Welding hood Questions
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Posting Guru
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From: where the deer and antelo
Welding hood Questions
I have several "old school" hoods. I want to try a new auto darkening type. I used one in an adult welding class I took at the high school a few years ago and liked it, but I don't know what brand it was.
Is the $60 ebay special as good as the $160 Hobart as far as protection goes? How about one from Harbour Freight? I will be in Salt Lake this weekend and I know there is a store there. My only choice here is the Napa store and the low price unit is over $100.
I only have one set of eyes so I don't want to go cheap if there is a difference in the protection level.
Is the $60 ebay special as good as the $160 Hobart as far as protection goes? How about one from Harbour Freight? I will be in Salt Lake this weekend and I know there is a store there. My only choice here is the Napa store and the low price unit is over $100.
I only have one set of eyes so I don't want to go cheap if there is a difference in the protection level.
Junior User
Joined: Jun 2005
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jimlj...hi. I'm always looking at hoods. used at least three electronic lens. mig welds in the garage, stick welds outside, stick welds inside. And there is a big difference in what i felt. first, how does the lens respond to exterior lights. in the garage it could change every time i move my head around. some have sensor adjustments for that reason. can I see the stuffbefore it changes? some are very light initial lens[ more money] and the cheeper ones it can be very hard to see when under the truck without a 100 watt or more light up close. the advertised time , when new, to change is a big difference. I have never burned my eyes with the mig; as has happened with stick outside or in confined spaces......when using the electronic lens...BUT I have felt something ..not happy with slow change times. Battery issues, lens deteriorations in the layers, solars power lens going dead with leaving it in the truck overnight in the winter. Its the old story.. something goes wrong,,,who will help? the cheap hoods work. there are benefits to the best...support and product testing is more money than steeling some companys ideas and using one dollar a day labor to make things a throwaway world.
Senior User
Joined: Jul 2004
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I experienced the same thing as ironworkingman when using my Lincoln base model auto dimming hood. It DOES seem good for mig but I recently welded some 3/8 inch plate with E-7024 at around 180 amps and I felt "something" too later on and the next day or so....I think Im gonna use the auto dimmer for the mig and go back to my conventional hood for stick....I agree with the "one pair of eyes" statement. Wondering why that is....its SUPPOSED to be rated for stick....been meaning to email Lincoln and see what gives...
Posting Legend
Joined: Sep 2001
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Sometimes the auto darkening helmets are not dark enough. I have an AD helmet purchased from my local welding store. It was set up for general welding and has a couple of darkness settings but for higher amp welding I slip in an additional gas welding filter and it seems to help. It may not be the "right" thing to do tho.
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Cargo Master
Joined: Jul 2000
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From: Northern California
Someone here just posted another question about this subject and one of the answers was specific to the Harbor Freight helmet. He really liked it, in fact said it was better than some more expensive name brand ones.
I usually don't think Harbor Freight and Quality, but maybe some things there are pretty good.
They happen to be on sale for $49 right now, worth a try.
I usually don't think Harbor Freight and Quality, but maybe some things there are pretty good.
They happen to be on sale for $49 right now, worth a try.
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Elder User
Joined: Jun 2004
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From: Northern MD
My friend is a welder and uses an auto-darkening hood. He says that by the end of the day his eyes are feeling dry and tired from welding. Even though the helmets darken quickly, there is still an instant when it is changing that it is still bright. Over a period of hours, this builds up. He minimized the irritation by getting a tint on his glasses. His eyes still get irritated, but no where near like they did before. Of course, if you don't weld all day long, then you'll probably never have this problem.
Elder User
Joined: Apr 2004
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From: North US Border, Canada
I just bought a autodarkening helmet, but haven't gotten around to trying it though. I asked around alot before I bought and this is what I got. First off I ended up paying $100.00 so is definately not a top model, darkens at 1/25000 of a second, has an adjustable switch from shades 9-13, and this all works aparently at room temp. I was told that name brands do affect sale price. Also where a product is manufactured affects sale price, Taiwan/USA. Also Big chains often buy in bulk and are able to sell at a cheaper price. That being said a helmet model has to be tested before hitting the market, and in my opinion makes that a cheaper helmet is worth buying. Just worry about darkening speeds, and certain options that you think are essential, such as adjustable lense darkness etc... I did keep the old school helmet and I'm sure I'll use it again.
Can't wait to try my new hood.
Madmike33
Can't wait to try my new hood.
Madmike33
Last edited by Madmike33; Feb 2, 2006 at 10:41 AM.
Cargo Master
Joined: Dec 2004
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From: NE Texas
I have three different auto dark helmets; a cheapy HF that I bought about 5 years ago, an InWeld solar powered adjustable and a $130 Hobart solar powered adjustable. I also have an old Jackson with a number 9 and a magnifier.
Of all these helmets if I could only have one of them and had to pay the money for it, I would DEFINITELY buy the InWeld. As I recall it was about $100. The adjustment is on the outside of the helmet where I can reach it easy. It has a little larger viewing area, but I can fit a magnifier into it if necessary.
The HF is not bad for the cheap price they get for them now, but they are cheap built with cheap head gear that won't stay adjusted. If you don't use it constantly, you have to remember to take the batteries out of it so that you don't leave them in there to leak and ruin it.
The Hobart is okay, but the adjustments are hard to get at. It does have a large viewing area and the headgear is decent, not great, but decent.
All that said, I absolutely would NOT be without an auto dark helmet, but I would always have around an old Jackson for backup and for certain situations like high current stick welding.
Good luck,
Doc
ASE Master
Of all these helmets if I could only have one of them and had to pay the money for it, I would DEFINITELY buy the InWeld. As I recall it was about $100. The adjustment is on the outside of the helmet where I can reach it easy. It has a little larger viewing area, but I can fit a magnifier into it if necessary.
The HF is not bad for the cheap price they get for them now, but they are cheap built with cheap head gear that won't stay adjusted. If you don't use it constantly, you have to remember to take the batteries out of it so that you don't leave them in there to leak and ruin it.
The Hobart is okay, but the adjustments are hard to get at. It does have a large viewing area and the headgear is decent, not great, but decent.
All that said, I absolutely would NOT be without an auto dark helmet, but I would always have around an old Jackson for backup and for certain situations like high current stick welding.
Good luck,
Doc
ASE Master
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From: fremont ohio
I got the Hobart one, shade 10. It works decent, they says it will react within a few milliseconds. It ran me abt 75 bucks. My buddy just bought a Speedglas for a couple hundred bucks, I'm not sure what the big difference in price is for, probably reaction time. I do notice when it gets dirty, or hasnt been in the sun long to recharge the solar panel it won't darken as quick it seems.
Elder User
Joined: Apr 2004
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From: North US Border, Canada
Well after I posted I decided I would head into the shop and give the new hood a try, I would have to say I didn't go wrong with the $100 investment. It works great, the 9-13 shade adjustment **** is easy to get to from the outside left, and at 1/25000th of a second reaction time it makes for a pleasant welding experience especially when doing a lot of tacking. Having tried an italien model worth $369.00, and now my cheaper $100.00 model I'm glad I can say I have an extra $269.00 to spend on something else. Like it has been mentioned before if I was doing some High voltage Stick welding, I too would choose the good ol' solid shade helmet.
Madmike33
Madmike33
Last edited by Madmike33; Feb 2, 2006 at 06:36 PM.
Senior User
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Originally Posted by nick88f150
I got the Hobart one, shade 10. It works decent, they says it will react within a few milliseconds. It ran me abt 75 bucks. My buddy just bought a Speedglas for a couple hundred bucks, I'm not sure what the big difference in price is for, probably reaction time. I do notice when it gets dirty, or hasnt been in the sun long to recharge the solar panel it won't darken as quick it seems.
Speedglas is the way to go. They introduced the technology and seem to be the best. In my opinion, pay the extra $$$ and get the top of the line Speedglas with the bigger lens. The batteries last a long time. I'm not a big fan of the solar powered ones. They are adjustable from 9 - 12 and have a very fast "switch" time. We use them extensively with MIG, TIG, and "stick" and they work great with all three methods. The only problem I've encountered is using them in bright daylight - it sometimes confuses the sensor.
IMO: DON'T buy cheap welding helmets/hoods. Pay the extra bucks and get a good one. It's a heck of a lot cheaper than getting treating for flash burn.
