10 Best MIG welding Helmets | Find Our Top Picks

Welding is one of the processes you can never miss in a blacksmithing workshop. This is a job that most people enjoy doing. Whether you work as full time smith or weekend smith, you will definitely need something to protect your face from metal sparks.

This is because many times when you are welding there are metal sparks produced which might be harmful to your face more especially the eye. So you will need a welding helmet to protect yourself from the sparks.

These equipment have lenses that ensure you have a clear view of the workshop area while protecting your face.

They are comfortable and you can wear them for a long period of time while working. They are equipped with auto-darkening mode which controls the entry of light into your eyes.

How to use a Gasless MIG Welder?

Gasless MIG welding is the protection of the weld pool from oxygen. This process is normally done by displacing the air with the gas.

The gasless MIG wires which is also called the self shielding, is absolutely one of the easiest method that you can do it perfectly.

Preparation

Before doing anything or starting to weld, safety is very important. This is the first thing to do.

Ensure that you have all the safety materials and apparel and remove any fire hazard from the welding area that might cause fire or any other hazard. The safety materials may include the following;

-Flame resistant and long sleeve jacket

-Leather gloves

-Welding Helmet

-Cuff less full length trousers

-Safety Glasses

This will prevent the welder from dangerous and harmful treats that can result from the welding.

1^st Step

Start by preparing the metal. The welding surface of the metal should be prepared enough before starting to weld. This is because sometimes the surface might be rusty or scaly thus cleaning it is very important to avoid contamination with the final weld.

Make sure that you have everything needed in order to get a positive answer at the end of the process. The metal preparation should not take too long because it is just a matter of cleaning.

2^nd Step

At stage two is a point where you will prepare all the equipment and wait for the results. It is important to check your welding equipment before striking an arc. First you have to ensure that all the cables are tight and free from any other damage.

Also ensure that the tension on the drive rolls or the wire spool is not too much or too little and adjust accordingly. Select the electrode polarity and use the correct drive rolls.

3^rd Step

Different welding operations requires different welding wires, it is important to select the right wire for the job you are doing.

The welding wires are also of different sizes and the right size is required that is why it is important first to select the best wire for welding job at hand.

Welding thicker materials requires the wire diameter to be thicker compared when welding very thin materials which requires very thick welding wires.

4^th Step

The amperage or voltage of a weld depends on the thickness of the wire diameter, the metal thickness and the welding position. This combined can give the idea of the exact amperage and the voltage required for the job to be done.

The voltage and amperage can be high if the diameter of the wire and the thickness of the metal is bigger and on the other hand if it is small then the amperage and voltage is smaller.

5^th Step

This is the position of the gun relative to the welding joint’s plain surface. It is of two types and you can opt to use any of them;

-Horizontal position

In this position, the welding gun points upwards towards the top metal piece but drops slightly at an angle between 0 to 15 degrees. Without changing this work angle, the metal filters will rollover to the bottom side of the metal joint.

-Vertical Position

In this position it of two ways either down or up. The vertical down is ideal when welding thin metals while the vertical up is okay for welding thick metals. You can decide to use any of the two according to the client’s needs.

Our Picks of 8 Best MIG welding helmet:

1. 3M Speedglas Welding Helmet

This helmet provides a professional face and eye protection from harmful radiation. This harmful radiation includes the visible light, infrared radiation and ultra-violet radiation.

In addition to offering a high level protection, the helmet also provides comfort to increase satisfaction and productivity of the worker. It is made with side windows which have five shade filters to improve the field of vision.

Thanks to the aerodynamic exhaust vents and ergonomically designed headgear. They help in drawing hot air out of the helmet and away from the face hence reducing heat build up, fogging and keeping you fresh and cool all the time.

This welding helmet might offer you very high quality hood because of its excellent optics. It is engineered to guard your face from sparks, heat and debris. Also it is equipped with comfortable straps that facilitates a secure fit.

Features

2. Welding Helmet, Black, 3350 Series

The 3350 series is a safety helmet prepared with great expertize. You might need something to put on between your face and all those sparkling fumes and fluxes to do all those jobs for you.

This is the helmet you might depend on because it is designed to offer maximum safety as well as a total comfort as you do your job. This product is made with 4C technology which ensures that your visual view is clearer.

3350 series has an ADF control knob which is easy and simple to operate. The helmet is normally operated on the lithium battery.

That design of the product is well factored providing enough comfort as you perform your duties. This is so because it is made such a way that it does not absorb smoke or fumes from the welding activities.

It is completely versatile since it can be used in MIG weld, TIG welding or stick weld. With the 4C technology, you are assured of clarity, real colour view, consistent shade at different bangles and a lightweight product for easy portability.

Features

3. Hobart 770756 Impact Variable Auto-Dark Helmet

With diversification of welding industry, it is important to create an excellent protection gear for the welders.

Hobart is a renowned manufacturer and distributer of helmets for welding. The latest being Hobart 770756. This helmet comes with numerous features that enhance comfort ability and quality.

It is specifically designed to protect the eyes from harmful rays of the light. Equipped with the technology of liquid crystal display, lens, and LCD the product is well pumped to provide clarity and safety at welding sites.

Its well designed lens might protect the eyes while absorbing light effectively. No discomfort or blind flashes. It has large viewing area that gives a better view than other helmets.

The moment you begin welding, it darkens accordingly to protect the eyes. Its darker shades ranges from 8 to 13. The design enables you to easily adjust the sensitivity to the point you want using 3 arc sensors.

Features

4. Jackson Safety BH3 Auto Darkening Welding Helmet

For individuals who are looking for durable, high quality and auto-darkening welding helmet, then they might consider Jackson safety BH3. This helmet is manufactured with advanced features to provide highest possible clarity and great safety.

It is made with a massive viewing area that provides plenty of visibility of working area. It is also created with balder technology that provides high standards of the visual quality.

You can easily weld important details with no interference. The auto-darkening feature offers the shade range of 9 to 13. The user can also adjust the sensitivity and delay of the helmet.

The lens is wavelength meaning that it can only go dark when it detects the arc but stays inactivated the moment you look at the bulb or sun. The aerodynamic shell provides better protection against smoke and fumes.

The cover plate is uniquely curved to promote the deflection of fume and reduce the fogging up of the lens

Features

5. Auto Darkening Welding Helmet

This is a fully automatic helmet that switches from light to dark automatically the moment you strike the arc. It is fitted with the solar panel for better functioning.

The delay switches, adjustable sensitivity and the grinding function of the helmet enables you to weld without removing the mask. It offers fully protection of the neck and also protects the lens from any scratching.

It is made of thin plastic material which makes it lightweight. This is a versatile welding helmet because it can be used in welding, grinding and cutting applications.

On the sides you will find the knob which can be used to adjust its sensitivity. Large viewing area that have four sensors enhances its visual clarity. The tightening system of the product can also be powered with both solar and battery.

Features

6. Antra AH6-260-0000 Solar Power Auto Darkening

This is a welding helmet that is best for TIG, MIG and Arc welding processes. This helmet could provide a complete protection from infrared rays and UV rays. It has ability of giving all the protection from radiation up to 16 shades.

Nothing makes this helmet great than its quick switching time. It has a switching time of 0.00004 seconds. The switching time is actually very critical since it helps the worker to deal with most critical situations.

With a wide field range of 3.86 inches by 1.78 inches, professional welders can easily survey the working place perfectly, hence completing the job at a perfect time.

This is a user-friendly helmet as you can easily control all the controls and adjust the auto-darkening sensitivity with simplicity.

Features

7. RHINO LARGE VIEW + GRIND Auto Darkening

This is a welding machine that is best suited for light welding jobs and applications. It is made with a large viewing window that looks impressive. The helmet measures 4 inches wide and 2.6 inches high. This therefore gives a 10 inch square viewing space.

It is also equipped with the auto-darkening feature that enhances protection of the eye from being blinded. In addition to its quick and easy adjustments, the helmet also has a fast reaction time to enable you start work immediately.

This product is absolutely lightweight since it only weighs under 2 lbs. Because of its lightweight, the helmet is therefore comfortable to wear for long hours while working.

It is uniquely designed to feature the nifty ratchet design that enables you to wear the face shield at different positions.

Features

8. Welding Helmet, Shade 3 and 8-12, Black

Majority of welding equipment may be prone to breaking because some of them may be thrown around the workshop and break or crack easily. But with welding helmet , shade 3 and 8-12, black the case is completely different.

This product seems to be extremely durable. This is because the product is made of strong plastic materials and in many occasions, it has proved to be strong. It can withstand the impacts of being dropped and thrown around and does not crack easily.

With a large viewing window, the user can enjoy the great angle of view hence improves the work rate. The auto darkening mode changes the moment it detects light in order to protect your eyes.

It has a quick switching time with easy controls which can be manipulated easily for better to fit and give better results. In addition to it being versatile, the helmet is also user-friendly.

Features

Buying Guide – How To Choose the Best MIG welding helmet?

Choosing the best MIG welding helmet might be a tricky challenge because there are many companies producing these products in the market today. Also majority of them look alike even though they are not the same.

1. Things to know

2. Search for the best

When one is working or welding, it requires that he/she feels free from heavy load thus light helmet will be better compared to heavy ones.

Heavy helmets will lead to neck pains after work and fatigue but on the other hand light helmets will not cause any issue to the welder hence for the best helmet, the light helmets are considered.

It is also ideal for professional welders who are working for the whole day to go for the light helmets while those working for small projects or hobbies can use either heavy or light.

Before investing fully on a helmet, it is better to check and look at the power source. The power source is supposed to be replaceable because there are some helmets that come with power source that are not replaceable giving the welder hard time in case he/she wants to replace.

The helmets are mostly powered by batteries or solar energy. When both are used it helps so much even in saving the energy of the batteries.

Every professional welder requires the best helmet so that he or she can focus on a large area when welding. When investing on any helmet, the size of the view is highly looked at.

Helmets that have smaller view size areas will limit one from doing a perfect job hence resulting to poor quality job while on the other hand helmets with large view size provides great quality job because one will not strain in doing the job or focusing exactly where to weld.

It is therefore recommended that when investing or buying a helmet, view size is very important and vital.

3. Make the budget

Price is a key factor in selecting and investing in an helmet. These products normally come in different prices and these prices are determined by different factors. Heavy helmets tend to be cheaper compared to lighter helmets which are not cheaper.

This is because of the weight and the strain caused to the welder. This means that helmets value is determined by how the price is.

Those that give great value are expensive and have very good qualities while those of less value tend to be very cheap because they have poor qualities. Make your budget considering what you want in a helmet

4. Fitting Helmet

Professional welders prefer risk free helmets and therefore helmets that fit takes centre stage. Welders are of different sizes especially the head and sometimes not all helmets can fit to some.

This factor is very important as it helps to avoid risks that can occur from loose helmets from the head. It is also painful when the helmet is too fitting because it makes the head so painful thus working becomes uneasy.

When the helmet is too loose, it falls all the time thus making work becoming hard as it falls all the time leading to uncomfortable environment. It might also cause danger as it might cause a health hazard.

Final Verdict

Finally as we have seen from the above discussion, it is therefore agreed that welding industry has greatly grown hence leading to many blacksmith occupational hazards. It is therefore agreed that it is important to protect your face from metal sparks produced when welding.

The welding helmets are the best item to use. This is because majority of them are manufactured with advanced features that were made putting the user in mind. They are made to protect you.

They have features that make them do better than others. As you choose the best one, you are therefore advisable to choose the one that meets all of your needs and demands. Check for the one that will satisfy you at an effective price.

The above list therefore gives you out best picks and you are recommended to choose from the above list if you are looking to buy a welding helmet. Also check for the above guidelines when you are choosing.