welding helmets?

[Bird]

"Cheaters" is just simple magnification; kind of like having reading glasses built in. The dealer asked me if I needed cheaters, and had them in various strengths I could try to see which I liked best.

Bird

 

[TWINKLE_TOES]

I_@-@_I /w3tcompact/icons/blush.gif

I use the non-built in kind and they are a pain, thanks Bird I'll check into that.

 

[Bird]

Twinkle Toes, they're just a single rectangular lense that fits into the same bracket that holds the darkened lense. I don't remember what it cost, but I didn't think it was very much at the time.

Bird

 

[cowboydoc]

Wingnut,
I bought one last year and I really liked it. I hated flipping the helmet up and down all the time, it really bothered my neck. My eyes are pretty good so I didn't have a problem there but my granddad was out to visit for a couple weeks and he did some welding for me and he hated it. Said he couldn't see a &*))*&^^^%$$# thing. I had to go dig the old one out for him and then he was happy. He can weld darn anything and I'm more of a hacker. His beads look like a wire feed welder and mine look like, well we won't go there. So between a real welder and a hacker I'd have to say that his opinion probably counts more.

Richard

 

[cowboydoc]

Oh forgot to mention that his eyes are better than mine. He had that cataract surgery and he sees 20/15 now where he used to where 1/4" thick glasses. Doesn't wear any now.

 

[Wingnut]

thanks for all the feedback guys ... sorry I was so slow to get back ... been a busy week.
The reason that I was looking at them is the same reason TwinkleToes mentioned ... I'm blind enough already (20/200 and 20/400 without glasses) so normal welding helmets cause me a real problem. I do the same thing ... use a 500W Halide worklamp as close as I can get to the work ... and I was thinking that these auto darkening suckers could solve that.
I have noticed a wide variation in specs ... the closer to $200 that you ghet, the more variability in shade and the faster the response. The cheaper ones are usually about 1/10,000 while the higher end are usually 1/25,000.

too bad that common sense ain't

 

[john_bud]

Wingnut,

I have a normal helmet, but a friend of mine just got one of the new automatic ones. Actually, he is on his 2nd one. He didn't like the first one as it was slow to clear up after the arc stopped. He said it is like having a 3rd hand and is the best thing in his 35 years of welding. Him, I trust on welding! I am pretty sure he has one that is adjustable for shade and I know he spent ~250.00.

Like you, I often use a 500W worklite, but it takes time to set it up, and they really heat you up! (Which ain't a bad thing this time of year /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif.

John Bud