Best Jackson Welding Helmets with Reviews

The BH3 is one of Jackson’s top-of-the line professional helmets, engineered for light weight and impact resistance. Jackson gave this helmet a curved front plate to reflect heat away and reduce fogging. The tapering shape and the outward-curving base make it easier to use the helmet when you need to tilt your chin down to see. The BH3’s rounded corners make it easier to fit into tight spaces and improve impact resistance.

Reflections from the curved cover bother some users. The filter has dial-type inside adjusters for shade level, sensitivity and delay time. Solar power extends the life of readily available AAA sized batteries. Light weight with Jackson 370 headgear make it comfortable.

The BH3 has Jackson’s Balder Technology, giving a better view than a typical green ADF. The optical clarity rating of 1/1/1/1 is the best you can buy. That last number is for angularity, meaning you have a great view even when you’re watching at an angle.

Jackson Safety stands behind the BH3’s quality with a 5-year warranty, pushing this helmet into our top spot.

The SmarTIGer is a professional welding helmet featuring Balder Technology and a 1/1/1/1 optical rating. It also has a smooth, rounded design with a curved front cover. If you like these features on the BH3 but can’t justify its price, the SmarTIGer delivers a better value. The tradeoffs are a smaller viewport, no grind mode and a non-replaceable battery. On the plus side, the SmarTIGer also comes with the same 5-year warranty as the BH3.

Like most helmets with a curved cover, some users are bothered by glare or reflections. Some don’t like the non-replaceable battery, while others reported that the battery lasted the life of their helmets. The SmarTIGer is a very light helmet and users rave about its all-day comfort.

The Jackson 370 headgear is fully adjustable for height, head size and eye distance from the viewport. It’s hard hat compatible and has a solar panel to keep the battery topped off. The ADF filter is infinitely adjustable from shade levels 9-13 using inside buttons. Sensitivity level and reaction time are also fully adjustable.

The Jackson Insight offers top-quality optics with digital shade, sensitivity and reaction time buttons and a solar-rechargeable lithium-ion battery, all at a great price.

The Insight ADF filter setup is able to interchange between the HLX100 and HSL100 series shells. The HSL series curves outward at the skirt. If you find, like some users do, that the neck coverage is too skimpy you can buy the HSL series shell and move over to that design without laying out a lot of cash.

Users love the big viewport on this helmet and the digital display that indicates the shade level at a glance. Shade level is fully adjustable between levels 9-13. Jackson gave this welding helmet a swivel adjustment that sets the angle of the hood to suit your preference. The comfortable headgear features four height adjustments.

Some users report that this shell is too narrow to fit a respirator. If you need a respirator and want the Insight lens you might prefer the larger HSL shell. On top of everything else going for the Insight HLX, Jackson backs this helmet with a two-year warranty.

The NexGen filter on this helmet is the real star of the show. The amber-colored lens is one of the most coveted options by professional welders on any helmet. This one feature can make a huge difference in the quality of your welding because it gives you a great view of the weld puddle that green filters just can’t match.

Typical Jackson comfort and durability please a legion of loyal users. The NexGen features rechargeable lithium-ion batteries and solar power. The Grind, Weld and Torch modes give the NexGen filter its 3-in-1 label. One potential issue is that some users reported a lot of light coming in from behind.

Digital controls for shade level, delay time and sensitivity are located inside the hood for protection. Shade level is fully adjustable between 9-13 and the shell is lightweight, flexible and durable.

The NexGen is equipped with an automatic shutoff feature and a low battery indicator. Sensitivity down to 5 amps is sensitive enough for TIG and sheet metal work. Jackson tops all this off with a 2-year warranty on the NexGen helmet.

The TrueSight II is Jackson’s top of the line premium auto-darkening helmet. Balder True Color Technology combines with Jackson’s largest viewport, maybe the biggest on the market at 13 square inches, to bring you an unmatched view of your welding. The 1/1/1/1 optical clarity is as good as it gets.

The HLX series shell weighs only six ounces, although the huge viewport and two AAA batteries instead of a watch battery get this helmet over a pound. That’s still very light and when it’s suspended on Jackson 370 headgear with four-position adjustment, you can wear this one all day without fatigue. The TrueSight II features Weld, Grind and Torch modes and the AAA batteries are solar-rechargeable.

Some users report light coming in from behind and inadequate neck coverage with HLX shells. Another issue for some is the high cost of lens covers, nearly 5 bucks apiece. This helmet has a digital keypad for variable shade from 5-8 and 9-13. It’s an expensive helmet, but with the largest viewport Jackson offers, Balder Technology, industry-leading comfort and a 5-year warranty, it’s probably justified.