Welding helmet

[ferbal]

Just thought I would throw a quick tip out there for other hacks like myself who are horrible at welding but do it anyway...Spend the $50 on an auto darkening helmet. It makes a world of difference, I have no idea why I did not invest in one sooner.


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[KTM_Guy]

I have a Miller and like it. The variable shade is nice seems some days a #10 is good other days I go up to #13 or #14.

If you haven't tried a Magnifying Lens in your hood get one, even better than the auto darkening. IMHO.

Todd

[la_gitane]

Just thought I would throw a quick tip out there for other hacks like myself who are horrible at welding but do it anyway...Spend the $50 on an auto darkening helmet. It makes a world of difference, I have no idea why I did not invest in one sooner.


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[la_gitane]

Just thought I would throw a quick tip out there for other hacks like myself who are horrible at welding but do it anyway...Spend the $50 on an auto darkening helmet. It makes a world of difference, I have no idea why I did not invest in one sooner.


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[Philip]

The light sensor is in the front of those hoods looking straight ahead. If your in a place with another person welding close by. Those hoods will get you flashed from the other person. The sensors do not work well on a welder that's off to the side at over 10 degrees angle.

In a single person app. They work great.

[Zomby Woof]

The cheaper ones can also be a little slow to react so if you're doing a fair bit of welding you will likely end up with a headache and possibly sore or irritated eyes. Another thing to keep in mind, some of them are solar powered so if you keep them in a dark place or in a bag the battery will go dead and they won't work until exposed to light for a few hours.

This (IMO) is an instance where it pays to spend a little more and get a name brand helmet, which can easily be had for under a hundred bucks.

[PatrickM]

The cheaper ones can also be a little slow to react so if you're doing a fair bit of welding you will likely end up with a headache and possibly sore or irritated eyes. Another thing to keep in mind, some of them are solar powered so if you keep them in a dark place or in a bag the battery will go dead and they won't work until exposed to light for a few hours.

This (IMO) is an instance where it pays to spend a little more and get a name brand helmet, which can easily be had for under a hundred bucks.

I second that - I used a friends cheapo once and my eyes were burning after only a few short welds - I told him to through it out.
Cheers, Patrick

[Dale M.]

The cheaper ones can also be a little slow to react so if you're doing a fair bit of welding you will likely end up with a headache and possibly sore or irritated eyes. Another thing to keep in mind, some of them are solar powered so if you keep them in a dark place or in a bag the battery will go dead and they won't work until exposed to light for a few hours.

This (IMO) is an instance where it pays to spend a little more and get a name brand helmet, which can easily be had for under a hundred bucks.

Or not at all.... Had batteries die in my helmet, BUT when inquiring to manufacturer for replacement parts I found out they had replacement sensor unit that was powered by two AAA batteries that are easily replaceable (and a test switch)....

Also a "yes" on magnifying lenses...

Also in some instance when MIG welding and you are having trouble seeing the seam flood a lot of ambient light onto area it helps (quartz work light)... I actually have small bright LED flash light taped to my helmet as a head light to see where I am actually going with weld..

And some good welding advice here...

http://weldingtipsandtricks.com

Dale

[MtnDon]

Remember to test that the auto-dark is working before striking an arc. A spark igniter works well for that. A good auto-dark helmet will also react to waving a hand in front with a bright light in the background.

[falcon65]

I've been welding professionally for almost 15 years now, at work I only use a fixed glass lens helmet, it gets used hard and put up wet in a place where reliability is key. If your one that is hard on tools I wouldn't recommend the auto darkening, I do however use an auto darken at home. I've had good luck with one from eastwood, ran me about $65, it's very adjustable and can be set to where looking at a candle will make it switch. The name brands are good but your gonna pay for it. I feel like my cheap one works as well as miller helmets I've used before, just research what your buying, I've had a couple $30 helmets that had every problem talked about here.

[Ottsville]

Definitely go auto-darkening for your helmet!

I have an $80 century auto-darkening helmet and am looking for a better one. Check the response times on whatever you buy - a slow response time will cause eye fatigue, especially when you are constantly stopping and restarting your arc.