helmet ?

[travis]

anyone ever use a ebay cheap welding helmet ? i see some cool looking auto darkning ones around 50$
watched the youtube on cheap harbor freight ones i am thinking its about the same thing

[Rambozo]

anyone ever use a ebay cheap welding helmet ? i see some cool looking auto darkning ones around 50$
watched the youtube on cheap harbor freight ones i am thinking its about the same thing

I've used a few of the HF ones, and while they have some issues with low amp TIG, they work ok for most things. I still tend to use one for stick welding to keep my better helmets from all the smoke and spatter. I would guess that you're right and most of them probably use the same filter. At least with HF, it's easy to return a defective one, as QC is hit and miss on anything that low priced. With a coupon you can typically get them for $39 and sometimes even less.

[everlastsupport]

I got one once for like $29 with a 20 or 25% coupon and it was on sale. I still have it. People that want to stay and watch use it, it works quite well.

You can start with one of those, if you're doing MIG or stick, get some extra plastic lens for it. Then when the lens gets buggered up beyond cleaning it, you just put another one in. When the lens is clean, life is good.

Later, get a 4 sensor for TIG, as you move around things a show will affect the dual sensor helmets and you could get flashed a bit.

[sportbike]

I just received a Lincoln Viking 3550 Foose edition helmet. I'll make some comments once I use it. The size of the view is insane on this thing.

[everlastsupport]

I just received a Lincoln Viking 3550 Foose edition helmet. I'll make some comments once I use it. The size of the view is insane on this thing.

Snap up a picture of the view window if you can. Was a gift, prize or what did it set you back?

[sportbike]

Snap up a picture of the view window if you can. Was a gift, prize or what did it set you back?

I picked it up off of ebay for $195 shipped with some extras thrown in. It is actually a 3350 (still the big view one, I just typed the model number incorrectly)
I really didn't care about the graphics, but the price was right. I figured I might as well move the ppe up a notch from teh harbor freight one I have. Not to say that price necessarily reflect a "safer" product, but it had good reviews and has the huge view window.

I'll try to get a few pics.

[everlastsupport]

WOW, found a black one for $205. That is a giant lens.

[DaveO]

Does the increased lens size mean a decreased darkening time?

Edit- looked it up-
Light to Dark Switching Time 0.00004 sec. (1/25000 sec.)

[jameslo]

HF helpmets work, but the optics aren't real good. You'll have darker areas and lighter areas. If you don't have an auto-darkening helmet, then the HF one would be a step up, but I'd keep checking Craigslist and pawn shops.

I managed to find a Jackson auto-darkening helmet in a pawn shop for $35. I bought it and ran before they figured out what just happened.

[joshuab]

I have used an HF atuo-dark hood pretty much since I started welding. It's their $60 or so second-tier hood, as opposed to their $30-or-so hood. The second-tier hood has both fast and slow speed (return-to-clear) and high and low sensitivity. The latter is really what makes it worth it, as it makes it more usable for low-amperage TIG. The optics are nothing to write home about, but it's perfectly functional. For about the same price, I could get a fixed-shade hood with a much nicer amber glass lens, but I'm not sure whether having to flip the hood down before welding would be more harm than the mediocre optics on the auto-dark. I know lots of welders flip the hood all day long, but I never did learn to strike an arc well (blind) with a standard hood, and now that I haven't, I probably never will.

[Blaster]

The HF helmet I got kept Flashing me with TIG, my friend says he's had the same problem.

I picked-up an Optrel 680 on eBay (stole it sniping the auction, last second, for $156) and, I think because Optrel isn't as well known as Lincoln/Miller, you can still come across deals on them. Optrel is right up there with Any professional helmet!

[joshuab]

The HF helmet I got kept Flashing me with TIG, my friend says he's had the same problem.

Again: the lowest-end one has this problem. The 2nd-tier one has a high-sensitivity switch that deals with it, at least for me. It usually goes back to clear just at the very end of tapering off an arc with the pedal, but by then the arc is dim enough that it practically doesn't matter.

[Jason]

I have used a HF helmet quite a bit for MIG and it was ok other than the it seemed like I had less view than I do with my Miller Digital Elite. Never tried the HF one for TIG.

[Zoomie]

I also got the plain black viking 3350 hood (model K-3034-1 I think?!?). I'm getting older and struggled to see anything but the puddle with my old HF hood (Jody Recommended) I didn't have this issue when I began using it and it served me well through a mig welding class and 2 years of hobby welding. I see the HF unit as money well spent. On the other hand, the Viking has a HUGE viewing area and really adjustable. It allows me to set the filter so that I can still see the work's detail. It truly helped immensely. I bought it at my LWS for $230. I found it online cheaper but was unwilling to wait for shipping.

[Chrisp]

Don't scrimp on an auto helmet, you only get one set of eyes. The cheap ones switch a fraction slower than a quality lens does. I've had a jackson helmet and a huntsman 951P with an AV VXL 4x4 auto dark cartridge. The huntsman wins hands down. I bought the cartridge 8 years ago, and the only thing I've done is change batteries and lens covers. Just my 2 cents worth.

Chris