Tips to choose the right welding helmet

Not all welding helmets are created equal. Welders should look for a helmet with an extended shade range for additional flexibility. Fronius

With more new welders entering the workforce, it’s essential to understand what goes into selecting a welding helmet. Not all helmets are created equal, and their style, features, and price points often reflect that.

But with so many different helmets available, how do welders choose the right one that will stand up to their requirements?

Some companies may purchase welding helmets and starter kits, which includes all safety gear, as a perk for new employees, while others may look to have their welders using high-end equipment to entice welders to join the company. Regardless of how a welder comes to possess the helmet, it must meet specific criteria.

The first question that needs to be answered when exploring welding helmets is just how often the welder will be using the helmet. A hobbyist welder will use the helmet far less frequently than a professional welder who works eight-hour days, five days per week.

“A hobbyist welder may not need a helmet with all the bells and whistles, and you can get a decent helmet for a few hundred dollars,” said Andrew Newman, welding applications technologist, Fronius Canada Ltd., Mississauga, Ont. “On the flip side, helmets can range all the way up to powered air purifying respirator (PAPR)-style helmets, which can be thousands of dollars. But then there is everything else in between.”

The needs of a part-time welder are different from those of a professional welder, and choosing a helmet that can meet potential future needs is also an important consideration, especially for someone new to the industry.

For those who are welding for the first time or starting a new job, it’s important to understand what they will be doing on a daily basis.

“What type of welding processes will you be doing?” said Kevin Beckerdite, global product manager – PPE, ESAB, Mississauga, Ont. “A lot of new welders start off with stick welding. But it’s important to consider that there are so many different products on the market ranging from the very basic, old-school passive welding helmets all the way up to very sophisticated autodarkening welding helmets.”

Whether it’s stick, MIG, TIG, or another welding process, the general amperage range will help determine the helmet shade requirements.

Most helmets have a basic shade range of nine to 13, whereas some can go as low as two and all the way up to 14. Depending on the type of work, the shade range needed will change. For example, TIG welding thin stainless steel will require a helmet that has a sensitivity on the low end of the range while heavy-deposition or flux-cored welding, where there is an extremely bright arc, requires a lens shade of 12 or 13.

A lot of welders are leaning towards helmets with a larger viewing area, and this is especially true for more experienced welders who want to see all aspects of the process. ESAB

“Some of the cheaper options tend to have tighter ranges, which can be limiting,” said Newman. “Look for a helmet with an extended range to give you that flexibility. Will you be doing grinding? Look for something with a grind mode feature so that the helmet’s use is expanded.”

Autodarkening filter (ADF) helmets provide shade options, meaning they can be used for a variety of welding operations. This provides users with the flexibility to do entry-level work to more advanced MIG and TIG welding operations.

“ADF helmets are great because they don’t require the user to lift up and down the hood, meaning that during welding activities, they can be focused on the weld rather than taking their hands off the tool to adjust the helmet,” said Beckerdite. “If there is a lot of finish work along with welding, like grinding the welds, there are available face shield options so that the user doesn’t need to take the helmet off to get that clear view of the work area.”

When it comes to lenses, optical clarity is essential for professional welders where quality is key.

“When choosing a welding helmet, one of the most important considerations should be the type of lens,” said Mike Clifford, product manager, welding gear and tools, The Lincoln Electric Co., Cleveland, Ohio. “There are two types of lenses to consider, passive and autodarkening. Autodarkening is the preferred lens type because they provide greater versatility along with increased productivity, which are important benefits to welders.”

There are four classes of optical clarity which are generally rated from one to three – with one being the best and three the worst. The different class ratings should coincide with the needs of a welder.

“For example, not all welders will need a top-rated helmet,” said Newman. “But if it’s meeting all the characteristics you want to get out of it, then that is the right helmet. Do you need true colour? Or is the colour being distorted? For those that are just learning, having higher and clearer image quality can be advantageous.”

Some lenses offer panoramic views, providing the welder with a wider viewing area while limiting the number of times the helmet needs to be flipped up and down. The helmet also could have a shade as low as 2.5 to allow the welder to see through it clearly without needing to flip it up.

“A lot of welders are dialing in to larger viewing areas,” said Beckerdite. “This is especially true for more experienced welders, where they want to see what's coming in front of the weld, the active weld that they're working on, as well as what’s already been welded.”

ADF helmets allow for the welder to dial-in to precision welding. Choosing a helmet with true colour capabilities, especially when its in the passive state, can really help with overall welder performance.

There's a range of styles of headgear in the market, anywhere from the simplest version, which might be a three-point headgear up to a six-point pivot headgear to create a personalized fit. he Lincoln Electric Co.

“Being able to watch the weld pool colour is extremely important to determine the weld quality,” said Beckerdite. “The clearer the view is, that matters with the welders when they're working on high-quality welds; they watch the pool and the heat, the hotness of it changes the colour. When you have a welding helmet [with a lens] that has a weird tint on it, you are not actually getting the true colour of that weld puddle. Lens clarity is key.”

Most welders want a helmet that feels lightweight and comfortable. The headgear shouldn’t create hot spots or pressure points on a welder’s head. If it isn’t comfortable, that could potentially discourage welders from wearing it. A helmet that is comfortable and it won't fatigue the body over the course of the day will encourage proper usage.

The helmet itself will always have some weight to it, but the goal is finding one that is well-balanced over the welder’s body.

“There's a range of styles of headgear in the market, anywhere from the simplest version, which might be a three-point headgear up to a six-point pivot headgear, to create a personalized fit,” said Clifford.

A welder carries the helmet’s weight across the neck, shoulders, and body, which can put a strain on those areas over time. A customizable helmet can help adjust the load based on personal needs.

“Headgear and the way the helmet fits to the user's head has come a long way,” said Beckerdite. “They are adjustable on several different planes and axes. The user can customize the fit as closely to the head as needed. The types of materials used in headgear has changed a lot. There are less stiff, uncomfortable headbands to much softer, pliable material that really conforms to the head.”

Beyond the standard welding helmets, those working with PAPR units need to think about how the system sits on their body.

“Some are styled with a belt buckle, where a fan and filtration unit sit on the wearer’s lower back,” said Newman. “Others now have shoulder straps that redistributes the weight more evenly.”

Personal protective equipment (PPE) should essentially feel like it disappears on the user's body, whether it's a helmet, gloves, or another type of equipment. It shouldn’t distract from what the welder is trying to do.

The latest advanced technology can make the work of any welder that much easier. Helmet manufacturers are constantly finding new ways to make helmets easier to use while increasing weld quality.

“Arc tracking is very popular right now,” said Clifford. “This smart technology is built into the helmet to track welding throughout the day, identifying the welder’s arc-on time. This is great for calculating productivity and identifying areas of improvement.”

Smart technology also allows welders to save different mode configurations in the helmet’s memory that they prefer to use or have worked well. This eliminates the need for the welder to set everything up each time.

“Bluetooth connection is also something big right now,” said Newman. “Traditional ADF helmets have sensors in them that pick up light and switch the helmet over to dark mode. This can take 90 to 100 microseconds (µs), leaving a slight delay in switching over, and it's dependent upon seeing that light through the sensors. Some helmets will have only one or two sensors, and more advanced may have five or more. The Bluetooth function means that when the welder pulls the torch trigger, the helmet automatically adjusts. There's no delay time, and it will stay on continuously during the welding process until they stop. So that eliminates mode changes due to sensor blockages.”

When it comes to safety, the good news for every welder is that there are workplace requirements that dictate to welding PPE manufacturers the safety standards these devices need to meet. The Canadian Standards Association (CSA) is one organization with rigorous safety standards. It requires that all welding helmets include a CSA Z94 mark indicating it is in compliance with the safety standard.

These standards are designed to make sure that, regardless of the task, workers have proper protection from any potential hazards, meaning protection of the eyes, face, neck, and ears.

Beyond the regulations, some welders may want to upgrade to more advanced systems like PAPR helmets, which are becoming increasingly popular, in Canada.

“Even for the most basic applications in steel welding, the regulations for the threshold limit values for things like manganese have reduced to the point that having a respirator-style helmet or some sort of fume extraction in the area is a must-have nowadays,” said Newman. “There are different ways to upgrade for additional safety. Adding a bib to the front of the helmet can protect the welder from light coming up from underneath the helmet. Talk to any helmet manufacturer and they can help identify ways to make welding safer for the welder.”

Associate Editor Lindsay Luminoso can be reached at [email protected].

ESAB Welding & Cutting Products, esab.com/ca

Fronius Canada, www.fronius.com

The Lincoln Electric Co., lincolnelectric.com