Tennessee Cattleman
Well-known member
Has anyone bit the bullet and bought this helmet or had the opportunity to use it, I would really like to know what you think about it and if is it close to being in the same league as as the 9100 series?
Speedglas 9002NC Welding Helmet ?
- Thread starter Tennessee Cattleman
- Start date
GrayEngineer
Well-known member
It's pretty much the same hood as the 9002 has always been, but with the improved filter that shows natural colors. I have a 9100xxi, and it's a great hood. I also have an Esab Sentinel, it's also a very nice hood. If I had to choose one, it would be the Speedglas because I like the side windows and the viewing area is bigger.
OP
Tennessee Cattleman
Well-known member
Haven't had the opportunity to use a 9002 old or new. Giving some serious thought on a 9100X.
GrayEngineer
Well-known member
The 9002nc is a good hood, for the price you'd be hard pressed to find a better one. If you end up going with a 9100 series, get a 9100xxi and skip the rest. If you are willing to wait a bit, Speedglas has the new G5-01 that is coming out and looks pretty killer.
OP
Tennessee Cattleman
Well-known member
I ordered a 9002NC yesterday. It does seem to be a good hood for the money, the only thing I may miss on it will be shade 5.
OP
Tennessee Cattleman
Well-known member
i recently picked up a speedglas 9002nc to go along with my other helmets. for no other reason than to just try it out. its a fairly basic stripped down model but thats all i was looking for. grinding mode is something i never use ( clear goggles is how i grind ) and the occasion sporadic time i plasma cut and need shade 5 or 6 ill use my miller helmet as it has those lower shades. for most of what i do the speedglas should work great but i have to ding it a few points in a couple areas. they could of and should of gave it more ear protection like their higher end models. likely it wouldnt have raised the price much if at all. and they give you no storage bag or extra cover lenses. considering the price i think it should of included a bag and two or three extra lenses
rlitman
Well-known member
Just turn off the Speedglas and it's shade 5.
oh really. ill have to read the instruction book. i assumed it was 3 in the off mode but i hadent yet read the instructionsJust turn off the Speedglas and it's shade 5.
rlitman
Well-known member
No, 3 is the light state when it's on.
yes its a basic no frills helmet ( although speedglas has one or two models even more basic and stripped down than 9002nc ).. what where you expecting when you bought it ? theres no cut or grind mode. no shade 13. very limited delay and sensitivity adjustment. only two sensors. no side windows or side ear protection like their higher end models. viewing area is smaller than some other helmets. i always say buy the right tool for the job.
i can understand how some people might need a few more features ( again it goes back to buying the right tool for the job ). no its not the perfect helmet for me either ( but neither is any other helmet ive used in my life ). shade 13 is meaningless to me as its extremely rare i go above 11. i hate grinding with helmets so why would i need a grind mode. shade 5 or 6 would be nice for the occasional plasma cut. i do like side windows but to be honest i could careless that this helmet doesnt have them. so far the limited sensitivity and delay adjustment hasnt been a problem for me. having only two sensors likely will never be a problem for 99% of what i do but perhaps someday ill be in a precarious position and get flashed. who knows. while others may disagree ,i prefer a smaller viewing area. ive owned and used large veiwing helmets but im not a fan. just my opinion. it adds extra weight , cost , and really im not interested in seeing six inches beyond what where im welding. the one thing i really wished it had was more side ear protection like their other helmets.
having used other speedglas models for years at work, i can say the reliabity and qaulity is second to none from my experience. thats part of the reason i went with speedglas this time instead of another brand
i can understand how some people might need a few more features ( again it goes back to buying the right tool for the job ). no its not the perfect helmet for me either ( but neither is any other helmet ive used in my life ). shade 13 is meaningless to me as its extremely rare i go above 11. i hate grinding with helmets so why would i need a grind mode. shade 5 or 6 would be nice for the occasional plasma cut. i do like side windows but to be honest i could careless that this helmet doesnt have them. so far the limited sensitivity and delay adjustment hasnt been a problem for me. having only two sensors likely will never be a problem for 99% of what i do but perhaps someday ill be in a precarious position and get flashed. who knows. while others may disagree ,i prefer a smaller viewing area. ive owned and used large veiwing helmets but im not a fan. just my opinion. it adds extra weight , cost , and really im not interested in seeing six inches beyond what where im welding. the one thing i really wished it had was more side ear protection like their other helmets.
having used other speedglas models for years at work, i can say the reliabity and qaulity is second to none from my experience. thats part of the reason i went with speedglas this time instead of another brand
OP
Tennessee Cattleman
Well-known member
I'm still using the 9002NC and I'm still happy with it.
it may not be the perfect helmet for everyone but i like it ,aside from my only real complaint which i already mentioned ( wished it had better side ear protection ). have used it two or three times so far and will be using it a bunch more this weekend.
figued ill update a couple of threads. this one and another one where i purchased some new welders (probly update that one tomorow). this 9002nc ive had a chance to use it quit a bit in the last couple months. actually its the only helmet ive been using as i just like it more than my other two. its slim ,light and just fits nice. but as luck would have it , the one time i didnt wear ear plugs a spark went in my ear. it was just a matter of time and no side protection was my main complaint from day one.
what i decided is to use this helmet for only tig as theres no sparks (ill still wear ear plugs of course) then get a new helmet for all other welding . went with speedglas 9100xxi. im familiar with the 9100 shell as i have one at work with ** filter. the xxi filter i wasnt familiar with but decided to try it. the shell has full ear coverage which will be nice. again im familiar with the head gear and like it. theres plenty of adjustments on all axis to really dial it in for a great fit.
i like the side windows. gives it a much more open feeling to me anyways. plenty of adjustment range in the delay and sensitivity. theres also now a external grind button. although im not a fan of grinding with a helmet on ,i guess it could be handly if you needed to grind off a booger real quick and dont want to waste time switching to a faceshield for 10seconds. you can also lock on any of the shades in the dark position like the old skool passive helmets ,not sure ill get much use out of this feature but its there. you can also have two saved favorite presets which can be toggled from the exterior button ,likely ill find a good use for this im sure. anyway i welded with it for a couple hours today and think it will work out great.
something else i discovered yesterday. maybe some of you have heard of the red dot design award ( i hadent until yesterday) but aparently speedglas helmets have won a handful of red dot awards over the years going back to 2008 which i believe was the introduction of the original 9100 series, although i couldnt dig up much info on this. 2012 they won for the 9100fx papr. 2019 they won for the g5-01 papr. 2021 they won best of the best for the new g5-02. ill post links below.
9100fx https://www.red-dot.org/project/3mtm-speedglas-9100-fx-29784
g5-01 https://www.red-dot.org/project/3mtm-speedglastm-g5-01-38788
g5-02 https://www.red-dot.org/project/3m-speedglas-welding-helmet-g5-02-52830
what i decided is to use this helmet for only tig as theres no sparks (ill still wear ear plugs of course) then get a new helmet for all other welding . went with speedglas 9100xxi. im familiar with the 9100 shell as i have one at work with ** filter. the xxi filter i wasnt familiar with but decided to try it. the shell has full ear coverage which will be nice. again im familiar with the head gear and like it. theres plenty of adjustments on all axis to really dial it in for a great fit.
i like the side windows. gives it a much more open feeling to me anyways. plenty of adjustment range in the delay and sensitivity. theres also now a external grind button. although im not a fan of grinding with a helmet on ,i guess it could be handly if you needed to grind off a booger real quick and dont want to waste time switching to a faceshield for 10seconds. you can also lock on any of the shades in the dark position like the old skool passive helmets ,not sure ill get much use out of this feature but its there. you can also have two saved favorite presets which can be toggled from the exterior button ,likely ill find a good use for this im sure. anyway i welded with it for a couple hours today and think it will work out great.
something else i discovered yesterday. maybe some of you have heard of the red dot design award ( i hadent until yesterday) but aparently speedglas helmets have won a handful of red dot awards over the years going back to 2008 which i believe was the introduction of the original 9100 series, although i couldnt dig up much info on this. 2012 they won for the 9100fx papr. 2019 they won for the g5-01 papr. 2021 they won best of the best for the new g5-02. ill post links below.
9100fx https://www.red-dot.org/project/3mtm-speedglas-9100-fx-29784
g5-01 https://www.red-dot.org/project/3mtm-speedglastm-g5-01-38788
g5-02 https://www.red-dot.org/project/3m-speedglas-welding-helmet-g5-02-52830