auto dark welding helmets

[JAllcorn]

I found this article in Welding Magazine on auto darkening welding helmets and scanned it. 4 .jpg images. Sort of hard to read but good info.
JA

Copyright ed material removed. Use this link or this link

[cheftjcook]

It was an informative article, thanks for posting.
Especially for a novice welder like me.
Tim

[Ted T]

Thank You, Thank You, and Thank you, for the article.
It was very important reading for me.
Again, thank you!
Ted

[Quenchcrack]

I could not get the arc struck in the right spot with a conventional helmet. I just could not make a decent weld. Then I got an auto dark helmet at HF. I still can't make a decent weld but am no long in danger of going blind! I went to a flux-core wire welder and it does what I need to do. A bit messy but I can put the bead where I want it.

[jlw50]

I am a hobby welder and have considered getting an economy auto darkening helmet from Norther Tool. I have been concerned about safety though. I know that my fixed shade helmet works if I have it lowered, I am not sure about how to interpret the switching speed numbers, like what is too slow. The article had some information but not quite enough for me.

[Glenn]

There are several threads on IFI about auto-darkening helmets. One addresses the speed of auto-darkening.

[maddog]

I bought a cheapy auto dark from HF and it worked fine but you couldnt adjust the shade which is a serious disadvantage and it never fit right. Welding is a delicate tricky business and fighting a helmet that is sliding out of position doesnt help. I gave it away and bought a Lincoln from Lowe's for $100 which is much better. Sometime I would like to upgrade to a better one from Miller or similar.

The undarkened shade on the lens is about a #3 this is enough to protect your eyes from the UV in ordinairy cases unless you are welding with 1/4" rod and larger. The extra darkening that is triggered is for "comfort" the mfrs say. They mean so that you can see the weld thru the glare. These helmets are designed so that even if the electronics fails completely, you will not be injured. Consider the fact that companies like Lincoln are perpetually being sued by welders for injury by their products. They wouldnt sell these helmets if they didnt give failsafe protection.

I had this argument elsewhere online and actually did the math to calculate the exposure to the eye in the case a helmet failed. I guess if you ignored the fact that it wasnt darkening and continued welding all day, you could get into trouble. Also, and dont tell anyone I did this, I once absent mindedly put on my cutting mask, a #3 shade, and started a bead with the stick welder. The effect was like trying to do OA welds w/o any mask. It was way too bright to see anything. I stopped immediately ( one or two secs) with no ill effects. I didnt even have to wait for my eyes to recover. I dont recommend this experiment

[Quenchcrack]

If you are a professional welder, the HF version is clearly not going to meet your needs. Neither do their mechanics tools meet the needs of professional mechanics. However, I am neither so for those occasions I need to weld, the HF helmet works just fine. I have a 20 year old HP 42S RPN programmable calculator that I rely on, too. They don't make them anymore and I don't know what I will do if it dies. I refuse to use the TI wannabes and the Japanese machines with more buttons than Heinz has pickles. Use what works for you.

[bipolarandy]

has anyone used the aftermarket auto-darkening shades that replace a normal shade?

[PeterDE4]

I've used one for years. Mostly with stick welding, but more recently with MIG. I got it at the local welding shop when they first started coming out. It fit right in to my old helmet's 2x4 opening. My only objection is that I occasionally get a light flare if I'm MIG welding at a low setting. It's not enough to cause major problems, but it is annoying. My dealer told me that was a problem with the early models and that the major manufacturers have corrected this. It's a good alternative to buying an entire helmet.