WTB Auto Helmet

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I'm new to WeldingWeb.  I'm not a welder, but my husband is.  I'm looking for a good auto-dark welding helmet for him.  A couple he has mentioned is Jackson NexGen and Miller Elite.  Are these good ones?I make welding caps.  (I won't post a link to my site, not sure if that was allowed or not) but I am willing to trade caps whole or in part for the helmet.  Any opinions about the brand of helmets or suggestions on where to get a good price for them are appreciated.THANKS
Reply:I have seen your caps on ebay, they look real nice! I have even thought about buying 1 when mine wears out, I live in Wa as well. As far as the helmets go , the ones you have mentioned are all good, As a general rule (mine) I would stick with the name brands and stay away from places like harbour freight for this item. Being the ebay seller like you are, I would consider buying from this person,http://stores.ebay.com/Welding-Suppl...QQftidZ2QQtZkm they are well known for online welding sales, offer free shipping and you save on sales tax (if you bought local). I know his prices are pretty fair for welders, so I am assuming his helmet prices are fair as well, however I am not up to speed on prices of auto helmets, I am spoiled and the company I work for bought my Huntsman Auto helmetLast edited by elderthewelder; 09-28-2006 at 07:41 PM.
Reply:Does your husband pick your thread or fabric that you make the caps with? Sorry if I sound hard, don't mean to come across the wrong way.My suggestion would be to encourage him to buy what he wants and promote it as a gift. This way he gets what he wants and not what you think he wants. My wife tried to get me a tool she thought I wanted for one of my birthdays and it ended up back in the store the next day. It was a hard time to not hurt her feelings about it.Auto lenses can go $80 - $400+. How much you willing to spend? How much is it worth to him?Tennessee Squire Association
Reply:i have no experience with miller, however its a good name and i would imagine its as high quality as their welders.i do like jackson, and their NEXGEN is their top of the line. jackson also claims to be the only auto darkening lens made in the usa, which i likedthe NEXGEN is in the $300 ballpark if i remember correctly, and ive heard nothing but good things about their customer support
Reply:Elder:  Thanks for the kind words and good info!mlmonte:  Actually yes, my husband is still very involved in the production of my caps.  After all, I started out making caps for him, then all his buddies...they've been through quite a bit of R&D.  But, I understand your point. My husband is one of those people who just won't spend money on themselves, if he had his way, he'd have one of those 50.00 Harbor Freight auto-helmets.  His eyes are worth quite a bit more than that to both of us.  Plus, I'm a bit more "tool-savy" than the average female.  My late husband was a machinist and we ran midget sprint cars for several years.  Yes, I wrenched on our cars and I enjoyed it!    I'm quite aware of how much the quality of the tool can affect the ease and quality of the job.LuzRD:  Also good info, Thanks!This will be his first auto-helmet, I'm sure there is some adjustment getting used to it.  I'd rather just get a good one now rather than buy cheap and still have to buy a good one later.
Reply:I have a Nexgen Jackson but to be honest I'm not to crazy about it. I had the cartridge replaced once under warranty and it seems to have a weird glare to it when welding. Now they do have a awsome customer service for sure but a guy i know has the Miller Elite and I have welded with it and I thought it was awsome. The only difference from the ellite and nexgen is the Nexgen has a little bit wider window and has the grinding and torch cutting setting. I have heard both people have problems and no problems with the nexgen but I think I will maybe try my luck with a miller next time. I do like the nexgen for one reason which is if the cartridge craps out I can put a permanent lense in it to get me by. The cheapest place to buy the nexgen is either weldingdepot.com or cyberweld.com and cyber does sell miller helmets to. Hope I was of a little help on your decission.Chris
Reply:i have the miller BWE i have had it for almost 4 years. it has worked flawlessly for me both inside and out in the sun light. it was expensive but well werth the $$$ i would do it again, my only regret was not getting it sooner. IOC is a stand up comp. i got my MIG,TIG, and plasma welders from them and have nothing but great things to say for them. they are always within $5-$10 of the best price on the net and the service is great even after the sale. the BWE's now have enough designs to make suit any ones fancy, the only problem is picking wich one you like best. LOL great gift idea he will love it and i'm shore you can come up with a sneaky way of finding out wich design he likes just show him them ang go geesse hunny look at all the options miller has now arent they neat and i'll bet you find out real fast wich one he likes best. good luck he is a lucky guy to have a wife interested in getting him such a cool gift, lots of bragging rights in the BWE. summer is here, plant a tree for mother earth. if you dont have time or space, sponcer some one else to plant one for you.feel free to shoot me a PM or e-mail me at [email][email protected] i got lots of time.
Reply:I bought my Miller Big Window Elite from IOC.....Sixth helmet (Third Auto-Helmet).....By far the best on I've had yet!Note:I had been using a SpeedGlass for several years. It is also an excellent helmet. However, the SpeedGlass just would NOT work properly with my new inverter tig machine at low currents. Most companies now list as a feature "Works with low current inverter tig" or something like that. It apparently has something to do with the limitations of the older technology. I ended up buying the Miller BWE for use at home and took the SpeedGlass to work for strictly stick welding.In any case, if there is a remote chance that your husband might be doing tig with a new inverter type machine, make sure that what ever you buy him is compatible.The Miller BWE is nice, nice helmet.Patrick
Reply:yep the BWE is also a 4 senser hood helping to prevent flashing by having more sencers to catch the light even if partly blocked. mine also has worked well with low amp TIG. even though i did not have TIG when i got the hood its nice to have it now that i have a TIG, if i had not gotten the BWE i could have found myself needing a new hood now that i have TIG, so keep in mind he may want to get a TIG later. you can always check back in with us on what TIG unit to get him for his birth day. here is my vote if $$ is tight, if ya got the $$ the dyn 200 would be my first choice. Attached Images summer is here, plant a tree for mother earth. if you dont have time or space, sponcer some one else to plant one for you.feel free to shoot me a PM or e-mail me at [email][email protected] i got lots of time.
Reply:Can you tell us where to find your welding caps.  This forum is full of great people who I assume all want to support one another...
Reply:i think she has a link in the for sale part of the forem. lots of designs to choose from, and a good $$ too. summer is here, plant a tree for mother earth. if you dont have time or space, sponcer some one else to plant one for you.feel free to shoot me a PM or e-mail me at [email][email protected] i got lots of time.
Reply:I have miller and jackson hoods and I like the miller hoods better.  When the XLIX series first came out they had problems but the service was great and they fixed mine and got the others straightened out too.DewayneDixieland WeldingMM350PLincoln 100Some torchesOther misc. tools
Reply:I'm new to welding but I just purchased an Optrel Satellite Auto Darkening Helmet, no complaints so far, has button for grinding, all controls on outside
Reply:Thank you fine fellows for your inputs and opinions!Purchased a Miller BWE, he's been using it for a week now and loves it.  (yes, he'd have no problems telling me if he hated it lol)  He doesn't do any low amp tig, but the bigger viewing area is worth it.For the guys interested in caps, you can see whats currently available at www.snazzycaps.com.Thanks again, the input really helped make the decision on this helmet.Kilroyst
Reply:kilroystyou should put i sell welding caps and a link in your sig line, it will help others find it when they want a cap, insted of having to look around for the post you have it in. i dont know about the rest of the guys here but my memory is alout .............that long. well ok realy more like ..... that but dont tell any one. glad he is liking the new hood, did he get the new modle or did you just miss it ?? summer is here, plant a tree for mother earth. if you dont have time or space, sponcer some one else to plant one for you.feel free to shoot me a PM or e-mail me at [email][email protected] i got lots of time.