Choosing a welding helmet

[InTheDark]

Hoping to get some advice from people more experienced than me. I'm looking into getting a new welding helmet, but not sure what to be looking for. I'll be using it mainly for TIG welding, with some MIG and arc welding occasionally. I am interested in trying those new autodarkening helmets, I hate having to flip the hood down with my neck, but I'm a little hesitant to trust my eyes to something like that.

Are there any standards in welding helmets that I should be looking for?
What's a acceptable rate for the autodarkening helmets? Are they safe to use, and are failures common with them?
How is the degree of darkening set?
Will a cheap one from Harbor freight work as well as an expensive one (maybe not so much in quality, but is in blocking harmful radiation?
Any other recommendations? I've looked at Hoodlum welding gear, some of those helmets look pretty cool, but seem a little overpriced just for some graphics.

My budget is roughly around $100, I want something that will do the job at a reasonable price, but dont' mind spending more if it's worth it. It's mostly hobby stuff, so I don't need the latest carbon fiber, titanium, gold-plated, diamond encrusted helmet. I guess I'm looking for something equivilent to the Nuwai QIII in welding helmets, great performance at a reasonable price.

 

[V8TOYTRUCK]

I have the cheapo Harbor Freight one, and it works great, I only tig with auto-darkers. I have noticed on some of the older cheapy autodarkers is a delay in reaction! .5 or 1 second reaction time isn't going to cut it when dealing with the speed of light. The one I have reacts in 1/25000 of a sec.

 

[AJ_Dual]

I don't weld, but I have used the Harbor Freight cheapie as well. My friend uses it as a loaner, or if someone is watching over his shoulder.

(Has a seasonal landscaping business and does his own repairs and maintenence whenever possible)

It worked well enough. No spots in my eyes etc.

I suspect that the LCD and electronic assemblies of many of the high end helmets, even if "made in USA", come from China anyway.

 

[DaGunn]

Wow, there is auto-darkening on welding helmets? It has been a very long time since I was a welder... the lesson that I learned the hard way is that the standard lens for Arc welding (10 rating) is in no way sufficient to protect your eyes when Mig welding (need a 12 rated lens) for long periods of time.

Dave

 

[BatteryCharger]

I've also got one of the harbor freight auto darkening helmets that I use for MIG and arc welding. Works great. No reason to spend two or three times as much on a name brand...they all work the same.

 

[mahoney]

If you only have $100 to spend, you are pretty much in the HF/Made in China price range. Most of the cheap helmets are only one shade when dark, usually a 10 or 11. Some of the cheap helmets can be very sensitive, so much so that if your shop is brightly lit, they'll be dark all the time.

Whatever you buy, make sure it has batteries you can actually replace. I've bought a few of the Optrel "solar powered" helmets that, as it turns out, do have internal batteries (you just can't change them without cutting the case open and melting out the potting) I had a little chat with the manufacturer about how unhappy I was that they had built that kind of planned obsolesence into a line of $250-$500 items.

Keep a protective polycarbonate plate over the filter at all times. The pink/purple/gold plating on the front of the lense unit is what protects your eyes from the UV and IR. The LCD auto darkening part is only dealing with the "visible" light part of the spectrum. If you scratch the plating, throw the unit out.

If you already have a helmet, you can get auto darkening inserts that fit in the regular lense space for about $80-150.

 

[Darell]

AD helmets are the only way to fly. They are, in fact, safer than the flip-downs if used properly. I say this because even when "off" they offer 100% of their UV protection (but when "up" the standard hemets don't offer ANYTHING). The darkness of the AD helmet is for comfort, and in the good AD's you can adjust the shade. Do NOT waster your time on an AD helmet that you cannot adjust! Being able to vary the shade is about half the advantage of these things!

I researched the hell out of these things a while back, and there are many good ones out there. I went the relatively cheap route with a Miller Elite Big Window. The Optrels are great and so are the Speedglas... and many others. If you aren't doing much welding the HF jobbies will probably be just dandy. Just be sure you can adjust the shade!

Reall, the only problem I've had with mine is forgetting to put it on first. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[InTheDark]

Thanks for all the advice. I went out to harbor freight and bought one that was on sale for $50. They had some that ranged from $50-$100, but it seemed like they all used the same type of protection filter, so I don't know what the price difference is for. Seems to be fairly comfortable, with a dial to adjust the degree of autodarkening from #9-#14, and a couple of switches to adjust the trigger sensitivy and off delay time. No replacable battery, but supposedly the internal lithium (w/solar cell) is good for 6 years.

I did do some research on some of the welding forums for more info, but so far I haven't been able to find a single site that could really tell me what the difference was between a $50 HF helmet and $300 Lincoln or Miller or Hobart helmet, other than comfort and name brand. Some people rave about their HF helmets, while others seem to dismiss it as junk just based on the cheap price alone. If I had read any type of warnings or experience about a cheap helmet not offering enough protection, I would have gladly spent $300 for a quality helmet. My eyes aren't something I'd want to risk, but so far there doesn't appear to be much risk in using a cheaper helmet.

I was worried about the auto-dark delay, so I chose the one with the fastest 1/25000 second response time. The few times I have used and AD helmet, I just instictively blink when starting the arc, and I'll probably keep that habit until I feel comforatable with this helmet. I am still wondering what a more expensive helmet gets you in terms of eye protection though. It'd be nice to have some actual test data or tangible facts to compare, rather than opinions. Because comparing specs alone, my harbor freight helmet appears to react quicker, offer more protection, and have more features than a $400 miller.

 

[COMSEUR]

I read the title as: "Choosing a WEDDING helmet" at first...
Sounded interesting, so I looked... /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif
Freudian slip, I guess...

 

[AJ_Dual]

My guess is that the more expensive American helmets have better padding, ergonomics, straps etc. Even if "made in the USA" its the actual helmet fabrication. The electronic components are all offshore, perhaps from a higer quality OEM though.

I can't fathom that the electronics and the LCD window for any helmet are manufactured in the U.S. Even the highest end electronic consumer goods are usually made in the Pacific Rim somehwere, with the exception of some Euro brands made in Ireland...

 

[Darell]

That's correct about the electronics being made overseas for all the ones I've looked at. I chose the more expensive miller for the big window and the replaceable battery and the comfortable headgear.

Again, the "response" time is great, but you are fully protected from the UV even before the helmet gets dark. Blinking can never hurt though! Sounds like you got a great deal. I'm glad you got one that was adjustable! You'll find the sensitivity adjustment to be invaluable if you ever weld outside in the sunlight. You'll need to dial the sens dial WAY down for that!

I agree that we need more test data on these things. All the welding boards are full of these questions... and very few answers.

 

[InTheDark]

After playing with my helmet for a while, I think I can probably guess what the difference is between a cheap and expensive helmet. On my HF helmet, the darkening doesn't seem to be consistent throughout the field of view. The center is dark, but on the edges I can tell it's lighter. Kinda similar effect in using a polarizer in a wide angle lens.

I'm assuming maybe a more expensive helmet would have a consistant shading all across the screen. I'll have to drop by a welding supply store to compare to a high-end helmets. But I'm not too concerned about it, because as Darrel mentioned, the lens is 100% UV blocking at all times, the darkening is more for comfort, plus all the welding I do is at a bench with the work directly in front of me at all times

If I have time one of these days, I'll bring in a few helmets to test at my work. We've got the equipment that can measure this kind of stuff, so I'll be able to get some hard data on the effectiveness of light transmission of the different helmets, plus maybe the actual response curves. That's if I'm not too busy welding. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[js]

A little late here, but I will have to agree that AD helmets are the only way to fly. Having to nod your head just so to get a manual helmet to fall down sucks. TIG welding is hard enough to do well (for me at least!) without having to deal with that nonsense. When I took my welding course I very quickly decided that I didn't feel the need to become proficient at the manual method.