Do you need pancake welding hood and what it’s pros and limitations
The pancake welding hood is a design of a  mask, which in its round shape resembles a pancake (for example - https://wendyspancakes.net/). Right-handed hoods are specifically designed for right-handed people and you can find helmet  for left-handed welder easily too. Thanks to the lightweight design, you can wear welding mask as a pair of goggles with protective shield. If you are looking for a good pancake welding hood, I’ll give you some tips.
Closure Pancake hoods are very popular among pipeline welders, they have good airflow best glare protection and are most lightweight and convenient (review). The balsa block also stabilizes the lens of your helmet perfectly and since you adjust it yourself, there is nothing like comfort. Pancake hoods should be OSHA-approved, but not all are, make sure you purchase a hood from a reputable source, such as Sarge’s, Wendy’s or Original pancake.
It is great if you work when the sun is beaming in the sky, the sealed balsa block provides the best glare-free vision possible. The hood has a very good airflow which is very important when you work in the summer on the south. The pancake welding hood and the balsa block greatly help reduce fatigue by making the process a lot easier for welders. It also accommodates standard lens (electronic lens) and cheater that offer extreme quality optical view.
The most prominent manufacturers of the pancake hoods are Wendy, Sarge and Original Pancake. One of the most reliable pancakes is Wendy’s. They come with adjustable elastic headband and sandpaper for custom-fitting of the eyepiece The Original Pancake brand hood is more flexible and less likely to break than the other brands that use balsa gusset pieces to secure the ear guard
The most pancakes are used by pipeline welders, they make long welds and don’t distract to cleaning, grinding, etc. If you work alone with short joints and need to switch from welding to preparations, you are losing time. The situation is much better if the mask has electronic lens.
