My Miller T94 is DOA - looking for replacement recommendation

[LXCam]

IT's a sad - sad day it is. My beloved 10yr old T94 **** the bed and I need a new lid. Mig and Tig are my needs, I never really used the grinding feature aspect so that's not important. But I really did like the headgear, it was multi adjustable and was comfortable. It doesn't have to be Miller, I'm down for anything that's good solid gear.

Thanks!, Cam

 

[PugetDude]

Cam, I really like my Lincoln 3350 helmet. (Best price i could find was from Baker's) it's a much better helmet than the Jackson Safety that came with my 211 from Cyberweld.
And.... when I needed a helmet up at the cabin I picked up a Hobart Inventor at TSC. It's really been surprisingly comfortable.

Or, just buy an Optrel and find a way to hide it on your next expense account.

 

[LXCam]

Optrel

I've never heard of Optrel. They gotta be good since they're really pricy huh??.

And damn straight the company is buying me one. The last almost 7 years I haven't welded a damn thing for myself, it's all been stuff that's made this joint big bucks.

But I got to buy from Linde, so my choices are Red / Blue or Prostar it looks like.

 

[badmatt]

Optrel makes some of THE best helmets in my experience.

Linde should be able to get you one in. They sell them up here.

 

[Sweetcorn]

I have another miller that isn't pictured below, but my favorite by a longshot is the speedglass with the selectable variable shade color.

The Optrel is not bad, though.

 

[rmack898]

I had the original Optrel satelite with the non-replacable battery for 5 years before it died.
Replaced it with a SpeedGlass. The speedgalss sucked and I only used it for a week until I bought a new Optrel that is going on 10 years old.
I just bought a new Optrel Sphere. At first I thought the new headgear on the Sphere was flimsy but it is anything but. It's the lightest and most comfortable hood I've ever had.

The only downside with Optrel is if you need a cheater. Optrel's cheaters are proprietary and pricey.

 

[LXCam]

I had the original Optrel satelite with the non-replacable battery for 5 years before it died.
Replaced it with a SpeedGlass. The speedgalss sucked and I only used it for a week until I bought a new Optrel that is going on 10 years old.
I just bought a new Optrel Sphere. At first I thought the new headgear on the Sphere was flimsy but it is anything but. It's the lightest and most comfortable hood I've ever had.

The only downside with Optrel is if you need a cheater. Optrel's cheaters are proprietary and pricey.

What didn’t you like about the speed glass?

And thanks for the suggestions guys, much appreciated. One preference I do have is ease of replacement lenses and stuff all though if I bought an optrel I’d stock up upfront just to save the hassle.

 

[rmack898]

I have a 9000 series speedglass. While some folks think the head gear is great, I find to be very cumbersome. When you lift the hood, the offset hinge on the forward part of the head gear tends to lift the head band off my head and I spend more time screwing with the head gear than actually welding. The model I have shuts itself off to conserve battery life. Take the hood off for 5 minutes while you prep a joint or fit something up, put it back on to tack or weld and you get flashed because you forgot to turn the hood back on. I don't want to have to press a button on the hood every time I make a weld.

My Optrels just plain work well and are comfortable enough for a 10 hour day.

 

[Bigblue&Goldie]

I had an Optrel and it was badass, but once the internal battery died I got a Miller Elite. I'd prefer to have an Optrel with a replaceable battery. The upside to the Miller is ease of parts, but I preferred everything else about the Optrel.

 

[LXCam]

I bought my T94 at SEMA in 2016. So basically it lasted 9yrs.

I had an Optrel and it was badass, but once the internal battery died I got a Miller Elite. I'd prefer to have an Optrel with a replaceable battery. The upside to the Miller is ease of parts, but I preferred everything else about the Optrel.

How long did your optrel last Ryan?

 

[Bigblue&Goldie]

How long did your optrel last Ryan?

Mine only lasted like 3 years. Honestly, I think lack of use is what contributed to it's short life. I was working a lot of hours back then, so I didn't get enough time in the garage to keep the battery topped off.

 

[dnschmidt]

I've never heard of Optrel. They gotta be good since they're really pricy huh??.

And damn straight the company is buying me one. The last almost 7 years I haven't welded a damn thing for myself, it's all been stuff that's made this joint big bucks.

But I got to buy from Linde, so my choices are Red / Blue or Prostar it looks like.

Come-on Cam you're not a piker. Optrel or 3M Speedglass. The Lincoln Viking is pretty nice as well.

 

[mikegt4]

Another vote for a Lincoln 3350

 

[LXCam]

Come-on Cam you're not a piker. Optrel or 3M Speedglass. The Lincoln Viking is pretty nice as well.

Damn Denny, I’m ashamed to admit I don’t know what a piker is.

 

[dnschmidt]

Damn Denny, I’m ashamed to admit I don’t know what a piker is.

Cheapskate.

 

[rmack898]

You’re not alone Cam.

 

[dr_clyde]

Any particular reason why you don’t just get another T-94? They’re nice helmets.

If you like them and you know them, just get another one?

 

[whateg01]

Cam, I really like my Lincoln 3350 helmet. (Best price i could find was from Baker's) it's a much better helmet than the Jackson Safety that came with my 211 from Cyberweld.
And.... when I needed a helmet up at the cabin I picked up a Hobart Inventor at TSC. It's really been surprisingly comfortable.

I like my Lincoln Viking but I hate having tiny controls that I almost have to take my gloves off to use. Mostly switching to grind mode. Also don't like having the grind mode being the shade knob so I have to sometimes rotate it from full cw to full ccw. I like the headgear and the lens itself.

Or, just buy an Optrel and find a way to hide it on your next expense account.

Maybe they are better now. I liked my optrel satellite when it worked. 3 warranty replacement lens cartridge later I gave up on it and bought the Viking. They did make changes in that time, adding a user replaceable battery, for example. I liked the controls on the outside and I liked the switch to grind mode. Also note that consumables for optrel tend to be more expensive.

I know op doesn't care about grind but somebody else might.

 

[LXCam]

Any particular reason why you don’t just get another T-94? They’re nice helmets.

If you like them and you know them, just get another one?

Honestly I didn’t know they still make them. On one hand it’d make sense, I’ve got a fair amount of the consumables since the last time I needed lenses they weren’t stocked so I bought a few. But the one complaint I’ve always had and could never adjust out was the sensitivity to lighting and fighting it flip flopping.

I’m going to give that some consideration there Doc, that’s not a bad idea.

 

[MJD1]

Lincoln 3350. First replaced the headgear this week after pretty much daily use . Bought it in 2018.

 

[Sweetcorn]

I like my Lincoln Viking but I hate having tiny controls that I almost have to take my gloves off to use. Mostly switching to grind mode. Also don't like having the grind mode being the shade knob so I have to sometimes rotate it from full cw to full ccw. I like the headgear and the lens itself.


Maybe they are better now. I liked my optrel satellite when it worked. 3 warranty replacement lens cartridge later I gave up on it and bought the Viking. They did make changes in that time, adding a user replaceable battery, for example. I liked the controls on the outside and I liked the switch to grind mode. Also note that consumables for optrel tend to be more expensive.

I know op doesn't care about grind but somebody else might.

The speedglass g5-03 pro has a pretty cool tap feature. Tap the side for the hood and you can switch from grind to weld and vice versa. Don't have to flip it up and touch any buttons.

 

[strength_and_power]

I have an Optrel Panoramax and love it. I just bring myself to stick weld with it.

My Miller Digital Infity is a close second, the headgear almost has too many adjustments, but I think I have it about dialed in

The Miller Digital Elite had been my go to for awhile and it was nice that almost every weld shop I’d go to had parts. My least favorite headgear of them all.

For whatever reason, the Elite stopped auto-darkening, it stayed dark which got me by. Replaced the batteries with no luck. Not sure if it’s still in warranty. To keep my project moving forward, i ended up at Airgas. I walked in knowing they are super proud but the next option was 1/2 hour away. I couldn’t bring myself to spend over 4 bills on a Lincoln hood but they did have a Radnor( Airgas house brand I believe) hood that advertised having a 3M cartridge and uses 3M replacement lenses. For $200, it fit the bill. Headgear felt good and I didn’t hate it after 8 hours.

 

[Joemctag]

The speedglass g5-03 pro has a pretty cool tap feature. Tap the side for the hood and you can switch from grind to weld and vice versa. Don't have to flip it up and touch any buttons.

That IS nice!

 

[whateg01]

The speedglass g5-03 pro has a pretty cool tap feature. Tap the side for the hood and you can switch from grind to weld and vice versa. Don't have to flip it up and touch any buttons.

There are a lot of variants of the g5-03. I'll have to look at them for next time I have to replace a welding hood.

 

[LXCam]

Well today I had to get the forklift tanks filled so I had a few minutes to check out the offerings they had on the shelf.

I’m pretty sure every model made by miller and Lincoln were out plus some prostar but no optrel.

A couple weeks back I needed to do a weekend project so I swung into Grainger and bought what was in stock.

I put maybe fifteen minutes of time behind it. It was ok but by no means what I was after.

Well today I tried a few different ones on and even pulled up this thread for reference.

Cam, I really like my Lincoln 3350 helmet. (Best price i could find was from Baker's) it's a much better helmet than the Jackson Safety that came with my 211 from Cyberweld.
And.... when I needed a helmet up at the cabin I picked up a Hobart Inventor at TSC. It's really been surprisingly comfortable.

Or, just buy an Optrel and find a way to hide it on your next expense account.

Another vote for a Lincoln 3350

Lincoln 3350. First replaced the headgear this week after pretty much daily use . Bought it in 2018.

Which prompted me to focus on the 3350. I really like the headgear even though I couldn’t spend anytime dialing it in. Plus, I dig the color


And it came with stickers!! I’m not a sticker guy but still I’m glad to have a choice.



But the ultimate surprise came at the bottom of the box.

Endorsed by Foose…I’m all in




Once again gentleman, I really appreciate the input.

 

[PugetDude]

Well today I had to get the forklift tanks filled so I had a few minutes to check out the offerings they had on the shelf.

I’m pretty sure every model made by miller and Lincoln were out plus some prostar but no optrel.

A couple weeks back I needed to do a weekend project so I swung into Grainger and bought what was in stock.

I put maybe fifteen minutes of time behind it. It was ok but by no means what I was after.

Well today I tried a few different ones on and even pulled up this thread for reference.






Which prompted me to focus on the 3350. I really like the headgear even though I couldn’t spend anytime dialing it in. Plus, I dig the color


And it came with stickers!! I’m not a sticker guy but still I’m glad to have a choice.



But the ultimate surprise came at the bottom of the box.

Endorsed by Foose…I’m all in




Once again gentleman, I really appreciate the input.

You didn't actually take those recommendations seriously, did you?

 

[LXCam]

You didn't actually take those recommendations seriously, did you?

Not really. I just dug the color

 

[PugetDude]

Not really. I just dug the color

Hey, no politics...

 

[MoonRise]

I like the colors on my 3350 too. Got some Foose stuff with mine too, which is somewhere in the helmet bag.

Lincoln makes a 'chin flap guard' accessory. Slips onto the front bottom of the helmet. Handy bit of extra protection, especially in awkward or overhead/underneath positions.

Pick up some spare batteries. Mine usually last a few years, and then die or fade when I'm in the middle of something. Murphy is a *****. So now I keep some replacement batteries on hand, in the helmet bag.

 

[LXCam]

I like the colors on my 3350 too. Got some Foose stuff with mine too, which is somewhere in the helmet bag.

Lincoln makes a 'chin flap guard' accessory. Slips onto the front bottom of the helmet. Handy bit of extra protection, especially in awkward or overhead/underneath positions.

Pick up some spare batteries. Mine usually last a few years, and then die or fade when I'm in the middle of something. Murphy is a *****. So now I keep some replacement batteries on hand, in the helmet bag.

Damn, I love your lid. Had they had one…

So I did the best I could with what I had.

My one and only sticker mod.



Sure to decrease my grinding by 50% right??

 

[PugetDude]

Sure to decrease my grinding by 50% right??

Doubtful.