Do auto darkening welding helmets work? Are they worth buying?

[addjunkie]

I have a miller with flames…..my Mrs always picks it up if shes required to hold anything for me, and I get the cheapie.

The flames didnt improve my welding, but wearing my glasses did!

 

[prepman]

Now I have in both helmets - 2.5x cheeter lenses - as I am old and my eyesight is degrading.

I really struggle with age to see a weld pool in Aluminium.

Ditto.

 

[prepman]

The only thing it might do for the "Babes" is cover up your ugly faces and give you a chance of impressing her, before she runs away with fright...........

I've never been so offended.......wait........yes I have.....

 

[selectedgrub]

And I thought I was special that one time she asked me to weld naked with just my flamed mask on.

 

[addjunkie]

And I thought I was special that one time she asked me to weld naked with just my flamed mask on.

Thats one way to get an allover tan!

 

[prepman]

And I thought I was special that one time she asked me to weld naked with just my flamed mask on.

We just end up as a woman's plaything....then cast aside. That why I got the Gingour mask.
Couldn't stand been 'pawed' all time.

 

[selectedgrub]

^^ And that there is the down side of owning a flamed helmet.
Seen it happen many a time.

 

[prepman]

^^ And that there is the down side of owning a flamed helmet.
Seen it happen many a time.

So true....so true.

 

[prepman]

Yes, I agree
3M do a nice airflow model 9100XXi that makes you a professional overnight.

£450 Yi Caramba!

 

[selectedgrub]

But you wouldn't need to come up for air.
You'd be mauled instead of pawed.

 

[Stupoty]

Ive got a sip 2300, its been awsome so far , its got a nicer lens clarity than the very similar price generic that i replaced due to soldered in battery failure.

The sip has easy battery replacement i think i have changed them once in maybe a couple of years.

I got mine from cpc who are weirdly chargeing nearly 80 squid for it now(didnt pay that was like 38 quid) but tool station have them for £36

SIP Meteor Electronic Welding Helmet

• Variable shade: DIN 9-13• Plasma shade: 5-9• 4 shade for grinding• 4 ARC sensors • 4x light sensors powered by 2x CR2450 batteries

www.toolstation.com

Stu

 

[bricol]

And it is simple - since buying an auto helmet - the major bonus is - I start welding in the exact place I want to start a weld pool.

The big benefit for me was that I stopped lifting the mask into place to perfectly shield my eyes . . . about a second after I started to weld . . .

 

[paulo1974]

£30 one from Lidl (with flames )
Perfectly adequate for my diy/ hobby use. Replaceable AAA batteries.

that £30 lidl one has almost left me blind it works ok on mig and mma but it doesn´t work on tig. 2 weeks of eye pain

 

[prepman]

that £30 lidl one has almost left me blind it works ok on mig and mma but it doesn´t work on tig. 2 weeks of eye pain

With both of mine, Fusion and Gigour, it turned out to be sensistivity and delay settings that weren't high enough. Kept getting what seemed like flaring. Hurts like ....!

 

[Bornfree]

I've got a parweld xr938h that I use for Tig and it's lovely but for mig and stick I still use a handheld. I guess iam old school.

 

[Kram]

You shouldnt get eye pain, is it not triggering reliably? If so replace. The plastics should be inherently opaque to UV and IR, meaning only visible light could get through, and then thats just upto you to set the brighness

 

[Jack Ryan]

that £30 lidl one has almost left me blind it works ok on mig and mma but it doesn´t work on tig. 2 weeks of eye pain

The UV and IR protection should be permanent, just the visible light is affected by the light/dark switching. This from a Speedglas manual:

UV/IR protection: According to shade number 12 (permanent)

Also from a Speedglas manual, a description of the sensitivity settings:

Position 1 Least sensitive setting. Used if there is interference from other welders arcs in the vicinity.
Position 2 Normal position. Used for most types of welding indoors and outdoors.
Position 3 Position for welding with low current or with stable welding arcs. (eg TIG welding).
Position 4 Suitable for very low current welding, use of inverter type TIG welding machines.

Some helmets just don't work with low current TIG.

Jack

 

[prepman]

You shouldnt get eye pain, is it not triggering reliably? If so replace. The plastics should be inherently opaque to UV and IR, meaning only visible light could get through, and then thats just upto you to set the brighness

Correct. The blinding light is not UV but very uncomfortable. I think only borosilica is permeable to uv also? Standard plate glass filters most out.?

 

[Beanwood]

Auto darkening helmets are brilliant - until....

I went to the garage today to do a little bit of welding. Out of gas - swapped the bottles over... set it all up, started AGAIN to do some welding - helmet battery flat. No problem - I have 2 helmets - so switch to helmet #2 - ALSO flat battery.

Disappointed that my old cheapie helmets don't appear to have replaceable batteries.

End result - no welding today, and on the search for replacement Auto darkening filters, or a replacement lid...

 

[bourbon]

stick them in the sunlight for a few hours