HF Auto-darkening helmet (1 Viewer)

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joyRidaz

joyRidaz

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I purchased and have been using an auto darkening welding helmet from harbor freight, solar powered...

Has anyone been using one of these successfully and confident it works correctly? I don't have any point of comparison so not sure if it's effective.

My eyesight is important to me and maybe I should put some money into a better one instead of trusting an el cheapy one from HF?

I seem to get headaches the day after welding, not sure if it's from the Helmet or from the flux fumes or burnt Bondo.

Thought appreciated on the level of confidence in the helmets effectiveness. Thanks

Btw I'm a once a month kind of wanna be garage mechanic, welding little patch panels etc
 
Oh I left out a critical detail, I want with the iron man robotic looking design not the blue flames... Haha
 
Cant comment on the HF hood, but when it come to preserving my eyes, I only use high quality auto hoods like the Speedglas 9002X. Don't get me wrong, I buy some HF tools but nothing inferior when it come to my health and preservation.
Again, not being a tool snob, just my recommendation on the subject.
 
I had a HF for a while. It worked fine at first, at least I could not tell I was being flashed. And sure beat a fixed tint lens. Unfortunately, that model does not have a replaceable battery. It is rechargeable in principle but after a while, a year or so, maybe 2 the battery got bad and the hood would no longer go dark right away, it needed the PV cell to do that. So I had to keep my eyes closed for a half second or so until I could tell it got dark. Not that difficult actually, but iffy. The battery could be changed with some DIY soldering presumably but I did not do that.

Instead I got a very good but quite expensive Lincoln. I liked the features, comfort, adjustability, and peace of mind.

Another way to look at this, though, is that you could buy a new HF at $40 or so every year or 2 for quite a few years before hitting the price of an expensive helmet. Unfortunately, that does not remove the greater uncertainty issue with the HF. But nothing is ever foolproof, even the expensive Lincoln (also built in China very likely) so who knows.

You could alleviate some concerns and reduce risk by wearing plastic safety glasses under the helmet. A good idea in any case for sparks, but will also protect your eyes from possible UV. You might get flashed but it likely won't damage your retina. Once I forgot to lower the helmet and got flashed bad of course but had the plastic glasses on and after normal vision returned (a minute or less) I was fine. Not even a headache.

Having said all that, I'm glad I got the good helmet.
 
You get one set of eyes , unless you like the idea of transplants that might or might not work . I've always advised folks to ditch the idea of using a super cheap hood like that and just get a decent one to start with . Good , known brand hoods have replaceable parts and a peace of mind that doesn't come from China, or wherever . My Miller Elite was $300 but I needed the ultra low side for low amperage tig . Honestly, if you're only doing occasional work or even every day stuff it's a lot better to buy a decent direct shade 10 from Forney or Jackson and be done with it - real welders can tip a hood and never lose track - it's not hard to learn and in the long run far better for your eyes .
My second hood is a $30 Jackson with an upgraded gold lens - love it and use it quite a lot when stick or mig welding .

Sarge
 
Weber Sarge said:
You get one set of eyes , - real welders can tip a hood and never lose track - it's not hard to learn and in the long run far better for your eyes .
Click to expand...


this.
i don't stand at bench. i crawl in stuff, over stuff, under stuff, through stuff.
never felt the need for an auto...a few times a leather hood would have came in handy however.
unless you get high dollar autos, you are asking for trouble......the battery has never gone dead, or the voltage too low to trigger, the rain, snow, steam has never pissed off my huntsman.
 
I have an old HF auto that I bought in '05. It has a replaceable battery. It works fine. No issues other than the adjustment on the band is stripped. I don't do much welding so it works fine for my purposes.
 
Always wear good safety glasses under your welding helmet.
Especially if you're MIG welding and get some spatter under the helmet.
Also, I've seen some weld puddles outgas and 'pop' after welding. I'd like one more layer between my eyes and flying, red hot metal.

I've been running a 3M Speedglas Helmet for a few years. It was expensive, but it's a MUCH better helmet than my HF tools helmet was.
I use the HF helmet for when someone wants to watch, of if the batteries in my speedglas have died and I am in the middle of a project.
 
does anyone have any proof that the cheaper helmets offer less protection?

you can still replace the batteries in the non replaceable HF helmet-just requires some effort. mine works great after 5 years or so
 
Weber Sarge said:
One day of stick welding and my eyes hurt pretty badly that night - enough evidence for me and bought a Miller . That was 6yrs ago , have yet to go past the 2nd set of batteries and love it's adjustability for tig/stick/torch work .
Sarge
Click to expand...

just read the description and it says "not for TIG welding"
Adjustable Shade Auto-Darkening Welding Helmet

i'm assuming that's stick welding? I'm pretty new at this... I just MIG right now.
 
Stick welding is old school , basic welding rods with flux on the outside . There is rod available for any situation and even a cheap basic ac buzz box can weld nearly anything - given you have the skills . That helmet is inconsistent on it's shading lens , hence eye damage . You get one set , that's it and taking care of them cannot be stressed enough .

Tig is tungsten inert gas using high frequency , pretty complicated but will weld any clean metal that conducts electricity - including copper ...
It uses Argon gas to shield the arc/puddle and is pretty much the top dog in quality .

If you're new to welding , taking a local night class or similar is priceless as you will learn the correct way to handle dangerous equipment and protect yourself a welding machine can kill easily . It's also about making solid welds , not something that looks nice on the surface but won't hold properly and can cause failures . I see this way too often with newbies buying cheap 110v migs and trying to build bumpers and tow points - not cool . Get educated and learn the right way - it's also a skill that can make you a lot of money ....worth the effort to learn it right .

Sarge
 
HF has 2 helmets, and I had the cheaper one - it was slow enough that I actually had to blink when I first started the weld, and even then it didn't always darken.

I was in a pinch and got the more "expensive" helmet from HF, and I've been using it since. I threw the first out, it was that bad.

With that said, I'm a bit older now and when this helmet stops working I will get something better.
 
We have several guys in the shop (including myself) that use the kobalt auto-darkening hoods from Lowe's. They work very well, and have a 2 year warranty. None of us have even needed to replace the batteries. Hard to beat for $120.
 
Kobalt, Lincoln, Miller, HF....... all made in China. I've been welding for 40+ years, and the HF helmet I have now is just as, if not better than the other China helmets. And I have plenty to choose from, I just feel the HF is better on my eyes.
* if your getting headaches after welding chances are your "too far up" on your torch..... very common with beginning welders. Learn to "stay off" your torch......and always wear safety glasses under your helmet. I had to have steel slivers removed out my eyes when I was young and in too much of a hurry to wear glasses!
 
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