Best Welding Safety Glasses Shade #14 to #5
If you are doing any form of welding work, whether it is a one-off DIY job, or you weld on a more regular basis, then it is important to make sure that you have the right kind of eye protection. Even the briefest of exposure to the welding arc can cause what is known as ‘welders flash'. This is a condition that is symptomatic of damage to the eyes. If you have ever looked briefly at a bright light and then looked away then you know that you can get a blind spot that flashes in the vision. When your eyes are exposed to the welding arc directly then this damage can last a lot longer and even in some cases become permanent. Therefore it is highly important to make sure that you have the right eye protection in place before you start any work. There are many different types of safety glasses available and we will take you through some of the best of them. If you want additional help on knowing which glasses to choose then have a look at our buyers guide at the end of this article.
Servore Auto Shade Darkening Welding Goggles
Shade #13
These are a great pair of safety goggles that are easier to use and wear than using a full helmet. The controls are really simple to use, with a power button to turn them on or off. The shade level can be easily adjusted between a #3 and a #14. So they are suitable for a wide variety of different welding jobs. The shade level is set easily using the controls on the side. The field of vision that you get whilst you are wearing the goggles is great and means that you can work on a range of tasks without encountering any difficulties. The fit of the googles is nicely snug and means that they are not going to slide around or move whilst you are wearing them. Obviously in contrast to wearing a full face mask then you are still going to be exposed to the fumes so you will want to pair it with a respirator whilst you are working. These are great goggles that are suitable for a wide variety of welding tasks and any beginner will find them a fantastic pair of googles to start using.
TITUS Welding Safety Goggles
Shade #14, #9, #11
If you are looking for a pair of safety goggles that not only work well but look fantastic as well then these are the goggles for you. They have a fantastic steam-punk aesthetic which normally results in a poorly operating product, however in this case they are extremely functional as well. They come with 3 sets of interchangeable lenses so that you can vary the shade level. You have shade levels #9, #11, #14 in the box, and the goggles come in a great protective case so that you can keep the googles in perfect condition for your welding. The fit of the goggles is comfortable and there is extra padding around the lenses to make sure that you can wear them for a long time. Because of the reduced size over that of a fuller face mask then you are going to be able to remain cooler whilst working. These aren't going to protect you from fumes whilst working so you will want to pair it with a quality respirator whilst you work. You can adjust the fit around your nose to ensure that they are comfortable and they can be easily slid up onto your forehead when you want to take a break for working.
Forney Welding Goggles
Shade #5
These are a great looking pair of welding goggles that are designed for use whilst Gas welding only. They have a lift front design which means you can flip the front up whilst you are taking a break from welding, or just want to inspect your work. The design is simple but effective and it is nicely lightweight which means that you can wear them for extended periods without there being any discomfort. You need to be aware that as a standard you only get one level of protection, so if you are doing any work other than gas welding then you need to swap out the lens for a stronger one to protect your eyes. The fit is great and they are easy to adjust to ensure that you get the most from them. One great feature is that they are large enough to be worn with regular eyeglasses, which is something that isn't true of a lot of goggles. This means that if you need to use your glasses whilst working then these are the pair of glasses for you.
YESWELDER Solar Powered Auto Darkening Welding Goggles
These unique welding glasses are great for those that want some automation and are fed up of having to check the batteries all the time. They use solar power to maintain the charge which means that they will nearly always be ready to go. They automatically switch between #3 and #11 shades, which means that they can be used for several different welding tasks. These work well for TIG, MIG, MMA and Plasma welding. The design is such that it means that you can use these easily in situations where a full face mask would obstruct your working. The lenses have been designed with a ‘True Colour' feature which means that whilst wearing them colours still look like they should rather than being tint shifted by the lenses. The design is such that these can easily be worn with both hard helmets and respirators so you can get a good level of all-round protection. The glasses use a dual-sensor arrangement so that they have a response time of around 0.2 seconds, which means that you are going to be protected well whilst working.
Buying Guide to Welding Goggles
As we mentioned at the start of this article then it is important to choose the correct safety goggles before you commence welding. However, given the myriad of options out there, it can be bewildering to a novice to know which googles to get. The most important feature to look out for is the shade level. This is a number which varies between #2 and #14. Generally, the higher the number the darker the shade will be. It is important to know which shade to use for which jobs.
- Stick Welding – use between shade #9 and #13
- MIG – use between shade #10 and #13
- Flux Cored – use between shade #10 and #13
- TIG – use between shade #9 and #13
Lower level lenses can be used for different types of cutting and other welding work. You generally want to go up in lens shade the more power you are using for your goggles.
The next feature you will want to look at is whether you go for auto-shading goggles or fixed shade goggles. The advantage of having an auto-shade pair is that the lens is clear under normal conditions. This means that you can see with no impairment whilst you aren't welding. However, they have built-in sensors that mean as soon as you start welding they darken. Some goggles will auto-darken to a variety of different shades. This means that they can be used for a variety of different jobs without having to switch out your goggles. This is great if you do a variety of work, however, they tend to be a lot more expensive.
When it comes to non-auto shading goggles, then you can either get goggles with fixed lenses or with interchangeable lenses. The advantage of interchangeable lenses is that you can use them for different jobs and drop in some extra lenses for different types of protection. Fixed lens goggles tend to be the cheapest. Some of them have flip-up protection which means that you can easily switch to clear viewing whilst working to easily inspect your work.
Related: Welding Helmets
Regardless of which pair of goggles you choose the most important thing is to make sure that you get a pair of goggles that fit you correctly. Protecting your eyes is very important, and any problems with fit will allow excess light to filter in and possible cause you damage to your eyes. You want to make sure that the goggles are comfortable if you are going to be using them for an extended period. You will also need to take into account whether you need to wear eyeglasses or not whilst welding. If you require eyeglasses then you will need to make sure you have a pair of goggles that fit over your glasses, or alternatively, you can get some goggles that allow the fitting of prescription lenses inside the goggles in addition to the safety lenses. This can be great as it means that they are more comfortable to wear for your work, but they can cost more. No matter which goggles you ultimately end up getting then your eyes will be safe and secure and let you continue welding for many years to come.
