Auto Darkening Welding Helmets

[TBone]

Those of you who do stick rod welding know how difficult it is sometimes to start your rod in exactly the spot that you need to, especially when welding small parts.

I think that one of the auto darkening helmets would be nice for this. Do any of you guys have experience with them?

On ebay I have seen some very good prices (as compared to my welding supply store). Some of them require batteries and some are solar powered. Some are adjustable for different darkness levels.

WHICH ARE BETTER?

TBone

 

[Tractors4u]

I have one that I use with my wire feed welder. It uses batteries. I don't have any experience with the solar type. I love mine. I do remember the stick days and how many times I saw spots from letting that rod drop a second too early.

 

[Charlie_Iliff]

I researched and shopped for a while and finally bought an expensive one from the welder supply shop. I don't remember the numbers, but there is fairly wide variation in the response time. I opted for the quickest, even though I have no reason to say the others are less safe. Of course the quickest was expensive, but it has variable darkness. It is battery powered.
Unfortunately, I deleted the links I accumulated, but I am sure others on the board have preferences to suggest, and a web search with various combinations of welding, auto dark, etc. will get you a lot of info.

Once you try one, you'll never go back.

 

[RanchMan]

Auto darkening helmets are the ONLY way to fly!

I too have a wire feed welder and started out using the traditional type of helmet - welds turned out ok, but starting where I wanted to was a real pain, and I too "raised the hood" a little too early occasionally with the manual version - not good.

I tried an "inexpensive" auto version from Harbor Freight, but it had a nasty tendency to not always darken! Sent it back - didn't ask for an exchange, just my money back. My eyesight is worth more to me than saving a couple of bucks on the front end.

I wound up getting one from HTP America - works flawlessly. Plenty dark and none of the issues with the manual version. Wouldn't trade it for anything.

They are pricey, but I find that mine has helped me become a much better welder because I can "Start @ square 1" every time now.

Here's a link to HTP's helmets - I got the "Striker Ultra XL" version. Hope this helps....

<A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.htpweld.com/product_page/welding_helmets/helmets.html>http://www.htpweld.com/product_page/welding_helmets/helmets.html</A>

 

[cowboydoc]

I like them alot. I tryed one of the solar ones and I didn't like it. The battery powered ones are much better than the solar ones. I definitely think they are worth the money.

 

[Bud]

I bought one at Quality Farm for $130.00. It has a darkness range from 9 to 13, and it uses two triple A batteries. It does'nt make much difference on welding in the open, but it's great when you have to start a weld in a close area.
Bud

 

[jrlichina]

I have one that has both batteries and solar backup/charger it's awesome.

 

[TBone]

Hey fellas, Thanks for the advice on the helmets. I have been told by many that once you use one you would find it hard to use the other kind.

I am going in tonight and compare response times and place a bid on one. I think I'll probably bid on one with the batteries.

THANKS AGAIN!

TBone

 

[micromike]

I bought an autodarking helmet at Lowes for I think $147. It uses two double aa batteries. It is shade 10 only. It works great. I don't know about the others but with mine, you have to uncrew two knurled screws on the inside of the helmet, and take the lense out. It has a small button on the front of the panel that you push, put the lense back in, screw in the knurles and you're ready to go. A bit tedious but worth it. It shuts itself off after 20 minutes of non-use.

Here is an interesting thing though...last weekend I was using it and it wouldn't work properly. Wouldn't darken fast enough and sometimes not at all. I thought...new batteries needed? Nope, I had put the panel in backwards, with the button facing me! I didn't know this would be a problem and it took me a minute to figure it out. Turned it around and it worked perfect.

 

[bgott]

A little trivia...The technology in auto darkening helmets was designed for Air Force aircraft windows. They came up with this because the flash from a nuclear blast in the vicinity of an aircraft could blind the pilots. This probably cost the government billions to develop and we can get it for less than $500! /w3tcompact/icons/grin.gif

 

[centex]

I bought an auto-darkening helmet when they first came out and so it was very expensive - $450 - compared to what they cost today. I would make sure I got a good one that darkens fast. I bought mine for TIG welding and since it cost so much I don't use it for stick or MIG welding because I don't want to get the spatter on it. Like others have said, once you use one you will not want to use anything else.

 

[Tractors4u]

As expensive as they are it is a good idea to get a clear lens cover to go over the actual tinted lens. When the tinted lens gets too scratched up or gets covered up with spatter you just throw it away and get a new clear lens.

 

[GaryM]

I bought one from Harbor Freight that adjusts from shade 9-13. When not activated it's a shade 3. It has a battery, but charges the battery with a solar panel. It came with some replacement lenses for both inside and out. I paid $159 and consider it money well spent.

I've seen it on sale in their catalog rcently for $110 or so.

Here it is http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=39310

 

[njrqs]

OK

So how do they work so fast???

 

[Inspector507]

TBone,
I picked up a Craftsman MIG welder when one of the local stores was closing. Figured it would give me something the play around with while I learn to weld (one of these days). Anyway, my brother thought I needed a helmet an Atuo Darkening helmet. I was using the little shield you get with the welder. Trouble is you gotta hold it up to your face. Well, the helmet is wonderful. Did I say how wonderful it is?? It works on 2 AAA size batteries. It's wonderful.

 

[rf33]

Hi Mike,

I think that on your helmet, you just need to push on the front lens at the top a little, and it will push the button for you. That is the way mine works anyways. It would get a little tedious to have to take the thing apart every time you wanted to weld.

 

[centex]

As expensive as they are it is a good idea to get a clear lens cover to go over the actual
tinted lens. When the tinted lens gets too scratched up or gets covered up with spatter
you just throw it away and get a new clear lens.

I have the lens covers but I didn't trust them. I don't have a problem with the regular helmets for stick and mig welding as I have a free hand if needed to lower the helmit. It was with TIG welding where both hands were tied up that I could not use a regular helmet. My dad would flick his head to lower his helmet but I just could never get my helmets adjusted so that they would stay up when I wanted and drop with a minor flick of the head. I would have to give it a couple of big flicks and one of my hands would move. The other feature of the auto-darkening helmet that I needed for TIG was the adjustable filter for the wide range of welding currents I use with it. BTW my dad claimed he used a small Millermatic wire feed welder on sheet metal without a helmet by keeping the torch close to the work and using it to hide the welding flash from his eyes. I thought he was dumb for doing this but he worked until he was 75 and never had any problem with his eyes. I wonder if anyone else has seen this before.

One other thing I did not mention is the batteries in the auto-darkening helmets. Mine uses a special (meaning hard to find and expensive) battery. I think the current ones use standard batteries. I would stay away from the ones that use special batteries like mine. They last a long time but go out at the most inconvenient times and you can't run down to the local convience store and pick one up.

 

[wroughtn_harv]

Morning Don,

I've been in quite a few situations where guys either mig without a hood or just just dark glasses. Doing the old set the mig gun and then go by ear for the pass.

My favorite I believe is the Master or something like that from Jackson. I have four hoods, all of them quick change (auto darkening). But the favorite is lighter, has more options, and will allow me to weld, torch, or grind by just pushing a button.

The weld button activates the other buttons for duration, initialization, and degree of shade. I got it set for ten and then the rest of them are just in the middle, not too much of a techie. The torch button turns the lens to a shade five. This is also the setting I use to torch with the plasma. The grind button turns the lense clear so the hood effectively becomes a face shield.

Yesterday when Ron was here he used the Jackson with just the insert. It's got the push button like one of the posters talked about. What I do with it because the button is hard to activate with the plastic lense cover is put a finger on the inside of the lense and another on the outside of the lense over the on switch. I try to make them touch and like magic I've got a working quick change. The hood Ron used is the only one without a cheater in it. (Cheaters are magnifying lenses you can mount in your hood if you're like me and need that extra little bit of help).

I put off going to quick change for many years. But then when I got one I couldn't live without one now. The biggest reason was the cost. Back then they were even more expensive than they are now. But I did some work for a mechanic at his home. After he paid my bill he handed me a hundred dollar bill and thanked me all over again. I took that as a message from the welding god that I should buy myself a quick change. I haven't looked back.

 

[bgott]

I went looking for some technical info for these things last night and the most I could come up with is that the auto darkening lens is an LCD with a light sensor and circuitry. I guess they work at the speed of light! One interesting thing I found out, the navy did a cost/benefit analysis and one of the benefits was less cervical injuries. I guess a lot of welders screw their backs and necks up flipping their heads to drop the hood. They also cited improved welds and a few other good things.

 

[BBearden]

no hood

W_Harv,

Your comment about old timers not using a hood reminded me of working as a helper in oil field contruction in East Texas. I would regularly see welders start a root stringer with a small p5 rod and lift their hoods and finish the weld. This was 100% xray too. Pretty cool.