Best Welding Arm Guards for 2023
Welding is a high-demand skill, but it involves various hazards that require adequate attention and correct measures. It is a must to use personal protective equipment (PPE) to mitigate the risk and ensure personal safety.
Welding arm guards are one of the PPEs that welders need. It protects the arm from hot metal surfaces, welding sparks, and particles. I am here to guide you through everything about welding arm guards according to my experience and knowledge.
In this blog post, I will explain what a welding arm guard is, why it is necessary, how it is made, how to choose the best welding arm guard and everything else you need to know. I will also share some excellent products at the end to help you in making the right decision.
Let’s discuss it without further delay.
What is a Welding Arm Guard?
A welding arm guard or welding arm sleeve is a safeguarding layer over a welder’s arm to avoid the reach of heat, sparks, particles, and other factors during welding activities.
The welders wear one or a pair of welding sleeves to perform their activities smoothly and safely without being irritated. In the market, there are various welding arm guards available which are made up of different materials in different shapes.
Some protective welding jackets also come with an attached welding arm guard but it complicates the movement of arms during conscious welding tasks. Due to this reason, it is always recommended to go with a separate welding arm guard made up of high-quality protective material.
Why is Welding Arm Guard Necessary?
Welding is a critical as well as a dangerous process practiced all around the world. During the process, a welder faces many hazardous factors like intense heat production, spark production, small metal particles, and many more. The welding arm guard acts as a protective shield between a welder’s skin/arm and avoids the reach of all hazards in an easy and untroubled manner.
At the welding site, the welding arm guard provides protection and easiness in tasks, and without it, a welder can face problems, burn the skin, and get in touch with sparks and small hot metal pieces. Usually, pipeline welders use a welding arm guard during their work, but it is useful for all welders.
Some welders often place their hands on the metal surface during welding. It offers support to the hand for impeccable and good welds. Therefore, if they have a suitable welding arm guard, they can place their hand on a hot metal surface. Sometimes, welders accidentally put their arm on the hot surface without a welding arm guard and end up burning the skin.
Protective welding sleeves also allow a welder to move freely during quick attentive arm movements. Overall, these self-protective sleeves help to perform welding activities smoothly and minimize errors without being worried about danger.
What Materials Are Used to Make Welding Arm Guards?
Different materials are used to make welding arm guards, but the popular materials for their production are leather, fiberglass, Kevlar, and Nomex. All these materials are selected on the basis of properties like weight, flexibility, strength, flame resistance, and heat resistance.
Now, let me guide you a bit about the welding arm guard made up of the above-mentioned materials.
Leather arm guard for welding is one of the all-time favorite types. It is the most used guard because of the availability of leather all around the world. It is a durable, heat-resistant, flexible, and flame-resistant shield that provides a great degree of protection against all dangerous factors of welding.
Synthetic material like Kevlar is also used for this purpose. Kevlar is a man-made, lightweight, and easy-to-handle material that makes a strong welding arm guard to prevent cuts and small metal pieces. Any heat-resistant material can also be used with Kevlar to enhance the safeguarding ability of these arm guards against heat and sparks.
Fiberglass is also used for the production of welding arm sleeves all around the world because of its lightweight and flexibility. It is an excellent heat-resistant material. Usually, fiberglass is used along with Kevlar or Nomex to additionally intensify the safety barrier between skin and heat sparks or radiations.
How to Choose the Best Welding Arm Guards?
During welding tasks, always ensure self-safety. Considering the importance of a welding arm guard, selecting the best product is crucial. Here, I shall discuss some important factors that everyone should keep in mind before buying a perfect and safe welding arm guard.
Firstly, prefer sturdy welding arm sleeves made up of strong materials like leather, fiberglass, Kevlar, and Nomex. These materials are heat-resistant, flexible, flame-resistant, and strong enough to prevent all hazardous factors of welding. They provide excellent protection against heat and harmful radiation and last for a very long time due to their durability.
Secondly, always select the size and shape of the arm guard according to your arm and welding task. An inappropriate size of arm guard can create a lot of trouble and discomfort while moving hands or arms. Another suggestion is, always buy separate arm guards because they are more convenient and flexible as compared to the arm guards attached to welding jackets.
Best Welding Arm Guards
There are dozens of welding arm guards available on the market with different quality standards. Sorting out the best of them can consume a lot of your time. For your ease, I have searched and selected some best welding arm guards that are satisfactory according to all the above-mentioned safety factors and features. Now, let’s have a look at the best welding arm guard.
1: Tillman Leather Protective Right Arm Pad
Tillman’s protective welding arm guard is on the top of our list because of the high-quality leather used for its production that makes it able to prevent all risky and unsafe emissions from welding equipment. This arm pad is consciously designed with inner elastic bands that secure its position while moving arms. Moreover, it comes with a hook-and-loop system that guarantees its size alteration and adjustments perfectly.
To prevent the approach of heat, it has a cotton-filled bottom that minimizes the vacuum between the arm/skin and the leather pad. It is highly portable and easy to handle as it is lightweight. The dimensions of the product are 8 x 4 x 1 inch, so it is quite easy to wear and take off the pad.
This product is not available in pairs. You will have to buy two different leather pads for both (right and left) arms. Moreover, it comes with a short length that can be a little tricky and tough to manage for a beginner welder. With this arm pad, you are required to buy welding gloves with long arms or welding jackets with half sleeves.
2: Revco Stallion Welding Sleeves
Revco Stallion welding sleeves are one of the excellently designed welding sleeves for beginners as well as for professionals. These sleeves come with adjustable shoulder sling straps which allow it to comfortably fit every body size and shape. These guard pads are made up of high-quality leather, and there are Kevlar stitches that create a perfect bond to resist high temperature and welding emissions.
These sleeves are perfect to perform heavy and quick welding tasks because it provides full coverage from the wrists to the neck. At the end of the arms, it has adjustable wrist snaps for perfect fitting.
Revco Stallion welding pads come with these dimensions, 0.1 x 0.1 x 0.1 inches, and weigh only 1.6 ounces. The only drawback of these sleeves is that they make the person uncomfortable if worn along with the welding jacket. If used with a heavy welding jacket, it can also restrict smooth and quick movements of arms.
3: Top Grain Buffalo Hide Armguard
Top Frain Buffalo Hide Armguard is a professional product of prime quality launched by Western Welders Outfitting. It is one of the best executive products that stands at the top due to its quality and finishing. These arm guards are made up of top-grain buffalo hide that can provide amazing coverage and safety.
These welding arm guards are designed with strong adjustment locks through which they can be fit perfectly. Moreover, the back locks are strongly attached to the arm guard to ensure the perfect interlocking capability.
Furthermore, this product is beautifully designed and finished for professionals. With its beautiful pattern, it enchantingly covers the arms and protects it from welding hazards. The length is designed in a way to allow perfect and quick arm movements during the whole welding process.
The only thing that makes it optional for most people is its price. These arm guards are expensive compared to the other products available in the market but they can be a one-time investment for any user because it has quality worth its price.
Conclusion:
Welding arm guards are one of the crucial safety stuff for welding tasks. Before getting into welding, it is very important to get complete knowledge about the best arm guards, their features, raw material, and types. I have made this quick guide on welding arm guards to educate the readers about their importance and selection. Moreover, I have also added some best products from the market to make the selection process easier for you.
Hope this welding arm guard guide will help you in your welding career.
