New Welder looking for a good helmet???

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I am looking for a good quality welding helmet my eyes are important to me.  When you drop $250 to $500 on sunglasses why go cheap on a welding helmet.  Which are considered good welding helmets?  I am looking for one that you can adjust manually the darkness and I want one that will not make me go blind any suggestions?
Reply:i recommend speedglas, 9100xx to be exact.  great optical clairity, huge viewing area and the side lens gives the illusion of not so cramped in a helmet.Just some stuff in my shop.
Reply:Originally Posted by tbaxli recommend speedglas, 9100xx to be exact.  great optical clairity, huge viewing area and the side lens gives the illusion of not so cramped in a helmet.
Reply:Speedglass are tops in my opinion as well. Money well spent.JasonLincoln Idealarc 250 stick/tigThermal Dynamics Cutmaster 52Miller Bobcat 250Torchmate CNC tableThermal Arc Hefty 2Ironworkers Local 720
Reply:Don't get cought up in hype about lens size and speed. It's things like the suspension and helmet wieght that will end up p***ing you off. For someone that fairly new to welding I can see no need to spend more than $150-200 on an auto darkening hood. There will be dozens of other things that you need to spend money on. Any hood that meets the ansi specs will not cause your eyes to be damaged. Any name brand hood will meet these specs. Most of us here that are over 40 had to learn to weld with a 2x4 fixed shade, glass lens hood that could be had for 20 bucks. And few of us would spend over 20 bucks on a pair of sunglasses unless they were prescription.Tough as nails and damn near as smart
Reply:i own a speedglas 9000x adjustable from 9-13 stick/mig/tig capable.. i give $200 for a box full of welding stuff... the speedglas 9000x, 2 pair of gloves, welding rods, 4 stainless wire brushes, 2 slag hammers, 2 pair of goggles, 2 4 inch vises, 4 90deg magnets.. and a stack of the outer lenses for the speedglass helmet... everything in the box was unused, i think the guy retired, and plundered some stuff when he left.. i got a great deal, i didnt ask.... if i were to allow myself to buy a helmet $150-$200 helmet now i think i would try one of the thermal arc helmets and get a couple spare outer lense covers.. helmet weighs 564gramshttp://www.buyweld.com/w4012000.htmlLast edited by brucer; 11-16-2010 at 11:34 PM.
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Reply:Jackson nexgen. Very Good lensYa gotta spend money to make money!
Reply:Hah, I don't know if I have ever spent more than 20 dollars on sunglasses.  You could put together welding lenses between cardboard and some sort of elastic band and you'd be just fine.  Personally, I don't entirely trust auto-darkening helmets.  I am sure plenty of people think they are just fine, and they probably are.  I use a chin operated welding helmet or a welding helmet with a hand operated visor.  It's probably far more convenient to have a helmet that darkens automatically but it also holds a little risk and pointless expense in my mind.Miller 330 a/bp water cooledI believe in gun control, I hold my gun with two hands.  If you want to know why, click here.Buy American or bye America.
Reply:Originally Posted by nelson84I am looking for a good quality welding helmet my eyes are important to me.  When you drop $250 to $500 on sunglasses why go cheap on a welding helmet.  Which are considered good welding helmets?  I am looking for one that you can adjust manually the darkness and I want one that will not make me go blind any suggestions?
Reply:kid get a fiber metal in the field or on the firing line you will no it will work
Reply:make sure to consider the price of replacement lens coversDynasty 200DXPassport plus w/ spoolmate 100victor 315c oxy/(act and prop)Miller digital elitemilwaukee power tools
Reply:Like said, depends on what type of welding and how much of it you will do. Plus what was not mentioned was that the helmet must fit you correctly and not be too small. I have a HUGE head and the 3M Speedglass; the Lincoln and a lot of other helmets were just too narrow on my head. I opted for a Miller Elite and couldn't be happier. It's a better helmet for out-of-position welding because of the four sensors in it instead of only two like most auto-darkening helmets have.It was $400 Canadian however. But Miller is a great brand name with no problem finding parts(another thing to keep in mind).Also it's the lightest helmet on the market.Just make sure that it is a battery operated one though. The pure-solar ones when burned out are just not worth paying the high price for a new lens. With a battery powered one you just change the batteries once or twice a year.Up to you though.
Reply:I always give my vote to Jackson hoods and their EQC line of auto lenses.  They have served me well, both in fixed shade and auto lens varieties.MM350P/Python/Q300MM175/Q300DialarcHFHTP MIG200PowCon300SMHypertherm380ThermalArc185Purox oaF350CrewCab4x4LoadNGo utilitybedBobcat250XMT304/Optima/SpoolmaticSuitcase12RC/Q300Suitcase8RC/Q400Passport/Q300Smith op
Reply:Originally Posted by tbaxli recommend speedglas, 9100xx to be exact.  great optical clairity, huge viewing area and the side lens gives the illusion of not so cramped in a helmet.