I am a gear WHORE.

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I refuse to make do with pedestrian grade gear. My formula for all of my hobbies is this: seek professional instruction, get the best gear I can, try to wear it out. I just started a welding/fab class, right now I am using the schools lowest bidder helmets and goggles and the cheap, probably Chinese gloves they sell at the tiny shop here in Nowhere, WA. My collection of welding gear will start out with personal protective equipment, since I will be using the schools welders for another five months or so. What are y'alls favorite brands of gloves, goggles, helmets, jackets, and hand tools? I have a real problem buying outsourced, especially Chinese. But if a company from another country has some good equipment to sell, I am interested. For example, I won't wear Levi's jeans since they moved their factories to Columbia, or something, but I wouldn't mind owning a Japanese car.Thanks
Reply:There are three important factors in protective gear effectiveness, comfort and price.  If it doesn't actually protect it's no good, if it's uncomfortable you won't use it, and if it is to expensive it's no good.   You need to take time to go to welding supply store where you can try on the gear.  A cheap but comfortable helmet is better than expensive uncomfortable.  You can try out gloves until you find some you like.  It's a lot more expensive to buy multiple helmets.  Make the drive you won't regret it
Reply:I use Tillman leathers and gloves and Jackson hoods, both auto and fixed.   I also like Stronghand clamps, Lock Jaw pliers and Evolution metal cutting saws, along with alot of other products I use from the following companies---www.jacksonsafety.com  -Jackson welding hoods and safety productswww.jtillman.com  -Tillman leathers and gloveswww.stronghandtools.com  -Strong Hand clampswww.lockjawpliers.com  -Lock Jaw plierswww.evolutiononlineshop.com  -Evolution metal cutting sawswww.pipejack.com  -Black Jack pipe standswww.millerwelds.com   -Miller welding equipmentwww.bernardwelds.com  -Bernard mig welding torcheswww.htpweld.com  -HTP mig and tig welding equipment and accessorieswww.ckworldwide.com  -CK tig welding torcheswww.dynaflux.com  -Dynaflux tig torch coolerswww.ssccontrols.com  -SSC tig foot pedalswww.arc-zone.com  -Everything you need for tig welding...www.regulatortorchrepair.com  -Everything you need for oxy/fuel welding and cuttingwww.smithequipment.com   -Smith gas equipmentwww.westernenterprises.com   -Western gas equipmentwww.miller4less.com  -Miller welding equipment parts for less $$Last edited by DesertRider33; 01-10-2010 at 12:02 PM.MM350P/Python/Q300MM175/Q300DialarcHFHTP MIG200PowCon300SMHypertherm380ThermalArc185Purox oaF350CrewCab4x4LoadNGo utilitybedBobcat250XMT304/Optima/SpoolmaticSuitcase12RC/Q300Suitcase8RC/Q400Passport/Q300Smith op
Reply:Jackson hoods have served me well.
Reply:most beginners burn up their gloves quick, so cheap ones will be better until you learn not to burn your gloves up. the most expensive gloves I have seen are the onyx, and they suck, the leather wears out at the finger tips. tillman 750's have been the best to me so far. as far as helmets go I have spent good money on hoods over the years, the best most longest lasting and comfortable one I have had was a harbor freight one. For a jacket I just spent twenty bucks on a cloth tillman, it is nice because it is light weight and comfortable, but forget about using cloth if your going to do 4 position, for 4 position you'll need full leather. I use 6" pearl abrasives twisted wire wheel on my 4 1/2" grinder it workes well to get into the root pass of 1" v groove, after practice the slag will just pop out, but for learning I highly recommend this, 4 1/2" wheels don't get into the first passes on 1" jointsLast edited by eyeball engineer; 01-10-2010 at 11:58 AM.
Reply:The best gear in the world wont make a difference if it doesnt work for you, or if you cant weld to start.IMO its very foolish to just blindly leap into something and buy the best. thinking that its going to work best for you.  Start small and figure out what you like best, then if you need to upgrade to something "better" later.Some of the best welders ive ever known have old no-brand helmets, crusty leathers and gloves with ducktape finger.Have we all gone mad?
Reply:good basic helmet is the huntsman (large lense) thats what they issue all the apprentices at my hall when they come in to the welding school.and thats what i still use all these years later.Good gear doesnt make a good welder.Start out with a fixed lense once you get that down go to a auto but they have there down sides too. Learn the basics then move up in the gear leveles as you actually need their added features.
Reply:good advice from boilermaker, lots of people can't flip a hood, it is important because if your auto hood acts up you can usually find a basic # 10 hood or lens lying around, I personally as a younger welder think it's cool to see people fliping hoods it's kinda oldschool and has a respect to each its own. another thing, at school it's funny to see these new guys show up with gear better than mine and they can't weld for ****, those guys kinda rub the older union guys the wrong way and they tend to get less help, it's alright to have cheap stuff, as long as it works good, I have kinda learn to take pride in cheap stuff that works well
Reply:i used to play a  lot of golf. there were guys who got new clubs very year..they thought you could buy  a game. but i learned you had to understand the swing and put a good  move on the ball. i took pride in my 20 year old clubs and single digit handicap.i gave up golf because i preferred to burn rod. same thought applies. get good basic  equipment and put in the time. dont blame the tools.
Reply:DesertRider!  Thank you very much for taking the time to not only post links, but little descriptions as well.  That should keep me busy for a while. eyeball engineer, what's the word on flipping a helmet? The school has auto's. I'll ask my teacher about it too, Tuesday evening. I dig old school skills. In the field I chuckle at colleagues that don't understand why I actually use my map and compass when we're busting brush. I also use a milling reticle instead of a range finder when hunting. Guys, thanks for the sentiment. However, let me clarify my original post as I don't think most of y'all are feeling where I'm coming from. I'm a hobby welder and a dink(dual income no kids). I have taken Basic Welding at the local junior college and am taking Metal Fabrication 1. I was going to take Gas Welding this semester as well, but it was full. So I will have to take Gas Welding next semester, along with Metal Fab 2, and put Arc Welding off until probably next fall. I meant what I said about seeking professional instruction. I learned land-nav in the Army and had the extremely good fortune of befriending an old SF dude, who has helped me polish my rifle and pistol skills, but I'm still going to Gunsite! I am a gear whore. To me, that means well made, well designed gear, for everything I do is part of the fun. At work I used to get crap for my better than Mil-spec field clothes, now I give them crap for not being in good enough shape to be a field scientist. Sure, I don't need a sixteen-hundred dollar 1911 for concealed carry but I'm glad I bought it and I love training hard with it. I love nice gear and I maintain it like my life may depend on it, even when it obviously never will. By "try to wear it out" I mean utilizing the skills gained from that professional instruction. Getting out there and doing it is the whole reason I spend money on training and gear. It doesn't matter what I'm doing, most people just zero in on my fetish for top shelf gear and fail to understand it's just a part in my holistic desire for maximum performance.   But seriously, y'all don't have favorite brands or crap you wish you could afford?
Reply:Im a hobby/get some work from home dude and i like good stuff too.If i had have save some of the money from the cheap sh#t that i have since upgraded, i would be in front.Had a cheap arc welder, cheap AD helmet, MIG welder(but now not powerful enough but had it for 12 years) and a few other cheap things.My Kemppi welder is my latest addition and she is no slouch.Look at my sig and thats some of the suff i have now.I have been also switching to Hitachi power tools even though ive had no trouble with Makita.  ( Hitachi cordless stuff is great )If you can do it now before you have kids, why not?  That exactly what im doing as well !Now looking at a CNC plasma table, mill, press drill, press, bigger TIG, and im sure the list will grow as well as trying to build my 572 Pro Charged BBC drag car.Get the good stuff now and it will be with you for years.Enough rambling..............
Reply:You could stop by that welding class after it's over, too and ask and see what kind of welding helmet the teacher likes/prefers the most.Rodney                                   The blessing of the Lord makes one rich, And He adds no sorrow with it.'  Proverbs 10:22 NKJV
Reply:LarryO said "Get the good stuff now and it will be with you for years." Word. I have my gas welding goggles figured out. I bought some Schmerler, I think, safety goggles online. Made in Germany! They have clear 50mm lenses, which I am going to replace with some gas welding lenses. The eye cups are metal, I might paint them but the shiny silver color looks neat too. They are padded with something that is possibly leather and the bridge of the nose is definitely real leather. I work leather too, so I am definitely going to replace the silly elastic band with a little bit wider piece of leather with a watch band buckle for adjustment and style.