ESAB Sentinel A50 Welding Helmet Review

By Joe Stephens •  Updated: 05/07/17 •  4 min read

The Sentinel A50 is ESAB’s new top of the line welding helmet, designed for customers who’re very serious about safety and utility. With a large viewing port, a quality lens, amazing comfort, the ESAB Sentinel A50 welding helmet offers the best protection and features possible.

  • Viewing Area: 3.93 x 2.36 in.
  • Halo Headgear
  • Optical Clarity 1/1/1/2
  • Color Touch Screen
  • Low-Profile Design
  • Variable Shade #5-13

ESAB Sentinel A50 Welding Helmet

WHO IS THIS HELMET BEST FOR?

If you’re not the type of person to compromise, this is definitely the helmet for you. ESAB is well known for its high quality, premium products and after personally using the Sentinel A50 I can tell they put a lot of time and thought into it.

It’s a top of the line helmet that was built to last and stand up to abuse, which makes it perfect for professional use or for those serious DIY enthusiasts. With superb clarity and a blue tint that works perfect for TIG welding, it’s suited for a variety of jobs, including those high-paying welding jobs that require longer hours.

LENS WITH GREAT 1/1/1/2 OPTICAL CLARITY RATING

Every experienced welder knows that for projects that require you to be precise, clarity is vital. So it’s important that you use a welding helmet that offers perfect clarity with a wide vision range, allowing you to work unhindered. The Sentinel A50 welding helmet meets these requirements with its 1/1/1/2 optical clarity and its massive 3.93 x 2.36 in. viewing area.

Every time I used this welding helmet no matter the size of the job, the clarity was consistent. The weld puddles were extremely clear and with the big viewing area I didn’t have to constantly move my head around.

SHADE SETTINGS OF 6-13 WITH EXTERNAL GRIND MODE

Most auto-darkening welding helmets on the market typically have a shade range of 9 and 13, which is usually acceptable for most jobs, but it’s just not enough when it comes to lower TIG rating projects. I was so surprised and happy to find that the Sentinel A50 comes with a shade range 5-13.

ESAB made the helmet even better in terms of switching between modes. Unlike most other helmets, the Sentinel A50 lets you easily switch to grind mode, with an external grind mode button.

PROS

The clarity and larger viewing area make it possible to weld in tighter spots. The HALO headgear is simply amazing and unique too. It’s a five-point-contact headgear that’s completely adjustable, letting the weight of the helmet to be shifted around, reducing pressure and increasing comfort for those projects that require long hours. With 4 sensors you can be assured that the helmet is very responsive, providing ultimate eye protection from arcs, so you don’t end up with arc flash.

Some of my favorite features that make the Sentinel A50 really stand out is the external grind mode button located on the side of the helmet, making projects even easier. Another feature that stood out to me is the removal of the analog display, replaced with a full-color LCD touchscreen panel with easy to use functions. The LCD panel also includes 8 different memory settings.

Sentinel A50 Review LCD 8 Memory Settings

CONS

The only complaint I have for this helmet is the slightly high price tag. For example, the Viking 3350 is slightly cheaper and comes with some of the same high-quality features. However, with Sentinel’s unique features and design, the price is justified.

CONCLUSION

If you’re on the market for a high-quality and amazing welding helmet from a trusted company, the Sentinel A50 is perfect. The clarity of the lens increased vision range, and amazing features makes this helmet a great choice of protection for any project.

Latest Price: $296.12

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SENTINEL A50 VIDEO REVIEW

 

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Joe Stephens

Joey has over 20 years of experience working in the welding industry and now works with providing readers with intensive reviews. Joey has also self-published an e-book and has written countless articles regarding welding information and safety.