Helmet for a beginner

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Hi all,New to the forum and new to welding. Been a cabinetmaker with my own shop for the last 38 years and have always wanted to learn the welding trade but just kept procrastinating. I'm getting pretty tried of woodworking but have been fascinated with metal work for many years and am excited to begin learning...I guess we always want to know how to do something else. So after doing some research for the last few weeks, this morning I purchased a Hobart 190 with the goal of learning enough about welding in 2016 to be able to make and fix stuff myself. Now I need some tips on buying a helmet for a beginner....any suggestions? Don't want to spend too little and buy junk, but also don't need a helmet for someone who will be welding everyday. Would appreciate feedback from those who know the business.Thanks much,Phil
Reply:I’m just a hobbyist my self. I really like the Huntsman 411P. I use an ArcOne auto lens in it too. Attached ImagesDon’t pay any attention to meI’m just a hobbyist!CarlDynasty 300V350-Pro w/pulseSG Spool gun1937 IdealArc-300PowerArc 200ST3 SA-200sVantage 400
Reply:it's called a hood.  if you want to weld, its called a hood.   if you want to play football, or go ride a motorcycle, its a helmet.     just buy name brand older convetional style from a welding store ( the kind that you flip up to see, and fliup down to weld), like fibre metal, huntsman etc.   try it on, if it feels like it'll work, it'll work
Reply:I call them helmets too. I never was one for terminology. Pretty much any fixed shade is a good place to start. No need to break the bank 20-30 bucks. Figure out what you don't like about it and then you can move towards something down the road. It might be all you ever need to start with though.
Reply:Honestly, I have several welding hoods from multiple manufacturers and I still have one go-to unit. No, it's not my Lincoln and it's not my Miller -- I pretty much always gravitate towards my stupid $50 Harbor Freight auto-dimming lid. I do prefer an auto-dimmer and my other auto hood (a Miller) is annoying. The controls are tiny and placed inside the hood, so to manipulate them you have to take off the lid AND your gloves. This wouldn't be a problem except they require regular manipulation. Where I can just set and forget my HF hood, the Miller will often be wonky and I'll find myself getting dazzled with a TIG arc because suddenly the same arc is no longer tripping the dimmer, or when I compensate for that it becomes far too sensitive and I can't see my work before hitting the arc.But yet that old Harbor Freight lid keeps chugging along, and I've no plans to rid myself of it.Put the wire in the fire!Lincoln AC225 | Lincoln ProMIG 140 | AHP AlphaTIG 200x | AHP AlphaCUT 60 | Millermatic 251
Reply:I'm in the same boat as a beginner shopping for a hood. I like the idea of the fibre-metal Pipeliner; looks about bomb-proof with a minimum number of moving parts, and the atypical white paint is appealing to me. I've got a clear face shield to use when grinding, so a flip up lens isn't a deal-breaker. I have heard that the factory elastic strap is best replaced with surgical tubing though. I like the look of that Huntsman above, too.
Reply:I've had good luck with one of these.http://www.usaweld.com/Striker-CFB-S...0131-flame.htm4 sensor. Good down to low amps. External controls. Better optics than the HF style hoods.Hobart 210 MVPHTP Invertig 221 + coolerEverlast SuperUltra 205
Reply:Welcome to the forum Phil.Lincoln A/C 225Everlast P/A 200
Reply:The Pipeliner hoods are great! The rain and weather will not hurt them. I never did like the rubber band head gear. To hard to work with welding gloves on. Attached ImagesDon’t pay any attention to meI’m just a hobbyist!CarlDynasty 300V350-Pro w/pulseSG Spool gun1937 IdealArc-300PowerArc 200ST3 SA-200sVantage 400
Reply:Yeah,I call it a "lid" oftentimes.I recently got another auto-darkening lid, to phase out one I used for some years, but wasn't real satisfied with. The old one was a Miller "Boss" drop-in that had the largest viewing area for its time. It wasn't cheap, either. I think it only had two sensors.Now I have an Antra AH7-860-0000, with four sensors, large viewing area, auto-on and auto-off. It's only $99, with no extortion paid to the State cult, as it's sold by an "out-of-state" Amazon seller, not Amazon itself. It works great for TIG (undoubtedly for MIG as well), even at low amps, set correctly. It's got the grinder mode too. I never have to fumble around under the lid to turn it on, like I did with the old one. It's set-it and forget-it. It takes small, CR-type batteries, but has a solar capture that helps keep the batteries charged from light emitted during welding, I believe. It's pretty light too.One drawback was that the headgear tended to loosen pretty often, causing the lid to drop down before intended at times. But I happened to have a spare Jackson headgear assembly that retro-fitted to it easily enough. Sometimes you can put teflon tape around the headgear threads to fix that loosening tendency in headgear assemblies though. I also did engrave in larger text which dials were which settings, as it was not originally easy to see or read them.Otherwise, Antra has a similar models priced for less, but with smaller viewing areas. They're rated well by users on Amazon.http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00R2DUWOM?psc=1
Reply:Sorry...hood, not helmet....haven't even started and I am already making mistakes....not looking good for me Thanks guys!
Reply:Originally Posted by wantalearnSorry...hood, not helmet....haven't even started and I am already making mistakes....not looking good for me Thanks guys!
Reply:I'll second a pipeliner.
Reply:I just got a new Miller 251292. So far, so good.  I think it was $73 to my door.My name's not Jim....
Reply:Huntsman 411P or the Huntsman 490P with slide lens if you have to grind.Both work great with Arc One auto dark lens.
Reply:Go to harbor freight and use a 20 off coupon. I bought the red one 18 months ago and its holding up great.no problems. I work in a maintenance job and weld about 3 days a week.Sent from my SPH-L710T using Tapatalk
Reply:Hf is a great starter mask for the price and really light and comfy. Once you get better buy a better one
Reply:A couple guys here have the HTP striker andspeak highly of its quality of puddle viewhttp://www.usaweld.com/Striker-Steal.../90130-csv.htmMy personal favorite on a budget is the Jackson smart tigger. Sent from mobile.  Not responsible for TyposTiger Sales:  AHP Distributor    www.tigersalesco.comAHP200x; AHP 160ST; MM350P,  Spoolmatic 30A; Everlast PowerTig 185; Thermal Dynamics 60i plasma.  For Sale:  Cobra Mig 250 w/ Push-pull gun.  Lincoln Wirematic 250
Reply:I like a variable shade auto hood.It's nice to be able to adjust it until you can see what your doing.
Reply:Originally Posted by CGriffithI'm in the same boat as a beginner shopping for a hood. I like the idea of the fibre-metal Pipeliner; looks about bomb-proof with a minimum number of moving parts, and the atypical white paint is appealing to me. I've got a clear face shield to use when grinding, so a flip up lens isn't a deal-breaker. I have heard that the factory elastic strap is best replaced with surgical tubing though. I like the look of that Huntsman above, too.
Reply:I had this one bought for me at my first helper job and I like it. I usually end up using it over my autodark since the flip up lens gives a clearer view for grinding.