The viewing area is one of the most important aspects of a welding helmet. It provides the ability to the welder, not only to work more conveniently in all type of spaces, but it also enhances his productivity allowing him to work faster and more efficiently, especially on materials that require high levels of accuracy.
Fortunately, manufacturers listened to the welders, and have designed and structured welding helmets with large viewing areas, that have helped the welding field a lot in the last decades.
Below, there are 3 auto darkening welding helmets with large viewing areas:
- Lincoln Electric VIKING 3350 Code Red
- Solar Powered Welding Helmet by DEKOPRO
- TGR Panoramic 180 View
Acquiring a large-view welding helmet is must, no matter the welding method you use. It is going to provide enhanced visibility, especially for welders with visions problems. Below, we have gathered information regarding the benefits of helmets with large viewing areas.
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What welding helmet has the largest viewing area?
Choosing one of the three helmet models we recommended above, will help you determine the benefits of working with large viewing areas from the first use. Panoramic or extended view is going to magnify your abilities, allowing you to work comfortably acquiring a better sense of your surroundings and the environment.
Apart from the previously mentioned models, the welding helmet with the largest viewing area I have come across is the Esab SENTINEL A50 which you can check out here. It has an amazingly wide view, which covers the entire area yours eyes can reach without moving your head.
It works amazingly well in tight spaces, since it allows the welder to work with the stick or the torch without having to change positions. Accuracy becomes an easy task, because of its magnificent optical clarity which only boosts its panoramic view.
A second, although equally awesome in the area of visibility welding helmet, is the Lincoln Electric K3540-3 VIKING 3250D which you can find here for more info. Lincoln Electric is one of the most trustworthy manufacturers in the welding field, and it is no surprise that they have created such an amazing helmet visibility-wise.
The particular model is not the most compact welding mask in the market, however it is fairly lightweight and wears extremely easily, offering comfort to the user. The main advantage of the helmet of course is the extended viewing area, covering completely the view from right to left, giving the welder the opportunity to work without vision obstacles between him and the materials.
Why is a large viewing area important for a welding helmet?
The success of a welding method depends on the accuracy and clear visibility of the welder. The main factor that determines the levels of accuracy and visibility is the quality of the lens. Along with the quality comes the size of the lens surface. This is called the viewing area.
A wide or large viewing area has more than one advantages to offer, since it has the ability to make the welding process convenient and more effective no matter the method or the materials the welders use.
The most important thing an extended viewing area has to offer, is the fact that it can make the work of a welder much easier when it comes to welding in difficult or uncomfortable positions that require minimum movement.
What is more, methods like plasma cutting require high levels of accuracy, which is difficult o achieve with welding helmets that have little viewing areas. The reason why, is because they limit your visibility allowing you to see only the exact front part of your view, restricting your perspective over the welding area.
Last but not least, not all people have clear vision. People with sensitive eyes or limited vision because of an issue, will find out that welding helmets with larger viewing areas than normal will help them gain advantage during a welding process. Of course, such helmets will maximize the result in combination with a high quality pair of glasses.
Disadvantages of large viewing area helmets
Being able to identify the disadvantages of welding helmets with large viewing areas, might come handy in certain situations. For example, working with such helmets in specific welding workplaces might prove inconvenient due to the size or the weight of the helmet.
The size of large viewing area welding helmets is the biggest disadvantage that I have come across. In certain occasions, such as extremely tight places, wearing a bigger than normal welding helmet might cause problems instead of solving them.
That said, the large viewing will certainly enhance your visibility, so it is a rough decision you have to make after determining what will assist you better: a large viewing area or a compact welding helmet.
Disadvantage number two is the weight of certain welding helmets with large viewing areas. Although this is not always the case since there are models like the Instapark ADF Series GX990T that you can find here, that combine effectively a lightweight structure with a larger-than-average viewing area.
Unfortunately, there are some welding helmet models that offer excellent optical clarity along with comfortable viewing areas that are simply too heavy to use, especially in difficult welding positions. In case your project takes place in a convenient environment, using them would cause any issues.
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Should you use welding mask with large viewing areas?
Absolutely yes. I highly recommend using large viewing-area helmets, because they will most likely going to help you boost your productivity and have a better, clearer view of your welding project during the procedure.
In case of a significantly high quality welding mask like the Optrel VegaView 2.5 which you can check out here for specifications and features, you will see the immediate benefits of a wide viewing area without making more effort yourself.
Despite the minor disadvantages, large viewing area helmets have great features to offer, that most welders will find more than sufficient regarding the quality of their work.
Conclusion
In this article, we have recommended some of the best welding helmets with large viewing areas in the market. Their improved visibility along with the extra viewing space, will provide the desired convenience to the welder for more successful and detailed weldings.
Although they might have weight or size issues, their advantages outweigh their disadvantages, making them a useful tool and a highly effective head gear for the welder.