welding helmet help

[Thealien]

I am thinking about a new welding helmet for mig welding. I am considering the auto darkening types. The welding shops have them for $130+ amd harbor frieght and ebay has them for $40 and up. Is there a difference worth the $100 or is this one of the things welding shops make money on like best buy and HDMI cables?

Thanks
Mark

[cableguy0]

I bought the harbor freight auto darkening helmet and havent had an issue with it at all. I have used it a ton and its been great. I'm sure the more expensive helmets would be the way to go if you were going to be constantly welding for long periods of time.

[cdowns]

get the biggest window and lightest weight helmet you can find//adjustable auto darkening makes a big difference too

[rwolf9653]

I thought about the "lower buck" helmets, but ended up going with a better one. You only get one set of eyes.

[Thealien]

Originally Posted by rwolf9653

I thought about the "lower buck" helmets, but ended up going with a better one. You only get one set of eyes.

I agree with that statement and that is why I am asking. Are there improvements in the higher priced helmets or just a higher price?

[ERASER5]

I am taking weld classes now. I bought a HF Eagle helmet for about $75. It works great. The tint adjustment is on the out side, so I can adjust it as I go. I have had 0 issues.

Most of use in the class are displaced workers, so we are not spring chickens and we want the most bang for our buck, seeing as we don't have many bucks.

Some of the fellows have their Speedglass helmets from work. The Speedglass is a very nice, very expensive unit. It has a mouth vent that help keep the screen from fogging. All the controls are inside. You must remove the helmet to adjust.

Two guys have Hobart helmets. Again very nice units. And also expensive. Adjustments are also inside.

Just my thoughts.

[Thealien]

does the harbor freight helmet have an ANSI rating?

[jamis]

Speaking from someone who has suffered flash burn multiple times, don’t skimp on the helmet...fancy painted welding helmets don’t make a bit of different but the quality of the lens does. Get the helmet from a good welding supply outfit. When they first came out they ran in the 300 to 400 range now they have come down a bit in price.

[Sinister]

I have an auto darkening helmet from Northern Tools. Solar powered, adjustable shade. I think it was about $75. Has good reviews, darkens fast, and is adjustable. I don't weld that often, so it works good enough for me.

[arm51]

i have a hobart auto darkening helmet and its great ive had it for about 6 months and so far no problem and it was fairly cheap i think i paid 90 bucks for it at rural king

[Thealien]

Originally Posted by jamis

Speaking from someone who has suffered flash burn multiple times, don’t skimp on the helmet...fancy painted welding helmets don’t make a bit of different but the quality of the lens does. Get the helmet from a good welding supply outfit. When they first came out they ran in the 300 to 400 range now they have come down a bit in price.

Please don't take this the wrong way but I am not sure I should be taking welding helmet advice from someone who has suffered flash burn multiple times? Either your choice of helmets or your willingness to use them has been a little off?



















Just messing with you, we only have 2 eyes and that is exactly why I am asking a bunch of people with experience with the equipment in question.

[fastwillie 696969]

Originally Posted by rwolf9653

I thought about the "lower buck" helmets, but ended up going with a better one. You only get one set of eyes.

good answer dude my dad had a saying to about motorcycle helmets he said if you got a 10 dollar head get a 10 dollar helmet if you got a 500 dollar head get the 500 dollar helmet

[Thealien]

Originally Posted by 70blowngmc

good answer dude my dad had a saying to about motorcycle helmets he said if you got a 10 dollar head get a 10 dollar helmet if you got a 500 dollar head get the 500 dollar helmet

Again I agree with the statement but I still haven't heard one reply with any more evidence than it cost more it must be better?

I used the anaology of HDMI cables. Monster cables are over $100 at best buy. You can get HDMI cables at monoprice for less than $5.00 and they have been PROVEN to work just as good. It is also why I asked about the ANSI rating on the cheaper helmets. So please all you guys recomending the pricier helmets can you give me any actual data such as quicker darkening etc?

I really am looking for information

Please don't take this the wrong way I apreciate ALL the replies. I just like to make informed decisions.

[GruntMoanCough]

Bought this one a coupla years ago for $60 (reg. $100), am quite pleased with it, works well, and have had no problems. One disadvantage is the life expectency of the power unit of 6 years but, at that price, so what.
IMO, with the higher end helmets, you're paying for better quality of manufacturing, will take more abuse, and the fancy stuff like paint jobs on them.

[Sillyoldman]

As a occasional hack I found the HF auto darkening to work for me. My welding is very limited and is my wallet. If I were welding all the time I could justify spending more money on one.

[Kim57]

I had a hobart auto darkening helmet that went bad on me. When I was looking for a replacement at the welding supply house the salesman recomended HF. He said they were just as good as the name brand helmets without the name or high price. Been using it for a few years now without any issues.
I do think they have an ANSI rating but won't swear to it.
Kim

[BarryB]

I have an auto darkening from Jackson, been used and abused and still holding up pretty good. I've used the ones from HF, I've noticed that the darkening doesn't seem to get as dark as more expensive models, always seemed like it needed to go a shade or two darker to compare to the same tint value of the more expensive models.

[Rollie396]

I haven't done alot of homework on the subject as I've had my Miller lid for 3 yrs and have been quite happy with it,but I would look at how many arc sensors are built into the lense.Mine has four (one in each corner) which is what I would get again if I bought another one.Reason being is if you only have one or two at the top of the lense and you're welding in a tight area,there's a good chance that the sensors will be blocked and the lense won't darken.It won't give you a flash but it will of course make you see spots for a bit.hehe.
adjustable shade is nice too mine is 9-13 which is more than enough for me.I use 9 when I'm welding outside and wearing shaded safety glasses,and 10-11 when inside with clear glasses (should always be wearing glasses,they can help prevent a flash on their own).
One feature that my helmet is lacking is the grind feature.If you can,get one with it!If I had to do it again,I'd go over budget for it.My helmet (even with the sensitivity turned down to nothing)triggers with even light grinding which is a bit of a bugger.Double eye protection in my mind is very important when grinding and a helmet that triggers every time you think about grinding won't encourage you to practice that.
As far as the controls on the outside,I dunno mine are on the inside and after a bit of time,I can adjust my inside controls just fine without taking the thing off.
How it's powered is the other thing.My dad has one that is solar powered.Works fine,but it'll sometimes surprise you if it sits for awhile between uses.If that happens,it needs to sit out in the sun for awhile before using.Mine is powered by a watch battery which I prefer.It has a little light that warns you if the battery is getting low.I've gone through 2 in three years with a fair amount of use.
After all that,I would looks at how many sensors(4 is what I'd want but it depends on what you're doing with it).
Adjustable shade and sensitivity are both nice to have though most have that now.
Grind feature would be no.1 or a close second to me.(a grind setting that works btw,I forgot to mention that I've used one or two that didn't)
Battery powered IMO is best.
One other thing,it wouldn't hurt to check into how much the replacement clear lenses are.I know I was shocked when they told me $8 each!!Regardless of the cost,make dang sure you have clear lenses on BOTH sides of the shaded lense!I know fellas that didn't bother with the inside one to save a few bucks,but ended up with a terribly pitted autodark lense.Guess why.They didn't have a grind setting and they flipped the helmet up and shot sparks at it lol.
Anyhow,if you find a helmet with those features and it's comfortable (light is good as was mentioned) and it costs less than $100,go for it.I wouldn't be shy to spend more the extras though.Sight is good .
Sorry for the novel.

[68K20 x Drill]

I have the $500 HF special, and while the autodark part works well, the difference in the hardware holding it to your head (or not) is immediately apparent, and a constant annoyance. it wont stay up or down, and likes to launch the brain clamp adjuster and spring across the shop.

$15 on a brand name headgear, a few zip ties to make it work, and i am a happy guy.

[nds1968]

I have a Miller helmet. It has four sensors, battery and solar power,delay feature (was a must), grind feature shade #3, auto on, and a very large viewing area. It's light weight and flexible and very conforming shape (not big and square). It was around $200 for a black one(customer/friend price),and you can buy replacement parts with no hassle (rubber gaskets, lenses, and head gear).

I welded every day though and coworkers bought the HF ones and would return them within a month. But we welded every day on the job.

http://www.millerwelds.com/products/...mets/elite.php

[1970 chev truck]

I have a Miller Digital Elite, got it for about $280, its a great helmet, large viewing area, easy digital settings, works excellent.

[ERASER5]

Originally Posted by Thealien

does the harbor freight helmet have an ANSI rating?

Yes!

I would also add, look for a battery powered AND solar powered unit. The solar will keep the battery powered up for a very long long time. You do not want a power failure in the middle of a hot weld!

[mclairmo]

I've never used the auto dark type helmet. Does it really go dark quick enough to prevent your eyes from being exposed to any flash? I mean even if your eyes are exposed for a fraction of a second, if you weld a lot, that small amount of exposure can add up. Or am I wrong? I feel safer with a regular helmet but wondering just how good and safe the auto darkening ones really are.

[Northern lights]

I had a autp darkening helmut from Princess auto (likley our version of HF) and was very happy with it. It had adjustable shade and was about $75 IIRC. then, it got stuck on the darkest shade, even though I never ever set it on the darkest shade. I decided that even though I was quite pleased over all with the $75 helmut, I would get a "good" one. I bought a Miller with the 4 sensors, grinding feature, blah, blah, blah. I wouldn't go back to a cheapy if they were free. The only recommendation I can give is to try each one out and judge for yourself. It's easy to love a Taurus when you've never driven a Mercedes.

[GruntMoanCough]

Originally Posted by mclairmo

Does it really go dark quick enough to prevent your eyes from being exposed to any flash?

Yes, they're great for doing bodywork when you're trying to hold things in place and trying to tack.

Originally Posted by Northern lights

It's easy to love a Taurus when you've never driven a Mercedes.

Good point!