There are men who don’t enjoy being the household handyman so they ruin whatever they get to fix, and there are those of us who enjoy keeping busy by being in the company of tools whenever possible. For instance, welding is something I enjoy doing, whether it’s some restoration my car needs, fixing the metal fence or the mailbox, which is why I’ve come to learn the importance of protective wear. Now my interest is the eye and head protective wear in particular, as I’ve seen people often debate on the use of welding helmets and goggles.
No matter how big or small of a job it is, if you’re dealing with welding you have to wear protective equipment, same as professionals do. Think of it this way, if it wasn’t required then it wouldn’t have been invented and in use for years and years. Along with the basic wear, such as fire resistant jacket, welding gloves, cuff-less pants, rubber-soled safety shoes, and ear plugs, one must think of eye protection and looking for the best welding helmet should be your top choice.
When comparing the two, I’m in favour of the helmet because it doesn’t just protect the eyes but the face as well, keeping you safe from dangerous and intense UV rays (that could end up giving you sunburn of the cornea if unprotected) and IR light that come as a result of treating hot metals, and the weld spatter that flies off. What makes people consider goggles is sometimes not being able to see well through a helmet, especially people who wear glasses, but utmost protection urges for the best welding helmet, and instead of opting for goggles one can fix visibility by changing the lens of the glass – shade 5 for instance, yet it depends on the type of welding you do.
Unlike previous models of helmets, that had a moveable permanently darkened viewing shade – manually flipped when not welding, helmets nowadays have auto-darkening properties as they automatically darken the clear lens to a shade thanks to LCD glass technology so as to better protect your eyes from harmful emissions. The helmet is rightfully also called face shield, and goggles don’t offer that amount of protection. You expose yourself to danger, and optimal protection can save you from accidents, like when you’re still learning the welding skills. A wrong move and it could end up badly if you don’t have full face coverage.