Best 3M SPEEDGLAS Welding Helmets – Top Picks Reviewed
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Our goal is to provide our readers with everything they need to know and want to know about welding processes, and the equipment they will need to perform those processes.
As basic as it sounds, the welding helmet is one of the pieces of equipment that is talked about the least. It is personal protection head coverings that all welders must-have, but we rarely discuss them in detail.
Most welders simply go out and buy the first hood that they see. They often buy several brands over a period of years until they find one that they like. We hope to stop that from happening with our reviews., We want our readers to be informed and able to buy a helmet that they will like the first time out.
Three More welding helmet brands that we reviewed:
Best 3M SPEEDGLAS Welding Helmet Reviews
1. 3M Speedglas 100 Welding Helmet With ADF
Specifications
- Weight: 1 pounds
- Dimensions: 11.5 x 10.75 x 11.75"
- Part number: 07-0012-31BL
- Color: Black
- Material: Nylon
This is a lightweight welding hood that can be worn for many hours without the wearer being uncomfortable or fatigued. This head covering weighs only one pound so it does not cause neck strain or shoulder pain while you are wearing it. The lightweight makes it an ideal covering for a youth or female welder who might be uncomfortable in the heavier and bulkier hoods.
This piece of safety equipment is suitable for a traditional arc or stick welding processes, TIG or Tungsten inert gas welding processes, and MIG or metal inert welding processes. It has an auto-darkening lens technology designed into it. When the arc of the weld is struck a sensor will trigger the lens to automatically darken to protect your eyes.
The viewing area measures 1.73 inches x 3.66 inches so the welder can focus on the weld and create cleaner and more aesthetically pleasing work. Since the lens automatically lightens when the arc is extinguished the welder can easily inspect their work without removing the helmet. This saves time and energy.
An auto-darkening helmet does require batteries to power the sensors. This one comes with one lithium-ion battery.
Pros
Cons
2. 3M Speedglas 9100 06-0100-30SW Welding Helmet
Specifications
- Weight: 2.09 pounds
- Dimensions: 12 x 11 x 11 inches
- Model number: 06-0100-30SW
- Color: Black
- 2.8 x 4.2 in. viewing area
This is a very comfortable welding helmet. It weighs 2.09 pounds and has adjustments that allow you to create a customized fit according to your head shape and size. It is ideal for welders of all ages, shapes, sizes, and genders.
This helmet can be used with all welding processes. It functions properly during MIG, TIG and sticks welding so you can wear the head covering even if you do different types and styles of welding. It can be used by a student, a beginner, a hobbyist, or hard-core welding professional.
The viewing area measures 2.8 inches x 4.2 inches so you have a large and clear view of what you are working on. The lens is an auto-darkening lens that can darken to shades between 8 and 13.
It has a padded front headband that helps relieve pressure and increase the comfort of the wearer. It also has two crown straps that help the headgear to rest in a stable position on your head. Those crown straps also distribute the weight of the helmet so you do not have hat headaches from undue amounts of pressure in one place.
Pros
Cons
3. 3M Speedglas 9100 06-0100-10SW Welding Helmet
Specifications
- Weight: 1.37 pounds
- 1.8 x 3.7 in. viewing area
- Model number: 06-0100-10SW
- Color: Black
- New comfortable headgear
The sensitivity adjustment on this comfortable welding equipment allows you to use it while you are performing any of the three major welding processes. It is an auto-darkening device. You adjust the sensitivity and reaction time so you can use the helmet when you are doing low amperage welding or high amperage welding. Since most welders perform more than one style of welding this makes the headpiece more versatile.
There are three sensors located on the headpiece. Those sensors detect the flash of an arc and the increase of temperature to signal the lens that it should darken to protect your eyes. The lens is capable of darkening from a #5 shade to a #13 shade. The lens will return to a #3 shade when no darkening is required. You can easily inspect a weld without raising the hood.
We all know that welders raise their hoods from time to time while they work. The comfort headband located inside this device allows you to wear the face-covering down or up and still be comfortable. The smooth ratchet system is swivel-mounted and allows you to tighten the headgear precisely to fit you.
Pros
Cons
4. 3M Speedglas 100 Welding Helmet Trojan Warrior
Specifications
- Weight: 2.09 pounds
- Dimensions: 11 x 10 x 11 inches
- Part number: 07-0012-31TW
- Style: Trojan Warrior
- It is shade 3 in the light state.
You can wear this head covering when you are welding, grinding, using a torch or cutting metal. The grind and torch options allow you to not have to remove the helmet and change to different protection pieces each time you switch work modes.
The interior of this helmet has the standard 3M comfort technology designed into it. Comfortable padded headbands that allow you to wear the helmet longer and get more work done without pressure and strain are trademarks of the 3M protective headgear for welders. The helmet can easily be adjusted to fit anyone. It is good for both genders, all ages and all sizes to wear.
This unit can be worn for any of the three major welding varieties. The auto-darkening lens goes from a #8 shade to a #13 shade, and you have the ability to set the delay time and the sensitivity so you can work more efficiently with the lower amperage processes.
The graphic design on the exterior of the helmet does not make it any better at protecting. They do make it unique and personalized. They increase the pleasure you get from wearing this device.
Pros
Cons
5. 3M Speedglas 9100 06-0100-20SW Welding Helmet
Specifications
- Weight: 1.37 pounds
- Dimensions: 11.4 x 11.1 x 10.5 inches
- Model number: 06-0100-20SW
- Color: Black
- 2.1 x 4.2 in. viewing area
The window design on this piece of protective gear increases your ability to see from your peripheral vision instead of making you focus on what is straight ahead of you. The increased peripheral vision allows you to be more aware of what you are working on and what you are about to work on. It also allows you to notice if anyone or anything comes near you while you are working. This increases your safety and response times.
This is an auto-darkening hood that allows you to do all of the major welding processes and even allows you to work a grinder, a plasma cutter, or a simple metal cutter. You do not need more than one pair of eye protectors to do your job.
The helmet is designed to be comfortable with padded headbands and perfect adjustments. You can make it fit tightly on a head that is as small as a youth or female head, or you can loosen it to fit larger men. It is balanced properly and the weight of the helmet is evenly distributed so the wearer can work for longer periods without being distressed.
Pros
Cons
Buying Guide Of Best 3M SPEEDGLAS Helmet
Buying a welding helmet is a personal choice process. You know whether you like dark metal or light-colored outer shells. You know whether you like fixed lenses or auto-darkening devices. You also need to know some of the other features that you should consider before you choose your next piece of headgear.
Adjustment and Control
The auto-darkening features on a welding helmet allow you to do different kinds of welding without changing the lens for each process. These hoods often have control knobs that you can use to make the lens a little darker or lighter. These control knobs also adjust the amount of delay time and the sensitivity of the sensors.
You want a helmet that has adjustment and control knobs that are easy to reach. You want to be able to reach up while you are working and adjust the shade of the lens without stopping what you are doing. This is easier to do if the knobs are large enough that you can turn them while wearing the bulky welding gloves that protect your hands and forearms.
Comfort is the Key
A great helmet is only a great helmet if the unit is comfortable to wear. To make the headgear more comfortable the manufacture can add things like adjustment straps, crown straps to distribute weight more evenly, and padded headbands that absorb some of the pressure and some of the sweat.
Read the helmet descriptions very carefully to make sure that you are buying an item that can be adjusted to fit your particular head size. Often the description will include a mention of what size heads the device fits best on. They may say fits a 6.24 to 8. These are just like the hat sizes you use for cowboy hats and other headpieces.
Viewing Area
The size of the viewing area will be different for every helmet. You have to know whether you prefer larger viewing areas or smaller ones.
Larger areas allow you to see a greater expanse of the work area. You get a clear view of the weld puddle and you can see upcoming portions of the material that may be problematic.
Smaller viewing areas make you concentrate on a specific portion of the weld area so you pay a greater amount of attention to the minute details of the task.
If you are in a tight budget, don't miss this post on cheap helmet reviews.
Final Note
If you are looking for a welding helmet that has a unique graphic design then we recommend the 3M Speedglas Trojan Warrior. The graphics make the helmet nicer to look at and gives it a unique appearance so you are not just one of the crowd.
If you are looking for a very comfortable helmet that increases your peripheral vision-field we recommend the 3M Speedglas 9100 06-0100-20SW Helmet. This helmet increases your peripheral vision by 100%.
If you are looking for a welding hood then you know the importance of eye protection. Buying the devices that have auto-darkening technology allows you to do more while wearing the headgear, and it means enhanced visual protection. Choose your helmet carefully and you will enjoy your work more.
Last Updated on 1 year by Richard Boyer
