Welding Helmet Recommendation (1 Viewer)

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Bad Mojo

Bad Mojo

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I am needing to get my own welding helmet in the new future. Currently, I weld with what the school has around, but all those helmets are getting a little beat up, and I am looking at getting my own. I don't mind spending the money for a good helmet. The amount of welding I do varies week to week, but I can be in a helmet for up to 6 hours a day, so comfortable is a plus. Lastly, I don't need any fancy graphics, but if they come on the helmet thats not an issue.

Any thoughts or suggestions would be appreciated.

This is what I am currently looking at.
http://www.lincolnelectric.com/en-us/Equipment/welding-gear/Pages/product.aspx?product=K3028-1
 
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I have a Miller Pro series that i really like, but we just bought a bunch of Speedglass units that are really nice. The hood is actually small but the coverage is great. The pivot is lower and more forward which makes the shell more balanced and easier to manage. They really did their homework on these things. But... They weren't cheap, I think we paid about $450 each for them. I can get more info if you're interested.

(Linky no worky, btw)
 
I use a Miller Elite now. I had a Lincoln electric, but the sensor wasn't as quick as the Miller. Mine has the solar recharger on the front. Lots out there, good luck.
 
I have a Miller Elite and Speedglass and I like them both equally the Speedglass costs more though.

B
 
KLF said:
I have a Miller Pro series that i really like, but we just bought a bunch of Speedglass units that are really nice. The hood is actually small but the coverage is great. The pivot is lower and more forward which makes the shell more balanced and easier to manage. They really did their homework on these things. But... They weren't cheap, I think we paid about $450 each for them. I can get more info if you're interested.

(Linky no worky, btw)
Click to expand...


Fixed Link, thanks.

Do you know what series Speedglass you just got in?

Couple other general question.
1. I came across some welders having helmets for both Mig and Tig. I mostly Mig weld, but I could see some Tig in the future. Is this something to look into more?

2.Some of the helmets offer a grind mode; is this just hype or is it helpful?

3. Is getting a warranty worth it?

4. For the Miller guys is the X-mode nice to have?

Thanks for all the information.

I am know looking at something more along this. I like the design on the headgear, they always seem to pop loose on the helmets at school. http://www.weldingsuppliesfromioc.com/servlet/the-3935/Miller-Black-Digital-Elite/Detail
 
Subscribed. I have a Miller Classic auto darkening helmet. It works OK but gets 'confused' if I get a stray arc while TIG'n...and no protection; no issue while MIG'n. Yeah...I reset it before each welding day and keep the battery charged. Get what you pay for I suppose...it was only $100 but curious to get the input from the pro welders here before I spend triple that...

The grind mode? I wouldn't buy a welding helmet just for grind mode. I prefer a good full face shield, if its anything more than light grinding, mainly because a dedicated full face shield is cooler, full view and allows me to wear full ear protection...but the feature works as advertised.
 
I like this one A LOT

If you can check the Jackson Balder unit out.
http://www.kcprofessional.com/produ...safety-wh70-bh3-helmet-with-balder-technology
I sell this stuff and have switched from hood to hood and I really like this one a whole lot.

I wear bifocals and need to use a 2.5 in my current Jackson NexGen hood. I borrowed a Balder hood from my rep for a week and I will own one soon and the 2 Nexgens I own now will be on ebay. (I'm in the process of horse trading some formica work for a hood from my rep). I could actually wear my normal bifocal glasses and skipped the cheater lens all togeather.

I had the Nexgen and the Balder in the barn while I was welding a bunch of non oem snap screw holes up in my soon to be back to OEM FST. Each time I had to move or grind I would switch hoods, after about ten swaps I was fully on the Balder. I could see much better and I didn't have to be directly in line with the weld to see the tungsten properly. I could acutally stretch my neck and follow the weld with out squaring myself in front of the arc. I've been told the problem is all the layers of glass that the light has to pass through this can make the view get blurry or even multiplied. With an old Arc One hood I always saw 4 arcs (that one didn't last long). Anyway this Balder is a big improvement in my opinion. It's kind of like when I saw my first football game in HD; it didn't take me long to ditch the old tube for a flat screen HD unit.

This hood sells for about 400 bucks so it's not cheap plus the controls are not impressive; three simple dials; shade, delay, & sensitivity. Once I made about 3 welds I had it adjusted right and never touched it again. Also this has the Jackson 370 headgear which is comfortable and inexpensive. Balder also has a $199 model that I have not tried but I've sold a few and it's recieved good reviews.

Anyway i figured this may give you something to think about. It really is impressive.
 
I weld for a living. I don't personally have any used for an auto.

But, in many aspects of my life I believe simple is best.

I've been using the same old ordinary Praxaire brand flip top 4x5 for the last 4 years.

I do like that it is a very lightweight unit compared to just about anything else, have replaced the head gear a couple times, but you'll likely be doing so with anything you buy. The large field of view is nice for tight spots. Tough, cheap, and not much to go wrong. Its been squished in gang boxes, fallen off large tanks, taken all kinds of abuse with never a whimper, and I really don't have to worry about it.

I've done just about everything, from tigging stainless guage metal to ridiculously huge metal core, all with the same simple helmet. Different shades for different uses for sure, however.

If you like the auto, use it. Don't use snappy gear as a crutch for basic skills tho.

I agree with spressomon's view of the grind mode. Keep yourself out of the way, or use a full face set up.

Just another point of view.

Am I behind the times? Probably. But anything that works all the time everytime sounds like a solid tool to me.
 
Speedglass 9000 sieries fully adjustable for all welding processes
 
I don't weld enough for the reflex's to work with a flip top. Wish I did, it would sure be alot cheaper!
Can I hijack really quick? I've got a Hypertherm 45 plasma cutter, I've read a #5 shade is acceptable, or #6. I'd appreciate advice from any professionals here. I tried my auto but it only goes to a low of #9 and that is too dark.
Thanks, hijack off. J
 
I'm in need of a new helmet with bigger viewing area. My 2x4 window is ok but a lager viewing area with a cheater glass would be good for my aging eyes. I'm using a Miller auto dark 9-13 helmet since '02 and it's been working well.
 
I think my cutting glasses/goggles are a #5. I know they aren't much darker. I've used them with the plasma and haven't had any compaints. Honestly go the darkest you can and yet still see the work, your eyes will thank you. I normally run the shade darker than most, but all I'm looking for is puddle and where I need to put it next. I welded for years on a flip hood and still do when I'm teaching people and they are borrowing the good hoods. You can do it on a flip hoop, but a auto just makes things so much nicer... On that just like cruisers and tools, spend the most you can as you will enjoy it in the long run.

B
 
Some input on the x-mode:
I had rarely used it, in fact I probably kept it on the regular mode most of the time. However I've been doing some body and chassis work and I found I had to run X-mode. My shop/drop light has a 75 or 100 watt bulb in it (I can't tell anymore) and the light from that was enough to trip the sensor in regular mode. Switch over to x-mode and I was back to my happy place. Same for welding out in the sun, the x-mode has made a world of difference.

HTH
Brittain
 
I'm cheap. Originally had an old school helmet with 4x5 glass. Welded with that thing for 20 years. Went to a no name brand auto darkening helmet 5 years ago. I thought it worked well. A month ago I picked up another one on sale at harbor freight for 49. It was like night and day to anything I've used in the past. Great helmet for mug and stick. That being said I'm sure if I were to try one of the higher end helmets I would probably want one. That's why I'm not trying one.
 
climber8483 said:
I think my cutting glasses/goggles are a #5. I know they aren't much darker. I've used them with the plasma and haven't had any compaints. Honestly go the darkest you can and yet still see the work, your eyes will thank you. I normally run the shade darker than most, but all I'm looking for is puddle and where I need to put it next. I welded for years on a flip hood and still do when I'm teaching people and they are borrowing the good hoods. You can do it on a flip hoop, but a auto just makes things so much nicer... On that just like cruisers and tools, spend the most you can as you will enjoy it in the long run.

B
Click to expand...

Thanks for getting back to me. I talked to the guy at Praxair here, and bought a flipdown Jackson shield with a #5 for plasma cutting.
I also found out that if your auto darkening helmet is getting intermittant, change the batteries, they are cheap.
 
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Battery replacement is an important thing. There is nothing like striking an arc and it doesn't auto darken.
 
I just bought a new Miller Elite Digital today. It was from the local Praxair dealer. They don't keep Speedglas in stock. My old Miller was 11 years old, and the thing gave up on me today in the middle of something. I didn't have time to shop, but I'm really happy. It has a new headgear suspension system that is the most comfortable I have ever put on!
 
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