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Are you in search of the ideal welding helmet for your next project? Well, look no further since this article has you covered. Imagine being so serious and busy welding, then all of sudden you see a blinding and burning light. It is known as arc flash, and it feels like hot sand into your eyes. Once you notice or hear someone going through that, that’s when you understand the importance of proper face and eye protection when welding.
A welding helmet is a headgear that one can use when welding to stay safe from the harmful radiation that the process produces. The gear also keeps your face, eyes, and neck safe from the flashes and flame that welding emits. The equipment is crucial for your eye protection since unsecured exposure to the light may harm your eye cornea that can lead to an arc eye.
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The radiation can also damage your retina, which can make you blind. With that in mind, choosing the right gear is always a priority. To make sure that you never go wrong when buying your helmet for welding, we have honest reviews on the best welding helmets to help you in your project.
5 Best Cheap Welding Helmets – Reviews
1. Antra AH6-260 Welding Helmet – Best Overall
If you are looking for a helmet offering quality protection at a slim budget, this is the gear for you. The helmet remains among the best auto darkening welding helmets in the market, considering its remarkable features. Its solar-powered feature means that the user needs not to worry about the battery running out before getting to work.
Being a lightweight helmet, it remains more comfortable even when wearing the gear for hours. Its variable shade levels that range from 5 to 13 means that you can use it in various light conditions with all types of welding.
Another great feature with the gear is the interference suppression technology whose purpose is to hinder false triggering by external sources of light.
According to Antra welding helmet review, many users love the gadget and replacing their expensive headgear for this beautiful gear. Its sensitivity controls and the adjustable delay are fantastic, considering the price tag. One feature that amazes many is the adjustable lower limit that makes sure that once you lower the hood, it remains intact on your face.
WHAT WE LIKE
- Comes with various shade levels
- Affordable
- It’s an auto-darkening helmet
- Solar is its primary source of power
WHAT WE DIDN’T LIKE
- It may not last long
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2. YESWELDER auto-darkening helmet
For a better view, this is the helmet to get. The Yeswelder auto-darkening welding helmet is the ideal one, considering the true-color technology that it comes with. With the color technology, you not only see better, but you also get a larger view, which boosts your control.
The headgear is also lightweight, which means even if you weld for hours, you will not feel the discomfort. It comes with a large comfort cushion that offers great adjustability, settings, and better support for a great fit and comfort. Being the best true color welding helmet, you will not go wrong when working with the headgear.
WHAT WE LIKE
- Comfortable
- Offers real color view
- Gives enough clarity
- Lightweight
WHAT WE DIDN’T LIKE
- May cause light leaks
- Inadequate eye protection
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3. DEKOPRO Welding-Helmet – Best Value
For those looking for a Solar Powered Welding Helmet, then DEKOPRO is what they are looking for. Being a comfortable and lightweight mask, the gear comes with a smooth and round perimeter to add to the comfort.
With multiple adjustments, you can tailor the headwear to match with your comfort and preference settings. In short, you will get less pressure and a personal fit.
The head gear’s automatic dimming adapts well to various welding environments. Since it comes with a quality protective filter, you can easily see your work on all conditions, which means that you will get a perfect weld on all conditions.
With the helmet, you will get 7sq inches viewing area and great battery life. It also comes with an adjustable headband and four sensors. In case there is no electricity, your eyes will stay safe from ultraviolet rays and radiation. The feature that many appreciate on the mask is the ability to switch from solar power to battery.
WHAT WE LIKE
- Larger viewing area
- Keeps your eyes safe from light
- Great battery life
- Comfortable
- Durable
WHAT WE DIDN’T LIKE
- Not possible for you to mount a cheater lens
4. Hobart 770756 Impact Variable Auto-Dark Helmet
The Hobart welding helmet is an auto-darkening headgear that makes it possible to work for hours without worrying about your eyes. The gear reacts and darkens in less than a second once it detects a flash or an arc.
The outer shell on the gear is sturdy enough to make sure resistance from impacts to keep your head and face securely. Hobart 770756 comes with a shut-off and a grind mode to make it easier to turn it off.
Even though the model only comes with 3 shades of light, it still offers a variety of shade ranges that you can use from number 8 to 11. It also provides a larger viewing area to make sure that the user can see everything in front of active and inactive modes.
Another great feature with the model is the knobs that help in adjusting the head gear’s sensitivity and delay. It also helps when it comes to lifting off the mask from your face since it has adjustable straps that are there to add to your comfort.
WHAT WE LIKE
- Comes with a grind approach
- Source of power is solar
- Larger seeing area
- Offers modifiable settings
WHAT WE DIDN’T LIKE
- The cover frame of the lens is hard to pop on and off
5. ESAB 0700000800 Sentinel A50 Welding Helmet
ESAB welding helmet is among the best welding helmet for TIG. The headgear is the best choice for most welders due to the incredible clarity the gear offers. The auto-darkening helmet makes you feel as if you are not on any helmet, while still offering the utmost protection to the face and eyes.
The gear is an optical class mask as it is among the best when it comes to clarity, light diffusion, and luminous transmittance. Its angle dependence is also great for better welding.
In addition to the great features, ESAB sentinel A50 offers a wide welding view, with great auto-darkening shades. The model is awesomely light for the type of helmet, which reduces the strain on your neck as you work.
As a bonus, the helmet’s coloring on its view screen makes sure that the external colors remain normal. That means the arc will seem blue but no other disturbing shades.
WHAT WE LIKE
- Wide lens
- Comfortable
- Great settings
- LED screen option
- Has a bag
WHAT WE DIDN’T LIKE
- The lens is a bit pricey
- The sensor placement is not the best
Buying guide to the ideal welding helmet
With the above welding helmets, you now know how to compare them. But, what are the crucial factors to look for when you get to the market? In this section, we offer vast knowledge to make sure you make the right choice.
Auto-Darkening
When it comes to getting the right helmet, auto-darkening is one feature that any serious welder should consider. Auto-darkening is the helmet’s lens ability to detect light automatically and blocks it from getting to your eyes.
Once you finish welding, the lens can go back to the light setting to make sure you can see clearly without lifting off the mask. All helmets do not come with the feature, and so stay keen as you choose.
Shade Changeability
Welding helmets come with various darkness levels. When you need the mask to switch to the light state for clear visibility, is it light enough? When welding on the sunlight, can your lens stay dark enough to keep your eyes safe?
All these are things to think of as you look for the right gear for your project. Once you get a helmet with enough shade changeability, you are sure that your eyes are safe throughout the day.
Viewing Area size
Nothing is more frustrating than welding with a helmet with a small viewing area. Your entire peripheral is not visible, which makes it hard to work effectively. Some masks come with a smaller viewing angle while the other is bigger.
By getting the one with a big window, you can see your project entirely. That way, you can improve the quality of work since it’s easier to work efficiently while the view is clear. With that in mind, always go for the one with a bigger window.
Lens Clarity
Other than the viewing window size, clarity level is also worth considering. How clear can you see whatever you are working on? Lenses come with a rating of 1 to 3, with 1/1/1/1 being the best score for the lens. Not many helmets come with such a score for clarity.
Knob Placement
When it comes to knob placement, you can decide to go with the ones with knobs on the outer side of the inner side. Inner knobs are better since they never get in the way. They also never snug on anything around.
However, the bad thing with the knobs is that you must make any crucial changes before wearing them. With the one with the outer knob, you can change your helmet at any time.
Battery Power Type
With the welding helmets, you can choose between the ones with internal batteries or the ones using solar power. The ones using internal batteries are ideal for indoors and outdoors use since you can want to change the batteries when they run low.
On the other hand, helmets that use solar power are only ideal for outdoor use so that the cells can get enough power. However, with technological advancements, some helmets create power from the welding arcs.
Durability
A welding helmet is never given away in shops. It is an investment that many hope to use for years to come. Nothing is worse than seeing your investment failing after a few months of use. As you buy the helmet, always make sure you buy the one that comes with sturdy material for that crucial durability.
Grind Mode
While you need the welding mask to protect your face, we also agree that you do not always need it to block the light. For example, when it comes to using the grinder to use the debris and the flying dust, you need the light. In such an instance, you need a helmet in the lowest setting.
That is why most helmets come with a grind mode. The feature is also crucial since you also need light, especially when you are not welding. You still want to view your work without lifting off the mask. The grind mode in most helmets activates without you removing the hood.
Comfort
While it’s not possible to notice the helmet’s comfort right away, after bending your neck for hours, the heavy mask can feel like a load on your head. Discomfort can cause aches that make the entire process non-enjoyable.
For comfort, go for a light helmet and make sure the gear stays in place. Choose a mask that offers a comfortable fit to allow you to concentrate on the work but not the helmet.
Cheater Lens
When welding, you may find that you need more magnification so that you can see your project well, and this is where you need a cheater lens. The cheater lens is a tiny magnifying lens that is found on the inner side of the helmet’s lens. Its purpose is to enlarge the view. Some masks come with a mounting system for the lens so that you can put it on when you need to.
Conclusion
Welding helmets are great investments but are not so easy to buy. A good buy will benefit your project, while a bad one may cause harm to your eyes. However, with this article, you are now ready to get to the market and hunt for the best deal. As long as you go with any of the above welding helmets, you will become a guru in welding.
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