Skull helmet is it any good as first

[hobo]

Hi am looking for a helmet for mig welding and as am a novice is this going to be any good?

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/AUTO-DARK...=UK_BOI_ProtectiveGear_RL&hash=item4d05c608f8

Cheers Hobo

 

[Engineer1964]

Hi am looking for a helmet for mig welding and as am a novice is this going to be any good?

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/AUTO-DARK...=UK_BOI_ProtectiveGear_RL&hash=item4d05c608f8

Cheers Hobo

I guess for a novice it would at least stop you from getting Arc eye, But only you can inprove your welding not what you decide to wear

Also i don't know how long they would last, I suppose if you got 6 months use from one you'd be lucky

 

[hobo]

mmmmmm not that great then if you can only use for 6 months. Im not wanting to spend a fortune on a mask as need everything really but would like it to last a bit longer for a similar price. any suggestions?
Or has anyone got one of these and can tell me any more.

Thanks for the reply
Hobo

 

[Engineer1964]

mmmmmm not that great then if you can only use for 6 months. Im not wanting to spend a fortune on a mask as need everything really but would like it to last a bit longer for a similar price. any suggestions?
Or has anyone got one of these and can tell me any more.

Thanks for the reply
Hobo

To be honest hobo you only get what you pay for, i might be wrong and it may last for years and years, but then it could last a few days, As with any safety equipment i'd always go for the best you can afford, after all you only have one pair of eyes.

There seems to be somecheaper welding helmets on ebay or if you just want cheap get a fixed shade, Jackson or similar

For someone who don't do so much welding or at least every day for a job your eyes are much more sensititve to arc flash and radiation as opposed to say someone like me who's been welding for almost 20 odd years, now i could walk past someone welding look at the arc without so much of a blink,( not on purpose mind you) and i would be ok to a certain extent, but a newbie or someone who hasn't done much welding would definately get some arc eye discomfort.

 

[Will_Davis]

The best investment you can make is in your helmet. I used to weld ( Stick / Mig ) with a hand held mask

No wonder I couldn't coordinate anything properly.

A decent welding helmet will allow you to use both hands.

Now when it comes to quality:

A good set of replacement gloves: €20
A good helmet €100
A replacement welder: €500 or 1000 depending
Gas and electic; Its what you have to pay!!

A new set of eyeballs: Not currently listed on e-bay

Your eyes are your most valuable asset - its not worth the risk

Will

 

[jonnyBMX]

probably not best to go for one like that, just get a nice simple one that does the job SWP do ones for around £60 i think? a m8 of mine has one and has no problems and when i used it it seemed very good,

i have a 3m 9100 series and a 3m 100V and both of these are very good masks if you can stretch to a top range one... its best to the difference if very noticable.. when you use a cheap mask... and go to a good one you can see so much more

 

[chunkolini]

I wear a top of the range Optrel helmet which was worth the expense.
But I have three of these for customers to wear when I do sculpture making courses.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/160779121770?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1438.l2649
I have tried them and they feel fine in use, good visibility and adjustable shade,
For the price twenty five quid you cant go wrong. They feel a bit fragile compared to the Optrel but that was over 10x the price,

 

[PTvor]

That skull thing seems to be fixed shade, which is a pain. From the the shape, it looks to give less cover than the conventional ones.

Generally, I think you're best avoiding anything silly and gimmicky like that anyway.

A lot of people on here seem happy with the £25-£30 ebay helmets, such as Chunko pointed out.

 

[hobo]

cheers guys after looking round the site i got a sif lite adf mask so hopefully a good one

 

[Mr Grumpy]

cheers guys after looking round the site i got a sif lite adf mask so hopefully a good one

It is.

Bought some of those recently as they appear to be highly regarded on here.