The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area The Tool Chest Advice on auto-darkening welding helmets

Bought a Miller 140 today. The Miller auto-darkening helmets were in the $300 to $350 range. What are your opinions on various brand helmets and what price should I expect to pay for a decent one?

we've got a tool 'liquidation' store here, they stock a lot of Somona brand stuff, prolly Chinese, but I got an autodark helmet there for $99, been real happy with it - I'd expect you should be able to find a good one for under 100, doesn't hafta be a 'name brand' where yer payin for the name

Bill

.........can't remember all the specs on it but I got a good one at Northern Tool on sale for $60 bucks. It works nicely and my son in law welds for a living and told me it was one of the better ones and I made a good choice

I picked one up at Princess Auto here in Canada. Most of their stuff is Chinese imports so you get what you pay for. Mine was on sale for $50 Canadian (about 3.00 US!) and for occasional use works very well. If I was a pro & using it all day I'd buy a name brand but I sure am happy with this one for the money.

When I was looking at it in the store I got talking to another guy who claimed to make a living as a welder- he said he's got a $600 helmet for work but recommended I buy the cheap one. He said he has a couple just like it for spares and really liked them.I was thinking of walking away from it up until then so I'm glad I talked to him.

Maybe the store was giving him a commission for sales?

My advice is to go to a good welding shop and pick out a good helmet. Way too much cheap imported stuff on the market.

The "good" ones have a larger viewing area and they have four arc sensors vs two in the cheapies.

I went with the HF, but I check the cleanliness of the outside frequently. If you are stick welding, and both sensors get dirtied, the lens might not darken.

If you have four sensors, the chance of all four getting smudged at the same time is pretty slim.

I watched a guy at a production shop welding pieces of a RR car.
He had a $500 helmet. The only time he ever flipped it up was at break time.

Jim Bow,

The hood with the huge lens don't usually flip up! Unless you plan on chipping slag and fiddling around with the hood UP, you better be wearing safety glasses....which is a drag under a hood.

A flip up lens allows you to run a bead (stick), then flip up the filter and use the clear lens to chip slag, and save your eyeballs.

Stuart

I second the Northern Tool helmet. I have one and it's great..... A little overly sensitve for my liking (sometimes will darken if I turn my head quickly to look who's coming in the door behind me for instance) but works great. Just be sure to get the spare lense covers for it... I didn't and mine is so pitted up that I can barely see out of it....

Anumber of years ago I bought a cheap one and brought it home. I tried it out with the flash from my camera and it didn't do anything for me. I took it back and bought a decent one. With the same test I could see all the details of the flash head without any affects on my eyes. That is the one I use for MIG welding.

I bought one of those HF helmets at the time I got my Lincoln TIG. A few months later, I drop kicked that piece of crap into the trash. The shop I bought the TIG from sells both Miller and Lincoln welders, but only Miller helmets. I bought the Miller Elite and it is night and day above the HF junk. $280 and well worth every penny. The $60 HF was the real waste of the dollars.
http://www.millerwelds.com/products/weldinghelmets/images/helmets/elite_29roadster0.jpg

That's the same helmet I have. As usual, buy the best you can the first time.

I don't know if this is too late or not, but I got my $50 helmet at HF. It's the chicago electric brand (chinese). Yeah Harbor freight is cheap, but it works great, and I'll go ahead and buy another 6 or so when they break. Put together, they'll probably last twice as long as the $350 ones talked about here.

It might, but will your eyes??

No, I doubt if the Harbor Freight helmets will cause your eyes to last twice as long.

HA! Probably not.

Brightness through the lens, though, is an incomplete, but for all practical purposes decent indicator of how much engergy is passing through. I think my hood is doing the job. I don't weld much, so I'm more worried about what this computer screen is doing to me.

Well looked at a $350.00 hood a while back and looked at a $60.00 hood and guess what the lens were made off shore so don't get to hepped up over that high price hood. I have fabricated for over 48 years now 41 for my job and the rest at home after I retired the hood I have from work is as good as my cheap one in quality but the interworkings may be a little better with the four light detectors but if you look real close you might get a suprise on where its made.
62Blue
Don

I have the miller elite joker and I also have the HF with the blue flame stickers lol and you might think I'm lying but every time I weld I grab my HF because it works great and I'm not scared to mess it up, I'm scared to wear my Miller cause it cost so much. I have about 250 hours of welding on the HF and I have had no trouble from it other then changing out the sweat bands.

My welding instructor told me once in welding school "A bad [censored] welding helmet don't make you a bad [censored] welder....."

But then again, I suck lol

One thing to remember is even if the cheap helmet "flashes" you occasionally (which my Northern Tool unit does not) it's really more of an annoyance than danger.... The UV light is what causes damage..... The filter itself removes the UV light even when not darkened...... Plus if you're like me and were RX glasses, they too have UV blocker in them automatically......

never tried the expensive models but I've used cheaper ones and I'm surprised that I didn't get hurt...got flashed many times. If you're having a tuning problem and the arc keeps snapping on and off you will get flashed before you know it. The helmet can't keep up with the arc coming on and off.

If your helmet flashes try changing the battery .

The HF doesn't have a replaceable battery. Their website says it is a solar powered rechargeable battery and no part listed.

Another thing for old farts like myself to consider. The HF doesn't have a provision for holding corrective lens that are available at the welding supply stores. I had to make clips and tried two different lenses and even tried my own glasses. I still had trouble seeing.
With the Miller, I don't use anything and I can see the weld perfectly. I'm sure an appropriate, "Your results may differ" is needed, but it works great for me.

Spanky the finish has proven to be surprisingly tough, but I do use the provided storage bag when finished welding.
The Miller has two replaceable batteries and I am disappointed they don't last longer.
I can't imagine using a HF helmet again.

My advice,is go to your local welding shop and buy a good one.This is not an area to be looking for ElCheapo bargains,your eyesight is a little more important.

I work and weld for a national Railroad company. My company buys cheap HF auto dark helmets. They are very good and I have never had any complaints with them. They are solar powered and we work outside with them all the time. As have been said I would rather take the extra money and spend it on my truck than an expensive helmet. I use a regular non auto dark helmet at the house. I have been thinking about getting one like we have at work but have not done it yet.

Kenny Broomfield

I spent the extra money for a GOOD miller helmet because I don't get an extra set of eyes if I mess them up. In the long run tools are cheap compared to body parts. I would rather buy a very expensive helmet every year than to have to have surgery or something on my eyes just once. When buying a cheap helmet ask yourself this" are my eyes really only worth$ 69.99 or more to me?" That is what I ask myself when I am buying any kind of safety equipment. You only get one mistake sometimes, that's all.

Good thinkin,Fabguy