gicts
Active member
I'm pleased with my Speedglas. They can be had for ~ $100 used on ebay if you're patient.
Auto darkening welding helmet, advice?
- Thread starter Djstorm100
- Start date
Firebrick43
Well-known member
I have a 500$ speed glass at work and a 190$~ mid level Miller at home. I would take the Miller any day over the speed glass. The millers suspension and helmet are so much better and lighter to boot. Both have good response times but the speedglass darkens all the time from reflections off shiny ss surface from the high bay lights.
Fix Until Broke
Well-known member
I've got a $35 Jackson non auto darkening helmet and wouldn't trade it for a $350 auto darkening one unless the below issues were resolved.
1) It can NEVER flash me
2) When it's not dark, it needs to be much brighter than a #3 or #4 lens
Auto darkening is nice, but when it's not clear enough when not dark to do anything useful (like grind or re position yourself), they're not of any value. Take welding under a car for example, even on a hoist, you can't see anything on the underside of the car when they're "bright", so you're constantly flipping them up to get positioned which completely negates the benefit of an auto darkening helmet.
On a bench with lots of overhead lighting they work fine, but out of position work - no thanks. I'll nod my head and use my $35 Jackson.
1) It can NEVER flash me
2) When it's not dark, it needs to be much brighter than a #3 or #4 lens
Auto darkening is nice, but when it's not clear enough when not dark to do anything useful (like grind or re position yourself), they're not of any value. Take welding under a car for example, even on a hoist, you can't see anything on the underside of the car when they're "bright", so you're constantly flipping them up to get positioned which completely negates the benefit of an auto darkening helmet.
On a bench with lots of overhead lighting they work fine, but out of position work - no thanks. I'll nod my head and use my $35 Jackson.
ClappedOutBport
Well-known member
- Joined
- Mar 30, 2016
- Messages
- 998
Yes. Most work on infrared, which will be continued to be emitted from the glowing weld bead at the end of the weld. Needless to say, if you helmet is still dark, you may not want to be looking right yet.
Also, you all may not believe me, suit yourself, but the lenses in Autodark helmets are optically opaque to UV and IR light whether it is active or not. It only changes the shade when it activates. So getting flashed for a spit second is not much different that looking at a camera flash. I'm not saying that it's ideal, but the stuff that really messes you up, IR, is theoretically nearly 100% blocked, all the time.
BryceW
Active member
I'll echo what pretty much everybody has said. This is the one place not to skimp. The difference a good hood makes is impossible to fully convey to someone until they've actually used one. Your ability to read the puddle and understand what it's doing starts with being able to see the puddle. There is so much detail and nuance that you miss with a cheap hood. On top of that having an uncomfortable hood on is just annoying.
$250 is pretty much the middle ground for a hood as far as new prices go. I have an Optrel and I love it. The color is much more natural as opposed to the harsh, nearly night vision like green of cheaper lenses. The headgear is comfy and the face is streamlined so that if you're overhead welding sparks roll off and deflect away from you instead of into your collar. A really nice feature that has saved me a few times is that when you're in grind mode a red led flashes right at the bottom of your field of view so you don't forget to take it out of grind mode before you arc up. Also the grind mode button is on the outside, I'll never understand hoods where the grind mode button is inside.
Miller Elites are really nice too, just a little too heavy/stiff for my taste. Jackson has the best headgear of anything I've used, the Jackson Balder series is really nice.
$250 is pretty much the middle ground for a hood as far as new prices go. I have an Optrel and I love it. The color is much more natural as opposed to the harsh, nearly night vision like green of cheaper lenses. The headgear is comfy and the face is streamlined so that if you're overhead welding sparks roll off and deflect away from you instead of into your collar. A really nice feature that has saved me a few times is that when you're in grind mode a red led flashes right at the bottom of your field of view so you don't forget to take it out of grind mode before you arc up. Also the grind mode button is on the outside, I'll never understand hoods where the grind mode button is inside.
Miller Elites are really nice too, just a little too heavy/stiff for my taste. Jackson has the best headgear of anything I've used, the Jackson Balder series is really nice.
sberry
Banned
Number 1 thing I am guilty of is not changing lenses. They all work good clean.
BryceW
Active member
This! Buy multiple replacement lenses whenever you buy your hood. I also keep a small bottle of Novus #2 plastic polish in my welding cart. You can buff the lense with a microfiber cloth quite a few times before you need to replace it. It's especially helpful if you do a lot of stick or flux core work.
BigMike782
Well-known member
For the price this is a nice helmet,
https://weldcotemetals.com/klear-view-plus-auto-darkening/
If your helmet has sensitivity and delay adjustments you can adjust the amount of time to change from dark to clear. Of course this will be affected by where you are welding(inside/outside) and amperage.
https://weldcotemetals.com/klear-view-plus-auto-darkening/
If your helmet has sensitivity and delay adjustments you can adjust the amount of time to change from dark to clear. Of course this will be affected by where you are welding(inside/outside) and amperage.
sberry
Banned
I havnt used a lot of them but I like the HF as good or better than the better ones I have had and used.
ALinCarolina
Well-known member
I have the top of line Miller and one cheaper helmet, both autodarkening. But I use my Speedglass almost exclusively. The older I get the more light I need and I mean a lot of light.
Well, this one doesn't exactly fit the OP's criteria as it's it's too cheap, but:
I bought one of these:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Pro-Solar-A...-/272414063844
a few months back, just because I couldn't believe the price. The one I selected was $22.99, delivered!
Suprisingly it works really well. The headgear is much better than expected and the lens works fine. adjustable delay and shade. The hood itself is lightweight and flexible do doesn't compare to higher cost hoods.
I've only used it a couple of times since I'm just a hobbyist, but it gets a passing grade.
robertaustin
New member
Jackson Safety BH3 Auto Darkening Welding Helmet comes into many new technologies and one of them is balder and auto-darkening lens filter technology that tries to meet all the workplace standards that you demand on time. Jackson Safety BH3 Auto Darkening Welding Helmet is the heart of all hardworking welders that work day and night because this welding helmet assures them to have higher achievements and results.
ToolCrazyDude
Well-known member
I recently got a Lincoln Electric Viking 3350 that I really like. Great helmet for the money in my opinion.
The lincoln viking helmets are very nice. The YESWELDERs on Amazon look nice and seem to be getting a lot of positive reviews, however I dont have experience with them.
Sent from my SM-G973U using Tapatalk
MJK
Well-known member
Agreed
robertaustin
New member
another one The Lincoln VIKING 3350, our top-of-the-line helmet series, provides the best optical clarity available in a welding helmet today and the largest viewing area in its class. The 3350 series offers an improved headgear designed for greater comfort and optimal fit.
Muckin_Slusher
Well-known member
Fix Until Broke
Well-known member
Interesting - Next time I'm in the LaCrosse area, I'll see if I can try one out in person. It kind of looks a bit hokey in the video to be honest.
The other one I've been eying (pun intended) is the light shade 2.0 from Optrel
https://www.optrel.com/en/eye_protection_helmets/products/show/crystal20/
Obviously a much more expensive option, but interesting none the less. I'd love for them to make glasses that can change shade from clear to about shade 4-5. Like "transitions" but something that changes quickly and activated by something other than UV light.
The other one I've been eying (pun intended) is the light shade 2.0 from Optrel
https://www.optrel.com/en/eye_protection_helmets/products/show/crystal20/
Obviously a much more expensive option, but interesting none the less. I'd love for them to make glasses that can change shade from clear to about shade 4-5. Like "transitions" but something that changes quickly and activated by something other than UV light.
rattle_snake
Well-known member
Looking at the Lincoln 3350, at this time one can purchase both the old and new versions
old k3034-3
new k3034-4 ($20 cheaper)
The new version has different head gear, as complained about on amazon reviews and discussed here
Anyone here have actual use/feedback on the headgear of one or the other, or both?
I'm just a hobbyist/hack so not going to wear all day.
old k3034-3
new k3034-4 ($20 cheaper)
The new version has different head gear, as complained about on amazon reviews and discussed here
Anyone here have actual use/feedback on the headgear of one or the other, or both?
I'm just a hobbyist/hack so not going to wear all day.