Best Auto Darkening Welding Helmet (Reviews and Buyer Guide)
If you are struggling with an old Welding Helmet for some time now and still unable to see clearly what exactly you are doing is just because the field of view is so small. Don’t wait to replace it as switching to a new helmet may entirely change your welding experience.
It makes no difference whether you are working in a shop or a home welder to make repair welds on your own car, motorbike, van or gate, you just need a right equipment to get your job done with ease and comfort, isn’t it?
Not withstanding years of experience, an expert welder with weary eyes and brain can make mistakes with the use of faulty equipment. In such critical conditions, you need appropriate equipment that not only facilitates but also guide you, to perform the job more precisely in a way that fits well within time, need and requirements.
Best Auto Darkening Welding Helmets
Antra AH6-260-0000 Auto-Darkening Helmet
Good Value for the Price – 3350 Series Lincoln Electric
Auto-Adjustable Solar Power Helmet
ANTRA AH6-260-0000
If you need an auto-darkening welding helmet at an affordable price that just won’t break your budget, then ANTRA AH6-260-0000 is the one, you have been looking for. No matter, whether you are a full-time welder or just do it a little at your home, it is the best option to make you feel comfortable. It has a large viewing area of size 3.86”X1.73” that darkens more quickly with the reaction time of 1/25,000 seconds, than the other expensive hoods. It has fully automatic features, replaceable battery and easy setup for sensitivity control and delay settings.
This hood is comfortably fit and works well for MIG, SMAW, TIG, and Plasma cutting processes. It has cheater lens that helps welder to have visible access to smaller areas. The helmet is made of tough ‘Polyamide Nylon’ material which not only makes it durable but also light in weight (about 0.5Kg). If you have been reluctant to buy an auto-darkening helmet just because of its price, you must give it a shot.
Lincoln Electric 3350 series
This hood is the best option for welders who spend more time on work and looking for an investment to protect their eyes. Well worth the money, it helps you to improve productivity and health safety. The viewing area is 3.74in x 3.34in which is quite outstanding in terms of optical clarity. With 4 arc sensors, it darkens quickly with the switching speed of 1/25,000 sec, ensuring a good visibility before and after screen darkening.
The hood is light in weight, allowing you to weld for a long welding time without any discomfort and lethargy. It has a wide screen view, long-life solar-type battery and grinding mode, that’s exactly what most people need in a helmet.
What exactly a welding helmet is?
A welding helmet is very important personal protective equipment which protects the user from intense arc light and sparks. A complete protection of face from sparks, eyes from ultraviolet & infrared radiations and respiration from hazardous gases is what makes welding helmet an ideal protective equipment. Although above-stated hazards are a bitter pill to swallow everyone has to be cautious to make one alive and kicking isn’t it. So if you want to feel on the top of the world make a right choice for a helmet that can be a great fit for you.
Features to look for
When you are going to buy a welding helmet, a lot of queries flip through your mind about which one will be the best fit for you. Especially when there is a great deal of variety available in products, it’s really hard to make the final decision. Following is the list of some key things that must be kept in mind before making the selection of best welding helmet.
What size of lens or viewing area is required?
Does it provide adequate protection against ultraviolet and infrared radiation?
Does its build quality and shape provide adequate protection for your face?
Is the helmet material durable? (E-g. high impact Polyamide Nylon is preferable)
Does it include a storage case?
Is it light in weight? – Does it lie in a range that will make you feel comfortable and you don’t notice that you’re wearing it?
Does it include the battery?
Is battery replaceable and easily available in the market when it finally gives out?
Battery Quality and average life
Does it meet required safety standards?
Does it work with ‘automatic switch off’ function?
Comparison between Auto darkening and conventional helmets
a. Variable Shade Lens
Using a common helmet, may not provide complete protection to your eyes, especially when you work with different weld processes (like TIG, MIG, SMAW etc.) and make welds on different steel grades with different thicknesses. In this case, you have to deal with varying brightness of arc which can be best adjusted with an auto-darkening helmet. You can adjust lens shades accordingly when you’re going to work with high amperage or on a specific job that gives off the extremely bright arc, making an irritation to your eye.
b. Lens Switch Speed
The faster a lens switches to darkened shade; the better is your eye protection against highly intense light. Today helmets are available at different prices with varying switching speed. So if you spend more time on work you need to spend more money for a faster lens, in order to provide alleviation to eyes.
c. Light weight
An auto-darkening helmet is also light in weight as compared to traditional helmets; that’s really icing on the cake. Using a light weight helmet will make you feel less tired and lethargic by the end of day. People who spend more time on work they must go for lighter one in order to alleviate exhaustion resulting from work exertion.
d. Sensitivity Control
Sensitivity control is another beneficial feature of an auto-darkening helmet which helps you to work easily with lower amperage welding process such as TIG (Tungsten Inert gas welding). This feature provides adjustments to the darkening of lens accordingly to the specific brightness of arc.
e. Darkening Delay Feature
This feature includes delaying of lens darkening stage after the arc extinguishes. A welder can adjust the short or long delay time appropriately to the particular circumstances. If he is working on higher amperage process, he must go with a longer delay adjustment while a short delay is more suitable for less bright arc process. Comparatively a common helmet does not have such feature inside it.
