Auto darkening helmets

[rScotty]

I'm wondering what to look for in a replacement for the old auto darkening helmet. It's been awhile since I bought the last one. The old one was a top of the line Speedglas - like their modern 9100xx series but ten years old. It was the best available when new - but things have probably gotten better.

That old Speedglas was a real decent helmet - lightweight with a wide range of adjustable darkening - and it looked like it was going warp speed just sitting on the bench. About the only downside was it was kind of greedy on batteries....but compared to eyes, who cares about battery costs? Anyway, I expected to keep it forever but it didn't survive being left out in the rain last fall. So it's time to shop for another.

Which ones are favorites now?
Thanks, rScotty

 

[wareagle50]

I really cant tell you which ones are good or best but i have an Auto Arc by Hobart and it has served me very well. However its my first and only auto helmet. Im sure there are better ones out there cause mine was only like $100.

 

[TnAndy]

I had a Northern Tool $59 buck model I liked. Neighbor's dog got in my shop, grabbed it and took it back to his house where it was chewed to pieces. Confronted the neighbor, who says "Oh.....I wondered whose that was" ( not like he actually bothered to ask around whose helmet his dog stole )(got my favorite hat and one welding glove as well).

So, he gives a Super Duper Deluxe one still in the package he bought for himself.....he said it was couple hundred bucks. Weld setting, grind setting, another one or two. I said I just want what I had. "No, this is a MUCH better one. Take it".

Never could get the crappy thing to work right. I'd get it set for weld, stop using it for a minute, then it would lose the setting, and no darkening at all.....I'd have to take it off, punch the fool buttons again, maybe get it to work, maybe not.

Finally threw it in the trash, went to Northern and bought another $59 model with NO buttons....you put it on, it auto darkens on the first strike, and works fine.....just like they are supposed to work. Sometimes more expensive doesn't mean better.

 

[CNC Dan]

I've used the northern tool ones as well as the Harbor Frieght ones. Both worked just fine. Solar powered, but the internal battery dies and the response time isn't too good. Takes about 5 years.
Don't worry about how fast they darken, the filter plate gives full protection against UV, weather it goes dark or not.

 

[juddspaintballs]

I've used the HF auto darkener for a couple of years. It works great. When not in use, I leave it in the shop window to catch the sun. It still works fine, goes dark plenty fast enough, and the battery hasn't died yet. For the $20 I paid for it, I'd buy another one.

 

[robs660]

We all use the Optrel 680 helmets. Have them in service for 12 Welders, myself and a welding super. Everyone loves them and they perform great. They are going on 2 years being used 8 hours a day and are still perfect.

 

[smfcpacfp]

I have a Miller Digital Elite which works great, but is in the $200 to 300 price range.

 

[rScotty]

I have a Miller Digital Elite which works great, but is in the $200 to 300 price range.

It's sounding like there might not be much agreement between price and how welders feel about their lenses. That makes sense....nobody is going to risk their eyes for a few hundred bucks. My buddy just had to go to the eye doc for some lingering flash-burn and believe me it cost him more than the most expensive helmet out there.

He does stick arc while I mostly do TIG so his problem is part of what is making me ask.

I'm old enough to remember when auto-darkening first came out & how we were all a little suspicious. The first ones were expensive and the good ones were said to mostly come from Europe. My Speedglas was from some European company. We all figured the Europeans to have higher safety standards so that was OK. A few years later A-D hoods started to be made in the US.

I know what TNAndy is talking about with all the adjustments. A guy just about needed a college degree to do the settings in the Speedglas. And then if you turned it off they all had to be done again. It's downfall wasn't that though. The downfall was it turned out to not be waterproof. Well...the circuit might have been waterproof; I don't know. But the helmet itself wasn't. In the rain it turned to mush.

All that said, my helmet preference is to care more about how it works more than saving money. If one costs three times as much and just works a little better that's the one I'll buy. It's not like its an everyday expense.
rScotty

 

[rScotty]

We all use the Optrel 680 helmets. Have them in service for 12 Welders, myself and a welding super. Everyone loves them and they perform great. They are going on 2 years being used 8 hours a day and are still perfect.

[/QUOTE]I have a Miller Digital Elite which works great, but is in the $200 to 300 price range.[/QUOTE]

Thanks, I think my supplier carries Optrel and Miller both...probably some others, too. Seems odd that there are so many kinds on the market; it's not like they are consumable.
I wonder who makes the largest size lens? And if there is any advantage there. For the old glass type the larger view area was always a plus.
thanks, rScotty

 

[weldermike]

I recently treated myself for tig work at home. I have multiple a/d hoods that i never use, always loved a fixed shade with a glass gold. This is hands down the best hood i have ever used. Speedglas 9100xx. Head gear is genious, giant viewing lens and shade 5 side plates. Try one at your lws it will speak for itself. Costly tho, so it stays home, and i use fixed shade still at work. Stuff at work gets destroyed and sometimes dissapears unfortunately.

 

[Shield Arc]

sometimes dissapears unfortunately.

WOW!:shocked: Guys I use to work with, that would be very unhealthy to get caught doing anything like that.:thumbdown: Being as we worked over water all the time, we all left our wallets in our lunch buckets. I never heard of anybody loosing their wallet or money out of their wallet.

 

[mikefromnh]

I have a miller elite. As a newbie to welding I don't know if it was worth the money compared to cheaper ones. But I wasn't going to risk my eyes to harbor freights quality control department.

The settings stay where you put them and it turns itself on and off. You can adjust the sensitivity so it goes dark when you look at a 13w fluorescent light bulb. And it has a few more modes than the cheaper ones.

 

[flusher]

I use a $50 AD helmet from Northern Tool. In 7 years I haven't been flashed. The glass in the helmet gives the UV protection, the quick darkening filter gives you the flash protection and additional UV protection. I wear a pair of plastic UV400 wrap around glasses under the helmet to protect from UV that gets reflected from what's behind me (shop wall, cabinets, etc.) and gets into the helmet from the backside.

Good luck

 

[Gary Fowler]

I have used the HF AD helmet for 5 years and had to replace one due to filling the lens full of sweat which it didn't like so for sure they aren't water proof. The one I have now for about 3 years has a weak battery that wont stay charged unless I hang it in the window so it gets full sunshine. It still works OK, just sometimes the AD doesn't work on the first rod strike for a milli- second. But after the first rod, the UV has built up enough charge to keep it working right. I have a new one in the closet that I should break out and start using but the old one still works well enough. You wont get flash burn to the eyes from it not darkening because the filter plate stops the UV rays it is just bright for a second.
Most flash burn happens (other than flashing from not having the hood down) not because of a faulty lens but a faulty gasket or one that was improperly positioned when the clear lens were replaced. It is a good habit to check the hood with a strong flashlight when changing the clear lens and also do a daily inspection. Just put on the hood, run the flashlight around the lens perimeter while looking for any stray light. IF ANY is showing, you will get flash burn if you use the hood without adjusting the gasket.

As for costs, the biggest difference that I see is the gadget settings for grinder, timers etc. A grinder setting is nice to have so you can use the hood for those grinder jobs rather than remove and put on a clear face shield. All of them now have multi-shade capability and they all work just as well as the next for UV protection IMO. Some of the hoods head gear will be much more comfortable than others and some designs look slick whether or not they are functional at repelling sparks is debatable. My take on welding hoods is that the users buys what he likes and what fits comfortably. Choose the hood that you like first then look at the price and then compare it to a cheaper one to see if you really need to spend the $300 to get it vs the $40 for a HF or Northern tool version.

 

[metalsmith]

First off if you still like your old helmet, should check for a replacement lens module. Some are very reasonable in price compared to a new helmet. On the other side, there has been major changes in the components where even the cheap end ones work very well. Its nearly more of a choice of hood design you like anymore. I’ve yet to see one that wasn’t hard on batteries which is why I have a cheapie harbor freight solar one as a back up and that one has preformed nearly as well as my old Sellstrom helmet.

 

[Texasmark]

I have the HF el cheapo and isn't all that old. On stick it is fine. On MIG it is way too slow if it lights at all. So I use my old regular glass, non auto with MIG.

Mark

 

[weldermike]

WOW!:shocked: Guys I use to work with, that would be very unhealthy to get caught doing anything like that.:thumbdown: Being as we worked over water all the time, we all left our wallets in our lunch buckets. I never heard of anybody loosing their wallet or money out of their wallet.

We have night crews that come to our shop to pick up stuff we have fixed or made for them. Some guys are from different companies as well. Supervision is usually in a office somewhere, so its free reign for these guys until they knock on a door. I recently had a knife switch installed on my bandsaw so i could lock it, cause someone at night was wrecking it. Two days later someone sawsalled the switch handle and lock right off. Sucks but it is what it is till theres a accident

 

[Jim Timber]

I've had a Hobart hood for about 10 years or so. I've replaced the sweatband with leather (I made) after it disintegrated, and it's had a few of the protector lenses replaced (big improvement there!) as they've gotten cloudy. Other than that, the only time I don't like it is when the work is in the way of the light sensors. Having more than 2 would be my only improvement.

It was $100 when purchased.

 

[bamboozled]

3M Speedglas. Don't play around with your eyes.

3M Speedglas 9100 Series Welding Helmets | Baker's Gas + Welding Supplies

 

[OutbackL130]

As others have said, the auto darkening UV protection will generally be the same no matter which helmet you buy. It comes down to comfort and features.

I have the Speedglas 9100fx with adflo and would highly recommend it. I also have the older speedglas 9002x with adflo, a miller elite and several cheap AD hoods. I searched for a new hood last year and nothing I tried really compared to the comfort and functionality of the Speedglas. The 9100 headband has a huge improvement in comfort. I like the flexview for grinding which saves me hours a week being able to go straight from welding to a clear grinding shield and back to welding with same helmet. Also, the 9100fx has a larger view. I used to stumble around my shop with the narrow grinding shield on the old 9002x.