Dargo
Super Member
- Joined
- Mar 6, 2004
- Messages
- 5,981
- Location
- S. IN
- Tractor
- Jinma, Foton, TYM, Belarus, Yanmar, Branson, Montana, Mahindra and maybe some green and orange too.
I tried one of the HF helmets when they first came out.- It made my eyes burn every time I used it, but I did a lot of welding.
Our welders at work use "Jackson helmets" and they are great!- Their also made in the USA.- I've been using one for 4-years now and haven't had a problem with my eyes.
The helmets will cost you $$$$.- But my eyes are worth it!
Jackson Welding Helmets
I noticed the same and have posted here on several occasions. It's disheartening, but some people who frequent this site place saving a buck over saving their eyesight. I come from a family of professional welders. I'm the only one who welds for personal use. However, after a half day of welding with my 'new' Horrible Freight AD hood my eyes hurt a considerable amount the next day. I returned it and got another. In only about an hour's worth of welding, it too made my eyes hurt. I promptly smashed the lens and tossed it into the trash. My sister is a professional welder (yeah, I know, my other sister is a big time corporate attorney) and she has had to have surgery in both eyes for not only cataracts, but also replacing her lens in her eyes. When the light hits her just right, it's rather creepy to see the reflection in her eyes.
She and a few other workers at George Koch and Sons tried using the cheapo hoods from Horrible Freight and each have had to have eye surgery. They have to pay for their own equipment, so they do want to buy the least expensive that works. By the time you realize that the HF hoods are junk, permanent eye damage is done. But we live in the U.S., no unsafe product can be sold here! Go ahead and get in line to sue a Chinese company who can list no assets anytime they please. You'll just be out attorney fees besides damaged eyes.
Again, I'm quite aware that a pretty good percentage of people who frequent this board proudly purchase the cheapest product that can be found. That's fine and I hope it works out for them. However, when I only have one set of eyes to work with in my lifetime, I'm going to spend another hundred bucks or so to properly protect my precious eyesight. I've been bluntly told here by some that it's not worth that much to them. That's their choice. They are your eyes; the only ones you'll get. If it's worth $100 to put them at known risk, and you're okay with that, go for it. Personally, my eyesight is worth considerably more to me. Also, to be realistic, we're not talking about $30k difference in buying a higher quality brand tractor over a cheap import that sells on price alone. We're talking about about $100 between the worst junk and high line equipment. Only you can decide what your eyes are worth.