MIG mask. Do you get what you pay for?

[T_i_m]

That's my point about checking out the running cost of a helmet in advance.

Noted and was on my checklist from the start. ;-)

The esab A40 is £23 for a pack of 10.
I don't expect you will get a 5 pack for the A50 for less than that.

You can get a complete helmet on ebay for £22.50!!

Yeahbut isn't that like saying you can spend more on a tyre for your Bugatti Veron than you might pay for a complete second hand car? ;-)

You might also be able to buy spare outer lenses for the cheaper helmets and they too might cost more than the helmet and are we even comparing like with like quality-wise?

I found this a few times with spares from the likes of Machine Mart. A new pump for my de-greasing tank was nearly the same price as a new tank and a new pressure gauge for my 10 tonne hydraulic press was equally / disproportionally expensive?

 

[T_i_m]

The A50 has big fancy curved lenses and yes they are quite expensive.

Yeah, I can imagine they would / could be (price gouging along with higher manufacturing costs).

30 years ago I bought an electric car, it was the Moke version of a small production run saloon car. The mokes screen was flat (so easy / cheap to replace) whereas the saloon screen was very curved and a replacement expensive (around £1000 *then*).

Neorion - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

The A40 is a different design altogether and more "regular"

Honestly I'd just buy an A40 if i were you, and be done with it. The kit comes with a couple of free lenses

ESAB Savage A40 Welding Helmet - Black

ESAB INTRODUCE A BRAND NEW ADF WELDING HELMET TO THEIR RANGE!The new SAVAGE A40 helmet replaces the old ESAB favourite, the Warrior Tech. Inspired by the success of the Sentinel A50, this new model has a range of features that provide the welder with ideal functionality, performance and comfort. Pro

www.weldtech.co.uk

I think I'm getting close to the A40 ... I quite like the honest simplicity of it and according to your link, a pack of 10 genuine ESAB spare outer lenses are £1.68! ;-)

I like the fact that you can also buy a new headband assy for under a tenner, given how often people say their headbands have broken on other makes / models. ;-)

 

[Munkul]

The headband on the warrior is one of the best headbands I've ever used. Simple, well padded and durable. Almost as comfortable as the Sentinel headband (which is second to none IMO)
I believe the Savage headband is very similar. Like you see, you can get spares really easily. They're not throwaway lids, they're designed for use and abuse Just at the cheaper end of the spectrum. Brother has used and abused his Warrior for a few years now.

 

[T_i_m]

The headband on the warrior is one of the best headbands I've ever used. Simple, well padded and durable. Almost as comfortable as the Sentinel headband (which is second to none IMO)

I can't say comfort is something I've consciously considered but I think I'd pickup on any discomfort if I experienced some (like if a headband pinced, had a sharp bit on it or clamped your head in one place. Apart from when I built the steel tri-fold doors on the garage when I was welding on and off for a couple of days, I've never really had to wear a mask for that long.

I believe the Savage headband is very similar. Like you see, you can get spares really easily. They're not throwaway lids, they're designed for use and abuse

The use bit is good and I don't generally abuse my tools (I even (normally) keep my mask in it's box on the shelf). It's just good to know it *can* take some abuse, should it happen by accident.

Just at the cheaper end of the spectrum. Brother has used and abused his Warrior for a few years now.

Good to get some RW feedback.

 

[T_i_m]

Possibly on the same theme of 'getting what you pay for' ... a mate just bought a new multifunction (DC) welder and the first time he used the stick clamp, it snapped!

Looking at it closely the plastic body broke where the lower / fixed jaw is moulded into the handle and the plastic profile showed there was hardly any thickness at all! ;-(

We managed to bodge it up to finish the job but the design / manufacturing was disgusting.

I still have the torch that came with my SIP150 and that's been accidentally dropped, trodden on and generally 'used' over the years and it's still intact, 40 years later.

I wonder if when things were made then they were generally made to a minimum / reasonable level of functionality, rather than just to a price? ;-(

 

[northwest]

I think the most elegant of all the sighthounds is the Afghan Hound but I wouldn't want to do all the grooming. ;-)

What is this "Grooming" of which you speak?

I haven't managed to get George to stay still long enough to even think about getting the brush out, never mind actually grooming the bugger.

Afghans are great, but be prepared to have them try your patience to the very, absolute, limit.

 

[T_i_m]

What is this "Grooming" of which you speak?

Hehe.

I haven't managed to get George to stay still long enough to even think about getting the brush out, never mind actually grooming the bugger.

When we first got the terrier he made it very clear he wasn't going to be put in the bath to be showered off. Then we put the cavashon (who was used to and enjoyed it) in ... and thinking he was missing out on something, the terrier then jumped in on his own (to then drink the bathwater). ;-(

Afghans are great, but be prepared to have them try your patience to the very, absolute, limit.

Ah, is that a known character trait?

Cheers, T i m

 

[T_i_m]

Can't quite belive this but aliexpress seems to have them for under a fiver?

I can as I have been involved in making a product to be sold by a UK retail chain and the process was an eye opener.

Retailer decides what it can sell it for (say £19.99) and so will pay you £4.99 for it made, boxed and landed in the UK.

You want to make £2 out of each one so need to get it designed, made, boxed and shipped in from China for £3.99.

Then you sit down and see where you can reduce component and assembly costs and how many you have to get made to get the required price breaks. ;-(

Then once someone starts making them in China, someone else copies and undercuts them! ;-(

A mate went round Shenzhen and he said it was an eye opener. Tall buildings with multiple suppliers of often just one thing (like LCD panels) on each floor and sometimes even multiple buildings selling the same thing.

They don't really hold much stock of anything there, they are just a marketing / store-front with some samples for the manufacturing facilities and they all try to outbid each other to get the work.

I believe the whole zone is sort of like a separate part of the country and was setup as a special economic zone.

 

[T_i_m]

When I couldn't find my shield and needed to tack the stub axle up the other day, a good neighbour leant me a couple of his, a used one that I also used (that's down the garage atm) and another that he said was new and unused that I left in the box.

I just checked it over and it's an 'Expert Weld XWH7' and appears on Amazon and here for £12.37!

I read elsewhere here that the rating is often marked on the module and apparently this one is a 1/1/1/2?

Not True Colour but at that price I'm not surprised. ;-)

He recently bought a fancy AC/DC TIG welder but I don't think he's used it yet so when he does I might try doing some comparisons with him between all our masks.

 

[T_i_m]

I've been through a few but like my esab savage. In your budget and it's taken a bit of stick

Ordered. ;-)

 

[MysterG]

Ordered. ;-)

Yellow I hope

 

[T_i_m]

Yellow I hope

Nope, black as I have no desire to both be *and* look like a minion (thanks). ;-)

I have however ordered the obligatory flame sticker set so that should help. <weg>

It's funny how old age memory loss and time work ...

I came across this (also me) whilst Googling for the make / model of my old mask that I've 'misplaced' (I have the box and instructions though) and I seemed to know in 2015 it cost me around £100 in 1998?

A 'Translight Vario' and the instruction book shows all the parts were available with part nos etc.

I also brought the other auto helmet my neighbour leant me up from the workshop that I used for the tacking job the other night ... a 'Sungie J191U' but there is no sign of any spec (other than DIN5-13) and I can't find it on the net. I'm guessing it's another Chinese cheapy?

While I was down there I measured the MIG wire and it was .75 (so .8) and the welder itself, a Lincoln SP170-I.

The wire speed knob goes from 1 to 10 and according to the spec the wire speed goes from 1.3 to 10.2m/min so does that suggest it does display the actual wire speed? I was using the MIG Setting calculator on here and it suggested that there may not be a direct relationship?

Checking that I have it right, if I was welding some 3mm steel to 5mm and using .8mm wire I would set the wire speed to ~5 m/min but I can't what power it would need to be set on? The other knob (voltage) goes from A to E and according to the spec it also goes from 30 to 175A (upper settings limited by the duty cycle etc) so as it's stepped, do I just divide the current range by the number of steps, choose what I think is the right current for the thickness then tweak the wire speed to give the best result? Or do I set the speed to 5m/min and then the 'power' (voltage) to what matches that?

I'm switching the voltage but if it's linear that would result in A=30, B=66, C=102, D=138 and E=175A?

And why A to E and not something more tangible?

Interested minds etc. ;-)

 

[T_i_m]

I think I've untangled the code at least ... via the table in the handbook.

The solution wasn't as scientific as I would normally expect but at least there is some sort of answer re what to set for what. ;-)

I already have .8mm wire in there and as near as you can get to BOC Argoshield Light as you can get off rental so the Battleships code is 'E-8' (assuming I can actually power that from a std 13A socket as it mentions 'Input Amps 20')?

 

[paulo1974]

I`m late for the party but i`m looking for a good mask. I'm looking at bohler guardian 62f at 155 euros. There are also the spartus 330x (true colors) and the 901x but I don't know nothing about it, the rating are what they are because I can mark the lens as 1/1/1/1. Who is manage the ratings besides the manufacturer?

 

[tracyjones_1]

In general and for things I'm buying for my normal light / diy type use, that is the threshold I aim for. Good enough to reliably do what it says on the tin but without spending extra for unwanted bits of ranboo mask that I'm either unlikely to use, wouldn't work very well if I tried or fancy badges etc. ;-)

Exactly.
The best welding helmets weigh less, are more ergonomic, and provide better vision, faster transition, have more trigger sensors, and sensor toggle for grinding. some have built in PAPR’s. 3M sells a welding hood with PAPR for $500. It is mostly a point of pride to get an expensive mask. After all everyone wants a gold toilet and titanium crowbar.

 

[Barlidge]

Not read all the replies but simply yes - when I upgraded my £50 jobbie to a Viking 3350 the difference was night and day, a few others have said the same. That's not to say you cant get the job done with a cheapie, just easier and nicer to see what's going on with a better one.

 

[Munkul]

I`m late for the party but i`m looking for a good mask. I'm looking at bohler guardian 62f at 155 euros. There are also the spartus 330x (true colors) and the 901x but I don't know nothing about it, the rating are what they are because I can mark the lens as 1/1/1/1. Who is manage the ratings besides the manufacturer?

The ratings aren't all they're cracked up to be.

You do generally get what you pay for.

 

[GafferTapeKing]

I think there is a factory churning those mask modules out at a frightening rate.
The 9-13 is referred to as the shade scale on the box this came in

 

[Kram]

My old cheapy failed today and no longer goes dark.

Lots of suggestions in this thread and I got a bit lost. Could somone give a quick summary of best choices under £50, £75, £100, and any good places to buy them?

Thanks!

 

[Ubique]

My old cheapy failed today and no longer goes dark.

Lots of suggestions in this thread and I got a bit lost. Could somone give a quick summary of best choices under £50, £75, £100, and any good places to buy them?

Thanks!

Very happy with mine - under £75 from here https://www.hisltd.co.uk/ProductDet...lmet-SH-5-13/8ee5dd0bbd4e4ef1aaa795b434c56895
Over £100 everywhere else.