thermal arc or speedglass AD helmet?

admin

looking to get a new AD helmet under $200.  i have basically narrowed it down to 2.  one of them is a Thermal Arc.  I did a search on here and didnt find much on the helmet.  anybody have it?second helmet is a Speedglass 100V.  I know speed glass is good so not too worried about that.  which would you guys choose and why?here are the links to themhttp://store.cyberweld.com/spweheachise.htmlhttp://www.buyweld.com/w4012000.htmlim also open to any other options as well as long as its less than 200.Thanks
Reply:15 views and not a single reply?
Reply:I have a Harbor Freight auto hood.  I am afraid to look at another hood; I might feel like I would have to buy it for about 4 hours hood time a month.I offer three choices: Good, Fast, & Cheap. You may pick two.Hobart AC/DC StikMate LXHarbor Freight AD HoodHarbor Freight Industrial Chop SawDeVilbis 20 Gallon, 5 HP Compressor
Reply:I've actually been around looking at a bunch of welding helmets myself, after purchasing a second harbor freight one.  I've found a lot to dislike about a lot of the hoods I've looked at, some much more high dollar the the harbor freight!For example, all of the the miller hoods had really stiff, detented adjustment pivoting mechanisms, which would not let you "nod" the hood to the down position without using any hands, as I have gained a liking to doing recently with my harbor freight hood.  The "top of the line" speedglass 9200 had some neat features as expected for the price, like it was pretty nice and lightweight with a neat headgear system, nice viewing area, side windows, and breathing ventilation setup, but I wonder if any of that is really necessary or worth paying 6x the price of a harbor freight hood.  The cheaper speedglass (the "100" series or whatever) seemed pretty bad, having a really tiny window to view out of, and lacked adjustments to bring the window closer to the eyes.  Yes depsite all that, it cost 4x the price of the (superior, IMO) harbor freight hood!  I can't remember what else I disliked about it (heavy, maybe?), but I would really not be happy with it after being used to the harbor freight hood.  Other hoods seemed to be just about equivalent at best to the harbor freight hood, yet cost way more.  There are many helmets I have not yet been able to try out, and will continue looking for the one I like.  Anyhow, that's my 2c.  (Still looking for my next hood, although the harbor freight is working fine.)By the way the new harbor freight hoods have a "grind" mode that is really easy to activate by rotating the external shade adjustment switch all the way to the lightest shade setting.
Reply:I've been using the thermal arc for a while. I got it free  when i purchased my 210 Fab. I can't say anything bad about it other than the fact it's not my Miller.  It keeps the sand out of my eyes and looks good!
Reply:thanks guys.I know that a lot of people have liked their HF/northern helmets i have done a good bit of research and have seen that there have been a lot of problems with both of those.  yeah you can go out and buy a new one for cheaper than a miller or speedglass but whats the point in having to replace a welding helmet every couple months?  i know there have been a lot of people that have had theirs for a while and havent had any problems but i think those are in the minority.  i would rather spend my money once and not have to worry about whether or not its going to work for me or not.that being said does anyone else have any other comment/suggestions for either helmet in the OP?
Reply:I've been very pleased with my Miller "Performance Series" helmet. Get it in black and it costs less than $200 through cyberweld, I never saw the appeal of all the fancy designs.I don't have a lot of experience with other helmets, but it beats the other auto-darkening helmet I owned by a lot. Love the auto-on, never have to worry about forgetting to turn it on, like my old one. I like how the lens adjust is from the inside of the helmet, instead of the outside, since I always bumped it on my old one. And I never have any trouble flipping the hood down by nodding my head, although I admit that I prefer to reach up and pull it down. All I can say though, is welding with this helmet is easier than my old one, the coloration and everything just feels easier. You get what you pay for