Basics of welding helmet / eyes and face protection when welding

Basically, arc welding is a very dangerous business in itself.
The user has to deal with the following dangers:

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Radiation (ultraviolet radiation and infrared radiation) - welding smoke - heat / warmth
- electrical hazard

A good welding helmet helps against radiation in the face area. The ultraviolet radiation produced during welding damages the skin and eyes. The resulting infrared radiation (heat radiation) can not only cause burns on unprotected parts of the body but can also extremely damage the retina.

In plain English, the welder damages his skin and eyes without the appropriate protective equipment. Burns to the skin often manifest themselves in the short term as redness and sunburn. The eyes itch and burn, but this can usually be relieved for a short time with drops. The long-term consequences are much worse, >> irreparable eye damage, skin cancer << to name the most extreme consequences.

Automatic welding helmet , welding helmet or welding shield

In addition to the protective function of the welding helmet, it is of course also about the optimal view of the welding process. Starting or ignition must also be easy to manage.
By and large, there are three versions of welding helmets.
The welding shield is the simplest type of head and face protection for a welder. It is often supplied with simple electrode and inert gas welding machines. In general, the welding shield no longer plays a role today and is simply no longer recommended.

The "normal" welding helmet is still very popular with many and, depending on the design, provides a very good protective function. Different bright arcs arise in different welding processes ( TIG , MAG, shielding gas or electrode ) and the glasses must then be replaced. Or the welder accepts poor vision or too bright a light, which is also not healthy for the eyes.
The biggest problem with a "normal" welding helmet is the ignition of the arc. When welding with electrodes, for example, the welder must first close the helmet and then ignite it in the correct position. What often looks easy for professionals is a real challenge for beginners and slightly advanced users. It becomes even more difficult when the component to be welded has to be positioned with one hand. In the other hand the electrode tongs or the TIG torch, the third hand that closes the helmet is missing. But I also looked in vain for modern versions with an extra large field of vision and great wearing comfort in our welding helmet test.

The automatic helmet is the first choice for many today. There are also good reasons for this. For one thing, the inexpensive ones are already quite acceptable today. On the other hand, the helmets are getting better and better. Perfect field of vision, perfect darkening in a fraction of a second. The comfort is simply brilliant, especially for beginners.

Flashing is a thing of the past.

The protective function

Basically, the protective function is or should be the most important property of a welding helmet. Since I can give the all-clear to all hoods that I have tested protect the head and face ideally.
Only the neck is a weak point in many helmets. The welder should pay attention to this and make improvements if necessary. With a retrofitted leather collar, for example, or a high-necked welding jacket. In any case, don't neglect or ignore it.
A special balaclava especially for welding is also a great thing. This then also protects the rest of the head from reflections, for example, and is also an ingenious protection against grinding dust in the hair or neck.

Correct protection level for every welding process

Choosing the right level of protection depends on the method used. But also from the current strength used. So the simplest rule is common sense.
If it is too light to choose darker, the welder cannot see the process properly as it becomes lighter. Levels 9 - 13 are normal, 9 is very light and 13 is very dark. Most welders choose level 10 or 11.
An automatic helmet is of course ingenious, the darkening can be adjusted within seconds and trying out is no longer a problem. Another absolute advantage of automatic helmets.

Optimal view of the welding process

In addition to its protective function, an elementary function of a welding helmet is that the welding process can be properly monitored. Can be observed and thus also evaluated.
Small field of view, poor positioning of the field of view are just a few problems that the user cannot use. Even cheap automatic helmets often have a small field of vision and this is often even equipped with poor darkening.
Extremely green or yellow darkenings are extremely annoying when welding.
And can spoil the fun with an automatic hood.
Modern hoods from for example Jackson or Optrel deliver brilliant results. But also some cheap ones deliver good results, as can be seen in our welding helmet test.

Comfort / functions

Especially when a hood is worn regularly, it must firstly be comfortable and secondly not too heavy.
Manufacturers like Speedglas really leave nothing to chance. The temples and thus the areas where pressure points or areas on the head arise are designed according to the most modern medical aspects. Of course, this cannot be expected from the € 40 welding hood, but there are also acceptable models.
There is nothing worse than a hood that is too heavy and squeezes like crazy.

The functions and usability are two elements in which manufacturers such as Optrel and Speedglas set standards.
The darkening can really still be adjusted for each automatic hood. When setting the sensitivity, many cheaper models strike. The user does not really need other setting options such as delaying until it gets light again.

The adjustment options with innovative rotary knobs, for example on the Speedglas 9100, are not only practical, they are just fun.
There were completely different variants in the test in the welding helmet test.

Ignition process

The perfect ignition process with the ideal welding hood. There's nothing like an automatic helmet. The welder places the TIG, MAG torch or the electrode on the weld seam and the moment it ignites, the hood darkens in fractions of a second. It just doesn't get any better. Even the beginner can hardly get lost.

Flashing is also such an issue, no matter how good the protective equipment is, it can always happen !!!!
So always have eye drops at the start.