Auto Darkening Lens Reaction Time

[Soundguy]

goodun!

 

[ptgdigger]

Two years ago I experienced a rather severe eye burn after having gotten my first auto-darkening helmet and not fully understanding all of the adjustments it had or where I needed them to be.

I spent a little bit playing with and it seemed to work perfectly fine and seemed to darken/lighten instantly upon arc to the naked eye. So I proceeded to do a couple hours worth of welding with my new helmet just thrilled at what a better welder I had become with it not realizing anything was wrong. A couple hours later I thought I was experiencing a sudden bought of allergies as my eyes got all irritated and were watering terribly. Then they began to hurt rather badly it hit me what had happened. Didn't have the new helmet adjusted to the correct reaction speed and every time I struck an arc the lens delayed momentarily allowing a minute burst of light through to my eyes but it was not noticeable to me. I dialed the sensitivity up since and haven't had a problem again.

Not fun though. Eyes feel like they're full of sand and you can't get it out. Spent several days afterward stuck in the house with all lights off, shades drawn, tv/computer dimmed way back, and wearing sunglasses until my eyes healed themselves back.

Throw that helmet in the garbage then and go get a safe one, every American branded AD helmet I've seen in the last 10 years gives you 100% UV protection in the "lightened" state, you should only be able to get eyestrain from your Iris try to close your pupils down and a bad case of brightspots, the UV is what burns and causes the sand. There should be no setting, including "off" that allows you to bypass 100% uv protection. If that happens the Chinese forgot to copy something from the good helmet they hacked.

Ray

 

[Soundguy]

afaik, the chinese helmet still has the uv protection no matter what.

 

[yomax4]

Many people on here think that the Delay feature on their hood is a delay to make the arc start before the lens turns dark. Why would their be a function like that. The Delay is to keep the lens "Dark" after you break the arc so you don't have to look at the molten puddle. Google it. I don't believe in $29.00 Auto Darkening Hoods but many people do and they are all tested to ANSI specs before they can be sold in the US. There may be something wrong with a hood that burns your eyes but it's not because of the delay feature. Could be too low of shade.

 

[Soundguy]

I was skeptical of mine at forst ( 49$.. have seen em for 34$ now ).. adjusts from shade 9-13 I believe.

so far I've never felt like I had an arc burn wearing mine..

soundguy

 

[flusher]

I was skeptical of mine at forst ( 49$.. have seen em for 34$ now ).. adjusts from shade 9-13 I believe.

so far I've never felt like I had an arc burn wearing mine..

soundguy

I wear that Northern Tool $49 AD helmet. Never been flashed--no uv burns on eyes or skin. I set the darkening control at 11 for stick welding with 1/8" rod at 100-130 amps DC positive. To be extra safe, I wear snug fitting UV400 goggles under the helmet to eliminate stray UV from the eyes.

 

[Soundguy]

i wear glasses unde rmy helmet.. they claim to have some uv protection.. but I try to not get any side flashes or reflections by folding my welding jacket collar up..pluss I have a full beard and tuck that into my shirt / jacket.. it take sup all the space unde rhte helmet..

 

[Gary Fowler]

A shade 11 is too dark for stick welding and likely to cause you some eye strain if you weld a lot with it. 11 is ok for TIG or 12 fir arc gouging if you have light sensitive eyes (not talking about UV light). Another thing most folks dont know is that if you are outside in bright light, you need a lighter shade of lens. This is because your irises are already a pinpoint from the bright light and wont see well in the dark. If inside, use darker by up to 2 shades for best vision. You should not get flash burn from the lighter shades if the helmet gaskets are sealing properly. The shade adjustment is more for your eye comfort and proper vision than UV protection. Think about looking into a bright light with naked eye versus sunshades, you still see the same thing, just much easier on the eye.

 

[SweBota]

Throw that helmet in the garbage then and go get a safe one, every American branded AD helmet I've seen in the last 10 years gives you 100% UV protection in the "lightened" state, you should only be able to get eyestrain from your Iris try to close your pupils down and a bad case of brightspots, the UV is what burns and causes the sand. There should be no setting, including "off" that allows you to bypass 100% uv protection. If that happens the Chinese forgot to copy something from the good helmet they hacked.

Quite correct. Now, Speedglas is Swedish, now owned by 3M, but anyway )

"The Speedglas 9100 Welding Shield: ... Has permanent protection (Shade 13 equivalent) against harmful UV- and IR- radiation, regardless of whether the filter is in the light or dark state or whether the auto-darkening function is operational."

http://www.google.se/url?sa=t&rct=j...1ejaDQ&usg=AFQjCNG7dqXO474OY9jpni3l1suM_zOZrg

I use the 9100X. It has adjustments for Shade (darkness), Delay, Sensitivity (very important for TIG work), and permanent dark level.

BR

/Marcus

 

[yomax4]

Hornell Speedglas since the late 80's. for me. Started with an XL and now use 2 of the 9100x. All I can say is it's your eyes. Use what you want. After selling many brands I would rank the well known ones like 1. Speedglas.2.Jackson.3.Optrel. 4. Miller and Hobart. 5.Tweco.6.Washington Alloy and Weldkote.7 Harbor Freight. 8. Arc One. Only my oppinion.