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A welding helmet under $200 won’t buy you a high-end model like the 3m Speedglas.
However! With a $200 budget, you can certainly find some really good models that aren’t too far off the top of the range.
Be careful not to venture into budget territory, as some helmets lack basic features and are notoriously unreliable.
We’ve done the hard work and put together a list of popular and proven welding helmets that won’t cost you more than $200.
Let’s get straight to the point…
quick comparison
product | |||
---|---|---|---|
image | product | detail | |
Bestsellers Under $200 |
Miller Digital Performance |
1/1/1/2 Optical Clarity True Color Technology automatic switch |
check prices |
Excellent 180 panorama |
Yeswelder panorama |
True Color Technology Designed for tight spaces 180 degree wide field of view |
check prices |
Best Value Under $200 |
hobart inventor |
well balanced great headgear 1/1/1/2 Optical Clarity |
check prices |
|
Isab Savage A40 |
External grinding method 5 Amp TIG Sensitivity True Color Technology |
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known for comfort |
jackson insight |
High Quality Auto Dark The famous HaloX headgear 2.3″ x 3.9″ viewport |
check prices |
Here’s a list of some of the best welding helmets under $200 we’ve found:
1. Miller Electric Digital Performance Auto Darkening Welding Helmet – Best Overall
- three separate sensors
- rechargeable lithium battery
- three operating modes
- low battery indicator
- ClearLight technology
advantage
- Quick release lens cap
- lightweight construction
- solar energy
- Automatically turns on and off
- Viewport 7.2 square inches
shortcoming
- Not suitable for overhead welding
- Complaint hood won’t stay up
overview
The Miller Electric Digital Performance Auto-Dim Welding Helmet features an automatic switch that activates when you pick it up and turns off after a period of rest. The lithium-ion battery is charged by solar energy. The viewport measures 7.2 square inches, which is quite large for this price range. It’s also equipped with Miller’s ClearLight lens technology, which provides a true color view of the melt pool instead of the usual green.
Owners speak highly of the comfort of this lightweight welding helmet. The Miller Electric Digital Performance Auto-Dark Welding Helmet has an optical clarity rating of 1/1/1/2 for excellent clarity during welding. Miller supplied Digital Performance with three arc sensors for excellent flash protection. One issue some owners have mentioned is that the hood doesn’t stay in the raised position all the time without fiddling with the tension adjustment.
The Miller Electric Digital Performance has three shade modes. Weld mode uses shades 8-13, cut mode uses shades 5-8, and grind mode uses shades 3. Miller also offers a separately available hard hat adapter for this helmet. At under $200, this helmet is a top pick.
2. Yeswelder Panoramic Welding Helmet – Excellent value for money
- Viewport is 14.8 inches square
- True Color Technology
- controls inside
- suitable for tight places
- 6 dimming sensors
advantage
- Side windows automatically dimmed
- Optical Clarity Class 1/1/1/1
- Independent Viewport Activation
- solid structure
- Provides 180-degree field of view
shortcoming
- cheap quality headgear
- Unmasked DC TIG
overview
Another automatic blind welding helmet that costs less than $200 is the Yeswelder Panoramic. It offers excellent value in this price range thanks to a full 180-degree panoramic view with three independent viewports – each automatically dimmed independently of the others. Almost 15 square inches of viewing area. In addition to the huge field of view, the lens has an optical quality rating of 1/1/1/1.
There are 6 arc sensors on the Yeswelder panoramic welding helmet to avoid obscuring the automatic darkening system. With True Color technology, you can view the melt pool in real-world colors, really improving your ability to produce high-quality work. The helmet features a tight fit, compact size and nice curves that look high-tech but not weird.
Owners love the comfort, but some complain about the cheap quality headgear. The usual solution is to install a Jackson helmet and you have a helmet that is very comfortable, light weight, great visibility, and inexpensive. We can make this easier for you with our discount coupon codes. Put the WELDGURU10 in at checkout and you can use the money you save on a new helmet, getting a quality helmet at low cost.
3. Hobart Inventor Auto-Darkable Welding Helmet – A Top Pick
- 4 flash sensors
- automatic switch
- low battery indicator
- The viewport is 9.3 inches square
- Variable 8-13 shade levels
advantage
- Lightweight Nylon Shell
- Set using the dial
- with grinding mode
- 5 Amp TIG Sensitivity
- great headgear
shortcoming
- Not suitable for working at heights
- May dim in bright lights
overview
The Hobart Inventor is one of the most popular welding helmets available for under $200. It has a lightweight polyamide nylon shell, making it a well-balanced helmet, but because it’s so light, Hobart recommends against using this helmet for overhead welding. The comfortable, height-adjustable headband gets high marks from owners, with top crown height adjustment as well as headband size adjustment.
The settings controls are located on the inside below the viewport of the Hobart Inventor Auto-Darkening Welding Helmet, Hobart chose to use dials instead of buttons. For some welders, the dial is easier to use than the buttons when you’re wearing gloves. There is a grind mode button as well as sensitivity and delay controls and 9-13 shade level adjustments. Hobart also equipped this helmet with 1/1/1/2 optical clarity which is excellent for welding helmets in this price range.
The Hobart Inventor Auto Darkening Welding Helmet has a reaction time of 1/25,000 of a second, very fast for a helmet of this class. For DC TIG use, this helmet has a sensitivity as low as 5 amps, which many similarly priced helmets cannot detect. It’s also compatible with cheat lenses and comes with a 2-year warranty.
4. ESAB Savage A40 Black Welding Helmet
- External Shade Control
- 4 arc sensors
- True Color Technology
- High-tech lightweight housing
- 7.7 square inch viewport
advantage
- Optical Clarity 1/1/1/2
- Latency and response control in
- External grinding mode button
- 5 Amp TIG Sensitivity
- solar energy
shortcoming
- Triggered by LED lighting
- not charging the battery
overview
Another well-respected helmet for under $200 is the ESAB Savage A40 because it features True Color technology, which offers real-world color at an affordable price. The auto-dimming function is sensitive to DC TIG down to 5 amps. Not all auto darkening helmets will respond uniformly to low amperage TIG arcs, especially DC TIG as the arc simply isn’t as bright as other craft’s arcs.
This helmet offers a decent set of features for its class. The ESAB Savage A40 Black Welding Helmet has a response time of 0.07 milliseconds and an optical clarity rating of 1/1/1/2. Combined with the 7.7 square inch true-color viewport, it’s easy to see your work and enhance your quality. Although it has a lithium battery and solar power, the Savage A40 does not charge the battery.
ESAB Savage A40 Black Welding Helmet Variable Delay Adjustment lets you decide how long the viewport remains dark after you stop welding. One issue the owners mentioned was the tendency to trigger auto-dimming in bright LED lighting. ESAB credits the inspiration for this helmet to its aggressively styled Sentinel A50, a more upscale professional welder’s helmet.
5. Jackson Safety Insight Auto Darkening Welding Helmet – Extremely Comfortable
- 4 arc sensors
- 9 square inch viewport
- digital control
- lithium battery
- grinding mode
advantage
- Industry Favorite Headwear
- outstanding optics
- Ultra-light nylon shell
- jackson shells are interchangeable
- Shade Levels 9-13
shortcoming
- could be stronger
- Not suitable for working at heights
overview
Jackson Safety makes some of the most common welding helmets. The Jackson Insight Variable Auto Darkening Welding Helmets are known for their comfortable HaloX helmets. It is often ported into other brands of helmets. With this helmet and ultra-light nylon shell, the Jackson Insight is perfect for working long shifts. It’s also well balanced on the head, according to the owner.
The Jackson Insight Variable Auto Darkening Welding Helmet has been acclaimed for its high quality optics and excellent auto darkening performance. Controls are located on the inside, with digital readouts that give you at-a-glance information on your current shade level, latency, and sensitivity settings. Some owners have reported that the bottom of the helmet is too short to cover the neck well.
The shell of this helmet is interchangeable with other Jackson helmets. This gives some options for heavier tasks like high-altitude welding. This enclosure is too light for working at heights. The Jackson Insight variable auto-darkening welding helmet uses the HLX100 shell. You can replace the HSL100 housing for overhead welding and replace the filter into a heavier housing.
About Jeff Grill
Jeff Grill hails from Long Island, a 118-mile stretch of land that stretches from the shores of Manhattan to the depths of the Atlantic Ocean. He was interested in welding from an early age, as evidenced by the scars on his body when he started working with various metals.