Have you made up your mind that you really need an auto darkening welding helmet? And now you are scratching your head wondering which is the best one for you to buy?
I have a few tips for you that might just help you get the right welding helmet. There sure are a lot to choose from.
Light Stroller
Darkening speed is really important. Good auto darkening helmets change in 1/20,000 second or less. Dont buy anything slower. Some auto helmets are not adjustable and are fixed at a shade 10. How do you know that will work for you. It would kind of suck to discover your eyes hurt after welding with a shade 10 and not be able to make it darker. Get one that is adjustable from shade 9-13 and you will not be sorry. Sensitivity and Delay settings. What are they? Sensitivity is important because sometimes the overhead lighting makes it darken when you don't want it to darken. Adjusting the sensitivity lets you avoid that. Delay is helpful in keeping the lens dark so you don't have to stare at a red hot weld, and also to prevent from being flashed if something blocks one of the light sensors for a moment. Some high end auto darkening welding helmets like the Miller Elite also have an Electro Magnetic sensor to detect not only light, but the electric magnetic field created by the arc. For tig welding at really low amperages or with a tig inverter, this is a very helpful feature.
In my opinion the 3 best and most reputable brands and models of auto darkening lens helmets are:
Speedglas SL (SL is for super lite)
Miller Elite ( has the EMF sensor)
Jackson Nexgen ( has a grinding and oxy torch mode)
But what about the really cheap auto darkening helmets I see advertised?
I would not get a cheap one for your primary helmet if you weld for a living. But for an extra helmet or if you are a hobby weekend warrior welder,
Well, there is only one I can personally recommend because I bought it just to review.