Passive welding helmets have been the go-to choice for every welder since the beginning of the welding. It is only the last decades and the evolution of technology that have made the use of auto darkening helmets the most essential part of welding, and have almost replaced the passive helmets.
Although auto darkening welding helmets have lots of advantages to offer to the welder, passive helmets are still extremely effective and will help you achieve great results with your projects, even though they lack some of the modern comforts of the auto darkening ones.
There are a lot of experienced welders, that are not willing to change their passive welding helmet for an auto darkening one, for a number of reasons. The most common one, is the fact that passive helmets keep them more alarmed and aware of the dangers during the process.
ALSO READ: How Do Auto Darkening Welding Helmets Work
If you are just entering the world of welding and you want to start with the classics, keep in mind that passive welding helmets, although they are a great tool for welding, they are considered to be the hard way compared to the auto darkening helmets.
Over the years, manufacturers have evolved passive helmets too. There are lots of options available in the market regarding passive welding helmets. They are a very affordable solution, and there are various designs to choose from.
Why use a passive welding helmet?
First things first, passive welding helmets are more than suitable for welders that are on a budget. They come in much cheaper prices compared to the auto darkening helmets, mostly because of their less advanced technology requirements.
They have nothing less to offer than auto darkening helmets, and they are absolutely durable no matter the circumstances under which you use them. They protect the welder effectively, keeping his head and face safe from burns, fumes or accidents caused by debris at all times.
As far as the eye protection is concerned, passive welding helmets have the ability to provide the needed shading to protect your visions from intense light and harmful rays during the welding process. In addition to this, your face stays protected from extreme heat and high temperatures because of their solid structure.
Keep in mind that nowadays, most of the passive welding helmet models provide the ability of upgrading them by installing an auto darkening lens. This type of flexibility, lets you decide between having a passive or an auto darkening welding helmet, and adjust your helmet to your specific needs.
What I personally like about passive welding helmets, is the fact that they make you stay alert and learn to be more cautious during welding. Especially for beginners, I think that this is a very important skill they have to acquire in order to avoid harming their health.
Instead of just relying to the automatic features of an auto darkening welding helmet, welders can use passive helmet, and enhance their knowledge and experience considering welding by learning to weld cautiously and alarmed.
The advantages of a passive welding helmet
There are certain advantages that passive welding helmets have over auto darkening helmets. Although both types of helmets work great when it comes to welding, in this article we have compiled a list of advantages that passive helmets have to offer to the welder:
1 – Affordable price
The first one is one of the most important considerations (except safety) that beginner welders have to think of when they set off to purchase a welding helmet. Passive helmets are cheaper than auto darkening helmets, and sometimes they are WAY cheaper because some auto darkening helmets cost up to hundreds of dollars.
You can find high quality passive welding helmets at the price range of $30 to $60, and sometimes this amount of money is that you are going to need to acquire a great passive helmet.
Always keep in mind though, that you are going to need some extra money in order to invest into lenses of various shades, because passive helmets come with only one shade, usually the shade #10. That said, they are still the most affordable type of welding helmet in the market.
2 – No need for extra parts
Passive welding helmets are very convenient because you do not need extra parts to operate them. The helmet is all that you need, and maybe some extra lenses with various different shades according to the needs of your projects.
The lenses for passive welding helmets are very cheap, and you can buy multiple different shades to serve you in very low prices. This way, you can use the appropriate shade for protection for any type of welding process at a very low cost.
ALSO READ: Best Welding Helmets for Galvanized Steel
3 – Clear visibility
Sometimes, the lenses of the passive welding helmets are considered to be much clearer than the ones that the auto darkening welding helmets have. This is because their shades do not change, and they have only one dedicated shade applied.
Although this is not a fact in all cases, because the lenses are changed manually by the welder, it is considered that the shades remain cleaner. Auto darkening lenses sometimes interfere to the visibility of the user, making the vision somewhat blurry.
4 – They offer comfort
The lack of extra parts such as batteries or sensitivity controls, is the main reason why passive welding helmets are most of the times a lot more lightweight than their competitors, the auto darkening helmets.
Although it is a fact that having to remove the passive helmet while tack welding for instance may cause some neck discomfort, the majority of passive welding helmet sit very well on the head of the user, and offer stability to the neck.
5 – Sturdy structure
Passive welding helmets are very sturdy-structured tools compared to the auto darkening welding helmets. This is because they do not have controls in the interior or the exterior part, and this makes them less sensitive to damages.
In addition to this, their sturdiness provides a sense of extra protection to the welder, as they are designed to be stable and rough in order to protect the face of the user effectively.
The best passive welding helmets in the market
There is a wide variety of passive welding helmets in the market to choose from. In this article, we have gathered 5 of the best passive helmet, which offer amazing work convenience to the welder and can be found in very affordable prices. Let’s find out the details of these passive welding helmets:
Top pick
1 – Jackson Safety Fixed Shade W10 HSL 100
- DURABLE DESIGN – Jackson Safety welding helmet...
- ADAPTABLE & UPGRADABLE – This shield is hard hat...
- MULTI-USE – Auto darkening welding helmet...
- EXTRA SAFETY – The welding mask has an extended...
- COMPLIANT – This welding hood is CSA compliant...
Regarding passive welding helmets, the particular model by Jackson Safety is one of my favorites for many reasons. First of all, using this passive helmet you can work conveniently in tight spaces, as it has a very narrow shell that offers more room to the welder, along with movement flexibility.
The Jackson Safety Fixed Shade W10 HSL 100 covers the ears of the user effectively, so that they stay protected from burns. It has the ability to stabilize and protect your neck, because the particular helmet is extremely sturdy and stays in position no matter what.
The front of this great headgear is pretty extended, which means that if offers to the user clean vision and nice awareness of the surrounding environment. Protection-wise, the extended front part keep the neck and face safe from sparks, high temperatures and fumes.
It comes with a standard shade 10 filter, and cover plates installed by the manufacturer. If you want to upgrade the particular welding helmet model, you can adapt an ADF provided by the same manufacturer for better results and more convenience.
Personally, this welding helmet is one of my favorite passive helmet options. It can be used for almost any type of welding as it offers extended protection. For more information, you can find the Jackson Safety Fixed Shade W10 HSL 100 on Amazon.
Runner up
2 – Miller Electric Classic MP-10
- Lens Shade: 8 to 12
- Plate height: 3-2/5", plate width: 4"
- Viewing Area: 15-7/10 square inches
- Headgear: Ratchet
- Construction: Nylon
My second choice is the Passive Welding Helmet Classic MP-10 by Miller Electric. This is one of the simplest welding helmets in the market, both regarding its design and structure. The ideal option for minimalist welders that are not font of fancy welding helmets.
It has a professional-looking black color, without any other additional designs. It is constructed of nylon, and has a big viewing area in the front which offers great visibility to the welder. In the package, there is included a magnifying lens holder.
Along with the Miller Electric Passive Welding Helmet Classic MP-10, you get the standard shade 10 lens, which is the most common type of lens for the majority of passive welding helmets in the market.
All in all, it is my belief that if you are looking for a classic, passive welding helmet that offers protection and clear visibility to the welder, the Passive Welding Helmet Classic MP-10 is a great option. Find more information about the price of this model by Miller Electric on Amazon.
An amazing passive welding helmet
3 – Jackson Safety W10 HLX Arc Angel
- 2 Jackson Safety Fixed Shade Welding Helmet (W10...
- The welding hood has an ultra-lightweight shell...
- This durable shield is hard hat adaptable using...
- The standard shade 10 filter plate and cover...
- Meets ANSI Z87.1 - standards and is CSA compliant
Another great model by Jackson Safety. The particular company continues manufacturing great welding helmets that protect welders, while trying to evolve their designs even more over time. The particular model is amongst my favorites regarding passive welding helmets.
The Jackson Safety 24737 WH10 HLX 100 is a large welding helmet. This fact, makes it more comfortable for people with large heads or necks, as they can position it more conveniently. Although being a large helmet, it is very stable and not to heavy for the head of the user.
It has a very solid construction. I have used it multiple times, and have found out that it is capable of protecting the welder from all kinds of hazards, such as debris, fumes or sparks. The viewing area and the lens provided by the manufacturer are more than decent, and they are design to provide comfort to the user.
The Jackson Safety 24737 WH10 HLX 100 which you can find here, is one of the most comfortable passive welding helmets I have ever come across. It is slightly more expensive than the average passive welding helmet, but you can rest assured that the Jackson Safety will provide every means of convenience to the person that purchases it.
A light weight passive helmet
4 – ArcOne V-1500
- Passive shade 10
- Complete head, neck and ear coverage
- Ergonomically designed for less fatigue
- Get noticed with this unique speedway DECAL
- Sold individually
If we had to mention one thing only about this welding helmet, it would be its significantly light weight. The ArcOne V-1500 Re-Designed Vision Black Passive Helmet weighs 14 ounces, and is one of the most convenient passive welding helmets for long-hour projects.
The particular helmet covers the entire face area (ears and neck included), being a fairly large welding helmet. Such extended coverage, means that the safety levels of this welding helmet are high, and it will protect the welder during any type of welding process.
The ArcOne V-1500 is very nicely balanced, and holds its position when placed on the head of the user. Regarding moisture, the inside of the helmet has built-in absorbing material, so it is the perfect option for welders that find themselves sweating when working under high temperatures.
You can very easily remove the patent cover changing system, and equally easy replace the outside cover plates in no time at all, even if you are not a professional. If you are interested in such an effective passive welding helmet, you can check the ArcOne V-1500 Re-Designed Vision Black Passive Helmet here.
Last but not least
5 – Black Thermoplastic Tigerhood
This is a model the Fibre Metal Company, the Black Thermoplastic Tigerhood which you can check here. As you can see, Jackson Safety manufactures some of the best passive welding helmets in the market, giving the opportunity both to experienced and beginner welder to work with classic tools.
The particular helmet comes in a very affordable price, which you can check on Amazon. The view the particular welding helmet offers to the user is as clear as it gets, and it comes with shade 10 (the most common shade for passive welding helmets) polycarbonate filter.
The weight of its shell is 6 ounces, which makes it one of the most lightweight passive welding helmets in the market. I have used it for two or three lengthy project, and I can confirm that the convenience is a huge advantage for this fine passive welding helmet.
The solid structure of the Black Thermoplastic Tigerhood ensures durability over time, and maximum protection for the welder. Certainly, one awesome passive welding helmet, both for beginners and professionals.
Conclusion
Passive welding helmets are considered a classic tool in our days. Most welders prefer auto darkening helmets due to their flexibility, and the fact that they help the user maintain a certain workflow.
If you are a beginner that wants to start welding using a passive welding helmet, then the models reviewed in this article are some of the best choices found in the market today. Make sure that you check them out, research and test them to see if the fit your needs.
Happy work and keep welding!