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Been reading tons of helmet reviews/threads and these usually gravitate to a Miller Digital Elite, Lincoln 3350, Jackson Balder, etc. I don't doubt these choices but they are pricey for a guy that doesn't weld much. Three times a year is probably pushing it for basic tasks in my garage. Can't really put a price on eyesight but I wonder if much cheaper options such as a fixed shade is sufficient to provide excellent protection AND still be able to weld for a weekend warrior. Say for 50 bucks or so. Or do I really need a bells and whistles feather weight helmet?While most may have moved on to auto-darkening helmets, do many out there rely on the fixed shades anymore? For the little I weld, a hardy helmet that I don't have to worry about batteries or sensors going bad sure sounds attractive.Please help me see the light...or is it the other way around? P.S. I've borrowed my buddies Miller Digital Elite and must say I did like being able to see whats going on just before striking an arc. A far cry from the class helmet in middle school during the late 70's/early 80's that made me wonder if I was going to start an arc on a buddies arm since you couldn't see a thing!
Reply:Its up to you. If having a fixed shade helmet doesn't hamper you, then go for it. the optics are actually better than most auto darkening helmets. Me I like the fixed shade for TIG and MIG, but not so much for stick. I really need to be able to see what I am doing before I start out. That being said there are some really nice auto darkening helmets out there for cheap. I have a jackson WH-40 "smart TIGer" helmet with their fancy Balder technology, and I picked it up off of Amazon for around $80. I love it. Use it for stick, TIG and MIG. The visual quality is much better than anything from Harbor Freight or Tractor Supply.Miller Multimatic 255
Reply:I have a little Hobart fixed shade helmet that I picked up for $19.99 on sale and it works really well. Might be the way to go for 3 times a year. The optical quality is pretty good. It's just not ideal flipping up and down the hood every time I make a weld. Especially when doing lots of little tack welds. I'm just a hobby weldor but I do it at least an hour every day. The auto dark is worth it because I get more weld time in. I think a fixed shade would fit the bill for you just fine.Syncrowave 210HH140Victor O/A
Reply:Fixed shade. I learned to weld when autodark meant welding at night.Weld like a "WELDOR", not a wel-"DERR" MillerDynasty700DX,Dynasty350DX4ea,Dynasty200DX,Li ncolnSW200-2ea.,MillerMatic350P,MillerMatic200w/spoolgun,MKCobraMig260,Lincoln SP-170T,PlasmaCam/Hypertherm1250,HFProTig2ea,MigMax1ea.
Reply:Safety first.But seriously, depends on how skilled you are. If a novice, it's definitely easier to have the shade take care of itself than try to coordinate closing the hood/shade and striking an arc.More likely to flash yourself with a fixed shade helmet if you are out of practice or a beginner.Hobart 210 MVPHTP Invertig 221 + coolerEverlast SuperUltra 205
Reply:For welding 3 times a year I don't see how you can afford to justify a decent AD helmet, but if you can then rock on. Many welders, both amateur and professional, prefer a fixed / passive lens. I actually fall into this group since when I learned to weld it was the only option. It's not that difficult to learn to operate a fixed hood and with a little shopping you can get a great deal off the web. Make sure you purchase a quality lens such as the Philips and you will be good to go.
Reply:When I learned to weld way back when AD's were just starting to come out. My instructor wouldn't allow any new student to use an AD style hood. The reason being, if you are going to be serious about doing this, at some point you will find you will need the basic skill to be able to use a fixed shade hood. It might be because your hood broke and that's all that's available as a spare, or it might be as simple as your batteries died.I'll admit that in some cases it's a lot easier for someone to learn using an AD hood because you can see right up until the instant you go to strike your arc. It's also a big advantage if you are constantly positioning parts and tacking them up by yourself. However it's not impossible to do this stuff without one. For longer welds on things that are already tacked up, I really don't see a huge advantage in an AD hood most times. O good fixed shade hood will serve you just as well.Biggest advantage I can see of fixed shade hoods over AD hoods is price. There's simply no way you can match the optical quality of a fixed shade hood with a good glass lens at the price. For someone starting out on a tight budget, that's a huge advantage. One of the biggest problems I have to deal with teaching new students is poor optical quality of the hoods they buy. I'd bet at least 1/2 to 3/4ers of the average class comes in with cheap HF AD hoods. Those that don't, either are getting their hood from a friend/family member who already welds, or they get it thru work. It's tough to explain to someone with no reference how important good optics are when welding. Usually despite how many times you tell them this, it's not until they have some experience and start to be able to read the puddle, that they realize how critical it is to be able to clearly see all the detail and definition you get thru a hood with superior optics. I'd say 2/3rds who realize this dump their cheap hoods and go out and get something quality once they realize this. Those that don't, are usually either stubborn or cheap bastards. They'll insist on using something cheap, even if they can't see well. Then they wonder why they can't seem to improve past a given point..No government ever voluntarily reduces itself in size. Government programs, once launched, never disappear. Actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we'll ever see on this earth! Ronald Reagan
Reply:If you only have a $50.00 budget or so, you can't go wrong with the Harbor Freight auto helmet. It just works. But I'd spend a little bit more on a Fibre-metal Pipeliner and throw in a gold glass lense. It's the $hizznit.A Liberal is someone who lives in a gated community with private security, but says that a boarder fence won't work and people don't need guns for self protection.
Reply:Lincoln makes some pretty nice stuff for under $100. one model is the K3079-1.
Reply:I agree with the AD Harbor Freight suggestion. IMO, way better than a fixed shade. I have both. So nice to be able to exactly see everything when you start the arc. The HF hood probably doesn't have as clear optics as a pricey AD hood, but it's perfectly acceptable. I got mine at one of their sales for $39.
Reply:Get a fibre metal pipeliner. Most hate fixed hoods,because they break easy and when you shake your head to drop the hood the stops are broke or Its too,tight, blah, blah, etc. I hated fixed shade hood's and since I got the pipeliner with the ratchet head gear I hardly ever use my arcone hood. You save so much in lenses if you're doing a lot of overhead work or spray arc mig.
Reply:I even use mine with tig for low amp starts. And if it's sunny outside that filter doesn't know what's what. It will probably stay dark.
Reply:Originally Posted by MoonshineMetalsIf you only have a $50.00 budget or so, you can't go wrong with the Harbor Freight auto helmet. It just works. But I'd spend a little bit more on a Fibre-metal Pipeliner and throw in a gold glass lense. It's the $hizznit.
Reply:Guys...I appreciate ALL of the responses. I'm leaning towards the Fibre-Metal Pipeliner or a Jackson HSL-100 and put a Phillips Safety Gold Lens on it.Which leads to my next question. The large window on the Jackson vs small window on the Pipeliner. The large window sounds attractive because it's a larger viewing area. However, I've been seeing comments regarding increased glare on a larger lens from behind the helmet. Apparently the more ambient light entering from behind, the more the glare. Is this an issue?Secondly, I've seen smaller cheater lenses (Pipeliner) but not larger versions (Jackson)?About the only other disadvantage to the large lenses I see (vs smaller) would be cost...albeit in reality not a huge deal.I should add I'll be using a stick welder (Lincoln AC/DC 225/125). Not sure if this matters but wanted to mention it.What say you?
Reply:This is a bit late, but I can vouch for the cheapie Hobart ones with the flip lens. I like not having to raise the entire hood between welds.
Reply:Originally Posted by RecruitGuys...I appreciate ALL of the responses. I'm leaning towards the Fibre-Metal Pipeliner or a Jackson HSL-100 and put a Phillips Safety Gold Lens on it.Which leads to my next question. The large window on the Jackson vs small window on the Pipeliner. The large window sounds attractive because it's a larger viewing area. However, I've been seeing comments regarding increased glare on a larger lens from behind the helmet. Apparently the more ambient light entering from behind, the more the glare. Is this an issue?Secondly, I've seen smaller cheater lenses (Pipeliner) but not larger versions (Jackson)?About the only other disadvantage to the large lenses I see (vs smaller) would be cost...albeit in reality not a huge deal.I should add I'll be using a stick welder (Lincoln AC/DC 225/125). Not sure if this matters but wanted to mention it.What say you?
Reply:I personally have never used a foxed shade hood. Only AD and honestly if you get the right AD hood you'll have no problem reading the puddle
Reply:Originally Posted by RecruitWhich leads to my next question. The large window on the Jackson vs small window on the Pipeliner. The large window sounds attractive because it's a larger viewing area. However, I've been seeing comments regarding increased glare on a larger lens from behind the helmet. Apparently the more ambient light entering from behind, the more the glare. Is this an issue?Secondly, I've seen smaller cheater lenses (Pipeliner) but not larger versions (Jackson)?
Reply:The nice thing about the 2x4 lensed helmets like the pipeliner is that multiple companies sell drop in auto darkening lenses so you can upgrade later on. I have an Arcone Tradesman lens in mine that is 10x better than the HF helmet and the lens only cost about $60.
Reply:Originally Posted by Sharon NeedlesThe nice thing about the 2x4 lensed helmets like the pipeliner is that multiple companies sell drop in auto darkening lenses so you can upgrade later on. I have an Arcone Tradesman lens in mine that is 10x better than the HF helmet and the lens only cost about $60.
Reply:Originally Posted by Sharon NeedlesThe nice thing about the 2x4 lensed helmets like the pipeliner is that multiple companies sell drop in auto darkening lenses so you can upgrade later on. I have an Arcone Tradesman lens in mine that is 10x better than the HF helmet and the lens only cost about $60.
Reply:Originally Posted by JD1Very interesting. How does that work in terms of setting your darkening range and powering the lens? Seems like it would be complicated to build that setup for an aftermarket drop in.
Reply:The T240 Tradesman is fixed at a shade ten, I believe the SS240 is the adjustable shade one with a grind mode.
Reply:I did a little googling and found a bigger adjustable shade on Amazon that looks like it would fit my Jackson. 110 x 90 mm, 4/9-13, $43. Didn't know such a thing existed. I might have to pick one up.
Reply:Originally Posted by RecruitGuys...I appreciate ALL of the responses. I'm leaning towards the Fibre-Metal Pipeliner or a Jackson HSL-100 and put a Phillips Safety Gold Lens on it.Which leads to my next question. The large window on the Jackson vs small window on the Pipeliner. The large window sounds attractive because it's a larger viewing area. However, I've been seeing comments regarding increased glare on a larger lens from behind the helmet. Apparently the more ambient light entering from behind, the more the glare. Is this an issue?Secondly, I've seen smaller cheater lenses (Pipeliner) but not larger versions (Jackson)?About the only other disadvantage to the large lenses I see (vs smaller) would be cost...albeit in reality not a huge deal.I should add I'll be using a stick welder (Lincoln AC/DC 225/125). Not sure if this matters but wanted to mention it.What say you?Maybe check with local suppliers on rebates. I know Miller, Speedglass, and Jackson all had rebates on hoods. Sorry it's too late. I buy something and then next week they have a rebate. If you do art work a AD hood is the nuts , it just makes everything cleaner. I have a Miller Elite that is 7 years old and still works great, no issues .
Reply:I had a cheap Hobart large lense helmet, it was heavy but worked, bought a gold lense, and liked the lense, but it was still heavy. Now, I'm no pro welder, and I don't do any long periods of continuous beads, but after an hour or so that thing starts giving me a headache. I think it is from having the headgear tight enough that it won't slip on my head when flipped down, did I mention its a heavy bastard? Asked for a Pipeliner for Christmas, got one with the rubber strap headgear. Didn't care for that much and bought the ratcheting style, and while I was at it, threw in a gold lense. I love that hood! I want to add the sellstrom flip front that Fieldres did, but I'm afraid of the added weight, and don't want to end up in the same boat i was in, though it may be an unfounded concern, as it seems to be a popular mod.ETA: large vs small viewing area doesn't seem to be much an issue for me.Last edited by Teggy1; 02-15-2015 at 09:27 AM.
Reply:Originally Posted by Sharon NeedlesThe nice thing about the 2x4 lensed helmets like the pipeliner is that multiple companies sell drop in auto darkening lenses so you can upgrade later on. I have an Arcone Tradesman lens in mine that is 10x better than the HF helmet and the lens only cost about $60.
Reply:I made up my mind and went with a Jackson Flip HSL-2:http://www.kcprofessional.com/produc...g-helmet-blackThe helmet was listed as new on Ebay and includes 370 headgear and an auto on/off lens for $52 shipped. Not so sure I'm sold on the auto lens but it's included so we'll see. I'm still wanting to pick up a Phillips gold lens for it.Anyway, thanks again for all the replies and help! |
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发表于 2021-8-31 22:43:25