HF Welding Helmets - Yay or Nay?

[shoot summ]

Haha so much BS about the HF helmets


They are fine, from a protection standpoint they are as good as anything else

Every single Auto Dark lens on the market is made in Asia w one exception- Speedglas

So if that's a concern, boom, go Speedglas, they make a excellent product

The difference between Miller/Lincoln/ Etc.... and the fly by night Instagram brand is so minimal these days

_ features that matter
more sensors
comfy headgear
replaceable batteries

I started with the HF, then went to the Speedglas. Took one time to feel like I burned my eyes with the HF unit and I said never again.

 

[tarbellb]

Plenty of reasons eyes can burn after welding,
reflective surfaces bouncing light off the work piece, fumes, incorrect settings.

Malfunctioning unit or qc fail is pretty low on that list


If I had to choose between $250 ase Speedglas and a off brand

Off brand everyday, more sensors, bigger lens, probably better headgear

I've done it, did not regret it

 

[willf650]

Plenty of reasons eyes can burn after welding,
reflective surfaces bouncing light off the work piece, fumes, incorrect settings.

Malfunctioning unit or qc fail is pretty low on that list


If I had to choose between $250 ase Speedglas and a off brand

Off brand everyday, more sensors, bigger lens, probably better headgear

I've done it, did not regret it

You could have been cutting onions and jalapenos too. Nothing like busting out a bead and then going straight to making stuffed jalapenos. Just be sure to have your Tig gloves on for more dexterity.

 

[pancho400cid]

Hey all - Great discussion! I have read every post with interest. Still thinking but will have to decide this weekend before my coupon expires.

 

[zendriver]

Hey all - Great discussion! I have read every post with interest. Still thinking but will have to decide this weekend before my coupon expires.

Vulcan comes with it's own carry bag, if that helps.

 

[zimman]

Forgot to tell you I got my hood from Eastwood, free with my welder. Works great because I have these. All prescription. LOL Bottom pair is for TIG. The rest for MIG.
Zim

 

[BroncoAZ]

20+ years ago when I was welding a lot, the discussion on the cheap vs expensive auto darkening helmets was about the response rate. IIRC the better units went dark in 1/20,000th of a second, the cheaper HF units were more like 1/5,000th of a second. The slower response time allowed more miniscule flash burn that could damage the retinas over time. I haven’t really followed this for most of the last 20 years, but when I bought a big package of welding stuff from a guy a couple years ago it came with four different auto darkening helmets. Those four are decent brands (3M, Optrel, Miller). The optrel is unfortunately not working because it needs a battery, I’m going to send it in at some point. I recently purchased a used tig setup that included a couple of HF and Vulcan helmets. I haven’t decided what I’ll keep vs selling off yet.

I’ve always been concerned about the respiratory side of welding as much as my eyes. I can see myself investing in a PAPR or some sore of supplied air setup. Filtering the air of weld smoke to HEPA standards in my enclosed shop would be nice, but does’t seem feasible like it can be with wood.

 

[zendriver]

20+ years ago when I was welding a lot, the discussion on the cheap vs expensive auto darkening helmets was about the response rate. IIRC the better units went dark in 1/20,000th of a second, the cheaper HF units were more like 1/5,000th of a second. The slower response time allowed more miniscule flash burn that could damage the retinas over time. I haven’t really followed this for most of the last 20 years, but when I bought a big package of welding stuff from a guy a couple years ago it came with four different auto darkening helmets. Those four are decent brands (3M, Optrel, Miller). The optrel is unfortunately not working because it needs a battery, I’m going to send it in at some point. I recently purchased a used tig setup that included a couple of HF and Vulcan helmets. I haven’t decided what I’ll keep vs selling off yet.

I’ve always been concerned about the respiratory side of welding as much as my eyes. I can see myself investing in a PAPR or some sore of supplied air setup. Filtering the air of weld smoke to HEPA standards in my enclosed shop would be nice, but does’t seem feasible like it can be with wood.

20 year ago was a very long time in the world of import product technology, literally for everything.

The least expensive HF helmets claims 1/25,000 switching speed.

 

[PhantomEB]

I prefer quality over bang for the buck when it comes to my eyes.

Miller Elite and I am a hobbiest too.

 

[pancho400cid]

Works great because I have these. All prescription. LOL Bottom pair is for TIG. The rest for MIG.

I wear glasses and will need them for welding. I just bought a new pair of Rx safety glasses. Why different pairs for MIG vs. TIG?

...

 

[Fixr]

I wear glasses and will need them for welding. I just bought a new pair of Rx safety glasses. Why different pairs for MIG vs. TIG?

...

TIG is generally closer working distance, especially for small stuff and low amps.

 

[Steve_P]

20 year ago was a very long time in the world of import product technology, literally for everything.

The least expensive HF helmets claims 1/25,000 switching speed.

I looked it up and the $40 helmet in my link was 1/20,000; the $140 one is 1/25,000.

The reality is that the vast majority of our structural steel welding, the **** holding up our world, was done by some guy stick welding, wearing a flip down helmet with probably a fixed #12 shade. And a lot of this was done outdoors during winter conditions in brutal environments like Chicago and NYC. The crappiest auto darkening helmet available today would've been a godsend to those guys. And welding indoors....

 

[Hohn]

Tarmy, you do know that you are among the 1% here, right? Most of the rest of us don't have the financial wherewithal to buy the very best of everything, and that outer piece of clear plastic on every welding helmet viewport is legally required to stop the UV. None of the manufacturers mentioned in this thread want to be rightfully sued for leaving off that 50 cent protective lens. There's a difference between being dazzled and being flashed. Folks should look that up.

OTOH, my cheapy HF helmet gives me headaches. That's because the headgear is shaped wrong for my head. I would be more comfortable in a welding helmet that makes no financial sense for me.

PAPR is ideal, but honestly a blower fan and a P100 with a HF good is just as safe. It’s just less convenient and less comfortable.

For home gamer, there’s not much value or ROI in a really high dollar PAPR setup.

 

[Crazyjake8493]

I had one of the cheap HF auto-darkening helmets for years (blue flames model). I had no complaints about it for $30. After 5-6 years of use the headgear finally broke and couldn't be fixed, so I bought a KT Industries helmet from Runnings and have been using that since.

I'd love a Lincoln 3350, but welding is just a hobby for me. Maybe someday...

 

[AEAdam]

I was in HF for tie down straps and rubber gloves this past weekend. I have a welder I’ve never used so I looked at the helmets based on this thread. Thanks, I too am reading with interest.

Here are my questions:
The blue flame models used to be $50. The Vulcan models were like $169. Maybe that was the best model. At $169, I think I’d just be a dinners out difference to a used speedglas.

Are the expensive HF models worth it? Are they that much better than the $50models. Is their technology better than speedglas? Is the difference in head gear?

My usual modus operandi is to buy top quality second hand, rather than lesser quality new. But this has led me to buying outdated stuff.