Lincoln Electric VIKING 3350 vs ESAB Savage A41

The VIKING 3350 publishes every number a buyer should want to check and scores well on all of them, from a 1/1/1/1 optical class to four sensors and a five year warranty. The Savage A41 gives up window size and a published optical class but keeps the four sensors, the external grind button and the replaceable coin cell for considerably less money.

Lincoln Electric VIKING 3350

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The helmet that publishes every number you would want to check, and grades well on all of them.

• The manual lists a 1/1/1/1 optical class along with ANSI Z87.1, CSA 94.3, EN 379 and AS/NZS 1338.1 compliance.
• A 95 by 85 mm window (12.5 square inches) with four arc sensors, which is what keeps the lens triggering when the arc is out of your direct line of sight.
• Lincoln states UV and IR protection up to shade DIN 16 at all times, and the CR2450 lithium cell is user replaceable with solar assist behind it.

• Lincoln lists a total weight of 606 g for the black shell but never says whether that figure includes the X6 headgear.
• The published weight disagrees between the product page, the spec sheet and the manual, which makes it hard to compare against helmets weighed a different way.
• Sensitivity is described only as variable with no numeric range, and battery life is not published at all.

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ESAB Savage A41

Buy it

Four sensors, an external grind button and a published ISO 16321 marking, in a small light shell.

• Four arc sensors and an externally activated grind button, which is the feature set most mid-priced helmets cut back on first.
• ESAB publishes the switching time with the temperature it was measured at, 0.07 ms at 23 C, which is more honest than a bare fraction.
• One replaceable CR2450 lithium cell with solar assist, plus a digital interface with an LED readout for the exact shade, delay and sensitivity setting.

• ESAB does not publish a four-digit optical class for the A41, only the ISO 16321 marking W4/8-13 V2, where V2 is the angle dependence class.
• The window is 100 by 50 mm, a little over half the height of the Lincoln's.
• The dark range starts at shade 8, so there is no 5 to 7 band for low amperage work or plasma cutting.

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Side by side

The bottom line

Our overall pick is the Lincoln Electric VIKING 3350 - The helmet that publishes every number you would want to check, and grades well on all of them. Choose the ESAB Savage A41 instead if a hobbyist or occasional fabricator who wants four sensors and a swappable battery without paying for a large window.

Want the full picture, including the other options we compared and the popular one we'd skip? Read the complete The Best Auto-Darkening Welding Helmets: 4 Compared (and One to Skip).