WELDING HELMETS -SEE THE DIFFERENCE QUALITY MAKES
Like most PPE, there are significant differences in the quality and workmanship among different brands. Before you can make a decision on which brand, style and model is best suited for your operation, it pays to look at what is available, what the differences are and what the value of those differences are to you. The illustration at the left lists the product features to consider.Shell design refers to the size and shape of the helmet body known as the "shell". In face and eye protection, the goal of PPE is to erect a barrier between the wearers face and eyes and the hazards of the job. Therefore, a welding helmet should cover as much of the exposed area as possible to protect from the sparks, spatter, fumes and smoke produced by electric arc welding processes. In addition, the bottom of the shell should extend far enough to protect the throat area and the crown should be designed to cover as much as the head as possible while allowing smoke and fumes to escape out of the top.
Shell material is the raw material the helmet shell is molded from. Low priced helmet suppliers try to convince you that all welding helmets are alike. In reality, when it comes to material, that is partially true. All brands of welding helmets, except one, are molded from NYLON or a lesser material. Only one brand, Fibre-Metal by Honeywell, is molded from engineering grade thermoplastics called NORYL and AMODEL. NORYL and AMODEL are superior to NYLON and lesser materials in every performance characteristic related to welding. The Fibre-Metal Products Company invented the welding helmet and pioneered the use of lightweight thermoplastic materials.
It took their competitors years to try to duplicate the Fibre-Metal thermoplastic helmet and when they discovered they couldn't improve on it or even duplicate it, they tried to produce a lower priced version. NYLON is a low cost, easy to design molds for, easy to run material. If the goal is low price, it is the right material. On the other hand, NORYL and AMODEL are high quality materials requiring complex molds and molding techniques to produce high performance welding helmets . As each new competitor entered the market, they couldn't produce a better helmet so they settled for a cheaper helmet.
What does all of that mean to you? NORYL and AMODEL welding helmets outlast NYLON helmets by two to one. You get a much better return on your investment which helps your bottom line. They are extremely lightweight without being flimsy. Most NYLON helmets achieve their lightweight with thin, flimsy shells that are subject to burn through from spatter and simply can't hold up in a harsh welding environment.
NORYL and AMODEL welding helmets have no application restrictions. NYLON helmets warn that they can't be used for overhead welding thereby limiting their use. NORY and AMODEL helmets color is molded-in, NYLON must be painted. Painting adds to the cost and easily chips, peels, and flakes in use.
Filter holder, also known as the "glass" holder or "plate" holder is the part of the welding helmet that holds a filter plate. In addition to the risk of direct injury from sparks and spatter, welding produces harmful rays that can cause severe injury. To protect the welder, the radiation must be attenuated to acceptable levels by shaded filter plates. To begin with, the helmet must be designed so that the filter holder is positioned properly in the shell. It must allow the welder to see without having to assume an awkward working position that can put strain on his neck, shoulders and back. Next it must be molded as an integral part of the shell. Poor design, especially poor mold design, along with an inferior material and molding produces weak spots around the filter holder. Poor design or molding on the outside results in cracks that cause harmful light leak; poor design and molding on the inside results in a "halo" effect of harmful light. Both conditions can cause injury and distract a welder reducing productivity. Ease of installing the required cover/filter/safety plate package is also an important consideration.
(Filter devices, both passive and auto darkening, will be the subject of a separate post)
Headgear, the headgear is the only part of a welding helmet that comes in contact with a welder's body. It needs to hold the helmet on the wearers head comfortably but securely; it needs to balance and stabilize the helmets weight; it needs to position the shell and filter plate in the right position and as close to the wearers eyes as possible; it needs to have multiple adjustments for an individual fit and feel; and it needs to be sturdy enough to stand up to a welding environment. Below is an illustration of the headgear welders prefer over all others:
The design of this headgear is unlike any other, Compare the headgear in any helmet you consider with this one. If it has more to offer, buy it. If not, you cannot go wrong with welding helmets equipped with the Fibre-Metal by Honeywell brand headgear.
During day-to-day use, a welding helmet is lifted up in a "rest" position and then nodded down to the work position many times a day. A feature that is often over looked while evaluating helmets is the mechanism that controls that function. It is called a "friction joint" and it is an important part of the welding helmet functionality. You want a friction control with a knurled knob that can be griped with a gloved hand. You want it to turn easily and hold firmly. You want a simple design with a minimum number of parts. The friction joints in the illustrations are as good as they get. Again, compare.
Working in conjunction with the friction joint is a "position stop". The position stop determines the working position when the helmet is nodded into place. It is also an integral part of positioning the filter holder in front of the eyes, along with the overhead band in the headgear. Make sure the helmet you select has all of those adjustments and that they work well.
Accessories should be available. Headbands go a long way in providing comfort throughout the work day. Welding helmets should come with a quality headband installed. There should also be a wide selection of replacement heads available for individual preference.
In summary, when you evaluate welding helmets, look for:
1. Unique, functional designs
2. Made from exclusive, engineering grade materials
3. Industry’s user preferred headgears
4. Numerous adjustments for comfort and proper viewing position
5. Can be combined with protective caps
6. Ship with filter plates installed
7. Meets or exceeds ANSI Z87.1
8. SEI Certified
Use the information in this post and its illustrations as the choice criteria for your buying decision. Compare any brand you may be considering with what you see here. If you can buy something better - do it. But if what you are looking at doesn't have everything you see here, you can and should do better.
