[Tim1968]

hey guys, ive been doing some minor welding around the garage and ive been walking away with a bit of a headache afterwards. ive noticed that my harbor frieght special welding helmet it starting to have a 2-3 second delay in with switch from unshaded to shaded. i thought the arc was looking alittle bright but i hadnt welded in a month or so, so i chalked it up to that. but after having read the safety thread in the body shop thread and hearing all the horror stories ive decided that i like to see things and id like to not go blind at 23. so heres my question. where can i get a decent quality helmet that has the auto darkening feature, a comfortable head strap (with sweatband?), larger view window than normal, good over-head coverage ( i often have to turn off the overhead light in the area im working in to get a good view or put my hood up if im wearing one),preferably name brand for quality and warrenty purposes (3M, miller, etc.) and the most important feature....price. my range is up to about $300, i know you cant put a price on your health but....ok no wait you actually can. any suggestions of stores to look in or particular helmets would be appreciated guys. thanks. -tim

[AlexFolino]

i have not had the money to buy a self darnkening helmet yet but everyone i know that has the Harbor Freight self darkening helmet has had problems. They are rather cheap and arent made for the daily welder. Ive used a few Lincoln masks and Miller Masks and have been happy with both. Id aim a little more towards the Miller if you can.

[new2camaro]

I was a pipeline welder by trade. I started years ago with the old passive glass helmets. I have had many auto hoods. First was a Speedglass, Jackson, Huntsman and Miller. I would stick with Jackson,Miller or Huntsman. The biggest improvements in helmets is the large view window. In restoration use, Get one that has a flip up electronic window, but still has the clear glass in place for grinding ---- or better yet ----get one that has a grinding setting button. The older ones would go dark when the saw sparks from the grinder. Then you can,t see good detail. I buy mine at the welding supply called NORCO. My next one will be a Miller.

[TimSS]

I have had a SPEEDGLASS welding helmet for 5 years. I have used it nearly every day with no problems apart from replacing the batteries a few times.

[rs69ss]

Tim don't overlook welding fumes as the culprit. They have masks by 3M and others for this purpose.

[Tim1968]

yeah ed that definatly didnt help, the garage is all closed up for winter without any ventilation.

what do you guys think of this miller?
http://www.weldsafe.com/miller-digit...p-1-pr-14.html

it has the grinding mode like dennis had mentioned. im surprised how hard it is to find a plain looking helmet, the designs are nice and everything but im just a plain kinda guy

[Pro-Street69Camaro468]

I have a Miller that I bought two years ago for $250 at a car show swap meet I is nice because it can be adjusted for light sensivity for grinding or the problem I had was having a light bulb under the car and if you looked at it the shield I had would go dark..

[yellow69RS]

Let me go on record here to say I've had no problem with my Harbor Freight helmet. I was told that scratches in the glass make the worthless for vision protection. My main concern is that it is set dark enough for the type of welding I'm doing. I believe stick, MIG , and TIG require a different setting.

Jeff

[Zulu28]

Tim,
I have a Miller Pro-Hobby helmet and I LOVE it. I do switch between a faceshield and the welding helmet for grinding and such, but I really like it for the price. I bought it new on eBay for I think $170 or so?

I am glad that you are taking your health seriously... There are a lot of younger guys that I work with that think putting on a respirator or wearing safety glasses isn't cool or something stupid like that... You will live a long and healthy life if you take it seriously, which in turn will give you more years with your car!!!! (and the chicks you take out for a ride if you know waht I mean....)

[Lost in the 60's]

Originally Posted by Tim1968

yeah ed that definatly didnt help, the garage is all closed up for winter without any ventilation.

what do you guys think of this miller?
http://www.weldsafe.com/miller-digit...p-1-pr-14.html

it has the grinding mode like dennis had mentioned. im surprised how hard it is to find a plain looking helmet, the designs are nice and everything but im just a plain kinda guy

That is a really nice helmet and if it's a price you can live with.....go for it....
I hear ya about all the colorful graphics. Do flames, skulls and eagles make one a better welder ??

Originally Posted by Zulu28

Tim,
I have a Miller Pro-Hobby helmet and I LOVE it. I do switch between a faceshield and the welding helmet for grinding and such, but I really like it for the price. I bought it new on eBay for I think $170 or so?

I am glad that you are taking your health seriously... There are a lot of younger guys that I work with that think putting on a respirator or wearing safety glasses isn't cool or something stupid like that... You will live a long and healthy life if you take it seriously, which in turn will give you more years with your car!!!! (and the chicks you take out for a ride if you know waht I mean....)

I have the Miller Pro Hobby too that I got from the local welding supply when I bought my Miller Auto 180. Night and day from the passive helmets of old. My only problem is forgetting to turn it on for initial use..... I still flip it up for better vision when not welding. It may take a while before I get used all this new fangled stuff.....

[fredd7924]

i have a Lincoln helmet from lowes with an autodarking 11 shade. its not a bad helmet, but i wish i would have spent more and got an adjustable shade because 11 doesn't always cut it. it was about $100.

[zetaylor08]

Can I recommend not going to buy a whole new helmet. Get on the internet and fine your local welding supply shop and carry you existing helmet with you and just buy an auto darkening lens. The shop can recommend what will fit your hood and will run you about 100-150 dollars. Works just the same as buying a $250 miller but half the cost.

[GMJoe]

I bought a miller performance series for around $180 i believe, and i have no complaints at all.
Its comfortable light and most important its going to protect my eyes.
This model has auto darkening and a grinding mode, its a great hood for the price.

[Moonpie]

I'm on my second Harbor Freight helmet and it is better than the first one as far as seeing better before the spark. When my helmet starting acting up (the same way,too much delay) I found the contacts for the AAA batteries were a little corroded. Cleaned them up and installed new batteries and all is well.

[bill3337]

I've got the Miller '29 Roadster auto helmet (adjustable shade), I use it for tig welding. I've had it for about two years and its been great. I had an Optrel before this one and it was good, but failed after 2 years. It's my understanding that other than the bright light the lenses will protect your eyes from the harmful rays, even if it doesn't auto darken, although you will still have problems from the bright light.