welding mask for newbie?

admin

HI, Im looking around for a good quality mask for mig welding.  Any suggestions??
Reply:A couple of years ago I bought an auto dark welding helmet at Harbor freight when they were on sale for $50. It still works fine today and is the only helmet I use any more. I was having great difficulty welding outdoors with a conventional helmet on boat trailers. With the auto darkening helmet I was able to hold the stick electrode in the exact place I wanted to start at.
Reply:Depends on how much you want to spend.  I really like Speediglas auto darkening hoods, but they can cost up to $300.  However, I find myself using my $35 jackson large lense fixed shade cheapo hood rather than my auto darkening hood 99.9% of the time.
Reply:I 'm with welderboy, I have two auto helmets, but I always use my regular fixed lense helmets.  Don't have to worry about batteries or being on a job site to find out it quits working. A fixed shade is cheap and dependable........I'm a Lover, Fighter, Wild horse Rider, and a pretty good welding man......
Reply:thanks for the help any particular brands??
Reply:Auto lenses are nice, but many welders get by just fine with a fixed lens.  Doesn't cost so much and works every time.I like the large view Huntsman hood I have.
Reply:You can get a "large window" Lincoln mask at HD or Lowes for $20-30 (not auto darkening).Those that say "If it ain't broke, don't fix it" just don't understand!Fast-Cheap-Reliable:  Pick two.
Reply:if you are starting out auto dark is wayy easy , but if you wanna go on a budget use a normal helmet they are pretty good i have a speedglas auto dark and use my standard helmet 9 outa 10 times , because most my work is outdoors , and in dirty environment where i got through a few helmets in a year
Reply:Originally Posted by jboneHI, Im looking around for a good quality mask for mig welding.  Any suggestions??
Reply:thanks for the help!
Reply:Get a moderate priced big window fixed shade helmet. Maybe a lift lens if you find one for a good price. I've had 2 auto darkening helmets and liked them but I always have a back up close at hand. There are times that I just prefer to use a gold fixed lens.