Welding helmet

[john fletcher 1Participant @johnfletcher1]

I would appreciate any advice on which auto darkening welding helmet to buy for use with Arc and Mig welders. Also the price to pay, and as I'm in no hurry I can wait for some thing from PRC or maybe one already here in UK. John

[john fletcher 1Participant @johnfletcher1]

Mig ‘stick

[Phil WhitleyParticipant @philwhitley94135]

I have a lidl one for about £20 and a machine mart one for about £40, the lidl one is better, and has a battery powered led light as well, I wouldnt recomend these for serious all day welding, but they are all built to the same standard as far as the self darkening bit is concerned! You can pay an awful lot, and not get a lot of improvement, and some of the pro ones I have used are heavy. Also use myy Lidl one for TIG as well You can vary the shade, reaction time, and sensitivity. One thing I am going to get is one of the hats that attaches to the screen to stop light getting into the mask from above, which is a constant problem as I do most of my welding looking down on the job, and have fluorescent lighting.

Phil

[KWILParticipant @kwil]

Yes you definately need a hat, to protect your head and keep the light out.

[Nick WheelerParticipant @nickwheeler]

Make sure you buy an adjustable one, that is light enough for the welding you'll be doing. You don't want, let alone need a 13 shade for thin sheet metal. My welding improved the instant I swapped to a lighter shade.

[Chris TriceParticipant @christrice43267]

Most BOC outlets have welding masks like this where their retail counter is. They only stock "good" ones that are not unduly expensive.

[Pete.Participant @pete-2]

Avoid the dirt cheap no brand ones, I bought a different model of this brand, not being sold anymore, but this is the model that's currently on offer, and they are noticeably better quality than the unbranded ones all over ebay, on offer at £37.99 it's a bargain

**LINK**

[Harry WilkesParticipant @harrywilkes58467]

I dont do much welding these days but was attracted to the Lidle one mainly due to the price so far it's proved to be OK

H

[David Standing 1Participant @davidstanding1]

I use a Parweld XR935H.

Once you have gone to an auto darkening helmet, you will never go back to a manual flip one, and your eyes will thank you!

**LINK**

[martin perman 1Participant @martinperman1]

I have a Machine Mart Helmet that is Automatic and has a variable adjusted shade which I find helpful for arc and mig welding and the screen can be switched to clear when using the angle grinder, it wasnt cheap and also not expensive.

Martin P

[Robert ButlerParticipant @robertbutler92161]

ESAB Robert Butler

[Dave HalfordParticipant @davehalford22513]

Just don't forget to switch to clear when you put it away.

[WindyParticipant @windy30762]

With most of my tig welding it was very low amp settings for the thin stainless tube I was fusing together.

I read somewhere be careful with some auto darkening helmets as on such low welding settings they might not darken.

[PlasmaParticipant @plasma]

I bought an ESAB warrior helmet for mig and plasma cutting. The salesman said all the money goes on the auto darkening kit on cheaper versions which is why the headbands fail etc. Its light and strong and a happy medium at around 60 quid.

[ScrumpyParticipant @scrumpy]

As for which welding helmet to purchase the question you have to ask yourself how much do you value your eyesight purchase the best that your can afford I have a Boc one and Esab

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

It's worth point out that 'Plasma' is correct the main difference with cheap helmets is their comfort and durability, not their protection.

Even on cheap helmets the auto darken insert should meet the standard by having a UV filter which will work even if the darkening fails. The darkening is essentially a 'comfort' feature so turning it down does not affect the UV protection.

The conclusion from this is that if you only weld a few times a year for short jobs, you can get away with a cheaper helmet without risking your eyesight or your safety (plus autodarkening helmets are safer than flip down ones because there is much less chance of accidental exposure to the arc).

Neil

[PlasmaParticipant @plasma]

Thanks Neil, but it was the advice of the welding company I found for my consumables. When you consider a commercial helmet would have been £300 + I think the Esab is great value.

I also bought a pair of welders safety boots with a leather flap instead of laces and a leather welding jacket which will save me hiding yet another jumper I have burned holes in. For around a hundred quid I'm safe as houses. Wish my welding was as good!

[Paul Relf-DaviesParticipant @paulrelf-davies37806]

I bought a 'Tacklife PAH03D' (LINK) from Amazon a few months back. it's currently about £50. It seems extremely good. It is very comfortable & the view you get of work is excellent.

P.

[Russ BParticipant @russb]

I have 4 or 5 helmets, ranging from cheap fixed shade ESAB's to my £1200 3M 9100FX helmet with 9100XX glass.

Going from one end of the spectrum to the other, I find I get best visibility on the fixed shade glass! in my opinion, they seem to do a better job at blocking the arc without blocking so much light you can't see what you're doing. If you can used to starting blind it's the way to go especially on a budget.

I bought a £120 3M 100v series, great helmet but as above, despite being good quality, and my go to helmet actually, you can see more with the fixed shade, but its comfortable and quality.

I have just bought a 3M 9100FX helmet with 9100XX glass (its a modular system, you can get various different UV filters depending on budget). The auto darkening filter on this helmet is very different to the cheaper £130 100V, for a start when you turn it on, the shade changes immediately, so it's obviously using power to become clearer, when tinted it is also more clear the 100V, allowing me to see more of what's going on around my weld, more like the fixed shade helmet – it doesn't seem brighter, but somehow I can see more?

And finally, I also have a cheap Chinese helmet (ive had 2 actually, the current one was from Cromwell, the other was eBay) I wouldn't recommend them at all, they clearly give me headaches and sore eyes, I suspect the time they take to switch isn't any where near as fast as they claim and you get a bit of a flash each time you start, and possibly the UV protection isn't what it should be – I'm sure they claim to meet all the required standards but who actually checks, and who could be held to account. The one from Cromwell doesn't have a brand on it, I know it's their own brand but they aren't taking responsibility.

I'd happily have another £120 3M 100V although I haven't tried ESAB's offering for that price range so I can't say which is better.

[Dave HalfordParticipant @davehalford22513]

I've had arc eye and with respect sore eyes is not a description of UV damage. Someone pouring hot sand in your eyes at 3am is.

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

Posted by Plasma on 25/02/2019 12:32:36:

Thanks Neil, but it was the advice of the welding company I found for my consumables. When you consider a commercial helmet would have been £300 + I think the Esab is great value.

I also bought a pair of welders safety boots with a leather flap instead of laces and a leather welding jacket which will save me hiding yet another jumper I have burned holes in. For around a hundred quid I'm safe as houses. Wish my welding was as good!

I was agreeing with you. The more you use the kit, the more it's worth spending on a visor*.

Neil

*rather than sad graphics…

[blowlampParticipant @blowlamp]

I got one of these a few years ago and it's very good, quite comfortable as well.

I remember that the number and location of the helmet's sensors is important, particularly if you're working in cramped conditions or at low amperage. If the sensors can't see the arc then it'll be unable to react as it should.

Martin.

[PlasmaParticipant @plasma]

Neil you're so right. Neat graphics don't protect your eyes. As is anyone who supports good quality protective gear. I too have had a dose of arc eye when I was an apprentice and the pain is excruciating.

I also have clear glasses next to all my machines to avoid hunting for them. Having bits of metal picked out of your eyes is also no picnic.

[Kenneth DeightonParticipant @kennethdeighton43272]

Just a small point , if you wear light reacting spectacles try to use plain lense ones, I found this out several years ago when I started wearing glasses and could not understand why my welding was not as good as it used to be , I was unable to follow a straight line etc welding went back to normal after the change.

Ken.

[martin perman 1Participant @martinperman1]

Posted by Kenneth Deighton on 25/02/2019 19:55:28:

Just a small point , if you wear light reacting spectacles try to use plain lense ones, I found this out several years ago when I started wearing glasses and could not understand why my welding was not as good as it used to be , I was unable to follow a straight line etc welding went back to normal after the change.

Ken.

I wear reactalite glasses and never had that problem, when I'm wearing my helmet its very dark except for the lens and they dont change even when I'm outside welding.

Martin P

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