmets are not the best.
Now the question is, how will you pick the best auto darkening welding helmet from the jungle?
This is why I have created this section to let you give a clear idea of the characteristics of the premium quality auto darkening welding helmet.
Viewing Area
The viewing area is an essential factor of the auto darkening welding helmet. Because while working, you may need to look at your surroundings, and an astronomical viewing will allow you to look at your surroundings without any hassle.
4 inches X 3 inches and 3.5 inches X 1.75 inches are considered as a wide viewing area and small viewing area, respectively.
If your welding project is in a compact space, choose an auto darkening welding helmet that comes with a wide viewing area.
Weight
Do you need to wear your welding helmet for an extended period?
Well, it would be best if you choose a lightweight welding helmet for any type of circumstance because you may feel fatigued in your neck if you wear a bulky welding helmet.
It is significantly essential to feel comfortable while doing the welding task. Otherwise, you can’t keep concentrating on your work, and you will end up with poor-quality performance.
A lightweight welding helmet will allow you to accomplish your work more efficiently.
Optical Class
Every auto darkening welding helmet receives an optical class rating based on its quality. It matches the clarity of vision through the glass.
Auto-darkening lenses receive grades either 1, 2, or 3 into 4 categories. Categories are the correctness of visualization, light diffusion, Variations in luminous transmittance, and angle dependence.
1-1-1-1 is the best optical rating. Whereas there is a minor difference between 1-1-1-1 and 1-1-1-2 grades. A well-experienced welder will be able to find the difference between these 2 ratings in a workplace.
Wrap Up
Thanks for reading this article on the best auto darkening welding helmet. Finding the best product is tiresome work for sure. And I believe this guideline will give you relief from the stress of picking the right product without a doubt.
I can assure you, that all the reviewed helmets are top-class in terms of quality and safety. You will never regret purchasing any of the items listed above.
FAQ
How to take care of my auto-darkening welding helmet?
First of all, you need to read the manufacturer’s manual intently to learn about your auto-darkening welding helmet’s maintenance procedure. Based on the manual, you will need to proceed to the maintenance process. Remember not to go beyond the manufacturer’s manual.
Are auto darkening welding helmets safe?
Definitely. but only When used properly. The auto-darkening welding helmets are safe and not much different from the old welding helmets.
How to store an auto-darkening welding helmet?
Auto-darkening welding helmet requires special care. You have to store it in a safe place where it can’t fall accidentally. Also, don’t expose it to heavy sunlight. Store it in a place where the temperature is between 14° F – 120° F.
Do auto darkening welding helmets have batteries?
Most auto-darkening welding helmets are battery-powered. Some helmets come with both battery-powered and solar-powered options.