Best Welding Hoods - Top Picks
Your welding helmet is probably the most important part of your welding safety kit. A welding arc is incredibly bright and will cause irreversible damage to your eyes without proper shielding. We’ve compiled a list of the Best Welding Helmets to compare options and features that matter for today’s welder.
Traditional flip up helmets are cumbersome and don’t have large viewing areas. Today’s advanced auto-darkening welding helmets are technological marvels with multiple sensors that can darken in milliseconds. Once an arc is no longer detected, the helmet’s viewing screen automatically lightens again. Your eyes never leave the weld and your helmet never leaves your eyes unprotected.
If you’re just started welding or you’ve decided it’s time to upgrade to a new helmet, you want to be sure you’re investing your money in one that offers great protection and features.
3M Speedglas 9100 with ADF 9100XXi
3M has made a number of welding helmets, and the Speedglas 9100 with ADF 9100XXi is another fantastic model in their line of comfortable and protective products. The improved optics in this model allow it to recognize more colors giving the user better contrast and more details. It includes a large viewer that measures 2.8” by 4.2” and an auto-on feature that enables your most recent settings when picked up. The lens, when fully transparent, is incredibly clear. It darkens within 0.1ms of detecting light, then returns to fully transparent within and adjustable 40-250ms. This helmet is quite pricy, but you do get what you pay for. It’s one of the highest-quality and feature rich helmets you’ll find.
Pros:
- Top-quality helmet that you’ll use for years, if not your entire welding career.
- Comfortable to wear for hours.
- Extensive settings, memory and grind mode.
Cons:
- May be more than a beginner needs, especially when considering the price.
- Expensive.
Lincoln Electric VIKING 3350
The Lincoln Viking 3350 comes in ten different styles, so you can pick the one that best fits your personality. Its internal X6 headgear is uniquely adjustable and provides the wearer with excellent comfort. It includes a standard auto-darkening viewer and sensors for protection from light. You can adjust the viewer as needed, but you’ll never have difficulty seeing through it thanks to the 4C lens technology Lincoln uses in this product. It keeps clarity to a maximum at any viewing angle giving you a clear crisp view. The total viewing window is 12.5 square inches and is backed by a 3 year warranty.
Pros:
- Excellent viewing quality.
- Comes in a variety of designs.
- Grind mode.
Cons:
- Some finishes do scratch more easily than others.
- Head gear is tricky to adjust.
ESAB Sentinel A50
The Sentinel A50 welding helmet features everything you need for a great piece of headgear. It’s designed for those who are looking for a welding helmet that is high quality and will hold up to years of use. The viewing space is 3.93” by 2.36” in space, so you can clearly see your project without difficulty. The glass offers consistent clarity and protection. It offers a shade range from 5 to 13, which is more options than many other welding helmets offer. Other features include a color touch screen control with 8 memory settings and an external grind mode button. The Sentinel’s 5-point ‘Halo’ headgear system allows for infinite adjustment and all-day comfort.
Pros:
- High quality helmet that will last for years.
- Flexible shade range offers more than some competitors.
- LCD touch panel instead of analog knobs for precise settings.
Cons:
- Controls difficult to use with gloves on.
- Lens cover prone to melting.
- Expensive.
Miller 281000 Digital Elite
Miller’s 281000 digital elite welding helmet is great for beginners and professionals alike. It’s competitively priced and offers great quality. This helmet offers a 3.85” by 2.38” viewing area, digital controls, a grind mode and a special X-mode that eliminates sunlight interference when welding outside. The shade setting can be adjusted from 5 up to 13, and the sensors adjust the lens within 1/20,000 of a second. This helmet uses 4 arc sensors and the lens is backed by a 3 year warranty.
Pros:
- Wide range of shade settings and operating modes.
- Good controls.
- Light weight.
Cons:
- Headgear sometimes doesn't retain its position.
- Heavy compared to other options.
Hobart Inventor 770890
The Hobart 770890 Inventor auto-darkening welding helmet is designed to provide all the protection you need while also providing comfort. The LCD viewer provides you with a little over nine square inches of viewing space and darkens in 1/25,000 of a second. The helmet is designed to prevent fog buildup on the lens from the inside, so you can continue working for a good amount of time. You can adjust the sensitivity and delay of the sensors as needed via its internal analog controls as well as grind mode selection.
Pros:
- Lightweight and comfortable.
- Controls can be very fine-tuned to your needs.
- Grind mode.
Cons:
- Slightly heavier than completing models.
- Internal controls only.
YESWELDER LYG-M800H Auto Darkening Helmet
The YESWELDER LYG-M800H is another budget friendly welding helmet packed with the features most welders are looking for. The helmet features four premium arc sensors with a large 3.93″ x 3.66″ display and 1/1/1/2 optical clarity. External analog controls allow for sensitivity, delay, shade and operational modes and are big enough to be adjusted with gloves on. While the headgear does leave a lot to be desired, the overall execution and display size make the LYG-M800H a good choice that’s easy on the wallet.
Pros:
- Large display with true color
- External controls.
- Low price.
Cons:
- Poor headgear.
- Lower build quality.
- Heavy.
Antra AH6-260
Looking for a reasonably priced welding helmet that offers a good number of features? The Antra AH6-260 may be just what you’re looking for. The helmet features four arc sensors with interference suppression technology, a grinding setting and is dual powered (solar or batteries). Settings are provided for sensitivity and delay while on/off functions are fully automatic. Overall, Antra has built a budget friendly hood with quality features in a lightweight package.
Pros:
- Low cost.
- Light weight compared to other helmets.
- Includes additional lens cover plates.
Cons:
- The helmet may feel a little flimsy compared to some others.
- The viewing area is good sized but not as large as other options.
- Light gauge plastic used.
Jackson Safety Insight 46101
The Jackson Safety Insight 46101 is another excellent 4 sensor welding hood loaded with features. It’s offers a good-sized 4” by 2.5” viewing area, digital controls and shade levels between 9 and 13. This helmet is also dual powered and features auto-on functionality. Headgear adjustment is provided via a large adjustment dial in the rear and 3-position side slider knobs for eye to lens distance. It’s a very affordable auto-darkening helmet but offers less neck protection than competitors.
Pros:
- Nice size viewing area.
- Good price.
Cons:
- Limited neck protection.
- Limited shade levels.
- Plastic is a bit flimsy.
Conclusion
You’ll be wearing your welding helmet for hours on end, and it’s the sole protection between your eyes and the bright arc of your welder. You want it to be comfortable, and you need it to protect your face and your vision. Now that you’ve learned more about what helmets are out there, you can use that information to help you determine which of these options is right for you.
