Solar Powered Auto Darkening Welding Helmet Styles

Solar powered auto darkening helmets provide enhanced protection.

If you are a welder, you will appreciate the enhanced protection and ease of use provided by solar powered welding helmets. With these helmets, there is no need to lift the helmet between welds. They have many advanced features and options to protect you and make your work easier. Once you know what options are available, you can select a helmet perfectly suited to the work you do.

Auto Darkening

Protect your eyes from welding flash with a shield lens that darkens automatically when you start to weld and clears almost instantaneously when you stop. Select from reaction times of 1/10000 second to 1/25000 second. Choose a helmet with four or five sensors, which will provide better coverage, especially when the weld is not always directly in front of you. Choose a helmet with adjustable delay controls if you prefer not to have the lens lighten immediately when you stop welding. Add the adjustable sensitivity control feature to regulate how sensitive your lens is to increased light.

Lens Shades

Select a lens that allows you to see well in your work area. The most common lens shades for natural light are Shade 3 and Shade 4. If you consistently do only one type of welding, pick a solar lens that darkens to the shade needed for that work. If you do several types of welding, select a shade-adjustable lens that you switch to fit each type. These lenses provide protection from Shade 8 through Shade 13, and you can set them for any shade within that range. Pick a top-of-the-line lens that adds Shade 5 through Shade 8 to provide eye protection for grinding and cutting.

Adjustable Headbands

Choose a headband you can adjust for a comfortable, secure fit. The simplest and least expensive you manually adjust to your head circumference. For convenience, pick a ratchet adjustment, which has a knob you turn to tighten or loosen the headband. Or choose a two-way headband that adjusts to fit both your head circumference and the distance between the top of your head and the circumference headband. If you wear glasses, select a headband that allows you to adjust the space between the helmet and your face, as well as the angle formed by the bottom of the mask touching your chest.

Power

To protect against accidental welding flash and ensure complete eye protection, choose a welding helmet powered by solar energy. Because it has no batteries, it has no on-off switch. A solar welding helmet that uses batteries must be turned on to weld and may automatically shut off after you finish, requiring you to turn it on again before your next weld.

Air-purifying Helmet

To protect yourself from breathing fumes or dust while you weld, buy a solar powered auto darkening welding helmet that purifies the air. This helmet uses changeable, rechargeable lithium batteries and weighs less than 18 ounces. You breathe filtered air supplied by a tube connected to the filtering unit, which you carry in a case strapped to your waist.

References

• Academia; Auto Darkening Welding Helmet Basics; Sperian Optrel; January 2011
• Welding Design & Fabrication: Welding Helmets -- What You Need to Know ...; Caleb Krisher; August 2008
• Miller Welds: Selecting the Right Welding Helmet for You
• Wuhan Welhel Photoelectric Co., Ltd: Powered Air Purifying Solar Auto-Darkening Welding Helmet

Resources

• Purdue University Department of Chemistry: Welding/Torchcutting Shades
• Welding Helmet: Types of Welding Helmets
• The Med Supply Guide: Welding Helmets -- Welders Helmet
• Types of Welding: Auto Darkening Welding Helmet -- Indispensible Equipment for Welders
• Northern Tool + Equipment: Welding