Best Passive Welding Helmets

Jackson Safety is a staple of the welding scene, known for quality construction and comfortable headgear. If made in the U.S.A is important to you, Jackson still builds them here.

One of the most-mentioned positives with the Jackson HLX 10 is that it stays up well. It locks into place at the top of the pivot but drops easily with a slight nod. Most users like high-quality optics. The big viewing area lets you see the work at an angle when you can’t fit your helmet into the work zone.

Naturally, as a Jackson hallmark, the headgear is praised for its comfort. Some old-timers who’ve been using Jackson for their entire careers feel the newer headgear isn’t as strong as the old ones were. Want evidence that this is a professional-level welding helmet? Several welders have reported using this helmet for decades, as long as 40 years in some cases.

This helmet is also praised for its lightweight, a factor that helps minimize fatigue after a long day of nodding the hood down.

Between its ultra-lightweight with a 6-ounce shell and the gold lens color, this helmet is a real value at the price. Some owners feel it’s too thin and might not be suitable for hot stick welding. Others report they’ve done overhead stick welding and flux-core MIG without any problems.

When you’re looking at passive helmets, there’s a clear advantage to such a light shell. Nodding your head all day long can really wear out your neck with a heavier helmet.

Users rave about the optics on this helmet. Not only is the filter glass ultra-clear, it uses the coveted gold filter instead of green tint for much truer colors. The icing on the cake? You can upgrade this helmet to auto-darkening filters. It’s as easy as swapping in Jackson’s True Sight and NextGen auto-darkening systems.

The Jackson 370 headgear is often praised in welding shops as the most comfortable design available in a welding helmet. When you combine that with ultra lightweight and a gold lens, it’s hard to beat this one.

This deal is a great buy. For the price of a cheap ADF helmet, you can have four nice passive helmets. That makes it possible to have different shade levels in different helmets. Shade 10 is the most common, but for stick welding over 60 amps, you really need more like shade 13.

You could put a gold filter in one instead of green for outstanding true-color clarity, especially when working with TIG. Because Jackson passive helmets are upgradeable, you can also fit one with an auto-darkening filter. Then you could have two shades of green, one in gold and an ADF.

Here’s a really good idea for beginning welders. When you’re first starting out, it’s only a matter of time before you set your helmet on a fresh weld and burn a hole in it. If that happens to you, you’re ready to go with a replacement shell in no time at all.

Owners report outstanding optical clarity and of course, the Jackson headgear is probably the best overall design in the shop.

Finally, this helmet design extends nicely downward to protect the neck area.

Miller is another giant in the welding industry. However, Miller is known more for its welding machines than its safety equipment. This is a passive helmet with a huge viewport and users like the optics.

There are mixed reports on the headgear. Some welders love its secure fit and others complain of sharp edges. Some have replaced the headgear with the Jackson 370. Miller also offers the Gen III upgrade headgear, which is heavily padded.

A few users have reported the helmet touching the head when raising the hood. Because this helmet has such a slim design, it’s possible these clearance issues won’t be a problem for smaller welders.

Miller is known for sturdy construction. Most reports show that this helmet is certainly heavy-duty. Some users feel the shell is too thin.

Miller offers an accessory lighting kit to attach two flashlights to the helmet. This makes it easier to see what you’re doing before you strike an arc. This is a good idea that offsets some of the advantages of auto-darkening filters.

The ArcOne Black Hawk is a lightweight helmet. Owners report that it’s well-balanced and comfortable for all-day use, with a good feel when nodding to drop the hood. It stays up well without dropping suddenly when you’re not expecting it.

Some users don’t like the curved filter cover because of glare issues. This is a pretty common complaint with any helmet that uses a curved cover. It’s a good idea to try a helmet out before buying, if you’re interested in a helmet with a curved lens cover.

Most users feel the headgear is comfortable enough, but is too cheap to last. Many welders recommend switching in the Jackson 370 headgear. Because of the slim design, this helmet might fit a little too close for comfort with large users.

With such a thin shell, stick welding overhead can be an issue. Some owners believe it will work for occasional stick welding, but not for steady work of that type. In general, it’s rated well by users for professional work in a production environment.