Choosing the Right Auto-Darkening Welding Helmet

As a welder's most important piece of personal protective equipment, the right welding helmet must be easy to wear, adjustable and comfortable for a full day's work, while protecting the employee's eyes and face from splashes and sparks and harmful light.

Why Choose Auto-darkening Welding Helmets?

Some welders, especially many professional pipe welders, still choose to wear traditional welding helmets with traditional glass lenses and fixed visors that remain dark at all times. While these helmets do provide sturdy and inexpensive safety protection, they do have some drawbacks.
Welding helmets with fixed shades may be more difficult to use because welders have to lift their helmets each time they want to check welds and joints, determine the position and prepare to weld, and then flip down their helmets when the arc comes. This repetitive action can cause neck strain and fatigue after a full day of work. In addition, it is difficult to move the helmet up or down in a small or restricted space.

Because of these problems, many welders are turning to auto-darkening helmets with continuously variable controls that adjust the shade from a light state to a dark state and back again. These helmets protect against harmful light radiation at all times and can darken to almost any pre-selected shade in milliseconds thanks to the fast-changing LCD (liquid crystal display) technology in the auto-darkening box.

With the auto-darkening helmet, the welder can clearly see even if the helmet is already in the down position. This allows the weld to be set up at the weld joint with the helmet in place. These helmets allow for more continuous work, reducing unnecessary stop and start times and the need for welders to readjust helmets and setup positions.

Selection Considerations
The most important considerations when choosing an autochromatic helmet are safety, comfort, convenience and style. There are some general selection considerations that can help welders choose the helmet that best meets their needs, as well as find one that is comfortable to wear all day on the job.
When evaluating various auto-darkening welding helmets, look for models with full-coverage shells to shield splash and resist impact.
Auto-darkening helmets will have external or internal controls, such as blackout or buffing controls. External controls add convenience by allowing some adjustments to be made while the helmet is on the head. External controls, on the other hand, include additional wiring and may be subject to additional shock or damage because they are located on the outside of the helmet. Internal controls located on the lens case are more protective and do not require external wiring, but may require the helmet to be removed to change settings.

Personal Style
As one of the most visible pieces of safety attire, welding helmets give wearers the opportunity to add a little personal touch to their welding gear, in addition to providing essential protection for the face and eyes. With this in mind, today's custom welding helmets are available in a variety of colors and patterns.
Today's welding helmets come in a variety of colors, not just the standard black. Customization isn't limited to that. Many models offer personalization kits with stickers, while others have a range of available pre-printed graphics, including novelty designs such as comic book superheroes, flags, skulls, tattoo designs, and even angel wings, designed with female welders in mind.

Considering the wide variety of safety features, convenience, comfort and personalization options, choosing the right helmet for you may be a challenge at first. But after reading this article, I believe you have gained some useful help.
If you have any further questions or needs, please feel free to contact us. T-Safety.com is always happy to help you.