speedglas flex view or fx

[wheresmejumper]

has anyone tried out the speedglas 9002 flexview,its the newish(?) model that the front raises for grinding

Its either that or the more expensive 9100 fx im thinking of getting,but itll have to be an internet buy as no one anyway local stocks them.
they are a lot of money for a blind buy though.
just wondering how they compare

 

[Welderpaul]

I have not used the one in the photo (the 9002?), but i do use the 9100FX day in day out.
They are very good; highly recommended from me.

 

[wheresmejumper]

do you use it with the adflo unit Paul?
is it a lot heavier or bulkier than the non fx version?
the one pictured is about half price of the 9100 fx

 

[hotrodder]

While the flexview and/or adflo flavours got a stay of execution the 9000/9002* has been discontinued for a while now... http://products3.3m.com/catalog/
Which lens is in the 9002FX you're looking at? If you want to use it for TIG as well as other processes then it needs to be the V or X. Looks like the D lens in the pic which (officially) won't like TIG below 20A so means it'll possibly be prone to flickering/getting confused at anything less than 50A in real life

Not an adflo but i've had a 9002x for a good while now. The 9002 is infamous for mickey mouse head gear (comfortable but 'out of the box' needs constant tweaking to find the sweet spot between being too tight to nod down and too loose to stay up) but it's so good elsewhere i can forgive them for that

* same shell, the 9000 became the 9002 when they changed the lenses eons ago. The 9100 range uses a different shell so cover lenses etc aren't interchangable. The head gear is one area they've supposedly improved lots

 

[Welderpaul]

do you use it with the adflo unit Paul?
is it a lot heavier or bulkier than the non fx version?
the one pictured is about half price of the 9100 fx

I use the Adflo with it, essential i think. The muck that comes out of the filter at the end of the day is scary! Filters are pricey though - factor this in when you are thinking about the purchase. The Adflo beeps and cuts out once the filters get blocked, so you always need to have spares on hand. Batteries last a good 8 hours. I bought a spare but not had to use it yet. No doubt the battery will degrade over time.
I used to use the Esab Eyetech with airpack before i got the FX. It is night and day difference. At the time i think i likened it to the difference between having a plastic plant pot on your head to having your head between Holly Willoboobies chest. Head gear wise i think 3M have managed to sort the problems now. Lots of padding in it, ideal for wearing for 8 hours a day + I think it is marginally heavier on your head but as it is so comfortable, you soon forget about the weight.
Handy just to flip the screen up for grinding rather than having to take screen off/find glasses etc. Plus, you have the advantage of the air feed whilst you are grinding. Saves on a lot of black snot.

Horses for courses..the FX kit is expensive (£600 trade inc Adflo/bag etc) and running costs not cheap, but if you do a lot of welding it is a good one to get.
Never had the non FX one, so can't really compare it.

 

[wheresmejumper]

thanks lads

I would only use an x lense if i go for the 9002.if i can find a 9100 cheap enough i would get the xx.
budget isnt as big as i would like,if it was i would just get the whole package
but i can piece together a new 9002xfx for about €250,or buy the 9100xxfx for €420 in Rapid
if i am happy with the helmet i can retro fit an adflo unit then,as i cant justify(or afford) spending the whole amount on a helmet i dont get on with

main use would be 75% stick,25% tig,but its the grinding between stick passes that gets at me.horrible.overhead extractors do nothing for it.

 

[Sparkey]

I've used the one in the pic for about a year or two (give or take) and i had a hard time getting used to it.....maybe that's just me but they're heavy (due to the flip up front screen i guess) and i got hung up in the belt of the adflo more than once! (that still happens to me sometimes! lol!!)
But now i use the 9100 and it's a lot lighter!!! and yes the head gear improved a lot over time!!! I think speedglas finally heard all the welders wine about their crappy head gear!

And oh yea, don't eat too much baked beans with fried onions when you wear your adflo unit..........you will enjoy that all day long.....

 

[Welderpaul]

The Adflos have a flexi hose on them which is handy rather than a fixed-length hose as per the Esab.
Still a pain when your are climbing inside/over a big job and you catch the hose...you manage to get about 2m away from it before the screen is ripped off the back of your head and bounced off the job.

 

[Sparkey]

Haha yeah it looks kinda stupid too when you get jerked backwards like that! lol! i sometimes swing the hose like the pink panther does his tail, that's funny!
And if they ask what's the helmet for??? sssssssst don't tell, i'm a power ranger!

 

[wheresmejumper]

My bloody pc packed up today, had to replace it with a tablet.finances have taken a hit so a plain old dust mask will have to do for now