Auto-Dark Welding Helmet.......

[JohnDeere4300]

I really like mine. Fits and works great. Not as lightweight as the expensive ones, but it's very rugged. I'm sure the glass has been tested by ASTM or equivalent body for protection. I wouldn't be surprised if "USA brands" use the same glass, or are made in the same factory as the HF helmet.

About "welder's eyes".

If you're welding a few minutes, no problem. If you will be welding for hours, be careful with reflected light. When welding for hours, it doesn't take much light reflecting off a jacket, zippers, buttons, or something behind you to give your eyes a high dose of UV.

The best solution? A $10 pair of wrap-around UV safety glasses worn under the helmet. They're also great for grinding, hammering, and abrasive sawing.

(IF) i use my HF helmet on large jobs again, then i might try the glasses underneath my helmet... Last week was the first time this happened when using a 'stick welder'.. My eyes have never done that using a 'MIG welder'.

I was welding with the stick welder for about 5 hours a day, and i was wearing a black long sleeve shirt.

 

[FlaDon]

The 'sand' syndrom, or white spot in your vision are nothing to fool with! I'm not endorsing, just thought I'd bring it to the attention of folks that are still 'head-flipping' with one darkness grade! I couldn't weld at all without our SpeedGlas, well some people say I can't weld at all with it!!

Exactly Scooby!

And in the case of my SpeedGlas unit, it has magnifing lens added. The 3/5/10 AD unit was made in Sweden.

 

[have_blue]

(IF)

I was welding with the stick welder for about 5 hours a day, and i was wearing a black long sleeve shirt.

That's a lot of welding. If anything flat or shiny is behind you, it can reflect forward and get inside the the helmet, where a little of it can reflect into your eyes. Over 5 hours, it doesn't take much reflection to give you gritty eyes.

 

[JohnDeere4300]

That's a lot of welding. If anything flat or shiny is behind you, it can reflect forward and get inside the the helmet, where a little of it can reflect into your eyes. Over 5 hours, it doesn't take much reflection to give you gritty eyes.

I was welding outside in the sun.

I did notice when i was wearing the helmet & welding that the sun was behind me, and in the glass of the helmet i could see my eyes.... I don't know if the sun had anything to do with it coming in from the top, and reflecting off the glass.

I may also try putting a leather flap on my helmet like BrentD had mentioned.

 

[Gary Fowler]

I have been welding for 40 years , 10 years with my head under a hood for 10 hours or more per day. Regardless of the brand or what you paid for it, you sometimes get a bad seal on the hood. The biggest culprit with getting your eyes flash burned is from a leaking gasket in FRONT of the lens. Some of these hoods may not even have a light seal gasket. The correct way is to install a clear lens, then a gasket, then the lens (regular or auto) then another clear lens to protect the lens from hot buckshot from the back side. Snap in the retaining ring then check for leaks, You need a good bright flashlight for this and it is better to do it inside a dark area. Put on the hood and run the flashlight around the perimeter of the hood/lens area shining the light at an angle toward the sealing edges. If you see any light seeping in, you will get your eyes burned. Welding supply stores sell a little rubber gasket that fits around a clear lens that you can set right in on the front and does a good job of sealing out all the light. You just have to check it for burns from hot sparks when you change out your dirty clear lens. You should get in the habit of checking your hood for leaks each and every time before you use it. Reflective light will get you from behind if you are welding around shiny object or even white walls but it takes a lot more welding to do that than just hobby welding. Check your gasket, that is the most common leak and surprisingly, you wont see it when welding as you are looking at the weld puddle, not inside your hood.

 

[Sunkistdds]

Shhhh... Nobody supposed to know about the harleys

My understanding is that the plant that manufacturers the LCD's is in South Korea. The LCD in my helmet is stamped Made In Korea.Is there a chinese capacitor or 2 in there, probably, but what can you do?

For what its worth, another good brand,Optrels are made in Switzerland

Id rather buy an American brand and unknowingly support the chinese through the south koreans, than directly support the chinese by buying harbour freight.

I don't worry about the Chinese too much. If they did n't have the money to buy our paper every morning US bonds would be worthless and the economy would be DOA instantly.

 

[ninefinger]

I do not do any marathon welding as some of you do, most of the time my welding is under 30 minutes. I just hobby weld and new at it at that so my HF does good for me. If it were my profession I have no doubt I would have a high dollar helment.

 

[JohnDeere4300]

One place that's easy to get "Welders Eye" is in the coalmines, and you don't even have to be welding.... I have done a lot of welding underground and that was before they came out with 'Auto-Darkening Helmets', but one wouldn't have helped much because it was dark anyway.. You had to do a lot of 'head flipping' and you couldn't wear a light & a welding helmet.

The welding arc would reflect off the coal & the roof of the mines..especially if the roof was wet, and it being dark made it easy to get your eyes burned.

I got so use to 'head flipping' that it turned into a habit... and my wife would remind me in a store that i wasn't in the mines.

 

[mjncad]

I have a Jackson auto-darkening unit with the biggest opening they make. The range is 10 - 13 and I have it set on 10 as I have a hard time seeing the puddle otherwise. I do wear my prescription safety glasses underneath and they have the auto-darkening Transitions coating on them too.

So far I'm happy with the helmet and haven't had sandy eyes syndrome; though I've never done marathon welding sessions with it.

 

[JohnDeere4300]

I have a Jackson auto-darkening unit with the biggest opening they make. The range is 10 - 13 and I have it set on 10 as I have a hard time seeing the puddle otherwise. I do wear my prescription safety glasses underneath and they have the auto-darkening Transitions coating on them too.

So far I'm happy with the helmet and haven't had sandy eyes syndrome; though I've never done marathon welding sessions with it.

Yesterday i put a leather flap on my 'HF auto-darkening helmet' but haven't used it yet.

I was looking at my 'Jackson fixed lens' yesterday, and the sticker inside the helmet said it was made in the USA... But like someone else said in this thread, the lens are probably made in China.

I really didn't know that Jackson had a lot of welding products, and i may order a 'auto-darkening helmet from them.

Jackson Welding Helmet Online