I'm thinking of getting an auto darkening helmet and need some opinions. Are they worth the money? It is a pain in the *** doing sheet metal with a regular helmet. I see they really vary in price too. Any info would be great. Thanks, Todd
I got the $50 one from Harbor Freight and really like it except for the hatband adjuster that comes loose occasionally. Special hint for gas welding: Put tape over the light sensor and it will just stay undarkened (about #3) while you gas weld.
i have one and i love it , except i made the mistake of getiing one that only has one setting.....10....which is not enuff for tig welding...need 11 or 12 gwet one that has adjustable settings..you will wonder how you got along without it
I dished out big jack for a Speedglas and I can't weld without it anymore. They're the best investment you can make for welding, as far as I'm concerned. I know lots of guys who have the Harbor Freight ones and for basic MIG welding, they're fine. However, if you do any TIG welding, invest in one that has TIG functions. Mine is adjustable, and also has special TIG settings on it. I had the non-TIG one and it was great for wire welding but for TIG it ****ed. This one is the all encomp***ing helmet and I love it. Used Speedglas helmets come up for sale on eBay a lot from guys who dropped out of welding school and such, they're usually a pretty good deal. Whether you get a cheap one or a good one, you won't be sorry.
I got a hobart. *****in, though it looks real space-agey The only problem I have is when welding under a car and the sensor gets blocked. BRIGHT LIGHT BRIGHT LIGHT!!!! it is nice that it does not require batteries and the darkening adjustments are on the OUTSIDE of the hood so you can adjust them while welding...
I got an el chepo off egay. Solar powered, adjustable from 4-13. Use it with MIG set-up. I will never have a straight helmet again. But like anything esle, if I were making a living with it I would invest in a real good one, but for my limited use the cheap one's fine.
ive got one of the high dollar hoods from eastwood, it was a gift, had it about 5 years, i had to send the whole lens module back to miller after 2 years cause it clapped out and stayed on the darkest setting. they replaced it for free, no questions asked. that was a plus. its a damn fine piece of equipment. a friend has an el'cheapo from harbour freight and with the exception of good head gear and glow in the dark flamesits about as good as mine.
I used one once. I hated it. But i think i just needed to give it a bit more of a chance. I wouldnt mind trying one after reading how much every one else likes theres. But ill still keep my normal one around.
I am a true believer in buying a good one, because it is your eyes that you are dealing with. I use a Jackson EQC Professional every day, and it is great, they run around $200.00. I have used a HF cheapie, and hated it, I guess I am just used to what I have.
Have a speedglas with adjustable darkening settings and love it. Wouldn't go back to regular helmet now.
I bought an expensive one, with the large self darkening gl*** area. This is a "must do" if you wear bifocals.----Trouble is, I sweat like a damn pig and end up fogging the inside of it so bad that I can't see **** anyways. The helmet works great, it is marvelous for mig welding and stick welding, but I wish there was something that I could put on the inside of the lens to keep it from fogging up so bad.----I have even thought about rigging up some form of "air-bleed" ventilation system from the air compressor to purge the moisture from the helmet as I am using it.
Is it true that the mili -second it takes to adjust after you strike the arc can cause eye damage over time?
I fought the trend for years, then got one several years ago and wouldn't go back for anything....buy quality, I use it professionally and it is worth it....also for you old farts such as I, the cheater lenses put behind work wonderful, and wear your reading gl***es also to see lots of details that the young kids don't see!!!!
best auto helmet i used is a speed glas. they have a ton of adjustability and seem alot clearer than my hobart. a bit pricey though but worth it if you do alot of welding, especially tig. http://www.hornell.com/hsi/hsihome.html i knew they were swedish but looks like they got bought out by 3M. Bad *** helmets though.
No. Your eyes are not exposed to it long enough to do any damage. Guys weld without helmets all the time, they look away or cover it with their hands. Doing that can give you welder's flash, which is basically a sunburn on your eye. But even welder's flash will clear up after a while. Auto-dimming helmets are a very safe and effective way to protect your eyes while welding. And I agree that the Speedglas is one of the best helmets out there, but I'm biased because I have one.
That's interesting, I wonder if the quality changed at all. Mine is a few years old already, it was the old Swedish one.
I've got a Lincoln and, while I wouldn't weld w/o an auto-darkening helmet again, I have to. My sensor **** the bed and now I have to use my 50 year old stick welding helmet until I can spring for another helmet. If I leave it i n tesunlight for a couple of days, it seems to work ok but if I leave it in teh garage, it won't auto-darken any more.
I bought an auto darkening lens that fit in my old helmet at the local welding shop best welding investment since I bought my henrob. Dawg
I teach auto body so I see and try a lot of different helmet since the students aren't required to buy one but encouraged to. The one comment I have about the cheaper ones are that the delay is slightly slower and if you are doing a lot of plug welding or s***ch welding that requires a lot of triggering after a while I've seen eye strain, not full blow flashburn, which anyone who has had a good case of it doesn't want it again, but that your eyes just don't feel right the next day. If you just do occasional triggering like frame work I haven't seen any problems.
father-in-law= harbor freight grandpa= harbor freight me= harbor freight get the adjustable one, as said before.....all are still going strong... EDIT: When I showed up with my HF helmet for my welding cl***, the instructor kind of laughed. However, after using it, he did say that he was suprised at how well it did compared to the others he had used. He did say that many of the auto helmets have light and dark spot in the lens.......I did notice this in mine. He said you can sometimes cure it by leaving it under a light bulb for several days and the cells would balance.......I never tried it, but it seemed to make sense...
I've got an older autodarkin' one (12 years)and have four 1/4 holes drilled in the top towards the back. Combine that with a snap over cover for the the front of the head gear and a biker bandana and it'll help.
Bought a $50 on sale at the local farm store, love it. If you do any stick welding you'll find that starting the arc is ridiculously easy.
I've used them since they came out and wouldn't weld with out one. I was skeptical at first but after about 10 minutes you couldn't get it away from me. Frank
I got a Astro I use it at school everyday. I love it. You prob wan't do any stick welding with, but its great to have when you do.
I have one of those fancy shmancy Hobart auto helmets. It was given to me as a gift from a welder friend who p***ed on last year.. I have NO idea why i never bought one a long time ago! One of the best investments especially if your welding sheet metal on something like a chop job...
I have the el cheapo from harbor frieght, and LOVE IT!! Ive used those fancy expensive ones in welding cl*** and other than a thicker plastic hood, there pretty much the same.
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