Welding helmets
 

Just curious what you guys have for welding helmets. I've got to get a new one and I don't want to trust my eyes to a china made look-a-like.

I purchased mine used off ebay

JACKSON PROFESSIONAL EQC AUTO DARKENING WELDING HELMET

I paid $89 shipped for it and my only extra expenses were eneloop rechargeable batteries plus a couple magnifier lenses ( cheaters ) for the small work I do.

I would suggest getting a name brand helmet. I had a Harbor freight ( I won that auction for $27.63 ) but that only worked for a few months. I was not happy with the hf at all .

I like my speedglas 9000X, an oldie but a goodie.
Never had a problem with it.
It wasn't cheap @ $400 something, but I only have one set of eyes.
Just wish it had a little more space between it and my nose.:crap:

i have a lincoln auto darkening helmet, cant remember how much it cost but it was well worth it.

I wish I try one of the new 3M speed glass some day, I read good comments about them :ThumbsUp:

I currently own 2 auto dark Miller, one of them is an Elite (Lucky' speed shop) and the other one is a Pro-Hobby (American eagle), one old Jackson with a 10 shade and a Weldco with an auto dark retrofit. All have their purpose but I use my Elite most of the time and give the Pro-hobby to the "expert" next to me watching my chicken poop job....

I had a Jackson auto darkening helment for years. It was great. I now have a Miller. Both were basic models... 85 to 100 dollars. I had a cheap HF for a minute. I didn't trust it. Didn't always darken like it should. My advice... get a good one. Don't risk a cheap one! Your eyes are priceless!:beerchug:

Get a Miller Pro-Hobby and you won't be disappointed!!

This is the Miller helmet that I currently have. I really like it. I've been using it about 3 years.
http://store.millerwelds.com/commerc...?ProdID=251292

Bought mine at orschelns for 119.00 its a kt industries with variable shade adjustment. Very good helmet for the price

I use an arc1 vision model helmet, I had a cheaper model arc1 that got me through college and was flawless (still have it, still works great). The vision has a large screen, is adjustable from shade 5-14, has a knob on the outside to adjust the shade "on the fly", has 4 light sensors incase the workpiece is in the way, has a grind setting so it can double as a full face shield, and has different delay settings. For example if you tig weld AL, when you break the arc, the tungsten electrode is still glowing bright enough to damage your eyes. You can set the delay so it holds dark giving the tungsten time to cool and dim. I did not buy it here, but this is a better price at just over $200 bucks.

http://store.weldersource.com/p-3809...df81-1500.aspx

If I'm stick or shielded flux core welding I really like my plain old $30 large window Jackson helmet with a gold lens. Everything looks red instead of murky green and it's really easy to distinguish the weld puddle from the flux floating on top. If you have a standard helmet lying around, buy a gold lens for it (about $10), it gives a cool new view to welding.

Bill

Thanks guys, I knew I could count on you all for some great advice!

And happy Labor Day!

I have an Auto-Arc made by Hobart. It has adjustable darkness, adjustable delay and a switch for grinding or welding. It wasn't overly expensive but suits it's purpose.

As a little add on to this, in addition to the Lincoln helmet that I got I added a cheater lens;

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07BVYMZN3...v_ov_lig_dp_it

Sure helps to see what you're doing. :ThumbsUp:

Dang, bifocals for the welding helment:bigthink::bigthink:
Seriously, that is NOT a bad idea--for those of us with enough birthdays to now own a pair of "shop" glasses--I just couldn't stand the thought of bifocals and turning wrenches.

I have a Jackson Nemesis and a Hobart. Both autodarkening. Mostly use the Nemesis now, way better sight. Grind mode is OK, too.

I have a 2.5 cheater I put in my Jackson auto darkening helmet when I weld a motorcycle tool I make. I weld a 1/4" pin on the end of a threaded 10mm bolt. One stray TIG arc makes for extra work to fix the threads.

I have a Forney auto darkening. Range settings are 9-13. This was a gift. Prolly came from TSC. I used it a few times. It was a wonderful weldimg experience compared to regular old fashioned lens. It also worked great during the solar eclipse last year.:biggrin2:

20 years ago, I bought a Hobart auto-darkening,, it was perfect until 2 months ago,,, :bigthink:

I replaced it with this,,,

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

WOW, after 20 years,, they added a LOT of nice features to the new auto helmets,,

I picked up this Hazard Freight special last year for around $120. It really works nice and is probably made in the same China factory that 80% of all the other helmets are made in. It looks nice with my Chinese built Esab.:biggrin2:

https://www.harborfreight.com/weldin...met-63749.html

I use special puller bolts at work that look just like those Jeff but much bigger . Mine are 3/4 x 10 with the long shank past the threads (all one piece) that I use to pull a drive unit mount plate/bearing cup with.

What do you use yours for? Looks pretty small and precise.

I had a base model Jackson auto darkening helmet for years.. no frills, no fancies. It died after about 12 years.. would no longer darken every time.. I got scared of it... replaced it with a Base model Miller... but it has adjustable shade and sensitivity.. I have really enjoyed it.. also didn't break the bank at under $100!:beerchug: https://www.amazon.com/Welding-Helme.../dp/B005J4P2SM Also have an older cheap Harbor Freight helmet that never has worked right.. always seems to be dead.. I don't trust my eyes with cheap helmets.. I'd rather stick with a Miller, Jackson or some other known brand when it comes to my eyes!:beerchug:

It's nice to read of improvements in things unlike so many other things that got added because of regulations for legal reasons.

To pull the stator off the end of the crankshaft on Kawasaki Triple engines. Kawasaki discontinued offering their version back in the mid 1980s so I made my own.

Made a few up like that to pull clutches off snowmobiles.:beerchug: