Safety is the top priority when working dangerous jobs, and if welding is involved, there are so many ways you can hurt yourself.
That’s why it’s crucial to get the best equipment, the most important being your helmet.
Jasckson Safety, a subsidiary of Kimberly Clark (the folks who make Kleenex – bet you didn’t know that!) has a long history in making high-quality welding helmets. Highlighted below are seven of their best welding helmets.
In a Rush? Here is Our Top Choice
Jackson Safety TrueSight II Digital
7 Best Jackson Welding Helmets - Reviews
1. Jackson Safety TrueSight II Welding Helmet - Best Overall
Welding is much more than just a job- it’s an art form that requires a lot of experience and skill. You want to get the best gear when to ensure the best results. The Jackson Safety TrueSight II is just what you’re looking for. It offers awesome convenience and great protection.
First, it provides Best in Class Optic Clarity with a proven 1/1/1/1 rating. This is the top rating possible for optic clarity. This 46159 model has a super large viewing area of 3.25 by 4 inches, dimensions that will be hard for any other welding helmet to beat. Having the largest viewing areas on market, this welding helmet will make your job so much easier.
The Auto darkening welding hood has a digital keypad that you can adjust to your likings. You won’t even need to take your gloves off to use it.
It also has variable shades from 5-8 and 9-13. You can use it for any application that you’d need to: from welding to grinding, to torching.
How much does this best-of Jackson welding helmet cost? You can pick it up for less than $350, money well spent for its durability.
If you’re ready to experience the enhanced visibility and convenience that is made possible by the Jackson Safety TrueSight II, then order this model today and get ready to start making better welds and enjoying your work a little more.
2. Jackson Safety Insight Variable HaloX Welding Helmet
The girls who work in the office might not like the Jackson Safety Arc Angel, but you will. It keeps you safe, just like a real archangel, and helps you do your job to the best of your ability.
It’s a very responsive auto-darkening mask that will darken in just 1/10,000 of a second and adjust to the ambient light in your work area. Your own eyes can’t even blink or adjust that quickly.
The viewing area is more the industry standard of 3.93 in by 2.36 in.It gives you enough of a window that you will be able to have good vision of your weld and the work area.
The control panel is digital and offers you a lot of options. The helmet has a shade-4 grind mode that is very useful. There are four independent sensors positioned in strategic places that reduce the possibility of missing the proper adjustment when you flare up. This mask is designed for grinding and welding, not so much for cutting or torching.
The welding shade is in the 9-13 range, and it has sensitivity and delay adjustments that you can set to your preferences. It meets all the ANSI and CSA standards so you won’t need to worry about your safety while you’re welding.
While not quick as good as our top choice, the Arc Angel does cost quite a bit less.
3. Jackson Safety Insight Gold Wings Welding Helmet
Okay, if you can’t use the Arc Angel at work, maybe you’ll enjoy the Jackson Safety Gold Wings. It features a variable shade 9-13 lens with digital controls. The viewing window is the same as the Arc Angel (approximately 4 by 2.5 inches) and will give you a great view of your weld.
It comes with sensitivity and delay settings that you can easily change to better fit your expectations. You can also switch between grinding and welding modes. It has an auto-darkening feature that will react within 1/10,000 seconds when it detects the first arc. It then adjusts to give you the best, safest picture possible.
The helmet comes with Jackson’s industry-standard 370 headgear that will fit any size of head and makes it very comfortable to wear. You can easily attach hard hats if you want need some extra head protection.
The Gold Wings model costs just over hundred bucks, making it a very affordable, stylish, safe welding mask.
4. Jackson Safety Insight Variable HaloX (46131) Welding Helmet
If you’re thinking that this Jackson Safety HaloX Black looks a lot like the Gold Wings model, you’re right. It’s the same model without the Gold Wings paint job. That means that it has the same great specs but at an even lower price (less than $110).
Let’s quickly recap what you get with this and the above models: fantastic digital controls, welding and grinding modes, an approximate 4 x 2.5-inch window, and fast auto-darkening with a 9-13 variable shade lens.
Now, let’s talk about a few more features of this design. First, you can strap it to a hard hat. That’s important for some work sites, and you don’t want to have to change your welding mask just to work in a certain area.
Second, its compatible with any other HLX 100 or HSL 100 helmet shell. That means that if you don’t like the plain black, you can change it up with another design. You can also buy replacement shells if this one gets too banged up.
If you have a good shell, but need the window and controls, buy this is as your replacement. The price is right for just such purposes.
5. Jackson Safety HSL100 Welder's Helmet
Speaking of HSL 100 helmet shells... This Jackson Safety HSL 100 is another basic model that won’t cost you more than $110. It has the same specs as the others with a slightly different shape.
The narrowness of the shell lets you work on location in tigher places. The more rounded shells are simply too wide to look into some parts of a machine.
It also an extended collar section to help you prevent any harm to your throat from sparks, slag, and fumes. It will tuck into your flack jacket nicely and keep you safe while you weld or grind.
While not normally necessary on other models, we should mention that this helmet has a built-in magnification lens holder that will come useful if you are working on a small weld or in area where you need to reach to hit your target area.
Again, you can make this basic model look a little cooler by trading it out with any compatible design.
6. Jackson Safety Insight Variable HaloX 46101 Welding Helmet
Is it a new patriotic motorcycle helmet?
Is it Captain America’s upgraded headgear?
No, it’s the Jackson Safety Stars and Scars!
Very similar to other Jackson models in this category, this one has the distinct advantage of having the comfortable 370 headgear. It also costs less than any other model we’ve looked at so far.
The 370 headgear will help you work longer without feeling any strain on your neck, shoulders, or ears. If it weren’t for the altered vision of the lens, you might not even know you’re wearing it.
You’ll also get auto-darkening, digital controls, weld and grind modes, a 4 x 2.5-inch window, and a variable shade lens of 9-13.
7. Jackson Safety Fixed Shade W10 HSL 100 Welding Helmet
Are you looking for an ultra-basic model that costs cheap? If so, you’re looking for the Jackson Safety Fixed Shade HSL 100.
There are no controls, no sensors, no auto-dark features or variable shades. It’s simply a mask with a number 10 lens. The shape lets you get into any tight spot and the safety rating and neck protection helps you come again unscathed.
You can change the plate if you need to, and like any other HSL helmet, you can trade it out for a more stylish shell.
Our Top Choice
Jackson Safety TrueSight II
While all of the Jackson Safety welding helmets deserve a spot on this list, the Jackson Safety TrueSight II certainly stands taller than the rest. Here’s why.
While it’s more expensive than the rest, it should be a lasting investment for your professional use.
You can’t go wrong by purchasing this model.