Welding helmet? What are you guys using?
- Thread starter cundifc
- Start date
socalbodydude
Well-known member
I like the Hornell speedglas, but they are pretty expensive. Kobalt has a cool looking auto darkening helmet. HF works fine.
gda659
Well-known member
Speedglas XL--it's light weight and it was on sale--did need a warranty replacement on the lens
socalbodydude
Well-known member
https://weldingsupply.securesites.com/cgi-bin/einstein.pl?PNUM::1:UNDEF:X:07-0012-00AH this is the best deal i found. I like it and it's made by speedglas!
slip knot
Well-known member
my helmet of choice is the cheapo little fiberglass hoods that came with the Lincoln crackerbox machines. Most of my welding is repair work in tight, confined spaces. The bigger hoods dont work very well in tight quarters. I retrofitted an auto darkening lens onto one but still dont trust it completely just yet. Luckily I can still find the old hoods at yard sales fairly regular so I got a good supply stashed back.
CAOS
Well-known member
Speedglas 9100xx and my back up is just a generic plastic lid with a fibre metal 10 shade in it.
socalbodydude
Well-known member
sorry about the link i just realized it's the shell only.
What would you be willing to pay for an elite?
evintho
Well-known member
$40 HF autodark. Works perfectly fine.
blue dog
Banned
Miller prohobby here, had it for 5 years or so, works great.
I had no idea that welding hoods had become so expensive.
I had no idea that welding hoods had become so expensive.
Wrenches of Death
Well-known member
Damn, those actually cost more than my first new Miller welding machine.
How comfortable will you be climbing into an area so tight that you have to weld something using a mirror, and scratching the hell out of that hood?
How comfortable would you be scorching the paint off of that hood when you have to position your face less than a foot away from whatever you're welding?
I've worked with guys with those high end, fashion statement, hoods before and a lot of them are more concerned with not scratching their hood than they are in doing the job. Some of them even show up with TWO hoods. One is usually a normal hood, that's been to a whole bunch or rodeos. They only used the pretty one when there's no danger of scratches, gouges, or splatter.
Two of mine are the Fibre-Metal Model 110 Pipeliner model. One of them I bought about 1976. The other is a lot newer. I have a cheater in the newer one. It's a good hood for real tight areas and the white color helps to keep it cool if you're hanging out close to the arc. Cheap. Effective. Since it's fiberglass, it's lightweight and it won't melt. A proven design with decades of use all around the World, built by the company that invented the welding hood.
I also use a large lens Fibre-Metal 990. It's about ten years old. It's not a good hood for confined spaces, it's very bulky but the big lens is nice for some uses, like welding with bifocals on a table and it's got good circulation. Since it is plastic, if you are close to the arc, it starts to smell like burning plastic.
I still don't own any auto darkening filter lenses. I only conventional lenses. No batteries to fail when you're out in the middle of nowhere, no solar cells to clean, no fear of it getting wet, no expensive replacement after dropping the hood, no settings for your buddies to mess with, or to simply get knocked around. Reliable. Cheap. Effective. And no danger of your eyes bleeding or spontaneously exploding twenty five years down the road from some currently unknown flaw in the design of the auto darkening lenses. Yeah, remember when they used to say that cell phones were safe, too?
I don't know what your level of welding experience is. If you're reasonably new to the game, you'd probably be better off in the the long haul by purchasing a less expensive hood and using the difference in price to buy extra cans of rods or rolls of wire, and practice.
Personally, I can't see ever spending even a third of what Miller wants for those, on a new hood.
WoD
JayL
Well-known member
http://store.cyberweld.com/speedglas9000x.html
Can this helmet be fitted with cheater lenses?
Thanks
filtered
Well-known member
I have a Miller Elite I bought new in the box from a guy on craigslist. Traded a M12 hackzall I picked up dirt cheap and $120 in cash.
MBeaty
Well-known member
I have been completely satisfied with my Jackson Nexgen EQC helmet. It is not cheap, but it has a large window and has never let me down while welding, even with low amperage tig welding in obscure positions. The helmet/eadgear itself is nothing too special, but the lense and sensors are great. Another plus is that the lens covers are quite easy to find at my local welding shops. Lastly, it is made in the USA if that is any consolation to you.
It has been a while since I have compared it to other hoods, but it is much better than one of the older Millers I have used that only had 2 sensors in it. The miller always seemed to flicker off at the worst times, but I am sure any of the new 4 sensor models are better.
It has been a while since I have compared it to other hoods, but it is much better than one of the older Millers I have used that only had 2 sensors in it. The miller always seemed to flicker off at the worst times, but I am sure any of the new 4 sensor models are better.
BWS
Well-known member
Jackson big glass,std helmet.....think it was 16$ at the weld joint.Just learned as a yougin to flip/strike/weld with old buzzbxs......fast fwd 20/30 years or so.We got Tig,Mig and am in general,happy.One of my azzhole buds who'd been sittin at a Tig bench doin highend work for a hundred years or so feels sorry for me and GIVES me one of those fancy,$$$ auto dark helmets.....
The thing sat on top of the welder for a year or so.I tried it but found I was still flippin and gett'r done,not really utilizing the auto feature at all.Finally told him to just take it back.So,I tried.....didn't "take".Just keep a cpl Jacksons with different lenses....really like light helmets.With accurate knob tensions.BW
The thing sat on top of the welder for a year or so.I tried it but found I was still flippin and gett'r done,not really utilizing the auto feature at all.Finally told him to just take it back.So,I tried.....didn't "take".Just keep a cpl Jacksons with different lenses....really like light helmets.With accurate knob tensions.BW
WRT the safety concerns (cell phones haven't been proven dangerous BTW) I'd like to note I can wear a respirator under my Speedglas comfortably. It's designed to make that work. I've never been able to get a respirator under any of my traditional, inexpensive hoods without a bunch of being uncomfortable and unwieldy.
I've got a 9100x and the headgear is worth the price of admission.
I've got a 9100x and the headgear is worth the price of admission.
crewchief888
Well-known member
filtered
Well-known member
How much are your eyes worth to you? I like my sight a lot so I bought one of the best helmets I could afford shortly after I learned to weld. Auto helmets also make it easier for a beginner if you are one.
Is there anything with the snap on name that isn't over priced compared to other brands? lol
If the Miller Elite is more than you're looking to spend check out the Miller Performance or Pro Hobby. I've never used a Speedglas, but i've heard nothing but good things about them.
5lima30
Well-known member
H/F auto-darkening. Works great!
GeorgiaHybrid
Well-known member
Primary is a Miller Performance series AD lens and the backup is a Speedglas Utility with a fixed 10 AD lens
ibedayank
Well-known member
good old tinted glass plain old $20 helmet
weld few times a year
weld few times a year
kartracer55
Well-known member
- Joined
- Jun 21, 2005
- Messages
- 5,317
Speedglas 9100x (the middle of the 9100 line) and I freakin' love this thing. Awesome helmet with some of the most comfortable head gear I have encountered.
I use a glass gold mirrored lens in a large window fixed hood. To me, the glass gold lens is a huge improvement over the normal green lenses and I think the clarity is even better than any of the other autodark helmets I've used. But I've never used any of the big dollar autodarks either. I have a Fibre-metal fiberglass hood that I really like, but it's a bit heavy compared to some of the others. I really like the Hunstman large window fiber hood. They are light and have really nice headgear. I also have a Jackson Shadow helmet that I've had nothing but problems with because of the headgear. When I adjust the headgear so it's tight enough to say up, it won't flip down. If I adjust the headgear so it's loose enough to flip down, it won't stay up. I would never buy another Jackson helmet again because of it. Oddly enough Jackson and Huntsman are owned by the same company, but the headgear on the Huntsman helmets is far superior.
low_crew_cab
Well-known member
Fibre-metal pipeliner here. One of the best hoods that i've used to date.
I now use a Miller Performance hood and love it. I used a HF AD hood for just over a year, but during the last few months I would notice that its response time slowed and my eyes would hurt after welding. So glad I made the switch to a quality hood. Your eyes will thank you!
RhodesSpeedShop
Well-known member
I've been using this Miller Vintage Digital Elite for a few weeks. Great helmet. Had a few lower end ones before this including an HF one but wish i would've just cut to the chase and got this long ago. You really get what you pay for....plus it looks KILLER!!
Attachments
If your starting off on a path where you will be doing a fair amount of welding and have the cash to pick up a nice hood You should do so. I did not have the cash for anything better than a HF auto so I used that daily and Its a nice hood
PCO6
Well-known member
I have a Lincoln and an cheapie Auto Weld that I picked up at Princess Auto. They both work about the same. The Auto Weld is a bit more comfortable and being slightly larger has more room for my respirator under it.
