New auto-darkening welding helmet

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I currently have an older helmet that is nearing the end of its lifetime, ever once in a while it has issues turning on.I've only been welding for a few years and have not used a lot of different helmets so I'm looking for opinions on a new and better helmet. As we get older our eyes change (I'm older) and we can't see as well, I'm near sighted and feel that though I use shade 9 for welding I sometimes can't see where I'm going. Are there different types of lenses with different colors that will help me see better? I'm doing mostly mig and tig and some stick welding. Your opinions would be appreciated.
Reply:Here is a search of the site with some good info....here.It depends on what functions you want and how much you want to spend.Here is a site to read about a few with prices....here.Semper FiJesus may have been a Carpenter, but his dad was a Millwright" A grinder and a can of paint, will make a welder what he aint' "I've done so much, with so little, for so long, that now I can do anything with nothing!
Reply:I too have found problems "seeing". In a passive system, I've found a gold lens seems to offer a bit wider area of visibility. Maybe it's because the colors are different (blue/orange) vs green lens (green/yellow). Everyone's eyes a different as to wavelength/intensity.XMT304 (school)SP125+ (home)HF 4x6 BandsawGood judgement comes from experience and much of that comes from bad judgement.
Reply:Skelley, I looked at the 3M helmet sites and they look like excellent helmets, the top of the line has all the options and adjustments I can imagine you'd ever need and a large viewing window. My issue is the ~$400 price tag, considering the amount of welding I do though they still may be the way to go if I'll be able to see better. Do they actually improve what you can see? I did see that there is an auto compensation for the light levels in the shop, is it a big advantage?
Reply:Are you talking about sensitivity?If you are in a shop, I would suggest the smaller lens as light coming in the back side can be distracting reflecting off the inside of the lens.The 9100V is $230 & 9100X is $300.You may also want to look at their 100V series, they run $138 to $167.It comes down to what functions you need the lens to do.Semper FiJesus may have been a Carpenter, but his dad was a Millwright" A grinder and a can of paint, will make a welder what he aint' "I've done so much, with so little, for so long, that now I can do anything with nothing!
Reply:Here is a site that may help you select a speedglas ADF.....Here.Semper FiJesus may have been a Carpenter, but his dad was a Millwright" A grinder and a can of paint, will make a welder what he aint' "I've done so much, with so little, for so long, that now I can do anything with nothing!
Reply:Originally Posted by skelley521Are you talking about sensitivity?If you are in a shop, I would suggest the smaller lens as light coming in the back side can be distracting reflecting off the inside of the lens.The 9100V is $230 &  is $300.You may also want to look at their 100V series, they run $138 to $167.It comes down to what functions you need the lens to do.
Reply:I know several guys that cut & attach part of a leather and/or cotton welding jacket to the back of the hood to keep light from getting in.They will also add it in the front as a throat protector. I bought the factory ones for the 9100 and they work well.Check with your LWS and see if they have any demo models you can try before buy.Semper FiJesus may have been a Carpenter, but his dad was a Millwright" A grinder and a can of paint, will make a welder what he aint' "I've done so much, with so little, for so long, that now I can do anything with nothing!
Reply:a local high school uses the 100v for the students and they seem to hold up to the disrespectful students abuse. i tried one and wasn't all that impressed with the small lens, lack of modes and the headgear wasn't to my liking. i own a miller digital elite that imo rates slightly higher. to much about it is imo high priced cheap. i have used my 9100x for a couple years. it has the side windows which i thought would be good to have. the only thing less than great i can say about the 9100x is i don't see a need for the side windows so i covered them. i do a lot of outside welding and the windows can be very distracting in the sun. i bought the 9100xx a few months back. i was looking to buy another 9100x for backup. my gf said why not get the xx with the bigger window? i told her i don't think i need it bigger. to this she said bigger isn't always needed but it can sure help at times. now i may be a dumb farm boy but i have learned their are some things you just don't argue with a woman about so i took her advice and got the the bigger one..... lol. you know what? for once she was right bigger is better.225NT bobcatAEAD200LEScott 125mm175, mm252 w 30A, PT225mm211, TA 181iHyper Therm 380, cut master 529100X & XX, Digital Elite6 Victor setssmith little torch, meco midget kalamazoo band sawsteel max saw evoulution circular saw
Reply:jbmprods, I have never used the DE. Since you have one, how do they compare to the 9100?Semper FiJesus may have been a Carpenter, but his dad was a Millwright" A grinder and a can of paint, will make a welder what he aint' "I've done so much, with so little, for so long, that now I can do anything with nothing!
Reply:My first 9100XX lens was not uniform per say.It started out at the top blue/green then faded to green in the middle then faded to yellow/green near the bottom.It looked like this in both the on & off state looking directly at a bright light.example:I sent it to speedglas and you can read their reply in the link posted in this thread.Here is how the new lens looks:I still need to test it. Did you notice this in either of your filters?I may get another 9002X for a back up. I really liked that filter.Semper FiJesus may have been a Carpenter, but his dad was a Millwright" A grinder and a can of paint, will make a welder what he aint' "I've done so much, with so little, for so long, that now I can do anything with nothing!
Reply:i have never had that problem with either of my speedglas hoods. i don't like the buttons on the DE because you can't feel them with gloves on. they are flush touch buttons and not raised like the 9100. i prefer the lights on the speedglas over the lcd display when you change modes while it's on your head. the head gear is really uncomfortable and flimsy. the hood itself is also to flimsy. when you pick it up by the side it feels like it is going to wrap around your hand. flexible hoods are great for tight work but i prefer a little more rigid hood. the view and clarity of the DE is great and the mode functions are fine.225NT bobcatAEAD200LEScott 125mm175, mm252 w 30A, PT225mm211, TA 181iHyper Therm 380, cut master 529100X & XX, Digital Elite6 Victor setssmith little torch, meco midget kalamazoo band sawsteel max saw evoulution circular saw
Reply:Thanks for the info. At first I thought it was just the Millwright in me being to picky, but since the new lens is different I feel better...lol.I'm not crazy about flimsy hoods either. When I sold the jackson truesight, the guy took the lens and headgear out and tossed the halo-x hood in the trash, it only had 1hr use on it...lol.Semper FiJesus may have been a Carpenter, but his dad was a Millwright" A grinder and a can of paint, will make a welder what he aint' "I've done so much, with so little, for so long, that now I can do anything with nothing!
Reply:$30 flip front pipeliner with a gold lens(i use #9..)
Reply:Plastic or glass? I haven't found any gold glass.A Huntsman I have has a orange glass, but I'm not into orange. That's why I got rid of my Truesight.I have a #10 & #11 large gold/plastic lenses, but I have heard of them getting small scratches and people getting weld burn on their eyes.I don't take that chance now.I have 3 or 4 other passive hoods laying around.I like my all-in-one lens, less stuff to carry around, besides, what's a few bones...I'm worth it Semper FiJesus may have been a Carpenter, but his dad was a Millwright" A grinder and a can of paint, will make a welder what he aint' "I've done so much, with so little, for so long, that now I can do anything with nothing!
Reply:I take that back, I did find a gold lens at tractor supply.It was the standard 2x4 but was #9 and it had been opened and scratched up.It was the only one they had.Semper FiJesus may have been a Carpenter, but his dad was a Millwright" A grinder and a can of paint, will make a welder what he aint' "I've done so much, with so little, for so long, that now I can do anything with nothing!
Reply:try air gas. the one i deal with sells all shades of gold but only in plastic.225NT bobcatAEAD200LEScott 125mm175, mm252 w 30A, PT225mm211, TA 181iHyper Therm 380, cut master 529100X & XX, Digital Elite6 Victor setssmith little torch, meco midget kalamazoo band sawsteel max saw evoulution circular saw
Reply:Actually Hobart sell gold glass lenses. They're my favorite for sure.
Reply:Since we were talking about glass lenses, I found a site that sells them.Not the cheap china glass either. Gonna grab a few this week and try them out.Phillips-safety site Here.Edit: check out their AlloWeld lenses, with that price, they are proud of them for sure.Up to shade 8 though.Last edited by skelley521; 10-09-2011 at 12:05 PM.Semper FiJesus may have been a Carpenter, but his dad was a Millwright" A grinder and a can of paint, will make a welder what he aint' "I've done so much, with so little, for so long, that now I can do anything with nothing!
Reply:I just picked up a used (lightly used) Optrel Satellite.  K600 series.Wow.  From an ergonomics point of view it's great.  The adjustability  allowed me to fit in on as small as my 6 yr old boys head, up to my big head.Viewing area is a little small, but when I was stick welding, I can't see that wide around the arc anyway.  At 80 amps stick welding, shade 10, it might have been a little dark for my 45 year old eyes.  But the setting was close.As for coloration.  Slight green tint.  I didn't notice anythings special.  I have two Miller autodarks.  When stick welding, HTP 65xx rods (about the same as a 70xx rod but more forgiving coating), I didn't see anything special.  The rod puts down a pretty thick slag.  No magic x-ray vision.  Still have trouble seeing the steel vs. the slag.The helmet has external controls - easy to push a button to switch to grind mode.  I used this to scape off the slag vs. switching to safety glasses.So far I like it.  I picked it up for $25 with a bag, original instructions and two replacement face shields (outer cover).  It was a little dusty and I replaced the sweat band.  Battery light was flashing but an hour outside and it was all OK.Con Fuse!Miller Dynasty 350Millermatic 350P-Spoolmatic 30AMiller Multimatic 200Hypertherm PowerMax 1000G3Miller Maxstar 200DX
Reply:any fixed shade helmet meaning not a auto darkening helmet with any shade mirror lense make sure its a glass lense. buy a few different lenses they are cheap andworth a shot trying different ones! I really like my sellstrom confined space sheild with a number 11 slilver front mirror lense.
Reply:Originally Posted by sixxgeeeeany fixed shade helmet meaning not a auto darkening helmet with any shade mirror lense make sure its a glass lense. buy a few different lenses they are cheap andworth a shot trying different ones! I really like my sellstrom confined space sheild with a number 11 slilver front mirror lense.
Reply:FWIW:  I have used adhesive back Velcro hook pieces stuck to top & sides of hood, then it will grab old shop rags or, as I did, sew some of the loop Velcro to a piece of Deer hide and use that to protect my hair and back of neck as well as blocking reflective light coming in from back & sides.  Will work for the neck & chest area also.
Reply:Originally Posted by laverne3caI currently have an older helmet that is nearing the end of its lifetime, ever once in a while it has issues turning on.I've only been welding for a few years and have not used a lot of different helmets so I'm looking for opinions on a new and better helmet. As we get older our eyes change (I'm older) and we can't see as well, I'm near sighted and feel that though I use shade 9 for welding I sometimes can't see where I'm going. Are there different types of lenses with different colors that will help me see better? I'm doing mostly mig and tig and some stick welding. Your opinions would be appreciated.
Reply:Originally Posted by IslandRegardless of the type of helmet, you can get "cheater" inserts in the same strengths as reading glasses to make close up work easier.   They only cost about $10 and fit the standard 2.5x4 inch lens slots in both auto darken helmets and in gas welding goggles.  Miller and other manufacturers make them.  Takes about ten seconds to install.Originally Posted by laverne3caI currently have an older helmet that is nearing the end of its lifetime, ever once in a while it has issues turning on.I've only been welding for a few years and have not used a lot of different helmets so I'm looking for opinions on a new and better helmet. As we get older our eyes change (I'm older) and we can't see as well, I'm near sighted and feel that though I use shade 9 for welding I sometimes can't see where I'm going. Are there different types of lenses with different colors that will help me see better? I'm doing mostly mig and tig and some stick welding. Your opinions would be appreciated.
Reply:Originally Posted by con_fuse9Who still makes glass filters?  I have a fixed shield helmet and it has the gold plastic ones in it.I have to add, if you are working in confined spaces, like under a car, the auto dark hoods is worth it.  The biggest problem I see is that if you are going from fixed to autodark you might find the coloration an issue.  I've never heard of a place that lets you try the hood before you buy.
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Reply:I just upgraded from a Miller Pro Hobby to a Speedglas 9100x.  Big difference in optics, vision and controls.  It's not quite 3 times the price of the Miller though.  The Miller was great for learning but the Speedglas is a whole different world.
Reply:I love the step down feature you can use on the Speedglas 9100 series.  Sure saves the eye muscles.Synchrowave 300   Old but reliable
Reply:Gold lenses can be order through your local Airgas. They usually dont care them but it only takes couple days to get there. The lenses they carry are Anchor glass plate but they are made in china. Quality wise they seem better then the Hobart brand (china too) and packaged better then Hobarts. After welding in the gold lense I dont even use my speedglas 9200X as much anymore. It like your welding in HD with the gold lense.
Reply:I have used the polycarb gold & orange lenses, they didn't really work for me.Many at work have mentioned getting arc eye from unseen scratches in the gold tint and they stopped using them also.phillips-safety.com sells the glass lenses, both green/gold and they aren't made in china either.I still need to order from them and I will probably pick up a cobalt-blue # 5 for torching to test it out.Until I find something better, I will continue to use my Speedglas 9100XX Semper FiJesus may have been a Carpenter, but his dad was a Millwright" A grinder and a can of paint, will make a welder what he aint' "I've done so much, with so little, for so long, that now I can do anything with nothing!
Reply:They must change them out regularly for them to scratch? I assuming its just a thin gold film on top of the glass? Im look into the phillips lenses you post when I get my pipe helmet. The price difference is like 7X higher then what I get my 4x5 gold lenses for but I know its quality USA(im assuming) vs China made. I only want the best for my eyes since you only have one set of them for the rest of your life! Dont get me wrong I love my Speedglas , glad I didnt buy a miller.
Reply:I finally broke down and bought a Lincoln Viking (1840) helmet and it's like night and day over my old autodark, I didn't realize how bad the old one was. The only thing I'm a bit concerned about is that the optics are solar only and the reason I originally got my old solar plus battery helmet was because I was welding inside a confined space with a solar helmet and getting blinded by the flash as the lens couldn't react without ambient light powering the optics. Will this one have the same issues and if it does will having a 50 watt trouble light give it enough power to work?