It is significantly unfortunate when we are going to list down essential accessories related to welding; the welding hood takes its place at the top 5 items from the bottom.
Aren’t we giving less priority to welding hoods? Otherwise, why are we doing so? Even we look for cheap products which are inferior in quality.
But the fact is the affordable welding helmets will take care of your protection against any arc flash.
So, you can’t deny the importance of a welding hood during a welding operation, and it must get top priority in the list of the necessary items of welding work.
That is the reason I created this article, and after researching 50 hoods, I narrowed down the list to the top 5 welding hoods.
I believe this article will assist you in finding the right welding hood to provide you with ultimate protection.
Top rated Welding Hoods – List
Top 5 Best Welding Hoods Reviews
Check out some of the top welding hoods available in the market right now.
1. ESAB 0700000800 Sentinel A50 Welding Helmet
The ESAB Sentinel A50 helmet is a premium quality welding helmet that matches its price tag. The viewing area of this helmet is large, and the lens is crystal clear, while the rating of the lens is 1-1-1-2.
One of the great features of this helmet is its LED touchscreen. You can set it up with different settings for different tasks.
You can change it easily with a simple touch on the button as it keeps the memory saved in it. It means you don’t need to set up new settings every time.
Even the touchscreen is invisible from the outside as it is hidden inside the hood. You will find a grind button on the outside of the hood, which shifts between grinding and welding smoothly as you continue the hood.
You can effortlessly alter the enormous front lens when necessary, and this is one of the best professional welding helmets.
It is highly durable and exclusively designed to bear unbiased whipping while defending its high-tech features. A bag is also available with this helmet.
All in all, “HALO” franchise lovers can rely on this welding hood without thinking twice.
Pros
- Broad view to give you clear visibility.
- Ensures smooth welding and grinding experience with the grind button.
- Cool design welding helmets
Cons
- Sensor placement is poor.
2. Lincoln Welding Helmet 3350 Series
The manufacturer Lincoln will take its place in the top 5 manufacturers list in the welding industry, undoubtedly. Wearing the Lincoln welding helmet, you will feel peace of mind thinking that you are protected by one of the best protective equipment surfing on the market.
Compared to its class, the viewing area is significantly large, 12.5 square inches. This way, you will never face difficulty in seeing what you are welding.
The optical clarity is impressive, and you will be able to explore your working area through a new window. But what makes it different from other helmets is its 4C technology.
With this technology, you will be able to see the natural colors instead of the regular green haze. Due to its pivoting helmet feature, you can move around without removing it from your head.
Actually, it will move with you and will not come your way. You will not feel any pressure on your head as its weight is under 4 lbs. With its padded straps, it can easily fit on your head.
You will get a carrying bag with it for easy carrying. Overall, the Lincoln 3350 American-made welding helmet is one of the best welding hoods at its price in achieving all types of welding work.
Pros
- Available with a bag.
- You will get all the needed lenses with it.
- Pivot-style headgear.
Cons
- High price.
3. ANTRA AH6-260-0000 Auto Darkening Welding Hood
After in-depth research, I did not find any other welding hoods to give the title of the top pick in this list. This is a welding helmet that comes with a plethora of features that will insist you love it.
It is a lightweight, reliable, and versatile welding hood. You will like the solar power feature because it will reduce your worry in terms of battery level before starting the work.
You will feel comfortable even when you are wearing it for an extended period because of its lightweight feature. The range of the shade level is 5-13, which makes it compatible to work under any light conditions and any welding work.
Besides, if any false triggering happens by another light source without the welding work, it blocks this false triggering using its interference suspension technology.
This excellent PPE can be used in industrial projects that can accomplish several processes, listed as cutting plasma, cutting rough wheels, stick welding, and many more.
Even DIY enthusiasts can select this welding hood without any tension. Additionally, the ANTRA AH6-260-0000 welding hood confirms ANSI Z87. 1 Standard.
Pros
- Solar-powered.
- Auto-darkening welding hood.
- Reasonable price.
Cons
- Poor lifespan.
4. 3M Speedglas Welding Helmet 9100 06-0100-10SW
Are you looking for a robust and actively built welding helmet that can assist you in any welding work? Without any confusion, choose this 3M Speedglas welding hood and make your work more efficient than before.
Following numerous features, this helmet will protect your eyes and face from the different welding arcs. The response time of the darkening filter of this welding hood is 0.1 milliseconds; isn’t it impressive?
If any exceptional bright light or sudden changes happen in the brightness, the hood stops it from reaching the face and eyes directly.
Thus, you can accomplish your work faster as you are not wasting your time adjusting to the situation yourself. The great feature is your eyes will be protected from ultraviolet rays and infrared radiation too.
It comes with a cooling system that, while working on your job site, will let you feel fresh with its exhaust vents. You will not feel hot while wearing it as heat and humidity will be controlled. Also, fogging will not create any disturbance.
Additionally, the ergonomic head suspension system evenly distributes the pressure and enhances stable wearing on the head. For any professional, this is a value-adding welding hood.
Pros
- Robust and strong build.
- Fast filter response time.
- Blocks bright light efficiently.
Cons
- Bit expensive.
5. Miller Digital Elite Black Welding Hood
The Miller is a significantly lightweight welding hood to give you comfort while wearing. This welding hood is specially designed for MIG and low-amp, making it the best welding helmet for tig welding.
You can work with this helmet using its 4 modes: weld, cut, grind, and X-mode. You will get different shades in every different mode.
Out of all modes, the X-mode is unique because sunlight will not interfere with your welding work as the X-mode blocks it.
You can’t resist loving this helmet because of its “Clearlight” technology. Following this technology, the lens eliminates the green tint so that you can experience the natural color (which is practically hidden) as well as clear visibility.
It delivers 1-1-1-2 optical clearness. 1 helmet bag, 5 outside lenses, and 2 inside lenses are available with this welding hood.
The placement of the sensor is excellent, and it performs substantially when you keep the hood down. It will remain dark even if you have an arc anywhere besides the hood.
It is advisable to keep the hood in a safe place because if the lens gets damaged due to sudden falls, it will cost you a lot to replace the lens. Moreover, the helmet comes with a 3-year warranty.
Pros
- Lightweight welding hood to confirm ultimate comfort.
- Available with 4 impressive modes
- 3-year warranty.
Cons
- Occasionally, the hood slips down from its place.
Buying Guide – Factors to Consider When Purchasing
Now you have read the review of the top 5 best welding hoods. But what factors do you need to consider?
I have created this section to let you understand the essential factors so that you can choose the right welding masks out of many from the market.
Auto Darkening
Purchasing a welding mask with non auto darkening welding hood feature is similar to wasting money. However, currently, you will hardly find cool welding hoods that don’t contain an auto-darkening feature.
Helmets that have an auto-darkening feature include a lens that detects and adjusts excessive light automatically during a welding operation.
Once you complete the welding work and the sparks stop, the lens automatically returns to the normal situation so that you can see your work without lifting the hood.
The welding hoods that I reviewed above of them are available with auto-darkening mode.
Viewing Area
Have you ever experienced working with a welding helmet that has a tiny viewing area? Then you might be aware of how frustrating working with these types of welding helmets.
You will find some awesome welding helmets that have a large viewing area. A large viewing area will allow you to complete your task efficiently because you can see a lot of things through a wide viewing area.
Moreover, your productivity will also increase, working with a large viewing area welding hood. A full viewing area means you don’t need to move your head left and right.
Clarity of the Lens
Isn’t it significantly important to know how well you are working with the welding material? To give you clear visibility, lens clarity plays a vital role.
To understand the clarity of a lens, the lens is being tested in 4 different areas. And then, based on the test, it receives a rating of 1-3, and 1-1-1-1 is the perfect score.
In terms of clarity, there are very few welding helmets available that contain a high clarity score.
Reliability
This is a feature that you must not compromise while picking the best welding mask. Every feature will be in vain or no matter how much comfort you feel wearing your helmet if it doesn’t provide you proper eye and face safety.
Also, an unreliable lens will block your viewing area, and you will face difficulty in seeing your work. If you can’t see properly during the operation, your hands, and fingers will more likely stay under serious health concerns.
So, you should look for a welding helmet that can give you 100% protection from any hazardous situation.
Comfort
This is the factor we sometimes miss out on. After purchase, we realized what mistake we had made and purchased a welding mask, which is uncomfortable but stylish looking.
As you may need to work for a long time wearing a welding mask, you should feel comfortable while wearing your selected helmet. If you don’t feel comfortable, you will find your work less enjoyable.
For this reason, the helmet has to be lightweight. The headgear has to be placed in a position so that you don’t need to adjust it constantly.
Summing Up
Thanks for reading the review of the best welding hood. Finding the best product from tons of available products is quite tiresome.
After reading this article, I believe you are now well-prepared to choose the right welding mask for your project.
FAQ
Is welding bad for our eyes?
Yes, it is bad when your eyes are unprotected. UV and other harmful rays are emitted during welding, which can harm human eyes much.
Over time, do welders get completely blind?
Often yes, since their welding hood is poor and cheap in quality, UV rays leak through the viewing area. As a result, their eyes are exposed to harmful rays, and they lose their eyesight.
Do welding hoods require maintaining any safety standards?
To ensure safety, you should purchase a welding hood that meets ANSI Z87.1 – 2003.