Welding helmets have seen a lot of changes over the years. A welding helmet is also used as a style statement option by some people for Halloween. There are several models available in the market with different color, size, and shape, which allows the people to look like futuristic robots, a gorilla, or sometimes a bulldog.
Everyone is well aware of the fact that welding is a dangerous act. A welder needs to be extremely careful while performing the task as a little error can lead to serious trouble. So, it is important to protect yourself from heat, radiation, sparks, and intense flashes. A welding helmet will help you to protect yourself from these elements.
Eye protection feature enabled helmet is an ideal welding helmet and can be used for different welding techniques. However, the electric arc welding technique is the most dangerous as this technique creates a white light that can damage the eyes permanently. So, a welder should always use a helmet with superior eye protection for electric arc welding technique.
If you are planning to buy a welding helmet, then a few important points must be considered before making a purchase. These important points will help you to buy a top-quality helmet with incredible safety features.
Table of Contents
Lens basics
It is quite difficult for welders to see their work without a helmet because of sparks and flashes. A welding helmet comes with special and high-quality filter lenses that are also known as filter plates. These plates are responsible for protecting your eyes from the sparks and flashes.
Filter plates have different darkness shades, which allow the welder to choose an appropriate darkness shade according to the welding technique. If you are going to work in an environment that has brighter light then a darker shade must be used for maximum protection.
In arc welding technique, apps vary from 20 to above 400. Therefore, filter lenses have different shades from shade 3 to shade 14. Shade 3 has got the minimum shade, whereas shade 14 is the darkest. Typically, a welder needs to choose shades that vary from 9 to 13 for arc welding technique.
If a welder has chosen a darker shade for less bright light, then he would not be able to see the work, which might lead to an accident. Similar is the case with the lighter shade, if you have selected a lighter shade for brighter light, then filter plates would not be able to protect your eyes from the intense light. So, a welder should appropriately choose the shades from 3 to 14 according to the intensity of the light.
Golden colored lenses are also available in the industry that is far better than the traditional filter lenses in terms of protection. Golden colored lenses use the same shading system, but are capable of reducing the reflected glare to the maximum level.
Flexibility options
Most of the welders prefer to use different amperages for different welding techniques. So, they would like to have more flexible options for better performance. You can get access to the flexibility options on traditional helmets through interchangeable lenses. A welder can easily open the lens lock frame and replace the lens with a new one of a different shade.
Apart from conventional helmets, helmets with auto-darkening features also offer shade flexibility options. Auto-darkening helmets have become quite popular over recent years because of the use of advanced technology. In such special helmets, a very light shade is set for the filter lens when no welding work is going on. It gives a clear view of the welder to view the work without flipping the helmet.
Helmets with auto-darkening feature automatically set the shade level according to the intensity of light, which makes it easy for the welder as he does not have to adjust the shade level according to the light. The best part about these helmets is that within a fraction of seconds the shade levels are shifted to a new level, which ensures no damage is caused to the welder during shifting.
A human eye cannot detect anything less than a millisecond, which makes this helmet a far better option than conventional helmets. So, if you are looking for more flexible options, then auto-darkening helmets are a perfect choice.
Power choices
Auto darkening helmets get their power from a battery or a special mechanism that is based upon solar energy. If you are planning to buy a battery-powered helmet, then you need to know about the cost of the batteries and their durability because after a certain period of time you need to replace a battery.
It is always a risk of buying a battery-operated helmet because the helmet will be automatically turned off once the battery life is finished. If the battery life is about to end and you have kept the helmet aside for a few minutes, then you will find yourself in serious trouble as the shade level will not shift to the darker level as expected during the welding process because of no power.
On the other hand a solar-powered helmet will make sure you don’t have to deal with such critical situations as the helmet will not run of power. So, it is your choice to choose between a solar-powered helmet and a battery-operated helmet.
Lens protection
Most of the welding helmets come with a cover lens that is responsible for protecting the filter lends from debris and other elements during the welding process. It is important to protect the filter lens because if it is broken or cracked, then UV rays and other radiations will not be blocked by the helmet and hurt the welder.
So, while purchasing a welding helmet you should also check the quality of the cover lens because no matter how amazing the helmet is if the cover lens is made up of low quality then the filter lens will not be able to offer services for a longer period. Moreover, you have spent a lot of money again to replace it.
Cover lens are made up of different materials and each material has its own advantages.
Glass
It offers better visibility but is less durable as it is prone to breaking.
Unbreakable plastic
It is the least expensive material used for the cover lens and has maximum durability.
Chemically treated glass
Chemically treated glass is considered the best material for a cover lens as it is best in vision and durability. However, it is quite expensive as compared to the other materials used for the cover lens.
These are some of the major points which must be considered before making a purchase. However, some minor yet important points should not be ignored by a user while purchasing a helmet as they affect the performance. So, let’s have a look at the minor points that must be thoroughly checked before buying a helmet:
Weight
If you are planning to build your career in welding, then you should never buy a heavy helmet as you need to weld for longer periods. A heavy helmet will stress your neck muscles and make it difficult for you to see work properly as you would not be able to make proper neck movements.
Adjustability
Some helmets are capable of only adjusting the helmet angle from the head to the chest, whereas some helmets allow the welder to adjust the distance from the helmet to the face. If you use glasses for welding, then this adjustment setting will prove out to be quite effective for you.
Sensor bar
Auto-darkening helmets also offer a sensor bar feature which is responsible for restricting the field of response so that the person welding next to you is safe from any reaction.
Durability
While buying a helmet for welding, make sure to check its warranty. Moreover, you should also carefully check the terms and conditions as a helmet needs repairing after a few months of regular use.
Final word
Safety is more important than money, so you should not compromise with the quality of the welding helmet to save some money. The points mentioned above will help you to buy a welding helmet with better safety features. Buying a top-quality welding helmet will protect your eyes from sparks, flashes, UV rays, and radiation.
A wide variety of welding helmets are available in the market, but it is better to purchase an auto-darkening helmet as it automatically adjusts the shade level and also offers some incredible features such as a sensor bar. These helmets are quite costly as compared to conventional helmets, but it is good value for money as they offer maximum durability and best protection.
If you try to weld without a welding helmet, then you might damage your eyes permanently. So, the choice is yours whether you wish to get blind or build a stable career in welding by buying a top-rated welding helmet. Welding helmets are also available in online stores and are available at a very reasonable price. So, hurry up and get the best welding helmet at the best price possible.
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