Choosing the Right Welding Mask

A welder’s mask consists of a shell that fully covers the face and neck, fitted with a glass visor with or without a filter. Some welding masks offer more advanced protection, including an adjustable headband, automatic tint filters, and various sensitivity and tint change speed settings. This optimizes the welder’s safety and comfort while working.

It is essential to adjust the tint of your mask before each weld to ensure adequate eye protection. Two different tinting technologies are available:

• Traditional masks feature only one fixed-tint glass, with a limited choice of up to 13 tints. With this type of mask, it is necessary to manually change the tinted glass to suit the material and thickness to be welded.
• Self-darkening masks, also known as optoelectronic, automatic, or active masks, are more sophisticated. They are equipped with liquid crystal filters (LCD) which automatically darken in a fraction of a second as soon as the welding arc appears. When an electric arc appears, the sensors send an electronic pulse to the liquid crystals, causing them to change shade according to the arc’s light intensity. Opto-electronic masks enable faster shade changes than traditional masks. They offer better protection than traditional masks but are also more expensive.

Some automatic masks offer several options for increased comfort when welding. It is important to check these options when making your purchase:

Telwin automatic welding mask

• Delay in returning to light color after weld completion: you can choose the speed at which light color returns once your weld is complete. The higher the amperage of your weld, the slower the return to light color should be.
• The light-tone lock function: for grinding work, it is possible to lock the mask in light tones, but this function must be deactivated when you resume your welding work.
• Tint level setting: this can be selected manually. You need to choose the right degree for your activity. The knob is usually located on the outside of the mask. The level of darkness must be adapted to the intensity of the arc for optimum protection. A mask that is too dark can impair vision, while one that is not dark enough can lead to overexposure to radiation.
• Sensitivity adjustment: depending on the surrounding light, if the mask doesn’t detect the presence of the arc easily enough, you can increase the sensitivity.

Before choosing a welding mask, it’s essential to determine the conditions under which it will be used. The type of protection differs between occasional, small-scale welding and frequent, intensive arc welding.

Passive welding helmet

Composed of light-filtering tinted glass, it offers protection against splinters. It is called passive because it contains only one level of filtration.

For occasional use, a hand-held mask is sufficient (you hold it with one hand while the other does the welding). For more frequent use, we advise you to opt for a headband mask or helmet that fits over your head, leaving your hands free.

Advantages:

• It’s lightweight and space-saving.
• Suitable for low-intensity welding, around 20 amperes.

Disadvantages:

• It only protects the face and neck, not the whole head.

Auto-darkening welding helmet

Equipped with liquid crystals and is automatic, i.e. it automatically adjusts its degree of darkening according to light exposure. The glass is composed of liquid crystals that automatically darken according to the light intensity to which you are exposed. This type of mask is usually powered by a lithium battery.

Advantages:

• Shaped like a ski mask, it offers complete head and neck protection. It is therefore safer than a passive mask.
• It is suitable for high-intensity welding, particularly with arc welders.

There are three main criteria for choosing a welding mask:

SINCOSALD self-darkening welding mask

Tint level

It’s important to consider the tint level. The various models of helmets/masks offer a wide range of tint settings, adapted to the welding current value. The wider and more precise this adjustment range, the more you can use different current levels, which translates into optimum protection, whether in terms of welding intensity or welding method.

The tint level setting for automatic welding masks may vary depending on the model. A higher value provides effective protection, even when welding at currents over 350A.

The welding method

Your choice of welding mask also depends on the welding method. If you plan to use the MIG/MAG or MMA methods, an auto-darkening mask with two sensors and an adjustable darkening level will be sufficient. On the other hand, if you plan to weld using the TIG method, it is advisable to choose a welding mask that offers clear visibility and rapid darkening to protect the eyes from intense light arcs.

Welding frequency

Your choice of mask should also take into account the nature of your work. If you do occasional welding, there’s no need to invest in expensive, professional equipment.

Welding mask prices can vary. This mainly depends on the type of mask, but also on the parameters chosen, such as the level of darkening.

In addition, auto-darkening masks can be fitted with two to four integrated arc sensors. The number of sensors therefore influences the final price of the mask.

Finally, the EN 379 standards classify welding masks into four categories, each with its own price: optical class, light diffusion, variation in visible transmission, and angular dependence.