Welding helmets for TIG

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I borrowed my friend's speedglas XL helmet to TIG weld and turned the darkening all the way up to 13.  after welding for about 10 seconds I was seeing spots.  From reading other threads on here, I'm under the impression the lens is turning off and on during welding, so I'm thinking of getting the old school $20 helmet instead.  I was in the weld shop and they recommended the Miller XLi helmet and the Speedglas 9001V or 9002V.  The prices were $195 for the Miller and $269 for the Speedglas. I heard some helmets have a "TIG" setting, but have not seen one yet.   I am doing a few jobs around the house, not everyday work.  I guess I would like to know if I should get one of those two auto helmets, something else or if the cheapo helmet does the job for TIG...Last edited by YFZ; 12-14-2005 at 10:15 PM.
Reply:I don't understand why you would turn the darkening up to 13 for TIG welding.  Most folks want a lighter shade.  In any case, you'd want to adjust the sensitivity if you're having a problem with flashing.-Heath
Reply:I have 2 hoods. 1 for Tig and 1 for MIG. The Mig is a Huntsman Auto darkening  hood 4 1/2" x 5 1/4" I set it between 10 and 11 and turn the sensitivity down and call it good. The Tig is also a Huntsman that I just use a standard 2"x 4 1/4" number 10 shade lens in. have been using it for 15 years with no problems
Reply:I have had the same problem with my auto darkening helmet in tig.  I've tried to narrow the problem down, but it's a bit ellusive.  The helmet works fine with stick...no problems yet with mig.  But, with tig, it's like the light isnt hitting the helmet sensor all the time.  It will occasionally flash me (not always at low amps either), but I have taken to using my standard helmet for tig.  Better safe than blind.  I use a cheap HF auto darkening helmet, but I have done some stuff using a friends miller helmet and gotten the same results, so I don't think is just because I am using a cheap helmet, but two different helmets with the same user (me) do not equal a study...Smithboy...if it ain't broke, you ain't tryin'.
Reply:halbritt, I didn't mess with the sensitivity, maybe the helmet would have been fine, I'm not sure.   Originally Posted by elderthewelderI have 2 hoods. 1 for Tig and 1 for MIG. The Mig is a Huntsman Auto darkening  hood 4 1/2" x 5 1/4" I set it between 10 and 11 and turn the sensitivity down and call it good. The Tig is also a Huntsman that I just use a standard 2"x 4 1/4" number 10 shade lens in. have been using it for 15 years with no problems
Reply:Originally Posted by smithboy But, with tig, it's like the light isnt hitting the helmet sensor all the time.
Reply:The problem with tig,  particularly with low amp tig, the sensors dont pick up the light.  Tig is a lot more refined and direct...even the arc is finer and not as large.  Therefore its tougher for the sensors to pick up as with the stick or the mig.  I personally dont use the auto dark because of some bad experienes I had with em.  I admit they are good, but for what I do often enough I dont need itIF it Catches...Let it Burn
Reply:I had the same problem with a Sellstrom hood I had. At low amps, it would flash me and never darken. Not cheap either, about $240.00 7 years ago. I now have an ArcOne Visions and have not had this problem since. At work we had a Jackson Journeyman. Never had a problem with it either. I have to agree with TX and say its the sensor(s). A hood with more sensors would be less likely to have this problem. My $.02.
Reply:100per-cent in agreeance with orphanIF it Catches...Let it Burn
Reply:im useing a jackson NEXGEN and dont have any problems tig welding with itchuck
Reply:Some of the more expensive helmets have multiple sensors.  My cheapie only has one, I think.  I bet multi-sensor helps a bit.Smithboy...if it ain't broke, you ain't tryin'.
Reply:A multi-sensor hood might help.  I've got a Speedglas 9002X and a 9002XF.  I was doing some TIG welding the other night at about 70-80 amps and never had a problem with the 9002X.  I did turn the shade down to 9, but I didn't have to tweak the sensitivity.  I was teaching my friends some stuff, so they were watching with the 9002XF which had some problems flashing.  I turned the sensitivity up and the problem went away.Auto hoods should block 100% UV and IR whether they're engaged or not, so if they flash, it'll be irritating, but it shouldn't injure one's eyes.-Heath
Reply:Most auto-darkening masks protect from the uv and ultraviolet at all times, tinted or not, so while welding with an un-darkened one still isn't safe or a good choice, it causes less damage then most beleive.Owner of Welding Wiki,The free wiki based resource for weldor's around the world.http://www.weldingwiki.comWe have cookies!
Reply:I am staying with my tinted jackson.I read some where the auto darkening sensors are not faster then the initial arc,so you get a little flash every time you start up.I have also had a auto darkening helmet ,and it was pretty comfortable .I'll just stay with tinted