Best Welding Helmets: Agents of Shield

Top 8 Best Welding Helmets

Given the general propensity for most of our readership (and authors) to drive horrible but charming rotboxes, there’s an excellent chance that at least some of you have welded together a piece of metal or two in order to keep your heap on the road.

Or, on the other end of the spectrum, you’ve picked up a welder to help with the restoration of the tattered but rare (yet, not valuable) Buick Reatta or Volvo 242 you hauled out of saved from a junkyard.

Whatever the situation, you’ll need a welding helmet to save your peepers. No, simply looking away or closing your eyes to complete the weld by feel is acceptable any more, even if that’s what Pop used to do while fixing the floors on his old GMC. Take a look at these welding helmets we’ve selected so you’ll be able to keep on taking a look at other stuff instead of being blinded by welding flare.

This welding helmet leads the list for a brace of reasons. First, it is manufactured by a company that's been in the welding business for ages. Second, this is the same brand of lid your author puts on his head every time he attempts to stick two pieces of metal together. Humans only have one set of eyes and a Lincoln welding helmet (bought with my own money many years ago) has shielded mine with no issues.

Yes, it's expensive. The 3350 Series features the brand's 4C lens technology which creates a clear, true-color view of the arc and puddle. This enhances control and increases weld quality while reducing eye strain. The lens on this lid is 12.5 inches square and is auto-darkening.

We're following the Lincoln Electric lid with one from Miller Electric, another well-known and knowledgeable brand in the welding industry. Their ClearLight Lens Technology is said to provide extra clarity and contrast compared to some of their older helmets.

New adjustability settings and enhanced support should provide good fit and comfort, important when you've been on the job for a few hours. Three independent arc sensors provide consistent lens response for obstructed or low amp welding.

Are the helmets listed above simply out of the ballpark of what you're able or willing to pay for an auto-darkening lid? This never-heard-of-em brand is priced well south of fifty bucks yet purports to include most of the features that appear on much more expensive options.

The seller says there is a passive filter on the lens, with a permanent shade 13 (that's the level of darkness when not welding) combined with a double-layered auto-dimming LCD shutter. Nearly 2,500 real-world reviews have given this thing a solid 4.6 out of 5 rating, suggesting a performance far outstripping its price. This lid is available in a variety of colors and styles.

This durable shield is hard hat adaptable, comfortable & offers a large field of view for a clear view of the weld puddle. It features a narrow shell design that's good for working in tight spaces. A standard shade 10 filter plate and cover plates are factory installed.

The company describes this helmet as an economical way for students, welding hobbyists, professionals, and inspectors to get what they need to stay safe. It does have an extended front, not unlike a goalie mask, to protect one’s throat area from hot splatter.

The boldly capitalized YESWELDER brand offers this helmet in the budget price range, complete with an auto-darkening lens and in a variety of colors - or at least a variety of stickerbombs such as the so-called Cyberpunk design that actually looks kinda cool. The viewing size is not huge, it must be said, at just 3.64 inches by 1.67 inches. That's the trade-off for such an affordable auto-darkener.

An 'oversized comfort cushion' refers to either your ever-expanding waistline or the extra bit of padding on this lid's headband. The whole thing weighs less than two pounds. The 7000+ reviews from real-world customers generally consist of "better than expected for the price" which counts for something. As of this writing, it is actually the #1 best-seller on Amazon in its category.

This is the style of the one you'd see in use ages ago at the corner garage where everything seemed to be in perpetual disarray but the mechanics knew what they were doing and could weld the arse on a cat. Note that it is specifically designed as a pipe welding helmet, explaining its size.

It features a 2" x 4" shade 10 lens for clear viewing of the weld puddle and is said to filter out 100% of UV and IR wavelengths for maximum eye protection. The easy-to-set, ratcheting headgear makes for a comfortable and secure fit.

A world away from the retro lid above is this helmet from a company called Tekware. If that pipe welding helmet makes you look like a Fallout character, this one makes you appear like a person from Skyrim thanks to a bulbous shield measuring nearly four inches tall.

To be clear, the entire shield is not a welding lens, as the auto-darkening portion of the shield is a rectangle right in front of your eyes. It performs the darkening trick thanks to a combination of batteries and solar power, the latter of which is generally juiced by the light given off from your welding job.

If you're an off-road gearhead who frequently takes to the trails on a dirt bike or side-by-side, this style of helmet might be appealing. The seller boasts this is a lightweight and well-balanced design that reduces neck torque, a measure your author had never previously considered. The four-point flexible headgear helps reduce operator fatigue - no small consideration when you're sticking bits of metal together in a garage.

Visibility is said to be good out of this lid, permitting better sightlines to the item on which the user is working. There is a flip-up shield which allows for non-darkened viewing when grinding metal, maximizing the amount of 'helmet on' time which will surely please the nerds at OSHA. Practically, this means the wearer doesn't have to waste time going through modes on a hood in order to see what's in front of them.

Welding Helmet FAQ:

What do you need to consider when choosing a welding helmet?

Make sure you're buying a lid that fits comfortably and is easy to use. One of the biggest barriers to safety is convenience; if the wearer has to constantly switch lenses or cycle through a million settings, there's a pretty good chance they'll skip a step or two in the name of simplicity. That's when incidents can happen. Make sure the lens is dark enough for the type of work you're carrying out, too.

What does each feature of a welding helmet indicate?

There is a myriad of features on these types of lids, especially high-buck models, so be sure to read the instructions that come with the unit very carefully. In other words, the days of simply donning the thing and firing up the stick welder are largely gone - save for number six on this list. Some helmets will have settings for grinding (mostly clear) all the way up to super dark for intense welding sessions.

Changes:

Added FAQ

Updated #3 to include current product info

Updated #5 with new customer reviews

Replaced #8 due to availability

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(Editor’s note: This post is meant to both help you be an informed shopper for automotive products but also to pay for our ‘90s sedan shopping habits operating expenses. Some of you don’t find these posts fun, but they help pay for Junkyard Finds, Rare Rides, Piston Slaps, and whatever else. Thanks for reading.)

[Main photo credit: Josef Reiter / Shutterstock.com. Product images provided by the manufacturer.]