Finding the right welding glasses to go with your welding gear is super important. But you can’t just find the darkest shades on the market. You also have to consider comfort, overall durability, and lens coatings. There are lots of factors to keep in mind when looking for top welding glasses.
That’s why I investigated the Miller Electric Shade 5.0 Welding Safety Glasses in great detail. No need to do extensive research; I’ve already got you covered. In my Miller welding glasses review, I’ll show you exactly how these shades work and what they bring to the table in terms of value and utility. I’ll also let you know if other glasses might be better for certain needs. Let’s get started.
The Lenses Feature Anti-Fog Coating and High-Quality Optics
The Miller Shade 5.0s are equipped with polycarbonate lenses that make them a top-of-the-line choice for most welding jobs. The lenses are polarized to offer UV protection without compromising your clarity of vision.
They’re also constructed with a wide shape to let you maintain good peripheral vision as you work. I really like this aspect because it increases workplace safety and lets me check things out at the edge of my vision without turning my head.
Even better, I found that these also have an additional anti-fog coating. This is helpful in closed environments and if you breathe heavily. Keeping your vision clear while welding is paramount for user safety. Ultimately, the glasses do a great job in terms of general vision maintenance and clarity overall, even compared to other welding glasses on the market.
Their brightness protection is decent, though it’s nowhere near as powerful as a full welding hood or helmet, of course.
The NOVEL Safety Glasses Shade 10 are better in terms of sheer polarity and brightness protection. The trade-off is that the Miller Shade 5.0s are better for general visual clarity of your environment. You’ll need to take the Millers off less frequently in between welding sessions.
SHATTERPROOF POLYCARBONATE MATERIAL
The Miller Electric Shade 5.0 Welding Safety Glasses have polycarbonate lens frames in addition to the actual lenses themselves. This means that the material used to create and is thinner and lighter than the standard plastic lens and frame varieties you’ll find on cheaper glasses.
They’re also a lot more durable, featuring both scratch and UV resistance that can protect your eyes from the sun and some welding brightness while affording you an excellent range of vision.
I’ve found that lenses made of this material are particularly long-lasting, so it’s nice to see them here. They’re really high-quality and won’t easily break from accidents or drops. The frames are made of this tough material entirely. What’s more is that you can get the shades for a total bargain in terms of cost. A single low asking price will give you a pair of sunglasses that last for a long time to come.
This fact marks the Miller Shade 5.0s as a good budget option as well as a solid pick for welders looking for quality above all.
Rubber Temples and Nose Piece Provide Extreme Comfort and Security
The glasses feature a soft pad around the lens frames. It doesn’t follow the entire frame’s length, but instead focuses on the most common point of impact wear the glasses will actually touch your skin.
This is helpful to me and to others because we normally wear these glasses for long hours on end. Welder shifts can frequently last up to 12 hours depending on what has to get done that day. Uncomfortable welder glasses, therefore, are worth much less in my eyes. Durability is important, but comfort is as well.
The rubberized frame and nose piece pads work in tandem to prevent your skin from becoming irritated. They also stop the glasses from leaving marks on your face after you remove them. Some welders will think this is a small feature, but I'd say it's an excellent mark of quality.
The glasses also pretty lightweight, so they don’t sink into the space between your ears to make your head ache.
Impact Protection
The Miller Shade 5.0s are fairly durable, all things considered. The frame strength and lens material both combine to resist typical damage they might incur at a worksite.
Even better, the welder’s glasses are impact rated according to the ANSI Z87.1 metrics. This is an international safety standard used by safety gear manufacturers across the world. Any glasses rated by this ANSI Z87.1 measure will be tough enough to resist multiple impacts without suffering in quality.
They’re even a little tougher than the Jackson Safety 3004761 Nemesis glasses, which are also ANSI Z87.1 rated.
The main difference between the two glasses is that the Miller Shades are fully wraparound, which protects the glasses lenses from impact damage even better and which hold the glasses in place. The Jackson Safeties, meanwhile, don’t have this design advantage.
Full-frame Design Optimizes Protection
As previously stated, the lens frames and lenses themselves are both made of different polycarbonate materials. This affords them fantastic durability compared to cheaper plastics used on most other glasses products.
Even better, I found that the welding lenses were set into the glasses’ frames capably. The frames wrap around the entirety of each lens to keep them from moving or being bumped out in case you drop them. Again, this assists with longevity and makes the glasses even more valuable considering their low asking price.
This is important for welders because they’ll often knock the glasses into helmets or low-hanging ceilings depending on where they work. When I look for glasses, I try to find something as tough as I am. These glasses certainly fit the bill in that respect.
Miller 5.0 Harm-resistant Lenses Value for Money
One of the most common ways that glasses can be ruined is by dropping them or bumping the lenses into the environment. Typical glass or plastic lenses can be scratched or smeared too easily. This is terrible, since it ruins a pair of shades even if the rest of the glasses are perfectly fine.
The Miller Shade 5 safety glasses do a great job in terms of resistance scratch damage. While they’ll still be scratched if you rub the lenses against the keys in your glove compartment, normal drops or bumps against the environment shouldn't cause any lasting damage. The lens coatings – which are responsible for the anti-fog and UV protective capabilities – will also remain even if you rub the lenses excessively.
This is somewhat unavoidable if you keep the glasses for many years to come, so it’s nice to know that the extra coatings won’t degrade over time. I found that the shades worked well even after a solid year of use.
The inherent scratch resistance of the material is also advantageous for clarity. Welding is often a precise craft and you need unobstructed vision to complete your work orders effectively. Good lenses that don’t block your eyesight with scratch marks are a must in my book.
Ultimately, this is great for value for money. Paying such a low price for glasses that should last for a couple of years is excellent for welders who need reliable gear.
Get Perfect Head Wrapping and Off to Work
These Miller welding glasses feature a wrap-around frame design. This helps the glasses to fit the user's head for comfort and for protecting the eyes from dust and debris. I found the glasses to be snug and comfortable with this shape. It was also nice knowing that the glasses wouldn’t easily fall off if I dipped my head down to look at my work.
Overall, sliding the Miller Shade 5.0s down and getting to work was easy and fast. These glasses are maneuverable, durable, and comfortable for wearing for long hours. I found them to be a great piece of equipment for my welding needs, and I’m sure they’ll be great for many of you!
FAQs
1. Are welding glasses any good?
Suppose you're looking for something straightforward and easy to put on and take off. In that case, safety-glasses-style welding goggles are typically the best option, albeit they usually offer very minimal protection. These are lightweight and comfy and offer excellent frontal protection, but not from the sides.
2. What kind of glasses do welders wear?
Under welding helmets, welders should use goggles or safety glasses with side shields that conform with ANSI Z87. 1 should always wear goggles or other appropriate eye protection when gas welding or oxygen cutting. Goggles offer superior protection against impact, dust, and radiation threats compared to safety glasses.
3. Can you wear prescription glasses while welding?
When you wear a welding helmet, you will be protected from the flash and burns of the welder. Additionally, while arc welding, you should always wear safety glasses or, at the very least, your prescription glasses.
4. How dark should my welding helmet be?
To avoid flash burn on your eyes, you recommend using a shade 10 to 13 welding lens. A value greater than zero indicates a deeper tint. However, the higher the amperage, the darker the shade you'll want to use to avoid burning your eyes.
5. Why do welders wear glasses?
Welding goggles give some eye protection when performing some types of welding and cutting. They are designed to shield the eyes from not just the heat and optical radiation generated by welding, such as the intense ultraviolet light produced by an electric arc, but also from sparks or debris.
