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Need a new welding helmet - what`s decent?

torredcuda said:
So is the lense actually better/safer on a $400 helmet compared to a $100 one or what else makes the more expensive one better for your eyes?
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Everything on the Miller is higher quality and one of the best features is the Miller has 4 sensors that detect the flash while other only have one or two sensors. This might not sound like a big deal, but it causes it to dim a lot faster than the cheaper models. However it's a big deal in my book as you don't want your eyes to get any flash.

Tom
 
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Another vote for Hobart auto dark.
Most models are around $100.00
 
Miller all the way... once you get one you won’t go back. I love mine and won’t even consider anything but a Miller. My eyes deserve it! To each their own, you can use it for grinding, oxy torch work and welding and it works great just a simple adjustment and go.
 
snakeoil24 said:
The square inches of usable view area is number one difference and the quality of viewing area optics also head strap is greatly improved. In my opinion the lincoln viking 3350-4 is very very good but overpriced by $ 100.00. Sure it comes with a 5 year warranty but still over priced at 350.00
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I have the Viking 3350 and am pretty happy with it. Good view, highly adjustable. Expensive, but it protects your eyes.
 
I'll add, I have yet to read of ANYBODY reporting any damage to their eyes with the use of ANY auto darkening helmet. I personally have 40 years of use with them in all price ranges and never had a single issue. At first. I was as hesitant to trust my eyes as many here seem to be, but unless you start welding without your helmet, your eyes are fine.
Welding without gloves that I see all the time in videos is IMO a much greater likely hazard, from melanoma.

I have tried variable shade early on, and for the rare exception like outside in bright sun, they offered me little advantage, more cost, and just something else that required attention rather than welding.

One last item, I also tried the large view port helmets when they first became available, but found when welding, all I care about is the very small area of the arc itself, nothing else really mattered, and when not welding with my helmet on turning my head gave me all the field of view that really mattered, unless say I was crossing the railroad tracks. :lol:

Maybe buried in the roll cage in the back seat on my back doing a 4g Tig CM weld with a 10-point+ cage it could be useful.
 
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j-c-c-62 said:
Understand, at one point every person here could not weld either.
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I've gotten a little better My issue was I started trying to weld thin sheet metal with no gas. I was using Flux core with a cheap harbor freight 90 amp welder. I have since bought the lincoln 140
 
I have a number of machines, a 600A Miller Tig, a 200A Miller Mig, and a Hobart 140A 120V that is very suitable for sheet metal. All are gas shielded; I would never resort to flux core. Thin stuff is always the toughest, be patient, its why women make the best welders. Its not the necessarily the small capacity that makes my little 140 Hobart so useful, its more that it is always properly set up wire size and all for the thin stuff, and portable. I'd also suggest a 80/20 mix argon/CO2 gas.
 
j-c-c-62 said:
I have a number of machines, a 600A Miller Tig, a 200A Miller Mig, and a Hobart 140A 120V that is very suitable for sheet metal. All are gas shielded; I would never resort to flux core. Thin stuff is always the toughest, be patient, its why women make the best welders. Its not the necessarily the small capacity that makes my little 140 Hobart so useful, its more that it is always properly set up wire size and all for the thin stuff, and portable. I'd also suggest a 80/20 mix argon/CO2 gas.
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The Flux Core welder was in the budget less than a 100.00 at the time. I was able to do some cool stuff with it once I learned its flaws. Cut the roof off of the 67 Belvedere and cut the roof from a donor 67 Coronet and welded it to the Belvedere. All with a 90.00 Hobo freight welder. Not bad for a beginner.

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Well Done. beauty of being a "beginner', you know no limits. :thumbsup:
 
F4R/T said:
Miller all the way... once you get one you won’t go back. I love mine and won’t even consider anything but a Miller. My eyes deserve it! To each their own, you can use it for grinding, oxy torch work and welding and it works great just a simple adjustment and go.
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Found his thread on a Hobart page, according to this poster Miller helmets are made in Korea but not sure if that is accurate or not?

"After doing some research I narrowed my choices to the "Hobby to Entry Level Pro" range ($100-$200). I am nowhere close to being pro but I hate cheap **** that falls short.
Reporting back, this is what my survey found:
* All Miller helmets: Made in Korea.
* Hobart helmets: Assumed they come from the same source (Miller) so I didn't even bother researching them
* Speedglas 100V: Estonia & Sweden sourced
* Jackson #14988, black, Pro, variable lens, helmet & lens assy made & assembled in Michigan. I neglected to ask where the headgear parts came from.
It was $180 shipped. I was able to call in and talk to 2 different people to get my questions answered WRT Jackson helmets. I have no doubt that their customer service will be very good if I need to use it. Some of their other helmets are foreign sourced however. So you need to look into it if you are like me and go out of your way to avoid chinese ****.
Jackson was recently purchased by Kimberley-Clark, but fortunately this Made in USA helmet is still available. I wonder if K-C will take Jackson down the toilet by further sourcing from Asia in the future?
I hope not. If they do, they'll loose my future business."
 
At around 15 or 16, I was using my Miller Elite when taking some classes to learn TIG. Prior to that the Elite was fine as I was only doing MIG. When we were welding steel and stainless, I had a tendency to cook the material with too much heat. It was hard to see the weld pool even on the lightest setting. Aluminum was no issue. I was getting frustrated by this so I borrowed a fellow students new, at that time, Lincoln unit. It was a tiny bit better. The substitute instructor that was there had an older Speedglass unit. I tried that and BINGO! I could see what I was doing. At that time I was receiving info from Weld USA and in that publication, they talked about the Optrel Vega View 2.5 helmet and that it allowed 25% more light transmission and a more realistic view of what you were welding. I called them up and explained what was happening, asked about the 2.5 to see if it would help. It was an emphatic yes so I ordered one. The next class session I had I gave it a go and man oh man, what a difference. Hands down better than the Miller. A couple of years later I upgraded to their E684 unit which is an improvement, for me at least, over the 2.5. I've found that as I've gotten older, I need more light to see what I'm welding on and the Optrel works for that. Higher amp settings or aluminum I'm fine. It's just the thinner ferrous material where I need to have an additional light helping out to see the weld pool. Now the quality of the weld just depends on me paying attention. The Optrel is Swiss made, can be had on Amazon, Weld USA and some other outlets. And no, its not an inexpensive helmet. When Tig welding, I have a pair of close up safety glasses I wear since I get real close to the weld. Mig I'm further away so I don't wear the glasses. Like j-c-c pointed out and I adhere to religiously, wear your jacket and gloves. You're dealing with concentrated UV that will give you skin cancer. I don't ever shortcut, even for a quick spot/tack weld.
 
I got the Hobart - huge improvement over the old one! Much better vision while welding and I can adjust shade, sensitivity and delay.
 
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