Best Auto Darkening Welding Helmet

Auto-darkening welding helmets are magic. For those that don’t know, the glass in the helmet appears to be a normal piece of glass until the welder kicks off and suddenly it goes dark in an instant. Auto-darkening helmets are fantastic for making welding tasks quicker and safer, and should be apart of every welders safety gear along with your welding gloves. But, which are the best auto darkening welding helmets available right now we hear you cry? Glad you asked! Here they are!

The Best Auto Darkening Welding Helmets 2019

Forney 55703 Premier Series Edge

Core Features

This auto-darkening welding helmet from Forney is the perfect welding helmet for a hobbyist or beginner. It is a very user-friendly helmet, making it great for anyone who isn’t familiar with welding. It is also comfortable and economical for lots of basic welding tasks. This is a fantastic welding helmet, it auto darkens very quickly and is made extremely well for the price, it will certainly survive a fall off a bench, for example.

This is a basic welding helmet. It is great for getting started in welding and will last you for many years. This helmet may not have all the features a professional will need, but for a beginner, it is fantastic. In fact, it's one of the best helmets on this list for a hobbyist or beginner that isn’t looking for every bell and whistle but wants a safe and reliable welding helmet to learn and grow their skills.

Antra Welding Helmet AH6-260 Solar Power Auto Darkening

Core Features

We’re impressed with this Antra welding helmet, as are many users. For the price, this helmet seems too good to be true, but it isn’t. It really works extremely well and has loads of features that other welding helmets at this price range don’t have. It has shade selection, optional accessories to help further your welding and 4 sensors. 4 sensors are crazy in a helmet this cheap, and it is nice to see.

This welding helmet is an outstanding choice for a beginner, hobbyist or even some metal fabricators! This is simply a mind-blowing welding helmet for this price. Every feature works well, it is comfortable, and it will last you a long time. Whether you are looking for your first welding helmet or your 10th, consider this one. It may not suit every professional metal fabricator out there, but for most applications, this is an excellent helmet for a great price.

Antra Welding Helmet Auto Darkening AH7-360 Solar + Battery

Core Features

This Antra welding helmet has some excellent clarity and one of the largest viewing screens in its class. A lot of people love this helmet, from total beginners to professionals. The price of this helmet is extremely tempting for anyone who wants to learn how to weld and for most fabricators, why spend more if this does the job?

Well, this certainly does do the job! This is fit for stick, mig and tig, has variable shades, 4 sensors and simple internals making it quick, easy and versatile. We aren’t too sure that this helmet would last for years getting thrown around a shop, but if you take good care of it, it will take of you! This is a seriously impressive helmet for the price and one that is perfect for beginners, hobbyists, and careful pros! This is one of the most serviceable helmets on this list and will last most of us for years!

Instapark ADF Series GX-5002 Solar Powered Auto Darkening Welding Helmet

Core Features

This welding helmet from Instapark is a great helmet for the money. There are some trade-offs, but many welding helmets at this price range suffer from the same issues. For instance, the headband is slightly on the small side, so this can make the helmet a little uncomfortable for some. However, this is still a fine helmet for a beginner or hobbyist.

There are some adjustments inside the helmet to fine-tune the shade levels for the job you have on the bench. You can use these to adjust the delay of the darkening too. It has everything an auto darkening helmet needs, but there are some drawbacks. For example, this welding helmet does work great outdoors. There are certainly better welding helmets on the market in this price range, like the welding helmet above.

Dekopro Solar Powered Welding Helmet Auto Darkening Hood

Core Features

This welding helmet has impressed many welders from beginners to professionals. Of course, due to the price range, this may not have the best construction, but it certainly has a load of features that are excellent for safe welding. In fact, many professionals have compared this helmet to more expensive ones and have found that it stacks up very well against them! This is quite remarkable, considering the price.

Now, this helmet may look cool, and it does, it is certainly one of the coolest looking lids on this list. However, we are really impressed with how well this helmet works too. You can weld for minutes at a time, and it stays dark and performs perfectly. The downside is that is doesn’t have as much adjustment as some of the other welding helmets on this list.

ESAB Sentinel A50 Welding Helmet

Let’s first take a moment to say how cool this welding helmet looks! It looks like something out of a video game; we love the design. Of course, the design does make practical sense as well as looking cool. This helmet is seriously comfortable and has been designed to be worn all day. So, clearly this is a welding helmet designed for professionals, and it certainly packs enough features to make every pro want one!

The memory settings are an excellent touch. Rather than having presets, you make the presets. You have 8 slots to store your most used settings and a further grinding slot. You can store these settings using the touch screen controls. So this welding helmet is as versatile as you want to make it. The color of the arc is great, and so is the clarity too. Honestly, if you’re reading this list of welding helmets just to see what we think about this helmet, just grab it, you’ll love it! In the words of one pro, “this helmet is the tits!”

Lincoln Electric Welding Helmet Black 3350 Series

Core Features

Lincoln Electric has been at the forefront of welding for a long time for good reason. They make some of the best welding equipment around. This welding helmet is no exception to the Lincoln rule. This is an excellent piece of design that works flawlessly in any welding or grinding capacity. One of the biggest comments about this welding helmet that we’ve heard is the clarity and color variation that you can see during welding. This is something that other welding helmets cannot do, but you can actually see color variations in the welds during welding!

This is a superior piece of kit perfect for any serious welders, whether that’s a hobbyist or a metal fabricator with 50 years experience. You will love this welding helmet and it will treat you well for many years to come! This helmet is the top of its class in function, comfort and performance.

We hope this list of excellent auto-darkening welding helmets has helped you choose your first or new helmet! Check out the rest of our reviews to find out about the best plasma cutters on the market.