auto hoods, love or hate?

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have tried several from the drop in lenses for standard hoods to the fancy $300 offerings from optrel and speed glass. and even a couple of middle of the road jobs from miller. didn't like any of them. all of them regardless of price had a haze around the edge and it always seemed that for some reason i needed to look out of that part of the lens. has this problem gotten any better in the last couple of years? or should i just keep on using my good ol glass filter plate?
Reply:I like mine, a Miller something or other digital.If I had to buy one myself, I wouldn't, it's a lot of bucks. I will give you tho it's a lot more convient for tacking or assembling parts than the ole flip down kind, easier on the neck too.I've had to send mine back for replacement due to a darker line running diagonally from right to left, other than that it works good.....Mike
Reply:Love my Miller hood and really can't live with out it! Matter of fact I have had 3 of them and thinking about buying another.Miller 252Miller 250Miller Syncrowave 250Esab Plasma Powercut 1250HF Basic oxy/act torches
Reply:97.5% of the time I really like my Jackson auto dark.Rex
Reply:My Jackson NexGen has given me the best optics out of any hood I've ever used, fixed lens or otherwise.  Not to mention I can't flip a hood down with my head sticking up through the trans tunnel of a double frame rail car.
Reply:Originally Posted by SupeMy Jackson NexGen has given me the best optics out of any hood I've ever used, fixed lens or otherwise.  Not to mention I can't flip a hood down with my head sticking up through the trans tunnel of a double frame rail car.
Reply:Got a speedglas on some co worker recommendations, its ok but I just use my old huntsman and let guests to my shop use the speedglas, I might just be ignorant as to setting it properly but I just don't like it.  Guess I'm just old school.- If you can jump across it you can weld it!  - anonymous old boilermaker
Reply:I was supplied a Hobart Hood auto darkening. It was OK but I got tired of looking through that small lens area so I bought me a Miller Elite and it is much easier to see out of. The extra area is very useful and has four arc sensors. Those are the only two I have any experience using and have had no problems with either. I'd buy a Miller again if I lost mine or something.
Reply:I've got a 10 year old Speedglass and rarely use anything else. Worse thing about it (or any of them for that matter) is, that if you're in a weird position, it's not hard to block the sensors and get a REALLY bright light when you're not expecting it.If I knew that I was going to live this long, I would have taken better care of myself
Reply:I love my Speedglas!  My Miller BWE is also pretty good!  I have never had trouble with a "haze" around the edges unless my cover lens was scratched or dirty.  You should ideally be looking throught the middle of your lens.  There are usually multiple adjustments on the headgear to make the viewing angle better.
Reply:I just bought a higher end htp/Jackson.  I like it a lot.  I am training myself to remember to turn the thing on before I use it.  I am so used to the old HF helmet just doing its job, that I can't seem to remember to hit the on button.  Maybe I'll learn before I go blind.  But all in all, considering the issues with artheritis in my neck and the inconvenience of  lifting it when spotting and tacking. And the fact that if you are on your back or undersomething,  you don't have to worry about it coming down or getting too close to your work that the hood hits and your head has no where to go.Back to the spotting and tacking thing.  It makes quick work.  You can see exactly where you place your weld.  When you snap your neck,  your hand moves, if ever so slightly.Also,  you are never caught by another welders flash.  And you are less likely to be caught by your own.Esab Migmaster 250Lincoln SA 200Lincoln Ranger 8Smith Oxy Fuel setupEverlast PowerPlasma 80Everlast Power iMIG 160Everlast Power iMIG 205 Everlast Power iMIG 140EEverlast PowerARC 300Everlast PowerARC 140STEverlast PowerTIG 255EXT
Reply:I LOVE my jackson Nexgen 3n1 hood. Its awesome and performs well under the harshest conditions. I have beat the hell out of that hood for 2 and a half years. Most of that time was heavy duty innershield welding. The thing performs like a champ.'Mike
Reply:Anyone Have Any Luck With The Lincoln Vista? Im Gonna Buy A Quick Change Hood Soon. I Cant Decide Between The Miller Elite Or The Lincoln Vista.Right Now I Have An Old Jackson Fixed Shade 11. The Amber Lens.
Reply:I'm very happy with the Jackson EQC hoods I have.  The two I use take 2 AAA batteries and have no solar panel.   They work better than the solar EQC that we have here too.  I had a Harbor Freight auto hood, for part of a day, when I returned it cause it had a haze.  Not only a haze, but a very insconsistent haze.  My Jacksons don't have any haze, untill the cover lense gets smoked.MM350P/Python/Q300MM175/Q300DialarcHFHTP MIG200PowCon300SMHypertherm380ThermalArc185Purox oaF350CrewCab4x4LoadNGo utilitybedBobcat250XMT304/Optima/SpoolmaticSuitcase12RC/Q300Suitcase8RC/Q400Passport/Q300Smith op
Reply:Any ball park on the cost of a Jackson EQC?
Reply:Go to HTP for the best prices.  They have their Jacksons private labeled as "STRIKER".I just bought mine for 200.00Esab Migmaster 250Lincoln SA 200Lincoln Ranger 8Smith Oxy Fuel setupEverlast PowerPlasma 80Everlast Power iMIG 160Everlast Power iMIG 205 Everlast Power iMIG 140EEverlast PowerARC 300Everlast PowerARC 140STEverlast PowerTIG 255EXT
Reply:I bought my first one, the EQC Pro Variable for about $250 about 5 years ago.   The second EQC Pro Varable I bought about one year ago for about $200.  Both still work fine and both were bought at local welding shop.   I also have another EQC, a different model, but I bought it used for about $40.MM350P/Python/Q300MM175/Q300DialarcHFHTP MIG200PowCon300SMHypertherm380ThermalArc185Purox oaF350CrewCab4x4LoadNGo utilitybedBobcat250XMT304/Optima/SpoolmaticSuitcase12RC/Q300Suitcase8RC/Q400Passport/Q300Smith op
Reply:I started with a $49 HF AD hood, works great, but relegated it to backup duty when I got a Miller Big Window Elite.  The hood and headgear far superior of course, far better lens adjustments, but the clarity was only slightly better IMO, and the buttons located at the top of the lens was annoying.  I recently changed out the Miller lens with a Jackson Nexgen 3n1 lens, all it took was a little dremel work on the support frame.  I really love this helmet now, great clarity, easy access to the buttons, lightweight hood.  The Miller lens is now relegated to backup too, but now I can reinstall it upside down which solves the button access issue for me.JeffLINCOLN IdealArc Tig 300/300LINCOLN SP135+ MigNAPA buzz boxHARRIS Oxy-Acetylene Torch SetMILLER  and Harbor Freight AD HelmetsHarbor Freight Tig, Plasma & Spot
Reply:i have a speedglas 9000 xf and i wouldnt want to use anything else...the opics are fantastic, it reacts incredibly quick, the only downside, as said earlier, is that it is a little easy to block the sensor when welding in tight spots...but that can be remedied by turning the sensitivity up...i will never, ever go back to traditional helmets
Reply:I just buying a Camo Miller Elite hood. I paying $ 266.00.  And gettin free sleeves with it so thatll be nice.
Reply:l also got a $49 HF AD about 6 months ago  and I love it!  It has improved my welding 10 fold,  particulary the start.  I'm just a hobbyist so investing in a $150 - $300 for an auto-darkening helmet didn't seem to make much sense.  So far I've experienced no ill effects.  In fact I seem to get much less eye strain than I did with a conventional lens.  At $49 I bought by two sons one each.  They like 'em!  I would really recommend trying a $49 HF one if you've never tried an AD helmet before and can't borrow one to try.  It would be a real disappointment to spend $150 + just to find out you don't like the feature.  You can always upgrade.
Reply:I Love my miller. its great. didnt get the sleeves tho but thats ok. it has a great viewing area.
Reply:i love my miller as well.  been using it 7 hours a day for the past 5 months with out a problem
Reply:Have had my Hobart AD helmet for about 5 years now.  I only use it occasionally, but I remember trying to coordinate flipping down the hood & striking an arc on the farm............ I never could hit the spot in the blind.  I'm sure others are better, but for me this one does best for now.Once I get a TIG machine, I may choose something different.MarkI haven't always been a nurse........Craftsman 12"x36" LatheEnco G-30B MillHobart Handler 175Lincoln WeldandPower 225 AC/DC G-7 CV/CCAdd a Foot Pedal to a Harbor Freight Chicago Electric 165A DC TIG PapaLion's Gate Build
Reply:I have been very happy with my Jackson  EQC that I paid around $160.00 for ten years ago. It gets new batteries every few months depending on how much I use it. I don't weld every day.A week or so ago, I decided to try a big window fixed shade #10 gold lens, and so far, I am impressed. I don't know if it is the larger viewing area, or the gold, or a combination of both, but everything seems brighter, and more visible. I was running some Trimark TM-1101K3-M, which is a dual shield wire in .045 , at 27 volts and just under 300 amps. I think I am better able to see the puddle fill under the slag, and know when to move.The auto dark can't be beat for fitting and tacking.Maybe you should have both... now I do.I will just stick with my old fixed lens hood. Its more reliable. Its more reasonably priced. Needs no upkeep. . Never could trust one of them speed lens or what ever. Got them battery operated ones all over the shop but I wont use them. Harold
Reply:Thats what ive used for the past few years is a gold shade 11 and its great. i love my miller but i use my fixed for doing air arc. The quick change is nice for tacking thats for sure
Reply:I sprung for the Miller Elite. My supplier took payments so it wasn't a 300.00 bite right off the bat out of my wallet. I added a suede flap on the back  so I would not see the reflection of how ugly I  look with glasses on  due to the over head fluorescents . with 4 sensors I have yet to get flashed , even when welding under a truck chassis...
Reply:I Love how well my miller works. I Have yet to get flashed either. It doesnt like air arc too much tho. i had to reset wen i was done?
Reply:I like my old jackson flip-up, I like the small window and it is so big and heavy no one dares to use it. Plus I get paid by the hour,I am not a slacker but you can only weld so fast anyway.