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Welding Helmet

MTChevy

MTChevy

3/4 ton status
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Well, its getting to be about that time, i need a helmet. Auto-darkening is awesome. I am looking for some recommendations as what to get. I dont know where to start. Will be doing mig, tig, arc mainly. Point me in the right direction please! thanks
 
well i'd reccomend a snappy, but damn expensive and all the features can be had for half the price in a nice miller....
 
ive sold a handful and never had any issues, just batteries and customer damage like breaking the lenses... about 540 bucks... little more for solar powered
 
alright, thats damn expensive... thanks though... i dont even think i get 1/2 off on it
 
I don't know how deep you're getting into it but I'm still hackin' away with a normal lense. PITA sometimes but I can't see all that well through an autodark when it's lightened up anyways.
 
man i love the auto dark
i am using a chichago eletric one at work, not to bad
I almost talked the GF into getting me a miller joker for my B-day but i got a new pair of oakleys instead
 
i had the HF $100 special (not the $60 one) for a while. it worked ok. head gear was a joke, it worked ok for home use, but when i took it to work and used it 8 hours a day, it held up for about 2 months. i replaced it with a speedglas headgear. it was better, but still had problems as it was not a direct fit.

i then ponied up for a miler elite red flame ($304 threw my work). the only complaint i have about it is it uses a unique lense and are $1.80 each for the outside one threw my work. not sure how much they are at a welding shop. i have used this every day for the past 5 months without a problem. i am very happy with my purchase.

the next helmet i buy will probably be a jackson. our shop stocks the lens for these at no cost to me.
 
that is a niiice looking helmet, i was just looking at them... kinda got a liking for the elite series
 
my welding instructor has a Speedglass that has side windows that has a dark shade to protect your eyes but you can still see out of the side windows. your view is much greater then mine. I welded with his and liked it too. at the time I bought mine I could not find where to buy a Speedglass though. check them out too.
 
I use a miller elite as well. Its a great helmet got mine for 254 but it's standard black
 
I have a auto darkening Hobart helmet,and love it. New it was around $120- but I got it basically for free. It all depends on how much you want to spend.
 
Spending several hundred dollars on a hood is foolish, IMO, unless you do primadonna TIG work in a shop somewhere. Even then, the chances of a hood being stolen or ruined are pretty high. You can get autodark filter lenses that fit standard hoods for a reasonable price, and nobody will know it's autodarkening unless you tell them (unless you never lift it). I would consider solar powered, adjustable shade, adjustable sensitivity, and the ability to grind with them must haves. Some darken in stages and can tell the difference between a torch flame and welding arc and darken accordingly. The Speedglas hoods work well, but can be pretty expensive. My advice is to try before you buy if possible if you get a model that doesn't have a lot of adjustment to it.
 
bowtiepower00 said:
Spending several hundred dollars on a hood is foolish, IMO, unless you do primadonna TIG work in a shop somewhere. quote]

Everyones entitled to there opinion, but I bought the Miller Elite "Inferno" auto darkening. I would consider it money well spent and the greatest thing since sliced bread.
With a semi, flat bed trailer, farm equipment and 4-4x4's (dd, farm truck, Mud bogger, a new M1008 project) to weld on, I have to get in some pretty tight, awkward places to weld. This helmets light, flexible, and has a huge view area and stays where you put it. Not to mention you can get in weird tight places and not have to try to flip a hood, get in position to see and still start your weld with out a bunch of boogers from striking and hunting it.
The convienience, time it saves, no more welders flash, ability to see at odd angles and precise weld starts more then makes up for the price difference. Especially if you average out what the price difference is over the years you'll have it.
Click to expand...
 
THE helmet::

This is the best helmet on the market for the money...The Jackson HALO X
The helmet weighs only 6 oz. and they claim its unbreakable.
Check the specs on cyberweld.com
They have free shipping..Top of the line is under $275 and has the fastest
switching speed on the planet (Quote from Jackson) One step down is
$175/ same speed/same helmet/has 2 arch sensors compared to 4 on the top of
the line model. Same helmet with a standard lens is almost free!

The helmet shown has the (NexGen lens) this is the best they have in the series.
They weigh nothing/optics are great/digital controls on this one are a bit much for me.
Step down to the $175 model, IMO the best helmet out there for the $.

uplFiles_promotion_halo X yellow flames-small1.jpg
 
We use an auto darkening helmet at work and I love it...the only complaint I have with it is that the window is a bit small compared to the one metal melter posted...
 
Ive used quite a few helmets and a big viewing area is very important to me. Ive only used a few auto-darkenings but i liked them the best. Still not sure what i want to do, kinda trying to decide between the jackson and miller
 
jackson makes a really nice hood, fwiw.... there's only about 3 different hood companies from what i remember

you wont be sorry with a jackson, especially if you get a large viewing area, they're great...
 
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