Thread: Advice from welders please

Hi guys

I know many of you are knowledgeable about engineering etc, I'm after a welding helmet but know very little so need your advice please

Are the ones in the link below any good? They seem cheap but are.they any good as I see can spent a lot on a helmet, only need for occasional home use

https://www.trademe.co.nz/1925928271

Thanks

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had one on the workbench about a month back. the lcd failed 1/2 way thru a weld and the owner got to see the arc.
go to a shop and buy a quality brand, your eyesight is worth it

Very cheap. I had one to start off but quickly upgraded. Remember its your eyes its protecting........

Big difference is the sensors detecting the arc, what type of welding are you wanting to do?

The auto helmets are primo but if your not welding a lot just get a fixed shade one. Cheap and I know plenty of professionals still using them.

I use to use an auto one this is only my opinion with the experiance i had but after weldig my eyes were fuked for 3 or 4 days went back to a manual one and they are fine my guess is even milliseconds of welding flash damages your eyes i know heaps of pros that still usr manual helmets mt one wasnt a cheap one either

Back in the day when there weren't feck all auto ones around you could only get good ones and even better ones (like 8-900 bucks). My boss had the even better one and I think you could adjust not only the sensitivity but also the reaction time. Really good for tig work.
Nowadays there are a bunch of cheap ones around and I bet they are definitely not as good.
Mind you I did some low amp tig work the other day with my gas welding goggles.
Couldn't see shit all through my welding lens-just too dark. Wouldn't want to do too much-get wicked sunburn otherwise

The screen activation time is critical with these, you need to take that into account for the type of welding you are going to do. Tig work needs a helmet with a very fast activation time, mind you no flash at all is what you want.

I still prefer the manual type. The auto ones had just come out when I was doing my time and tried one for a while. Was good for lots of tack welding, but had sore eyes after. My helmet doubled as glasses when grinding etc and the auto was to dark to see clearly. Lenses were expensive to replace when scratched as well. Plus I very much doubt it would’ve survived the falls my old one did whenout jobbing on building sites, being blown off rooftops etc. None of the ol’ timers tried them a second time either.
In their place they’d be good, just wasn’t suitable for me

They were good for learner welders because they didn’t get flashed when their coordination slipped. They could get ready and then pull trigger, strike arc without flipping the lens down

Situation with dumb dark glass is usually helped a bit by a brightly lit, white painted work environment as you can then see enough through the glass to orientate yourself.

Thanks for all the advice guys, I knew there would be some knowledgeable folks here. Sounds like I might go.with a manual one for now and not risk a cheap auto

Thanks all

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I reckon it’s worth spending the $100-$150 on a auto one from welding/engineering shop for DIY
I’ve been using one heavily for a couple of years no complaints.
If it’s for diy you’ll find a manual one a pain depending on your welding skills...
I find the pros who are still using manual ones are doing big runs, not much tacking/alignment and also are skilled

The trick I've seen a pro do with a manual helmet is to do it up at just the right tightness point that it will just stay up,
Lift it up, get all the bits lined up then a quick nod of the head and it came down and he started welding then

Worked for him, maybe everyone does it that way?

I used to work full time as a welder, I use a manual helmet most of the time, it takes more time to get used to but you end up getting less flash than an auto darkening.
The key is how you setup the tension on the hinge for the right head flick to close
I would buy a manual helmet first as any will do and usually $20-40 and if/when you get an auto darkening helmet you can still weld something when it runs out of battery.
I have a big screen auto darkening Lincoln but they are over $400.

Had a wall full of dead auto helmets from the last 15 years or so, my go to used to be the 100-150 dollar auto helmet from trade suppleyers....most of em had the same shit with different stickers very similar/same to your trade me add but the difference is I could walk accross the road litterally and throw it at the salesman and demand a new one when it shit itself and shit itself they did! a year was very good going for one and that was a 3rd helmet I kept only for shiny tig work so not being abused.
Good gear has come down in price tho, still have a 1800 dollar helmet I almost never use(miller) and have gone from the budget end of the trade range to the middle range miller at around 500 for the bulk of my work as it still gets thrashed.
Still have and will always have a manual helmet and yes set to drop at the slightest nod but she dont get much use these days!

I use to blink when striking an arc just for that millisecond arc
Got a nice Optrex helmet in the shed not been used for quite a few years
Good for production work

I use to sell welding equipment (Miller for Weldwell)
When the lenses that fitted in a standard helmet first came out would drive around with one on the dash to charge it up for demo