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Am I crazy for wanting a $400 welding helmet?

Stomis

Stomis

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Ive got my eye on a 3M Speedglas 9100 Flexview. Its a flip up welding shield with a full face shield behind it for welding/grinding. $390 is the cheapest it is around. Ive been wanting a shield with more visibility than my $30 harbor freight helmet while welding. Im kinda sick of only being able to see a 1/4in in front of my puddle. Guess Im going from a Ford Fiesta to a Ferrari... lol

http://store.cyberweld.com/3msp91fx...787765686531&gclid=CK-Yi6jN_bUCFcqd4AodiAMAaQ
 
Hellz no. Thats a baaaddd helmet :waytogo:


Id love one.

Any helmet thats made by speedglas is pretty much awesome


Having a bigger view is really nice IMO. I used my welding professors once to try, it was so much nicer than my flip down old school helmet lol.
 
I paid about 200 for my Miller Elite, non digital, 3, 4 yrs ago.... no regrets.. can't wait to try out the various magnifying lenses I just bought for it....

I was looking heavy at the Speedglas stuff, but a deal popped up on the Miller...
 
Have you ever tried a hood with a "grind mode"? I have an optrel satellite and if you push a button it will hold it to a shade like an oxy shield. Keeps it from flickering with the sparks. Works slick. If I'm doing a ton of grinding I'm going to wear just a lite clear shield.

Speedglas is sweet but they are proud of their stuff
 
That sir is an awesome helmet. I would rock that in a second.

My helmet has a grind mode too that pretty much locks the helmet in its light state but its too dark for doing a ton of grinding under a truck.

That right there is the best of both worlds. I do alot of out of position welding and so I wanted 4 sensors on my helmet though.

But 3 should be plenty in all reality
 
friend of mine just bought a HF helmet
had a dial on the side for the shade AND a grinding option, tripped out on that, neat

I don't even know what I have but I bought it through Cyderweld (IIRC) $188 shipped. I'm sure after using a $400 helmet, I'd think my was a turd. The professional welder guy I use sometime likes the high end stuff (since he wears it all day) but I think he said he prefers the blue tinted shades, or less green stuff, .... something like that. I wanna try what he has. :dunno:
 
still looks like it has a tiny view window to me:dunno:
 
That's the one all 12 of the welders in my shop use. Most have the hood attachment with the remote filter and snorkel belt. They do a ton of gouging though. Well almost every single repair on mine equipment starts with a gouging rod and ends with a welding rod.

I can attest that the field of view on that model is not small. It's twice as tall as a standard helmet.
 
shady said:
still looks like it has a tiny view window to me:dunno:
Click to expand...


I plan on going with the XX model which is the biggest field of view on the market from what I've found. Its an extra $100. That thing is gonna be one of those tools nobody else gets to use, ever :whistle:
 
That should do just fine and then some. In my thirty plus years of welding/fabbing. These type of hoods did not come out until my last ten years or so. Hell i still have my old flip down that i got when i was an apprentice, i think i will upgrade to one of these for the garage. My vision not as good as it once was, so this would be great for cheeters or glasses............Good Choice!
 
I've always had problems with autodark helmets. I get mild flashburn everytime. I've used 3 now with the same results. Mild headache behind my eyes:dunno:. I'm old school i guess. I like a good old gold coat glass 4.5x5.25 lens:rolleyes:
 
I have a non-flip speedglas, have had it for over 8 years. was worth every penny I spent on it. Once you use a good quality helmet you'll never want to use a ****ty one ever again.

As for never letting anyone use it, I'd keep it locked up at home :haha:. Your roommate tends to be very hard on tools. I actually leave mine in my truck instead of at work because I don't trust them to not "borrow" it. Plus I use it at home too.
 
sponsoredbydad said:
Just keep us informed. I've been looking at that helmet for a few months and just can't pull the trigger.
Click to expand...

I absolutely will keep this updated when I get the helmet. Ive decided to use my funds to purchase my adapter kit for the moment for the project. Its the last big chunk of change I need in one shot for the truck...
 
I too have a Miller Elite that I really like. But............ After seeing that helmet I might consider switching. I do alot of grinding/cutting with a Metabo and that would save me alot of time instead of switching from cutting glasses to welding helmet and vice versa. I have tried the grind mode in other helmets, after the first couple of times forgetting to switch back to weld mode I gave to someone else. Gotta make those things idiot proof, at least with me they do. LOL!!
 
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