The Best Welding Helmets in 2018 – Complete Buyer’s Guide

If you need a custom and auto-darkening welding helmet with top reviews by category, then you’ve come to the right place.  Buying a welding helmet is like choosing a pair of glasses.  Just because welding is work, you still want to have some fun and personality while being safe.  You can purchase custom and cool welding helmets for slightly more than a basic one.

Below are my favorite best cool and custom welding helmets to review

You can buy a cool welding helmet and still have protection and comfortability.

What are the different types of welding helmets?  What is the best welding helmet?

A good welding helmet is one of the most important welding tools you can purchase.  The most common injury is your eyes.  The best welding helmet for MIG will have a lense that protects your eyes from the arc.  Over long periods of time, your eyes will begin to burn from the light exposure.  The lense on the hood will prevent the radiations from burning your retina.

It’s like going to a concert or listening to loud music.  At first it doesn’t seem to bother you.  Then you slowly get a ring in your ear.  Finally, over time, your hearing begins to fade.

Keep in mind, the radiations not only can burn your eyes but also your skin.  You need to wear the proper coverage.

It’s best to get the lightest welding helmet when comparing.  The average human head weighs about 8-12 pounds.  Then you add a hood which puts more pressure on your back, neck, and shoulders.  You can either spend a little extra money for a comfortable and lightweight welding hood or spend the money on a chiropractor.  The lightest welding helmet can make the hours much easier and less painful.

Will a Custom Hood Provide me Welding Helmet Protection?

Custom welding helmets are designed with the thinnest and lightest modern materials.  Just like vehicles, the manufactures do not compromise protection and durability with welding equipment.

Custom Welding Hood Factors to Consider During Purchase?

Custom welding hoods generally are oval-shaped, like our heads.  Cool and custom welding helmets can be shaped to your head size.  It’s like a bowler getting his fingers measured for customized equipment.  Customize sizing will reduce helmet fatigue, stress, and headaches.

Cool welding helmet designs and color are factors too.  Black is an absorbent color while lighter colors including white and silver tend to reflect some heat.  I can’t say it will make a tremendous difference, but every little bit helps.  If your welding career requires 40 hours a week, I would want the best welding helmet for the money.

Best Cool and Custom Welding Helmets for the Money

Custom painted welding hoods will be priced in the upper price range.  Like with most items, personalization and customization cost more.  In unique welding helmets, you need to factor in custom features like shape, fit, weight, cool hood decals, and design.

Awesome welding helmets with unique custom graphics will run in the $400-$600 range.  For those sci-fi Star Wars fans, some people have been known to design your own awesome Darth Vader welding helmet.

Customized welding helmets for sale are priced best online, like Amazon.  I would avoid going directly to a manufacture or customizer for custom painted welding hoods.

Should I Buy a Custom Auto Darkening Welding Helmet?

We cannot talk about the difference between good and best custom auto darkening welding helmet.  First, we need to know what it is.  In the early 1980’s, the best welding lens on the market was replaced by an even better electronic LCD shutter in auto dimming welding helmet.  The auto darkening sensor measures the concentration of light and will auto tint the helmet.

Best Auto Darkening Welding Helmet Characteristics

#1. Auto darkening Welding Lens vs Non-Auto Darkening Welding Helmet

A common question is do you need a variable shade lens or a single fixed shade?  The best auto darkening welding helmet lens is coated with ultraviolet and infrared sensitive materials.  The lens coating needs to be dark enough for protection, but visible to perform your work.  The best welding lens is usually rated 3 or 4 in terms of shading.  It is no surprise that the auto darkening welding lenses are preferred over the passive lens.  It allows you to be more efficient and the equipment automatically tints the lens.

They work great in dark places or at night.  The auto arc welding helmet is automatic.  When you strike the arc, the shade lens instantly darkens.

#2. Auto Darkening Welding Helmet Replacement Lens

Some welders are drawn to a basic helmet with fixed lenses because they tend to be less expensive.   A passive welding helmet will require you to purchase many different lenses depending on the types of welding careers, types of welding rods, and materials.

Different Types of Welding Jobs

• Gas Metal Arc Welding (GMAW/MIG) – metal inert gas
• Metals: Nickel alloys, steel, stainless, aluminum, copper, and brass
• Shield Metal Arc Welding (SMAW) – stick welding
• Nickel alloys, steel, stainless, aluminum, copper, and brass
• Gas Tungsten Arc Gas Welding (GTAW/TIG) – TIG welding aluminum and thick sections of non-ferrous metals or stainless steel
• Metals: Aluminum, magnesium alloys, steel, stainless, nickel alloys, copper, brass, and titanium
• Flux Cored Arc Welding (FCAW) – sheet welding
• Steel and stainless steel

Types of Welding Materials

• Steel
• Stainless
• Copper
• Aluminum
• Magnesium
• Nickel

Different Types of Welding Rods

You should understand the different types of welding rods and methods so you know which hood is most appropriate for you.

The metal rod is wire connected to the different types of welding machines.  A current is pushed through the wire which melds the metal together.

Types of Welding Electrodes

When the welding rods are melted together, they are referred to as consumable electrodes.  Stick welding electrodes machines actually melt the wire to become part of the metal.  The non-consumable electrodes definition is when the arc welding rods to not melt.

Shielded arc welding electrodes is another type that has a heavy coating.  They are meant for heavy duty material like welding cast iron and steel.

If it’s a hobby and you don’t do different types of welding jobs, then a buy the best cheap welding helmet.  If it’s your career, then don’t buy a passive welding helmet.  Changing your welding helmet replacement lens for each type of material will waste time and reduce flexibility.  You don’t want your job to become a chore changing lenses throughout the day.

Best Auto Darkening Welding Lens on the Market – Replacement Lens

Each mask has different adjusting lens speed levels.  The response time or the reaction time is the time it takes the lens to change from light to dark when the arc is struck.  Lens switching speed is an option worth keeping in mind when buying a mask.  Of the welding hood reviews we have below, some of the best welding lens on the market include:

• Lincoln Electric Welding Helmet, 3350 Series
• Antra AH6-660-0000 Solar Power Auto Darkening Welding Helmet
• Esab SENTINEL A50 Auto Darkening Welding Helmet

#3. Amount of Arc Sensors

Arc sensors range from 2-4.  The arc sensors protect your eyes from getting flashed when the arc is struck.

#4. Auto Adjust Sensitivity and Delay Settings

Good welding caps will have sensitivity and delay settings.  The best auto adjust darkening welding helmet settings will have adjustable delay and adjustable sensitivity settings.  The sensitivity adjustment determines the brightness of the arc for the auto darkening feature to start.  An auto arc welding helmet determines the time delay the lens remains dark once the arc is finished.

#5. Solar Auto Darkening Welding Helmet or Battery?

Auto dimming welding helmet can be powered by a variety of options.

• Solar – some require direct sunlight charging before use
• AAA batteries – economical and widely available
• Lithium batteries – extended battery life

Some solar powered welding helmets use a battery in tandem.  Your hood is a personal preference and depending on your type of job.  Will you mostly be working outside to utilize the power of solar panels?  Do you mind changing the economical AAA batteries more often or would you prefer to pay more for lithium?

#6. Lightest Welding Helmet

The weight of the hood minimizes the strain on the worker’s neck and shoulders.  A lightweight auto darkening welding helmet will increase comfort and performance.  You will notice every pound difference after working 8 hour days.  A lightweight welding helmet is ultimately an investment in yourself, your body, and your career.

Of our top 10 ten welding helmet reviews below, the two of the lightest welding helmets are:

Miller Digital Elite welding helmet 281003.  It weighs only 18 ounces.

DEKOPRO Welding Helmet Auto Darkening Solar Powered with Wide Viewing Lens.  It weighs only 9.6 ounces!

#7. Welding Helmet Headgear Comfort

Along with weight, the comfortability of the headgear is extremely important.  Welding helmet headgear flexibility and adjustability is important when deciding your purchase.  A welding helmet comparison is like a pair of shoes.  They may feel comfortable in the short-run, but you need to be comfortable for 5 days a week and 8-10 hour days.   It’s best to look for headgear that is adjustable front and back, and adjustable up and down.

#8. Welding Helmet Largest Viewing Area

The viewing area is an important consideration.  The larger and wider the area, the more it will reduce tunnel vision and increase safety.  In our review, the Jackson Safety BH3 Auto Darkening Welding Helmet 46157 has the largest viewing area.  The Jackson Welding Helmet largest viewing area is 4.33 x 4.33 inches.  It has 1/1/1/1 optical clarity, angular dependence, and diffusion of light.  A good beginner welder person can see clearly at various angles.

#9. National Safety Standards for Welding Helmets

The national safety standards exist to enforce safety in a high risk career.  ANSI Z87.1 – 2003 is the most recent safety standard.  It requires auto-darkening lens and helmet manufacturers to exhibit specifications like glass shade setting and lens speed.

If purchasing used welding helmets for sale, look for packaging marked ANSI Z87.1 2003 or Z87+.   Look for the latest approval from the American National Standards Institute and Society of Safety Engineers even when looking for the best cheap welding helmet.  New welding helmets should also be checked as standards vary from country-to-country.

Top 10 Welding Helmet Reviews

Instead of reviewing the best welding helmet brand, we chose to review by features and categories.  Like with most products, “best” is a matter of opinion and priorities.  We address categories like weight, uniqueness, expensive vs cheap, design, and features.

#1. Best Auto Darkening Welding Helmet

Lincoln Electric Auto-Darkening Welding Helmet 3350 Series

According to customer reviews, the Lincoln helmet the best welding helmet for hobbyists to professional welders.  Different types of welding rods including MIG, TIG, and micro welding from 1-60 hours a week.  It’s favorably reviewed for comfort and optimal fit.  The controls are intuitive and the 4c viewing is extremely clear and offers one of the best welding lens color.  4c lens technology shows the arc using a favorable blue auto darkening welding lens vs green.  It’s light weight and comfortable for small and large heads.  Very comfortable with pivot style headgear on the hood.  Your purchase also comes with extra lenses and a bag.  Since the hood has solar cells, the CR2450 battery is long-lasting which are rated to last several years.  The Lincoln auto-darkening welding helmet battery is difficult to replace.  You need to remove the whole hood assembly to replace the batteries, but it’s only two clips.  When purchasing it new, the Lincoln welding machine comes with a 3 year limited manufactured warranty.

#2. Best Welding Helmet

Jackson Safety Insight Variable Auto Darkening Welding Helmet, HaloX (46131), Black

The Jackson Safety W40 Insight Variable auto darkening welding helmet by some is considered “simply amazing.”  For under $200, the clarity is hard to beat.  It weighs only 2 pounds and is lightweight.  The shade controls are extremely simple to control, even while wearing protective welding gloves.  Instead of having a power button like most helmets, the Jackson W40 Insight automatically senses the arc and turns on the auto dark mode.  Depending on your typical welding job, the Jackson helmet offers delay and sensitivity adjustments.  It has a great clear and one of the largest viewing area of 2.36 x 3.9 inches.  The helmet is flexible and durable while surprisingly lightweight.  In the sub-$200 price range, it’s a real excellent value.

#3. Cool Welding Helmets (ideally for hobbyist)

Antra Solar Power Auto Darkening Welding Helmet with Grinding Feature – AH6-660-0000

The various designs from Antra make these such cool welding helmets.  They offer badass welding helmets with designs including an American eagle, bloody skull, grey ghost, or lion fire.

It’s the lightest welding helmet we review and very versatile to be used for multiple applications.  Auto-darkening lens with 4 sensors is very fast and ideal for TIG, micro, MMA, MIG, and plasma.  Though it’s the lightest welding helmet and could feel a little cheap, it wears well and can stand abuse of heavy duty jobs.  Unlike many helmets, this auto darkening helmet offers a very wide range of 8 shades and goes as low as 5.  When the arc is struck, the lens is a light green color.  Antra is very generous by including spare parts in the box including six inner lens covers, exterior lens covers, hard hat adapter, sweat band, cheater lense, and an auto darkening lens.

#4. Most Expensive Welding Helmet

Jackson Safety BH3 Auto Darkening Welding Helmet with Balder Technology (46157)

The most expensive welding helmet in our reviews is the Jackson Safety BH3.  The Jackson auto darkening welding helmet has a terrifically clear lens in a dark blue tint for no eye strain.  It offers a huge viewing area that’s larger than most commercial helmets.  This hood is particularly recommended for colorblind welders due one of the best welding lens color clarity.  As with most Jackson hoods, this one is very flexible for getting into tight places but not as hot as many hoods.  The best welding helmet reviews recommend this hood for professional welders working many hours.  It’s extremely comfortable and lightweight.  It works with MIG, TIG, and flux core types of welding careers.  This is a particularly great TIG helmet that is rated to work down to 3 AMPs.  It’s very user-friendly that include settings for sensitivity, delay, and share adjustments.

#5. Most Similar to Star Wars Welding Helmet

Esab Sentinel A50 Auto Darkening Welding Helmet

The Esab Sentinel A50 is the most similar to a Star Wars welding helmet on the professional market.   Based on user reviews, most say they would buy it again.  In a matter of minutes, you will learn the settings and will be ready to go.  It’s very comfortable and has 8 easy color touch screen adjustments on the helmet.  The arc color visibility is a bluish color.  The lense offers superb clarity and an external grind button.  Some users think it’s the best welding lens on the market.

#6. Best welding helmet under $100

Antra Auto Darkening Welding Helmet AH7-860 Solar Power

The Antra AH7-860 is the best welding helmet under $100.  It’s best feature is one of the largest viewing areas of 3.78 x 3.5 inches.  It has a 1/30,000 reaction time when the electric arc is struck.  Besides general welding applications, it can be used on cutting and grinding.  It’s a pro hobby welder helmet for under $100.  Though it’s lightweight, it’s well-made and has excellent features like lenses.

#7. Best Welding Helmet for TIG – Rhino Welding Helmet

RHINO Auto Darkening Carbon Fiber RH01

Reviewers suggest it’s the best welding helmet for TIG, or other styles like MIG, stock plasma cutting, plasma, and micro welding.  The hood is large enough to wear glasses, trifocals, or safety glasses under it while working.  Though, the manufacturer says it’s not a suitable overhead welding helmet because the shield doesn’t cover the top of your head to protect from sparks falling.  Speaking of its size, the viewing area is more than 10 square inches for additional visibility.  The viewing area is almost twice as big as welding helmets comparison.  The Rhino welding helmet weighs only 1.2 pounds versus many helmets made of heavier material nowadays.  The Rhino helmet’s nylon material offers flexibility where heavier hoods are more prone to cracks and shatter during impact.

#8. Best Miller Digital Elite Welding Helmet

Miller® Welding Helmet – Inferno™ Digital Elite™ ClearLight™ Auto Darkening Lens 281003

Reviewers consider the 281003 one of the best Miller digital elite welding helmets.  It’s ClearLight lens technology reduces eye strain and operator fatigue for types of jobs requiring many hours.  The Miller auto-darkening welding helmet battery specs say it lasts up to 3,000 hours due to its solar cell.  The Miller Inferno looks like a Harley Davidson welding helmet with its flames.

#9. Beat Cheap Auto-Darkening Metal Man Welding Helmet

Metal Man ATEC8735SGC Professional Auto-Darkening Welding Helmet, Techno Skull

The Metal Man welding helmet skull design looks badass.  It’s one of the coolest and crazy welding helmets that looks custom for under $100 and on a tight budget   It’s one of the best cheap auto darkening welding helmets with 4 sensors and a quick switching time.

#10. Camo Welding Helmet by Forney

Forney 55702 Premier Series Camouflage Auto Darkening Welding Helmet

The Camo welding helmet by Forney is ideal for beginner or hobbyist.  The Forney Premier Series Pro hobby welding helmet is economical for many types of jobs.  It’s one of the best budget welding helmets under $100 given its variable shade range from 9-13 and also it’s extremely lightweight.  It’s adjustable headband reduces neck and head strain and overall fatigue caused by heavier helmets.

#11. Best Budget Welding Helmet by Deko

DEKOPRO Welding Helmet Auto Darkening Solar Powered with Wide Viewing Lens

The Deko welding helmet auto-darkening filter switches within 1/25,000 of a second from light to dark.  According to shade 16, it protects against IR radiation or UV.  It offers adjustable sensitivity and delay settings.  It will go from dark to bright within 0.1 to 1.0 seconds.  The best budget welding helmet auto-darkening filter uses a solar panel for life up to 5,000 hours.  One of the largest viewing areas of 3.85 x 3.15 inches.

Different Type of Welding Helmet

Pancake Welding Helmet

The pancake welding helmet gets its name because they are round on the side and completely flat as a pancake on the front.  It has only one side panel to protect you from sparks and UV rays.

It’s one of the lightest welding helmets as the eyepiece is made of balsa wood.  It’s the same balsa wood used for lightweight radio controlled hobby planes.

Though it looks a bit odd, it’s great for welding outside in difficult positions.  This is a great pipeliner welding hood.  For a pipeliner, the pancake helmet is very reasonably priced compared to more traditional hoods.

Consider the Sarge pancake welding helmet that weighs only 12.5 ounces.  Each hood is handmade available in right-hand or left-hand models.

How to Pick the Best Welding Caps?

You want to find the best welding caps to protect yourself from sparks and debris.  They add an extra layer of protection even if you typically wear goggles, glasses, or a solar auto darkening welding helmet.  Like welding masks, there are many different sizes, materials, shapes, and designs for welding caps.

Though they’re primarily meant for safety and protection, you can find custom welding caps that have designs from skulls to baseball style to funny.  There are several factors when choosing the best welding cap for you:

• Fit – you want it to fit right for the size of your head. You need to check the dimensions of the cap and your head when it says “one size fits all.”  The best ones are adjustable or have inner elastic bands to keep the cap in place.
• Material – is usually made of cotton or a synthetic material. 100% cotton caps are not very breathable but absorb sweat.  It can get very hot welding so you want to keep the sweat out of your eyes.  You must wash cotton caps and air dry in cold water to reduce shrinkage.  Though nylon and polyester are more practical, they are more hazardous near sparks.
• Sweat Protection – sweat running down your face is unpleasant. Cotton is not very breathable but absorbs sweat better than synthetic materials.  Buying a welding cap with holes allows ventilation and reduces sweat.
• Panels – the more panels the better it conforms to your head.
• Proper Neck Coverage – larger sized brim with protect your neck from sparks and debris

Best Welding Caps

Revco BC5W-BK Armor Cotton Welding Cap

The black Revco BC5W-BK Armor is the best welding caps in our review.  It is made with 100% cotton with durable double-layer protection.  Cotton doesn’t make your head as hot as leather caps.  Since it’s all cotton, you need to wash in cold water and drip dry to preserve.

The brim on the back protects your neck from sparks and splatter.  Some buyers think it’s a cool welding cap with the red flames on the brim.  It’s inner elastic liner allows it to snuggly fit onto your head.  The elastic keeps your hair tucked inside the cap.  It’s a one size fits all welding cap.

Miller Low Crown Arc Armor Ghost Skulls Welding Cap – Ghost Skulls Low Crown Welding Caps

Miller has three sizes in its low crown welding cap with ghost skulls.  It comes in 7.125, 7.25, and 7.375 inches.It’s low 6.5 inch crown is made with 100% reversible cotton.

Miller, a leader in welding equipment, makes American made welding caps.

It’s a factor for many buyers when purchasing personal protective equipment.

Conclusion

Welding caps should absorb sweat and prevent sweat from dripping in your eyes while doing different types of welding.  They’re generally made with comfortable cotton and lightweight.  Even while wearing the best custom welding helmet, you should still wear a low crown cap to keep sweat from dripping in your eyes.