auto drakening welding helmits

[1986fordranger]

hey guys i am still looking at different welders and i was woundering what you guys use for auto drakening helmits i am looking at a $49 one from harbor freight and i was woundering if theres any way to test it before useing , can i lite a propane torch in front of it and see if it drankens down or what would you seggest , thanks

 

[88_Eddie]

i have a lincoln auto darkening helmet from lowes. works great. i dont know how i used to use a regular one

if you wanna test it, just put it on and go outside and look directly at the sun on a bright, clear day. any bright flame or light will work though. mine will sometimes stay on when the metal is glowing from welding.

 

[kcm1582]

Personally I don't trust any of Harbor Freight's welding equipment. There are much better choices out there and can be had for less than $150, I know it seems like a lot but your eyes are worth spending the extra money on. I have a Miller Pro-Hobby and love it's much more comfortable than the HF and definitely better built.

There is no real good way to test one but I have used a led flashlight to trip mine a few times.

Here is a few good sites to look around on to get a better idea of what is out there.

http://store.cyberweld.com/autdarwelhel.html

http://www.weldfabulous.com/Welding-Helmets/c503419/

 

[Captain Ledd]

hey guys i am still looking at different welders and i was woundering what you guys use for auto drakening helmits i am looking at a $49 one from harbor freight and i was woundering if theres any way to test it before useing , can i lite a propane torch in front of it and see if it drankens down or what would you seggest , thanks

I had one of those (it was TSC, but it's the same model and everything else). I guess it worked for the one semester welding class I had, but if you're investing on it to use for a while don't bother. It gets slower and slower, and eventually won't react fast enough. This is what mine did.

In all seriousness, spend the money on a good one. Why?

Even the fanciest, most expensive welding helmet is cheaper than a set of eyes.

Get one with at least adjustable shades, at least 2 sensors (preferably 3 or 4 or even more if they have those now), and get the highest speed possible (probably the most important actually).

http://www.toughweld.com/products/1727-halo-x-hlx100-welding-helmet-heavy-metal

I got this helmet with the NexGen EQC filter, that was $320. Though they do offer Professional EQC for just over $200. The large viewing area is is something I can never be without again. This is the cheapest base helmet, ones with designs are a little bit more $$$. All the lenses offered on this helmet are just less than twice as fast as the Harbor Freight helmet and will have a much better shade.

Those are the only 2 eyes you'll ever have, how much are they worth to you?

 

[n_grimm]

The first one I bought from Harbor Freight lasted four years and I recently bought another and it works fine so far.

 

[Hahnsb2]

Never had any problems with HF auto-dark helmets.

 

[The Mud Addict]

I have a H.F. for use at my personal shop, have a Miller Speedglass for use at work

 

[Colin]

all depends on how much welding you'll be doing, if it's not that much the HF will be fine, if you're going to be doing alot of if, say like professionally, then go all out.

 

[1986fordranger]

yeah thats the reason even if it works right now in two minutes who knows , i think the hf is 1/25000 sec and i know i saw one for around $150 with 1/12000 sec so i guess i will poney up and buy a brand name one , i was thinking can i just use a regular type of helmit and put a light in front of it to help me see better before i start the arc , thanks

 

[Hahnsb2]

i think the hf is 1/25000 sec and i know i saw one for around $150 with 1/12000 sec so i guess i will poney up and buy a brand name one

If that's true, the HF is over twice as fast for 1/3rd the cost...

 

[4.0B2]

i have one from HF, and a lincoln one.. i don't prefer one more than the other...
i like my HF one. its like everything from HF, i wouldn't recommend to a guy making his living doing the work. but a guy thats a weekend builder on his own stuff- its great.

 

[kcm1582]

It's not only about speed its also about reliability. I have heard way to many stories about them failing or people getting flashed to trust them.

 

[alwaysFlOoReD]

I'm using a $50.00 princess auto welding helmet, same as h.f. I think. It works OK but one control button has fallen off and it'll go dark if I have a 100 watt trouble light too close. I haven't got a flash from it and I'm in some pretty awkward positions sometimes. If I had the money I'd buy a brand name that has more sensors so I wouldn't have to worry about where my helmet is [in relation to the sensor and the arc].

Richard

 

[kunar]

i have used a couple of the harbor freight helmets without problem. at work we have a miller helmet, one of their bottom end ones, and i have been flashed too many times. i prefer the harbor freight helmet over the miller helmet for sure.

 

[nate09]

I used to use a HF helmet and it worked well for awhile. After some time it began to stop darkening when it was supposed to so i replaced it with an Esab NEW-TECH 6-13 XL ADC, yes it was expensive but its worth every penny considering it's my job. Miller didn't offer a helmet with a larger viewing area and wanted more for a helmet anyway.