So its time to ditch my handmedown helmet and buy a new one. What are the differences? What about those auto darking ones? How about the leather ones that are easy to pack on the trail? <IMG SRC="smilies/confused.gif" border="0">
Edjumikate me? <IMG SRC="smilies/biggrin.gif" border="0">

I say keep it simple and stay away from the auto darkening ones. I'd just get any brand with a shade #10, and a visor that flips open for grinding and such.

I know they say those auto hoods are fast, but I guarantee their not faster than light! Just seems that split second exposure would have an effect over time, and you only get one set of eyes. Take care.

I've probably only got about an hour of total welding time but as a beginner who has welded with both the always dark helmet and the autodark helmet I'll always invest my money in the autodark ones. It's so much easier to just leave the helmet alone and be able to see what I'm doing.

I use a speed glass helmet 8 hours a day, and love it. The best thing about it is that I need a darker lens then a #10. It adjust all the way upto #13. I use #11 with a 250 miller and use #13 when I run a lincon duel sheld ( 32 volts @ 525 wire with .045 gets pretty bright). <IMG SRC="smilies/smile.gif" border="0">

It also is the longest helmet that covers my neck with out a duck taped piece of leather on the bottom.

[ 10-15-2001: Message edited by: badfish ]

Originally posted by BigBadBob:
<STRONG>I've probably only got about an hour of total welding time but as a beginner who has welded with both the always dark helmet and the autodark helmet I'll always invest my money in the autodark ones. It's so much easier to just leave the helmet alone and be able to see what I'm doing.</STRONG>

if you have good light, and a clean lens, you can see enough through a 10 shade to position, i uded an auto that sucked once, but regardless its not worth the money

I have used both auto helmets and regular ones. They're both workable, but I LOVE the auto.

J. J.

well if you are fabbing and need both hands one to weld with and one to hold the metal or something the auto all the way. other wise i would just get a regular one and when i needed to weld just shake my head to get it to flip down.

I love autos but if you are not a full time fab guy , and have limited funds I would say forget about spending big cash , and stay with say a plain jane Jackson shadow big or small window (appx $30). On the other hand if you weld for $ or just have $ to spend or have several different welding processes you use TIG MIG Stick FC then buy all means spend $299-320 for a variable shade Jackson EQC (what I use -have had for about three years use it daily no failures- only one change of batteries) or speedglass your choice the cheapos are not the same as the high end ones AT ALL! Those leather foldable would be cool for on the trail welding I may have to get one off those soon!!! hope this helped abit.
weldpro

on the trail I use a beer bottle.
a brown one. works great.
a 40 oz works best.
and 2 optimas whith batery cables.

I weld often. I only have the regular helmet, #10 shade. What I do is like what the other guy said. I position the metal and gun and then shake my head and the helmet goes down and I weld. Works.

BUT, there are sooo many times, (most times) where I wish I had an auto darkening one. Would make my life sooo much easier. I guess you can just close your eyes for that split second when you weld to let the auto darkener work, and then open it again and weld..... <IMG SRC="smilies/confused.gif" border="0"> maybe? just thinking out loud here.
Boss

personaly it took me long enough to get used to that head flip part that now its too hard to think about using an auto darken. plus u know just almost flawlessly they are gonna do their job every time. plus they are cheaper

I've had 2 Jackson brand helmets. Both used
the large window. The first helmet was a fixed-shade type. it was OK. The second helmet is an auto-shade, large window.
My biggest complaint with the jackson helmets
are the CHEAP-SHIT headgear they use.
THEY SUCK. period.

My new helmet is a Uvex auto-shade. The
headgear is totally adjustable, the helmet
isn't heavy.....

For a cheap route, buy one of the fibre-
material helmets, they're light.

Look on Ebay for this stuff. I bought mine
from "BRWELDER" ...

Sherpa

Personally I think that .0011 of a sec (on the low end of the speed scale) is plenty fast for the conversion. I don't know how many times I have flashed myself with a flip helmet. When I can afford one, I will be using one.

Here is an ebay search this morning.

Auto-darkening Helmets (http://search.ebay.com/search/search.dll?query=auto+darkening+helmet)

I learned on a flip helmet several years ago, but after just a few times welding with an auto helmet (a GOOD one) I simply HATE welding without one noe <IMG SRC="smilies/frown.gif" border="0">

Just gotta save my pennies to buy one <IMG SRC="smilies/biggrin.gif" border="0">

Originally posted by SweetCJ7:
<STRONG>Personally I think that .0011 of a sec (on the low end of the speed scale) is plenty fast for the conversion. I don't know how many times I have flashed myself with a flip helmet. When I can afford one, I will be using one.

Here is an ebay search this morning.

Auto-darkening Helmets (http://search.ebay.com/search/search.dll?query=auto+darkening+helmet)</STRONG>


I agree - an auto darkening helmet keeps most of those flash accidents from happening. Also helps a lot when you are welding in poor light