Auto darkening helmets

[Shield Arc]

sometimes dissapears unfortunately.

WOW!:shocked: Guys I use to work with, that would be very unhealthy to get caught doing anything like that.:thumbdown: Being as we worked over water all the time, we all left our wallets in our lunch buckets. I never heard of anybody loosing their wallet or money out of their wallet.

 

[mikefromnh]

I have a miller elite. As a newbie to welding I don't know if it was worth the money compared to cheaper ones. But I wasn't going to risk my eyes to harbor freights quality control department.

The settings stay where you put them and it turns itself on and off. You can adjust the sensitivity so it goes dark when you look at a 13w fluorescent light bulb. And it has a few more modes than the cheaper ones.

 

[flusher]

I use a $50 AD helmet from Northern Tool. In 7 years I haven't been flashed. The glass in the helmet gives the UV protection, the quick darkening filter gives you the flash protection and additional UV protection. I wear a pair of plastic UV400 wrap around glasses under the helmet to protect from UV that gets reflected from what's behind me (shop wall, cabinets, etc.) and gets into the helmet from the backside.

Good luck

 

[Gary Fowler]

I have used the HF AD helmet for 5 years and had to replace one due to filling the lens full of sweat which it didn't like so for sure they aren't water proof. The one I have now for about 3 years has a weak battery that wont stay charged unless I hang it in the window so it gets full sunshine. It still works OK, just sometimes the AD doesn't work on the first rod strike for a milli- second. But after the first rod, the UV has built up enough charge to keep it working right. I have a new one in the closet that I should break out and start using but the old one still works well enough. You wont get flash burn to the eyes from it not darkening because the filter plate stops the UV rays it is just bright for a second.
Most flash burn happens (other than flashing from not having the hood down) not because of a faulty lens but a faulty gasket or one that was improperly positioned when the clear lens were replaced. It is a good habit to check the hood with a strong flashlight when changing the clear lens and also do a daily inspection. Just put on the hood, run the flashlight around the lens perimeter while looking for any stray light. IF ANY is showing, you will get flash burn if you use the hood without adjusting the gasket.

As for costs, the biggest difference that I see is the gadget settings for grinder, timers etc. A grinder setting is nice to have so you can use the hood for those grinder jobs rather than remove and put on a clear face shield. All of them now have multi-shade capability and they all work just as well as the next for UV protection IMO. Some of the hoods head gear will be much more comfortable than others and some designs look slick whether or not they are functional at repelling sparks is debatable. My take on welding hoods is that the users buys what he likes and what fits comfortably. Choose the hood that you like first then look at the price and then compare it to a cheaper one to see if you really need to spend the $300 to get it vs the $40 for a HF or Northern tool version.

 

[metalsmith]

First off if you still like your old helmet, should check for a replacement lens module. Some are very reasonable in price compared to a new helmet. On the other side, there has been major changes in the components where even the cheap end ones work very well. Its nearly more of a choice of hood design you like anymore. I’ve yet to see one that wasn’t hard on batteries which is why I have a cheapie harbor freight solar one as a back up and that one has preformed nearly as well as my old Sellstrom helmet.

 

[Texasmark]

I have the HF el cheapo and isn't all that old. On stick it is fine. On MIG it is way too slow if it lights at all. So I use my old regular glass, non auto with MIG.

Mark

 

[weldermike]

WOW!:shocked: Guys I use to work with, that would be very unhealthy to get caught doing anything like that.:thumbdown: Being as we worked over water all the time, we all left our wallets in our lunch buckets. I never heard of anybody loosing their wallet or money out of their wallet.

We have night crews that come to our shop to pick up stuff we have fixed or made for them. Some guys are from different companies as well. Supervision is usually in a office somewhere, so its free reign for these guys until they knock on a door. I recently had a knife switch installed on my bandsaw so i could lock it, cause someone at night was wrecking it. Two days later someone sawsalled the switch handle and lock right off. Sucks but it is what it is till theres a accident

 

[Jim Timber]

I've had a Hobart hood for about 10 years or so. I've replaced the sweatband with leather (I made) after it disintegrated, and it's had a few of the protector lenses replaced (big improvement there!) as they've gotten cloudy. Other than that, the only time I don't like it is when the work is in the way of the light sensors. Having more than 2 would be my only improvement.

It was $100 when purchased.

 

[bamboozled]

3M Speedglas. Don't play around with your eyes.

3M Speedglas 9100 Series Welding Helmets | Baker's Gas + Welding Supplies

 

[OutbackL130]

As others have said, the auto darkening UV protection will generally be the same no matter which helmet you buy. It comes down to comfort and features.

I have the Speedglas 9100fx with adflo and would highly recommend it. I also have the older speedglas 9002x with adflo, a miller elite and several cheap AD hoods. I searched for a new hood last year and nothing I tried really compared to the comfort and functionality of the Speedglas. The 9100 headband has a huge improvement in comfort. I like the flexview for grinding which saves me hours a week being able to go straight from welding to a clear grinding shield and back to welding with same helmet. Also, the 9100fx has a larger view. I used to stumble around my shop with the narrow grinding shield on the old 9002x.