Welding Helmet- What do you use???

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Hairyblackdude

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Hey all,

Just wondering what kinda welding helmets everyone uses??

I have a cheap harbor freight one, auto darkening, cant ask for much..It was like $35.
Anyway, it works fine & does what its supposed to do, but its just too damn DARK !!!

It has a knob on the side for the brightness setting. I think its like 9-13. Even at the lightest setting, I can hardly see anything when Im welding... Now, I know its supposed to be dark, and this may be the norm, but I can only really see the very edge of the weld puddle when Im moving away from it. I feel like it could be brighter & still be safe.

Ive come into times when I start trailing away from the weld because I can barely see. Now, I have a cheap hand held shield that came w/ the Miller welder & its much brighter & easier to see, but its not auto darkening & its handheld. Almost impossible for me to use. I sometimes use my other hand to hold stuff in place while I tack.

Im cautious about ordering a better helmet because Im afraid its just gonna be the same exact thing, just more expensive... They all seem to start @ 9 for the rating.

So, Is this totally normal and thats just what welding is?
--OR--
Can you guys see a little better w/ different helmets?

Any info is appreciated!
_marc
 
Mine cheapo auto-darkening helmet might be a little on the dark side too but still works fine. I find that the inner and outer plastic lenses get dirty (even when they don't look very dirty) and makes it pretty hard to see. Try getting new plastic lens protectors or cleaning the ones you have.

Now that I've reread your post, it sounds like you have a defective one. Does the hand-held one tell you what shade it is? I would trust that more than the auto-darkening one and use it to compare with the corresponding setting on the auto-darkening one. I bet the hand-held one that came with your welder is a shade 10.

Harbor Freight has a pretty good return policy, maybe try exchanging it?
 
I'm not sure how much welding experience you have, so if this is below your level of experience disregard, but how much external light are you working under? Shutting off lights will help, especially those at your back, as light is shining into your helmet and not letting your eyes adjust. Try welding without any direct light before spending money on another helmet.

I can't say anything about a cheap autodarkening helmet, but a real #9 lens gives plenty of light to work with. Your cheap hand-held either has a 9 or 10 in it. They usually come with a 10.

Remember that responsiveness makes a difference too. If that helmet is darkening at 1/10000 of a second rather than 1/25000, enough light from your weld may enter your eye to dilate the pupil before you even start welding, screwing your pupil shut, making it impossible to see in a low-light situation.
 
At work, Ive got a speedglass, and it works awesome. never eye fatigue.
At home ,Ive got the harbor frieght blue one that is solar powered, and it seems too dark to me, Its the one that has those stupid blue flames on it(gaye, fixed with flexiprimer)
Recently I got the harbor frieght black one, it more square-ish that the blue one. Its alot better than the blue-flamer, but since its cheap, and not battery powered like a 'real' hood, it does flash my eyes cuz it just isnt fast enuf, but I can see alot clearer with that one, over the blue one.
If I were you, Ide get the other style of hood from HB, and see. I like the black one lots better over the blue one, but if I weld for an hour solid, It feels like Ive beeen welding all day with my speed-glass at work.
In short, you get what you pay for, and unless you weld professionally, Ide stay cheap. there are other middle range hoods available, one guy at work has this eclipse(?) hood that he is happy with, and he paid 150$. I bought my speed glas for 250$.
 
YES! thats the one I have. Black w/ blue flames. Although my flames are badass, not gay. Haha..
It was super cheap and I guess I know why.

I try to weld close to my garage door or even outside just to help me see a little better. It helps if I take a spotlight or shoplight & direct it where Im welding, but I'll have to keep in mind about the light coming in the back of the helmet.

The helmet has 2 switches inside for light sensitivity and darkening speed. I set the sensitivity for low because it was always shutting off if I happened to glance at the lights on the ceiling. Sometimes Gotta weld upside down..Maybe I'll try it on high sens. The darkening speed is set to fast.

I dont mind spending some $ on a new helmet. Ive been welding alot lately and I really enjoy doing it, but its so damn hard to see. Like I mentioned before, the handheld shield is alot easier to see, but its so cheap & you gotta hold it !!!

I was reading a little bit today @ work & Ive come across another idea. The welder I have is a flux core welder. No gas. My brother brought it home one day on a splurge & I agreed to split it with him. It does pretty well, but there is alot of slag & dirty looking welds. A wire brush is definately needed. Maybe this thing is creating alot of smoke around the weld & making it difficult to see. Id like to get a gas one too, I used to use my buddies & it layed some real nice beads- but gotta remember to turn that gas off!

This is the welder I have now. Lincoln HD125, not miller.
http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc1vZ1xgy/R-100670933/h_d2/ProductDisplay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053#BVRRWidgetID

I saw this helmet @ harbor freight a few weeks ago. I dont think I could buy it with a straight face.
image_1711.jpg
 
Working outside or with a good spotlight works too. I put snaps along the top edge and down the sides of my helmet and a on a piece of old leather apron to make a hood that covers my head for situations where I have to weld with my back to a bright light source. It get's hot, but if you're welding on something that doesn't move it does the trick.
 
dont get that hood, man!!! One guy braught one into work, and we laughed so hard, he threw it away. A new guy snagged it, and it only worked for a week.
Gas is the way to go.
flux is junk.(unless your talking daul core, then thats different) I hope you havent done any welding where strength is concerned. remember, you intend to ride your bike.
Live to ride....... let's make sure that happens, heh?
Teebs. Ive been meaning to get a piece of leather to make a lower apron to protect my neck. Im one of those guys that has a long neck. I get burned all the time. sux.
 
Last edited:
lol Yeah, it's amazing the places all those little boogers of hot steel can end up...
 
wish I had a torch. so handy. welding, cutting, freeing rusted stuff, filling baloons with acetylene.
 
angus67 said:
filling baloons with acetylene.
Click to expand...
:yikes::thumbsup::D

A decent torch rig isn't particularly cheap, but it isn't all that expensive either. I think I paid about $300 for mine, which included a couple of small tanks, and both a welding and cutting torch. The gas can get expensive, though, if you've got a fairly big project going on.
 
ooooohhh yeah!!! big KA-BOOM!!! even the smallest will ring your ears. take a styrofoam cup, upside down, on the edge of a table, let hang over slightly, fill for a few seconds with ace, then lite it with a torch!!!! YEAH!!



dont use a lighter, you'll blow your hand off.
 
Back in the day me and my buds made an acetylene bomb in shop class. We had these folding metal welding booths... set it off in there. I think we were all deaf for a month. Blew the walls of the booth apart. Well worth the one week suspension! Explosion AND a vacation? Yes please! :D
 
put a small amount in a balloon and tape a spark plug lead into it then close the bonnet of the car and when the person starts it up ........Kaboom.......make sure they don't have a bad heart :laugh:
 
Teebs said:
.... Explosion AND a vacation? Yes please! :D
Click to expand...

:laugh::laugh::laugh:

650Skull said:
put a small amount in a balloon and tape a spark plug lead into it then close the bonnet of the car and when the person starts it up ........Kaboom.......make sure they don't have a bad heart :laugh:
Click to expand...

That sounds like a horrible idea!!! What if the whole car goes Kaboom?
 

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