You're searching for the best welding helmet to work on several pipelines in your shop. As you browse every article about welding helmets, you realize that it can be difficult to choose with little knowledge. Many recommended products look promising, so you're unsure which one is best for your needs.
You browse a bit more until a pancake welding helmet catches your eye. Compared to the typical welding helmet design, the pancake helmet has a round and flat surface. It piques your interest, so you look into a couple more details about it.
When you stumble upon this article, you're most likely looking for a trusted pancake helmet brand. This article tells you why you should use a pancake helmet for welding and recommend three of the best pancake helmet brands for your selection. Keep reading!
A Quick Rethink: Why Should You Use a Pancake Helmet for Welding?
If you are hesitant to buy a pancake helmet, here's some useful information that can help you re-evaluate your decision. You will need a pancake helmet for welding under these conditions.
- Use this helmet if you're working on pipelines or outdoor welding, especially directly under the sun. It's super lightweight, convenient, and offers excellent protection.
- It features a balsa box inside the hood. It seals any light reflection from any angle that might interfere with the welding process. Balsa wood is extremely soft and is adjustable (with sandpaper) to fit your face well.
- It's flexible for both indoor and outdoor pipeline work.
- Depending on what the workpiece will need, you can use different lenses.
- Pancake helmets come in either left or right-handed side covers, so there's no need to worry if you're not ambidextrous.
- This helmet is easy to find and comes in an affordable price range. In fact, they're referred to as one of the most affordable types of helmets in the market.
We hope that the reasons we outlined above can help you buy a pipeline welding helmet with a pancake design. If you weld on pipelines or outdoors, you will not regret investing in a pancake helmet!
The Best Brands of Pancake Helmets for Pipeline Work and Outdoor Welding
Now that you have decided to get a welding helmet of this kind, here are three brands with exceptional products we can recommend.
Sarge's Pancake Hoods
Let's start with Sarge's pancake welding hoods. There are two versions to accommodate left- and right-handed users. Sarge's hoods are some of the best-priced helmets in the market with exceptional qualities.
Sarge's Pancake Black Welding Helmet (Right-Handed)
Weld pipes for longer periods and feel as if you're not wearing a helmet at all! One of this item's top features is its super light weight, measuring exactly .078 pounds. With this helmet, you'll never experience neck fatigue.
It's made of lightweight phenolic Formica. Formica comes from brown paper soaked in phenolic resin (a type of synthetic polymer). Overall, the Sarge's helmet is a reliable tool at a reasonable price.
Cons: The strap comes off the screw mount. Some users also find that it can break easily, so you must be extra careful in using it.
Sarge's Pancake Black Welding Helmet (Left-Handed)
The left-handed version of this helmet incorporates just about the same components as the right-handed pancake hood. The only difference is that this one is a bit more affordable than the other.
Cons: Because of the pricing, the quality of the adjustable strap is lower.
Technical Specs
Here's a quick overview of the technical details of Sarge's pancake helmet.
Weight: .078 lbs.
Shield Dimensions: 12.8x12.5x7.9 in
Side Shield Dimensions: 5.8x8 in
Viewing Area: 2x4.25 in
Color: Black
Material: Phenolic Formica and balsa wood
Lens Support: Auto-darkening lens with a cheater or an 8-13 shade lens from a Lincoln welding helmet
OSHA and ANSI Approved: Yes
Wendy's Pancake Hoods
Wendy is a popular name in the welding industry. They're known for their wide variety of pancake hoods you can use for different purposes.
Wendy's White Pancake Welding Hood Helmet
Here's a Wendy pancake hood for the passionate pipeline welder. It comes in two colors (black and white), a shield made of plastic with a Balsa box for the eyepiece. It's also lightweight (1.95 lbs.) and comes with a 5/8-inch lens-holding depth, firmly holding the lens.
This Wendy helmet supports standard lenses, cheater lenses, and fixed shade lenses that you can also use in a Miller welding helmet. In case you're wondering if there are any differences you need to know between the left and right-handed pancake helmets, there's none! You only need to choose according to your dominant hand.
Cons: You can use an auto-darkening lens with this helmet, but users say it blocks and keeps the sensor from darkening.
Technical Specs
Here's a quick overview of the technical details of this Wendy pancake helmet.
Weight: 1.95 lbs.
Dimensions: 12.44x12.32x8.35 in
Material: Plastic
Color: White and black
Lens Support: Standard lens, cheater lenses, and Miller fixed shade lens
Lens Holder Depth: 5/8 in
OSHA and ANSI Approved: Yes
WENDY'S Shield Z Model ANSI Pancake Welding Hood
Whether you're a left-handed or right-handed female welder, this Wendy pancake helmet will suit you perfectly. It has a nice blue and black color with an "I love my shield" print for a lovely design. The Shield Z helmet is smaller than other Wendy hoods, with a lens depth of 3/8 inches and a lens capability of 2x4 inches.
Cons: The front area is prone to scratches.
Original Pancake Hoods
One of their helmet's colors looks very similar to a real pancake, and we thought it might linger in your head for that reason. But, pancakes aside, the Original Pancake Welding Hoods Inc. has been in the industry for more than thirty years. This alone makes them one of the most reliable brands in the market.
Original Pancake Hood (Model 900)
This model is for right-handed users, but the company also manufactures hoods for left-handed users or those without an ear guard. This is super lightweight, handcrafted, and made from Phenolic and balsa wood materials like the previous brands.
It has a unique ear guard design that serves as a side shield. In addition, it features an adjustable elastic strap, a lens cover, and sandpaper.
Cons: It's not easy to modify the balsa eye box, which is necessary to fit the Miller lens.
Technical Specs
Here's a quick overview of the technical details of this Original Pancake Helmet.
Weight: 0.75 lbs.
Dimensions: 9.2x8.2x11.8 in
Material: Phenolic, pine, and balsa wood
Color: Yellow and Black
Lens Support: Up to 0.19-inch thick auto-darkening lenses, 2x4 1/2-inch lenses, and cheater lenses
Cover Lens Thickness Capacity: .0425 in (preferably Miller cover lens #770237)
OSHA and ANSI Approved: yes (Z-87.1 ANSI Approved)
Pancakes for Welding
Pancake hoods are a must-have if you're into the pipeline and outdoor welding. It's the safest and most efficient type of helmet for the job. When looking for a pancake hood, remember to look into the basic features such as the balsa box, the dominant hand it accepts, the material's quality, and customizability.
If more aspects matter to you, such as portability and price, don't forget to look into those details. Once you figure these factors out, it'll be easier to pick from the brands. We hope this roundup has helped you with the information you need. Feel free to browse our website for more articles on other helmet types, such as passive vs. auto-darkening welding helmets.
August 8, 2022