Welding helmet advice...

By Southern Welder Date 02-18-2005 21:48

Paul
The cheap auto darkening helmet are ok, but sometimes they don't darken when you weld because of different types of light from shop light bulbs. On the good auto darkening helmets you can adjust sensativity,shade darkness, and how long it takes for the helmet to darken. I believe Miller or Hobart has some nice auto darkening helmets maybe under $250.

Southern Welder

By Sand Man (**)

Date 02-19-2005 04:07

Paul,
Spend the money, you only get one set of eyes.
I have a Speedglas 9002, which is excellent, but like all auto helmets, doesn't work well in cold temperatures.
My standby is a Jackson flip lens that I have had for about 18years.
Jeff

By burninbriar (*)

Date 02-19-2005 05:53

Last week Indiana Oxygen Co had Optrel Satellites on sale for $238.00

By leon phelps (**)

Date 02-19-2005 23:32

Check ebay. My local welding bandit chop charged me $350 for a helmet I could have had for $150 on ebay. Now I shop after getting their advice.

By lance430 Date 03-10-2005 19:40

Hello Paul

As my first auto-darkening helmet, I have recently bought an Optrel Satellite ($254 w/free shipping on eBay) As was already posted you only have one set of eyes. The Optrel attracted me because it has two different ranges of shading (5-9? and 9-13) and a grinding setting. All the controls are on the outside of the helmet and large enough to manipulate with your gloves on. I have been using it in temps around 10 degrees (daytime and nighttime) without problems.

My take on eye and ear protection is that due to both being cumlative and generally permanent I buy the best safety equipment I can possibly afford. Eat past for a few weeks if you have to.

Lance

By tupper

Date 03-11-2005 03:10

can anyone tell me if ths is any good. http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B0002T5UOU/ref=pd_sbs_hi_1/102-3670447-9586543?v=glance&s=hi

By digruprguy Date 03-13-2005 21:28

I bought a cheap auto helmet($60) when they first came out and have never had any problems with it, even in cold weather. I am looking for another auto helmet now because the old one is, well, old. The things I specifically looking for are one that is adjustable 9 to 13/14 and it has to clear to shade 3. The old one was adjustable but only cleared to #4. With my old eyes that isn't light enough unless there is a bright light nearby (there never is). That limits me to one of the more expensive helmets. The other thing I want are brackets to hold cheater lenses inside. (old eyes again...)

By SailorRtrd97 Date 03-20-2005 07:04

Hi I have been using Hornel Speedglass since they first came out in the states. I bought my first one for $250.00 which was alot of money, but as a navy pipe welder i wanted something which would end frustration. The very first job i did with it was on a ship welding behind a big cable way which electric cables ran with out any stops on ships. I have bough a 9002 series about 6 years ago and have only replace one set of batteries in it. I have been welding 30 years and consider eyes the most important. My back up is a Huntsman 711p. I have retired from the navy in 1997 as a nuc welder. Believe people who have the experience in selecting the best product to use. I would even buy them no matter what the cost is. Select a welding hood that has a outstanding reputaion and not for cost. I know Hornell Speedglass was one of the first to come out. I select them because all of the controls are on the inside of the hood and not the outside where they can get broke off.

By ssbn727 (*****)

Date 03-20-2005 11:45

Weldcome to the forum SailorRtd97!

We share alot in common as our past experiences are along the same paths... I also have been welding on and off for over thirty years and as you mentioned in other threads I too was a HT1 USN welder. After I got out, my first civilian job was a welder for General Dynamics Electric Boat Division over in "rotten" Groton, CT. Got all the way up to Pipe welder 1st class mechanic then, left the yard to work on power plants across the USA. I learned alot in the USN, and alot more at EB!!! Guess what?
I'm still learning!!!

I also have one of those Hornell speedglass 9000's with the fresh air belt packs which has permitted me to come back into welding again after surviving a liver transplant back in 1997. As far as the fresh air system is concerned, it was and still is a lifesaver for me personally...
The only issue I personally had with the helmet was the autodarkening lens. after using it for more than 2 years, the lens substrate layer started to break apart into small floating blotches that over time grew larger, and ended up blocking my viewing in about 1/3 of the viewing area.

I called Hornell in Twinsburg, Ohio about it only to find out that the warranty for the lens expired so, my only recourse at the time was to purchase a new one or fit a customized version of a non-autodarkening lens system to replace it. Since I could'nt purchase a replacement at the time due to becoming disabled again. (necrosis of the right hip) I decided to customize the outer shield so that I could flip it up with the newer gold plated lens system that I personally designed at the same time in order to view the work for grinding etc. The process as a whole was'nt too complicated, just very tedious. A Dremel, plenty of heat resistant epoxy and some ingenuity was all I needed!!!

"Improvise, adapt and overcome" is my philosophy when it comes to making something work for me the way I want it to when I cannot find a way to do it by simply replacing the parts... Anywho, being the way my eyes work these days, I was able to convert the autodarkening frame to hold a "cheater" (magnifier) lens, and can easily change the filter lens to whatever shade I require... I only use this helmet these days when I'm welding alot of continuous welds, and I'm exposed to alot of fumes and heat that is'nt readily extracted from my welding zone. Needless to say, I have'nt required the use of it much as of late, it's in the bag it came with when I need it. Nowadays, I'm mostly using a Jackson w/flipshield and gold plated lens, shade 10, w/cheaters (1.75 diopter) for precision GTAW on 2" schedule 10 & 40 316L, occasionally we'll use some 316Ti if the customer requires it, and that has to come in from Germany because, that's where we get it from. I'm also welding different grades of CP Ti and Inconel. Most of the work is on flow control, pressure, level indicating, thermal sensing instruments which include flanges, floats, piping, sensors, sockets, tubing, valves, etc. All welding is done as per ASME section IX B31.1, B31.3 and EN 287-288.

I also got a few more Jackson and Sellstrom freebies that were given to me by a few salespeople to try out and, was never asked to give back so, I guess I'm covered... At the company I work for, we have 2 Miller autodarkening helmets that are occasionally used by upper management when they come by to see our welding... The welders that I've been training were at first using those helmets but, after viewing the welding through my helmet via the gold plated shade 10 lens w/magnifiers, they decided to use the jackson flipshield helmets that were in storage instead!!! They've duplicated what I've got in my helmet (except for their choice of diopter), and emphatically swear by them!!! The "proof of the pudding" so to speak is in the marked improvement with regards to the quality of the welds they produce nowadays, because of the fact that they can see what they're doing with better focus, and more clearly!!!

Now, do'nt get wrong about autodarkening lens helmets. I think they're great for welding!!! I myself prefer gold plated lens w/magnifiers in flipshield type helmets maybe because I'm old school, and cannot seem to break the habit of reaching for the flipshield when I'm tacking if I use an autodarkening lens but then again, that's just me!!!

I can't wait until the industry comes out with a gold plated autodarkening lens because, for myself personally, I believe I'll eventually get rid of the habit I mentioned before, if they ever come out with a set!!!

Respectfully,
SSBN727
Run Silent... Run Deep!!!

P.S. Btw, I still got my old "short" shield I used when I was working at EB!!! I heard there's a lot of work going on @ puget sound on the SSGN conversions... if you're interested check out General Dynamic's website.