Welding Helmet Recommendations (Auto Darkening)

[XJSuperman]

Its time for me to replace my no-name auto-darkening helmet and I want to know what everyone likes, why, and ideally a link to it please.
I searched and only came up with a couple mediocre threads on the subject, so let's try and get a decent thread going for welding helmet recommendations. We can skip the arguments about auto-darkening vs fixed or other details. Just provide info on the helmet you prefer using and would recommend.
Context: I'm a home shop guy not welding every day, but fairly often compared to most people. I want to be comfortable at different angles on vehicles and other various fab projects. The basics seem to be Miller/Hobart, Lincoln, Speedglas, YESWelder, ESAB, and HF from what I know. Are the YESWelder and HF models actually junk, or do they work well for a diy guy? Is the Speedglas worth the $400+? Let's hear what the weldors here have to say. I'm adding a poll just for visualization, thanks.

 

[NUTTSGT]

I have a Miller the wife bought me a few years back. I would have to go out and see exactly which one it is. I think something like one of these Classics. I like it and have ordered from Cyberweld a few times.

Welding Helmets, Hoods, Masks, Shields, & Other Headgear

Find your ideal welding headgear at Cyberweld. We offer helmets, hoods, masks, & more by leading brands like Miller, Lincoln, & ESAB for superior safety.

store.cyberweld.com

I stand corrected. Digital Performance series.

 

[shanker]

I have a miller digital pro-hobby and bought my kid a Hobart from TSC for his birthday last summer. I like the headgear in my miller better, but the clearview lens in his better. For $129, I don't think there's a better deal the Hobart Inventor series than these at TSC

https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/hobart-helmet-inventor-flying-tiger-771015

 

[MovingAlong]

I have a Hobart that I'm happy with too... the 770890 from Amazon, showing me $109 right now.

 

[andyvh1959]

I had a cheapo HF welding helmet. Then I went to a friend's shop for welding instructions (he's a professional, had his own fab/weld ship up to retirement) and I compared my HF helmet with his digital Miller helmet, Holy ****! Deal done, within the week I scored a deal on a barely used Miller digital helmet for $100.

 

[Steve_P]

I have a ~20-year-old HF and it's fine. But if I was buying today, with all of the forums to seek advice from, I'd definitely study the market like you're doing. As a DIYer, I personally wouldn't spend $300+, but I'd be fine spending $200 max for my limited usage.

 

[whateg01]

I have a Lincoln Viking and like it. The things I would change are as follows:

I would prefer a switch to go to grind mode instead of having to spin the dial each time.

That's all I have to complain about in it.

I had an optrel and liked it except that the battery wasn't replaceable. They swapped the lens 3 times in it. Eventually they came out with one that had replaceable batteries but by then I had bought my Lincoln. At the time it had the lightest light shade. Not sure that's true anymore.

I like my son's Hobart I bought him. It's basic but works.

We have some at the local makerspace, a mix of Jackson and harbor freight. I think some of them only go down to a shade 8. There are times I have used them and wanted a lighter shade. My Lincoln has that.

 

[LeeG]

I had used a Miller Digital Elite for several years. Bought a Lincoln Viking 3350 for Tig welding. Now I use a Miller Digital Infinity for everything. It is great. Here’s a good video comparing some higher end helmets.

Lee

 

[pbon]

I just bought the Yeswelder large screen with 20% off. https://a.co/d/jkO0DrS

 

[liliysdad]

I had a HF Auto Hood and thought it was great, until I grabbed a YesWelder. I loved the YesWelder until I stumbled into a great deal on a Speedglas....and holy hell, there is a difference. Its comfortable, the clarity and field of view is amazing, the adjustability is bar none.

I still keep the YesWelder around as a spare in case my Speedglas goes down, but I don't intend to ever put it on again.

 

[Rusted Nut]

I’ve had a Miller Infinity for 7 years or so. Work really well, fits well, has grind and X mode for outdoor work. That’s my vote.

 

[stinkity stoink]

I am by no means a pro or use my helmets regularly.
I have a miller digital elite that is good ,but I think the headgear is not good.
I have 2 Jackson’s I bought on sale at separate occasions for less than 1/2 of the miller. One says balder smart tigger and the other just balder (spelling could be wrong) I like the Jackson’s helmets better….. I just seem to think that I can see the puddle better with them.

 

[R_Holiday]

I’m only a hobby welder but I’ve used a few helmets and currently have 3. I use the speedglas 9100xxi for tig welding. Great view and comfortable. I use a miller digital infinity w clear sight 2.0 for MiG welding. Great view and I used it for everything before I got the speedglas. My only complaint with the miller is the weight. The digital elite is lighter and I’ve owned one before as well. I bought a Lincoln Viking 3350 because I got it for $30 as an additional back up. It’s excellent and has the best fitting headgear in my opinion. I had a Lincoln 1740 before and knew how comfy the headgear was. I’ve also owned an optrel pannoramaxx. It had excellent clarity and looked cool but wasn’t for me due to the way it sits on the bridge of the nose.

 

[tarmy]

Welp, I get one set of eyes and lungs…welding can be hard on both.

 

[Wamsutta]

I have all three of these helmets. They're all excellent. They all have their plusses and minuses. The Optrel Crystal 2.0 probably has the best optical clarity followed by the ESAB A60. The Speedglas 9002NC has good optical clarity and is very lightweight, but it has no detents to hold the helmet in the upright position. The main advantage of the Speedglas is that it has ventilation ports to allow you to exhale. It's probably the coolest helmet in hot weather. The Optrel is super lightweight and has the best optical clarity of the three, but the viewing area is not huge. The ESAB has excellent optical clarity, big viewing area and is very comfortable, but it is very heavy. You gotta have a muscular neck to use the ESAB.

If I had it to do all over again and buy just one helmet, it would probably be the Optrel.

 

[mark-NJ]

Lincoln Viking 2450 for me. Love it!

 

[Outwest]

I’ll throw another option in- pipelinerscloud carbon fiber with either an eagle vision or arc one lense. If you’re welding outside, I’d recommend a pancake hood and either lense. FWIW, I also have speedglass and a Hobart. No complaints with either of these.

 

[bb29510]

i got the lincoln viking, i like it, I hate it, i go through batterys about every two weeks

 

[NUTTSGT]

i got the lincoln viking, i like it, I hate it, i go through batterys about every two weeks

Does it not recharge the batteries while in use ?

 

[seber]

I used a Jackson for many years but when it gave up I picked up the Yeswelder. It was a new world. There may be better ones but for occasional use, this is amazing.

 

[GarageHobbyist]

For being comfortable, I like my Pipeliner’s Cloud hood.


But I use my Large View YesWelder the most.

 

[XJSuperman]

I’ll throw another option in- pipelinerscloud carbon fiber with either an eagle vision or arc one lense.

For being comfortable, I like my Pipeliner’s Cloud hood.

Ok fellas, explain these for me and the rest of the group who aren't familiar with PipelinersCloud hoods: are these auto-darkening or fixed? From the website I gathered they're fixed shade (non adjustable), but I'm otherwise unfamiliar with them.

 

[whateg01]

One of the things I really liked about my optrel was the controls being on the outside of the hood.

One thing I wish every hood I've ever owned has was fresh air supply, not necessarily because of fumes but because I have a hard time keeping them from fogging up, worse now with a cheater. I did 3d print a little thing that held a 5v fan on the back and ran off of a USB battery backup but never figured out a way to keep the cord from getting in the way and didn't want the weight of the battery on my head.

 

[GarageHobbyist]

Ok fellas, explain these for me and the rest of the group who aren't familiar with PipelinersCloud hoods: are these auto-darkening or fixed? From the website I gathered they're fixed shade (non adjustable), but I'm otherwise unfamiliar with them.

Basically it is a Fibre Metal hood cut down, and then has leather put in place of the cut down areas.

They don’t come with a lens. It takes a 4x2 lens so you can use whatever you want.

I have an Auto darkening shade 10 in mine. So I can’t adjust the shade, but it does auto darken.
There are tons of options, including fully adjustable lenses.

The biggest benefit for me is not having a rigid bottom allows me to tuck my chin in closer to my chest and also not hit things around me while sitting at a table or when in/under something.

 

[scooby074]

I have a really old Miller Big Window Elite thats been great all these years. That said, optical clarity has come a very long way since then. Not sure what id buy tbh

 

[NUTTSGT]

I want to add this about my Miller helmet. When I first bought it, I should have contacted Miller. It had an issue of not wanting to stay up in the locked position.

I dealt with it and finally got tired of it flipping down. I contacted Miller and as I figured, was out of warranty. I did purchase a new headgear for it and it's been absolutely fine. I think I just had a factory defective headgear from the start.


So I will also recommend, when looking for a helmet, look at the availability of service parts. You don't want to be waiting weeks for lense covers if you need your helmet.

 

[imagineer]

I've used Jackson and currently using a Miller Digital Performance.

The headgear on the Jackson was awful right from the start. The lens lasted about 3 years before it developed dead spots. I replaced it and got another few years from the helmet, the whole time the head gear was terrible.

My company started providing Miller helmets to the welders, so I grabbed one for myself. It's lighter than the Jackson. So far I like it better.

 

[Notgrownup]

I bought an inexpensive Hobart inventory that had good reviews and I don’t weld often. It has a grinding mode and the auto darkening mode works very well.

 

[IndyGarage]

I had an Optrel that quit working after a few years. I replaced it with a Speedglas. At one point I bought a Harbor Freight for home use. The Harbor Freight isn't "fast" enough for by Tig welder, but is fine for Mig, and it's much easier to use. The Speedglas is better, but uses up batteries and is more finicky.

 

[f121]

Speedglas. Night and day better than the other masks I’ve tried, won’t buy anything else now. It’s one of those tools that when it breaks, I’ll replace it with exactly the same.

 

[Outwest]

Basically it is a Fibre Metal hood cut down, and then has leather put in place of the cut down areas.

They don’t come with a lens. It takes a 4x2 lens so you can use whatever you want.

I have an Auto darkening shade 10 in mine. So I can’t adjust the shade, but it does auto darken.
There are tons of options, including fully adjustable lenses.

The biggest benefit for me is not having a rigid bottom allows me to tuck my chin in closer to my chest and also not hit things around me while sitting at a table or when in/under something.

Like was said here. These hoods are lighter if you’re packing one around all day. Many configurations can be had also. A larger lense makes for a bigger viewing area, but small helmets are nice for tight spaces as well as lighter. 2x4 lenses can be installed in place of fixed lenses also. As for a pancake design, they eliminate any shadows from light behind you glaring inside your helmet. I have been a recent convert to one since the majority of my welding is done outside on sights were setting up a “cloud” aka big umbrella isn’t optimal.

 

[Hohn]

I had used a Miller Digital Elite for several years. Bought a Lincoln Viking 3350 for Tig welding. Now I use a Miller Digital Infinity for everything. It is great. Here’s a good video comparing some higher end helmets.

Lee

I was going to post that video. Greg is a fellow cheesehead posting from near where I grew up in central WI. His accent makes me nostalgic. And he's a great welding instructor.
I wish I could offer opinions on nicer helmets, I'm still using my HF titanium. When I've earned the right to upgrade with more hood time, I will.

 

[emeraldcoupe]

i've bought a HF vulcan a few years ago, no issues with it.

 

[Wamsutta]

Speedglas. Night and day better than the other masks I’ve tried, won’t buy anything else now. It’s one of those tools that when it breaks, I’ll replace it with exactly the same.

I hope yours will automatically darken without having to push the button to wake it up first.

 

[Beerhippie]

Speedglas. Night and day better than the other masks I’ve tried, won’t buy anything else now. It’s one of those tools that when it breaks, I’ll replace it with exactly the same.

I'm guessing when you all recommend Speedglas, you don't mean the 100 model I have.

Not only do you have to remember to "wake it up", but it will darken under some LED lighting--which is all I use ion the shop these days. Not much use to an auto-helm that's dark all the time. If I wanted to do the "nod", I'd have kept my ancient whatever it was with fixed lens.

I see someone above brought up pancakes. I was waiting for that

 

[Burt Shaver]

Amazon Sign In

I’m just a DIY guy, bought this Toolium helmet for cheap, thought It would be junk but it does what it’s supposed to.

 

[Burt Shaver]

Amazon Sign In

I’m just a DIY guy, bought this Toolium helmet for cheap, thought It would be junk but it does what it’s supposed to.

Limited-time deal: TOOLIOM Welding Helmet, True Color Auto Darkening 1/1/1/1 Large Viewing 3.94"x 3.27" Welder Mask Hood with Weld/Grind/Cut Mode for TIG MIG/MAG MMA Plasma Grinding
https://a.co/d/25Yt04D

 

[Wamsutta]

The most important thing to welding is being able to see. If your prescription glasses are not perfect or if the clarity of your welding helmet is not spectacular, it will affect your ability to weld tremendously.

 

[yyc_ranger_4x4]

I barely dabble in hobby level welding in the garage when I get time.....however I found an ESAB Sentinel A60 for a good price, and a mail in refund offer a short while ago. I also have an older Miller auto darkening, and a Magnum (off brand) helmet. Night and day stepping into the ESAB. I'm happy with it. The color is great, and the viewing area is amazing. I find it lighter than the other ones....

 

[f121]

I'm guessing when you all recommend Speedglas, you don't mean the 100 model I have.

Not only do you have to remember to "wake it up", but it will darken under some LED lighting--which is all I use ion the shop these days. Not much use to an auto-helm that's dark all the time. If I wanted to do the "nod", I'd have kept my ancient whatever it was with fixed lens.

I see someone above brought up pancakes. I was waiting for that

Based a website trawl, I think mine is a 9100xx.

Ive not had any issues with led lights, my shop lights and all my work lights are led, and I use a lot of them when I’m welding. Only time the mask darkens when it shouldn’t is when the car I’m welding is on fire.

Maybe it’s a mains frequency thing, Europe uses 50hz, if it’s different where you are, maybe your mask is seeing the flash of your shop lights cycleing on and off?

I hope yours will automatically darken without having to push the button to wake it up first.

You have to turn the mask on, it’s never bothered me. I also have to turn the welder on and turn the gas on. I just hit the button on the mask when I’m about to start welding first, come back from break, whenever I’ve walked away from it for a while.