Tech & Gadgets · Head-to-head
Steiner 1260 Weldlite Plus Hybrid Jacket, 30 inch vs Tillman 6230 Lightweight FR Cotton Welding Jacket, 30 inch
Which should you buy? Our verdict on both, pulled from our full The Best Welding Jackets: 4 Compared (and One to Skip) comparison.
The Steiner 1260 puts leather on the sleeves and 9 oz flame retardant cotton on the torso, which is the mix that survives real spatter without cooking you. The Tillman 6230 is all cloth, but its spec sheet publishes the fabric brand, the flame test, the wash life and the absence of an arc rating, which is more than most makers will commit to.
Steiner 1260 Weldlite Plus Hybrid Jacket, 30 inch
Buy itLeather sleeves where the sparks land, flame retardant cotton where they do not, with the hardware details that matter done properly.
- Side split rust cowhide sleeves sewn with Kevlar thread, on a torso of 9 oz flame retardant 100 percent cotton that Steiner states meets ASTM D6413-10.
- Leather reinforced, black anodized non-reflective snaps, which is the construction that keeps bare metal fasteners off your skin and out of the arc's reflection.
- Adjustable snap wrist, soapstone pocket on each sleeve, large inside pocket and bar tacking at the stress points, in sizes S to 4XL at 30 inches.
- Steiner publishes no wash life for the cotton torso, so you have no number to plan replacement against.
- No stand-up welding collar is listed, unlike Steiner's own leather jacket, so neck coverage depends on what you wear under it.
- ASTM D6413-10 is a vertical flame test on fabric, not a molten metal spatter test or a radiant heat test, so it says nothing about spatter.
Tillman 6230 Lightweight FR Cotton Welding Jacket, 30 inch
Buy itThe cheapest jacket here and the one whose spec sheet tells you the most, including the thing it does not do.
- Tillman names the fabric outright as 9 oz US made Westex FR-7A flame resistant 100 percent cotton rather than saying flame retardant and leaving it there.
- It publishes a wash life, flame resistance maintained for up to 50 home washings at 145 degrees Fahrenheit or 25 commercial washings up to 165 degrees.
- The technical table prints Arc Rating: NA, which stops a buyer assuming an arc rating that was never measured.
- Thirty inch length, snap closure, two inner pockets, cut to fit over a shirt, in the widest size run here at S through 8X.
- There is no leather anywhere on it, so heavy spatter lands on cloth and burns pinholes.
- Tillman's application list names TIG and MIG welding, not stick, which is the process that throws the most spatter.
- The published flame credential, ASTM D6413-10, is a vertical flame char length test, and Tillman itself explains it as the pass or fail criterion behind ASTM F1506, an electrical arc standard.
Side by side
| Steiner 1260 Weldlite Plus Hybrid Jacket, 30 inch | Tillman 6230 Lightweight FR Cotton Welding Jacket, 30 inch | |
|---|---|---|
| Our verdict | Buy | Buy |
| Best for | The welder who wants one jacket for general shop work and would rather have leather on the forearms than a lighter garment. | Anyone starting out, or anyone who wants a spare, and who welds where sparks fall rather than fly. |
| Price tier | $$ · mid-range | $ · budget |
The bottom line
Our overall pick is the Steiner 1260 Weldlite Plus Hybrid Jacket, 30 inch - Leather sleeves where the sparks land, flame retardant cotton where they do not, with the hardware details that matter done properly. Choose the Tillman 6230 Lightweight FR Cotton Welding Jacket, 30 inch instead if anyone starting out, or anyone who wants a spare, and who welds where sparks fall rather than fly.
Want the full picture, including the other options we compared and the popular one we'd skip? Read the complete The Best Welding Jackets: 4 Compared (and One to Skip).