auto darkening helmets

Date 12-07-2002 20:52

hey bzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz,
i have 3. a speed glas, arc one hawk and a new millermatic. dont worry about looking cool, get the one that is comfortable. out of all i love the millermatic. it has the most face room for me. i got the silver one with graphics. i just wanted the silver color thinkin maybe it will reflect heat. it was 199. next i like the speed glas. it is very flexable when you have to mash yer face to see where yer welding. thats my opinion.
rich

By mcavana (**)

Date 12-07-2002 21:54

I bought an automatic helmet when I was just learning to weld. This was a big mistake. I purchased a pretty nice hobart hood at a local welding supply shop. I loved how easy it was to get positioned before striking an arc in all processes, and used it 100% of the time. It was a huge improvement in my welding because i had not gotten good with a normal hood yet. Everything was going along fine until I had a major wake up call! As I neared the end of my schooling, and we started doing a lot of out of position pipe welding, and real world senarios, I realized an Auto helmet does not always work. In out of position if there is another pipe or something else in your way, the hood will not always turn on and off properly as the sensors are blocked from the arc. Also if there are other welders close to you, or someone grinding close to you, it is no better than a normal hood because it will react to their work. I was forced at the hardest part of my schooling to bring my normal hood back in and give myself a crash course on how to weld with a normal hood again.

bzzzzzzzzz, I don't know how long you have been welding but my advice to you is, if you are still learning how to weld, hold off on the purchase. learn to weld with a normal hood, so you will not have a handicap when forced to use a normal hood. (Kind of like learning to drive a manual transmision car first!) If you are a seasoned welder, just be sure not to use your new auto helmet all the time. Use a normal hood often so you don't get rusty on your skills!!

If i was to buy a new auto helmet it would probably be a speedglass. I used a friends once and it seamed to work as good as mine with a few more controls. 1st, make sure it has a variable darkening switch (normaly 9-13). 2nd sensitivity control for the sensors is not a must but it does make it easier to use in certain processes. 3rd, It is great to have a control for grinding. Some hoods have a button you push that turns the sensors off for a period of time to allow grinding. without this, if you try to grind with hood on, the sparks will periodicly trip the sensors, causing you to go blind with a grinder at full throttle. (this is kind of like driving down a dark highway at about 120mph and turning off your head lights) Safe to say, probably an accident waiting to happen.

hope this helps

mike

By bzzzzzzzzzz (**)

Date 12-07-2002 22:45

with that said, and considering the amount of welding I do. Coupled what a tight !$@ I am. I would say I'll just wait on it and perhaps look at some other acessories instead. With a small mig and sheet metal the halogen light/# 9 lens combo works well for increased visibility

By steve5P Date 12-08-2002 10:41

Get The cheapest Jackson auto-darking hood they make, take the lense out and put it in a Huntsman 411P. That's what I did, works great too. The Jackson hoods weigh too much . jmo

By jwright650 (*****)

Date 12-09-2002 12:22

Stick with a name brand lens! You get what you pay for. I like the sensitivity control, shade adjustment, and delay controls. All these help a great deal when you are working next to someone else that is welding or grinding, it is most benificial when you have to work outside in the sun and shade. I bought the Jackson Executive Variable for about $250.
Love it, and would not go back to the flick your head shields that we had to learn on before these new toys came out. An "el cheapo" is exactly that, so save yer $ for a good one.
John Wright