Slow welding helmet response time

[MJPetersen]

My HF helmet (not the least expensive model) has both a sensitivity switch and a reaction time switch. I have had it for 6 months and have not had any problems with it and no "gravel eyes." They have several different models and maybe only those who bought the lowest models are having problems. I am quite satisfied with mine.

Mike

 

[Dargo]

Also use a Miller Big Window Elite. As noted, excellent viewing area and quality product. HIGHLY recommended. Batteries are easy to find (Radio Shack) and easy to replace. Very comfortable as well.

I will say that I do generally use this particular hood when I MIG or TIG. Maybe I should quit wearing my cheater (reading) glasses under the hood because my only issue has been sticking my big noggin too close to my work and going through the plastic outer protective lenses in short order. On larger gauge material or stick welding I don't seem to want to stick my nose on my work. But, like the batteries, I think a 5 pack of the outer lens covers are under five bucks.

I probably should disclose that one of my siblings, actually one of my younger sisters, is a professional welder and, due to using cheap AD hoods, she had to have surgeries on both eyes. I don't know exactly what the surgeries were, but she has "Terminator" eyes now. At the right angle, her eyes now reflect light back at you and it looks really freaky. She didn't know that she was getting flashed constantly because of her cheap hood. Needless to say, this is why I'm extremely adamant about warning people against ruining their eyesight just to try to save $100. I keep saying $100 more because that is all it cost her over her HF piece of trash to get a decent AD hood. She has now gotten a more expensive brand and model because of her personal preference. Where my hood is a M hood, hers is a Speedglas Flexview with side windows and all. Hers was more money than mine and maybe better. In a way I suppose you can say that she went with the best she could buy after already doing damage to her eyes with a cheap hood.

 

[bitternut]

I also have a Miller big window elite and I am very happy with it. I have owned a couple others before that did not work as well as my Miller. I would buy another BWE in a heartbeat.
You only get one set of eyes and it pays to take care of them. I have heard good things about a couple other brands also but have never used them.

 

[Berniep]

I was doing some welding in the cold this week and my HF auto dark helmet was experiencing slow response. I could see an initial flash before it darkened. Tried new batteries without any change. Switched to my old standard helmet to complete the job. Has anyone experienced slow response in cold temperatures or is it just time for a new one?

My miller bwe had a warning in the manual about using it in the cold.
The cold can slow down the response time due to it being an lcd.

It won't damage your eye even if it doesn't darken at all (not that you could keep wleidng with it that way) because the lens filters all uv rays all the time. You are gonna see spots but there should be no arc burn.

Someone else already mentoined about the delay setting being the amount of time after the arc goes out.

 

[tatra805]

my automatic helmet was stolen at one point and i went back to a classic helmet.

I did notice that time that i had much less sore eyes the day after welding and realized that the automatic one was basically junk.

I also do know that it took some time before pro welders started using these automatics as they were not approved health and safety wise.

Now you can buy an automatic for less than 100 $, on the same shelf sits a 500$ model. Must be a difference.

Guess it is nowadays as with all tools. Budget tools are more common but come with assorted quality.

Anybody considered it worrying when all of a sudden all wrenches became chrome-vanadium 15 years ago? I think we should have.

 

[ray66v]

I bought a Speedglas about 20 years ago. Back then, it cost me 2 weeks pay for the deluxe adjustable shade model, . It was worth it then, and It still works fine.

 

[EddieWalker]

Dargo made this same argument several years about about not taking a chance with his eyes to save a few bucks. At the time, i was looking at the auto darkening helmets and just assumed that if they are sold to the general public, that there is some sort of standard out there that makes them all safe.

After reading his comments back then, and doing a little looking around, I decided against buying an auto darkening helmet. I don't weld very often, I don't enjoy welding and I'd just as soon never have to do it again. I'm not going to spend allot of money on it, but what I buy, I want to work and get the job done. I have a AC/DC arc welder that's able to do what I want it to do, but needed a new helmet. I bought the Lincoln helmet with the big faceplate. It was only $40 I think. It's just the helmet and the glass. It is impossible to see anything with it on, so you have to have the rod close to where you want to start welding, but that's never been an issue anyway.

What's most important is that I will never have to worry about my eyesight from a slow response time, or it not working properly. Like Dargo said, my eyes are too valuable.

Eddie

 

[easygo]

I do have a question about this. I did get a cheap AD helmet from Northern Tool after reading some of the reaction time issues. I get myself and the electrode into position and just as I'm about to strike the arc I close my eyes for a split second to make sure the thing "has time" to fully darken. Does that protect me from the possible darkening delay/flash problem?. May be due to this practice I never noticed a flash or had eye problems.

 

[Scooby074]

Does that protect me from the possible darkening delay/flash problem?

Its probably not a bad practise with the cheaper helmets. I cant say for sure how much protection it gives though. I dont trust those cheap china helmets to meet the standards of protection stamped on them even when the shade is darkened
.

 

[tatra805]

to answer your question: yes, if you dont forget.

knowing a bit more about electronics than about welding i see this whole thing more complex.

Low quality can be the result of a lot of things. For me this is not the point of bad workmanship, that would only give you a defect helmet as result.

Circuit design and component selection are areas where a normal user cannot look in to. This goes very close with cheap production and has some well defined frames where you can skimp.

Tolerances is a main one. The wider the cheaper
Stability is another one. eg in which temperature range a component is within the set tolerance.

Now you can build the same circuit with top spec components (calibrated series or individual tested series etc) and with low end components and have a complete different helmet.

Each component comes with a quality level an i saw BIG differences in simple components from the base quality level (+-20% range) within 1 production run and between different batches. this is only te Base Components i am talking about.

Take a 100 to make the circuitery of the helmet with each of them 20% variation and you realize that the specification on your helmet is a wide spectrum and not a fix point.

With calibrated series you narrow it down to 1-2% variation (or better but than you will pay $$$$$$$$$$$$, this is more for special aplications and not for series production)

If your helmet is already slow, the other circuitery and components i consider being suspect to other flaws. (lets say i am sure, but i dont want to stick out my neck)

Let us just take the LC screen. If a 500$ helmet has one that darkens 95% in a temp range from -10 till +50 in 3ms time while a cheap one does it from +5 till +35 in 5ms you will in your heated garage never notice the difference.

Once the situation gets out of the normal you will flash your eyes. Does that make you have to ditch the cheap one?

No, but to me you should not have bought it in the first place.





Just a disclaimer; the cheap one in my text is not your helmet i have no specs or actual data of your helmet, nor do i have about a 500$ one, This is just as an example. replace the word helmet with digital camera, or washing machine and the text works also.