welding helmet help

[camjeep3]

I start school in a few weeks for welding and of course we have to have our own helmet, as well as some other stuff. When I have welded in the past I have only used the cheap ones from lowes or the ones that come with the welder, or my grandfathers 10-15year old speed glass helmet. I know I don't want to go get the cheapest one out there, and I'm not about to spend a small fortune one one either. I really like the auto dark feature. What would you guys recommend? I will be using it alot obviously :wrench:

[KYMJ]

You opened a can of worms there- look at the welding forums and read the answers about the cheapies. Having said that, I don't care what people think, so, I bought a cheapie auto darkening helmet. Probably wouldn't if I needed it as much as you. It works fine, I really like the auto dark feature, but will upgrade eventually. Probably in the $100range, which would include the Hobarts at the local Rural King or something like it. I'll be watching the sales.

[neohic]

If you're after cheap, easy to handle, and just about bullet proof, then you can't go wrong with a Jackson HSL 100. It uses a standard 4"x5" cover lens which you pick up just about anywhere for about a quarter a piece. Huntsman makes a good product too and they use the same size lens. From there, the options for a Jackson shell can be use for a laundry list of auto darkening lenses. I would suggest the NexGen. Miller also makes a good product. Don't fool around with the Pro-Hobby of Performance series. I'd go straight to the Elite. Again, cover lenses are easy to come by but are Miller specific. The down side to Millers are that the helmet shells are sort of flimsy. They're great for an educational purpose or even for the happy home-hobbyist however. You can't go wrong with just about anything from SpeedGlas either. Really, the sky is the limit for options on welding helmets... just think of them as good tools that you get what you pay for.

[Exxon Valdez Jeep]

I like my hobart auto darkening helmet from tractor supply. its pretty lightweight and yet durable, it rolls around in the back of my jeep half the time. I got it on sale a couple years ago for $60 and its normally a ~$100 helmet. A couple guys I work with use the same helmet and they weld and gouge all day long with it, so its good enough for me.

[cody4359]

when I'm welding alone my speedglass is ok, but when I'm at the shop and another person is welding near my it autodarkens when its not supose to which is pretty annoying. one of my boss's has a millerhood without that problem and the other has an optrel which is what i want to get next. fits good, looks, good, operates good and has a grinding setting as well as auto on.

 

 

 

http://www.fairburyfastener.com/optrel_satelite.htm

[Exxon Valdez Jeep]

...and has a grinding setting...

 

My next helmet will have one of these, they

[camjeep3]

I definitely see this as an investment. I'm going from a weekend welder/hobbiest to where I will be welding everyday, so I know I don't want a piece of crap. I think I will start off using my grandfathers speedglass, I'm the only one who uses it anyways. After a while if it doesnt seem to fit my needs I can go from there I guess. Are any of yall career welders?

[neohic]

...and has a grinding setting...

 

My next helmet will have one of these, they

 

All of my darkening helmets have this setting and I really don't care for it. Yeah... it's nice if you're up in a man-basket or something to the like, but the grinding setting is still only as big as the viewing area. On top of that and depending on the helmet, some aftermarket cover lenses are not Z-87 approved. Buying the cheaper lenses to save some coil can void manufacturer's warranties.

 

That brings up another swing to things... the cover lenses. If you're buying your own (many employers will supply them if you use a standard helmet) consider the cost of them and think about how many you might use in a month, week, or maybe even per day. That all will depend on how much welding you do, why type of welding you do, and if you can refrain from trying to watch the weld puddle on the molecular level and can keep your face out of the spatter/plume. A big, fancy SpeedGlas with all its sexy lines might cost anywhere from $7 to $15 for a pack of five lenses depending on the supplier. Where as a Jackson could be as low as a $10 for a box of 40.

 

 

Are any of yall career welders?

 

Multiple 6G certified welder. I've had all kinds of cool jobs... for years I did repair work on anything from lawn mower handles to chromoly chassis, I did stainless milk pipe mixed in there for a while, recently been working in an aircraft facility doing jig work and frame repair among machining, wood repair, body work/paint, and a technical college instructor in welding technology for going on four years.

[camjeep3]

Are any of yall career welders?

 

Multiple 6G certified welder. I've had all kinds of cool jobs... for years I did repair work on anything from lawn mower handles to chromoly chassis, I did stainless milk pipe mixed in there for a while, recently been working in an aircraft facility doing jig work and frame repair among machining, wood repair, body work/paint, and a technical college instructor in welding technology for going on four years.

awesome, I take it you enjoy what you do?

[neohic]

Are any of yall career welders?

 

Multiple 6G certified welder. I've had all kinds of cool jobs... for years I did repair work on anything from lawn mower handles to chromoly chassis, I did stainless milk pipe mixed in there for a while, recently been working in an aircraft facility doing jig work and frame repair among machining, wood repair, body work/paint, and a technical college instructor in welding technology for going on four years.

awesome, I take it you enjoy what you do?

 

You might say that. There's just something about watching that little 3000* puddle. Whether it be from a roll of 1/16" metal core wire being fed through 45 volts or walking a bead around on 24 gauge stainless... yeah, I'd say I like what I do. The trick is not to just chase a paycheck. Currently in the US, there a need for about 230,000 welding jobs and that number will only go up. If you look at the average age of a production welder, that number is 55 years old. Over the next ten to fifteen years, the number of available jobs may close to double! What we need right now are younger aged individuals to get exposed to the manufacturing environment to try and spark interest... pun intended. You're heading in the right direction that many employers like to see people coming in and applying who are younger and have some welding education. For one, they have less time training you in, and two you aren't coming to a different facility already with "bad habits". Yes, there will still be some training, but it'll be showing you how they want to see things done and not to hear, "Well... that's how I've always done it!". After school, you'll have plenty of options as far as where you want to go and what you want to do but keep in mind that "not chasing a paycheck" comment. Employers still like to see their workers stick around for a while, gain some seniority, and climb the ladder. In my part of MN, employers all have roughly the same starting pay and they know it. Anytime that someone posts up a fifty cent more per hour rate, another employer looses a bunch of workers and they have to start all over again. It's unfortunate, but it happens. What works out so much better is just find your niche and just keep at it both for you and the employer. Think about you ultimate goal too. Do you really want to be just a welder for the rest of your working life? Probably not... but for some, they're happy with what they have and just leave well enough alone. There's way more than just being a trigger puller or a machine operator in the welding community. Maybe you want to be a lead man one day and overlook production. Maybe you want your own pipe rig and travel around the country. How about custom fabrication? Just like picking out a new welding helmet, the sky is the limit for options but you need to understand that you have to start somewhere... typically that's at the bottom. While I have had a bunch of cool jobs in welding, they seem to overlap each other by quite a bit. While doing repair, I started working weekends welding on stainless pipe. It wasn't that I didn't enjoy doing repair work anymore, but it was more of a change in how the company was being run. I went to just working part time there and that freed up all kinds of time for my other job. Repair slowed down and then I moved into education. Moving across the state meant letting go of the pipe gig. Now at the school, I've got a four day per week schedule leaving some open time at the end of the week for welding on airplanes. I've learned a ton of stuff from each job that I've had and I've never left an employer without either being as high as I could advance or close to it. Now I'm going to correct myself when I said that I like what I do... it's more of a passion! Find something you like, keep at if, climb the ranks, and be successful.

 

... I thought we were talking about welding helmets... :hijack:

[cody4359]

that last post was way to long to read man :smart:

[camjeep3]

Awesome Post! I really appreciate that, very encouraging. Around where I live I have some large comPanies always in need of Welders as well as duke energy. So that's an option, and you are right I don't just want to be a welder but I'm perfectly content taking a job at the bottom to figure out what direction I really want to go. I have always enjoyed welding and making things when I have messed with it I am actually excited to start school. I never thought I would say that!

[camjeep3]

here is the helmet I think I'm going to use, going to look into replacing the lens.

[JeepcoMJ]

I have the same helmet. Only deficiency is that no one ready stocks replacement lenses for it. I have a ton of spares, and can get you the info to order more.

 

nothing compares to the durability of speed glass. Drop it from 20 feet, it's fine save fire a scratch or two. The little side lenses are a nice feature, and they just work fantastic.

[camjeep3]

good to know. where are you getting your replacements?

[xjrev10]

The best helmet I ever has was a Jackson. Tough as nails, no auto darkening, no frills.

 

I used it when I was doing some extremely heavy work building mining truck dump bodies. Running 3/32 dual shield wiring for 10 hours a day and lots of air arc work.

 

For school I had a few Hobart Hoods cuz they can be had easy locally with fancy paint jobs. They break and burn up easy with too much heat from air arc or heavy stick and wire welding.

 

Currently i have a speedglas. I can't remember what the heck it is, but I believe they only made the helmet for a couple years and stopped. Cover lenses are 15 bucks for a box and I have to wait a week to get them.

 

I worked 5-6 years in the welding field. I was certified in 6G D1.5 if I remember correctly and the plate "bridge" certification. I loved welding, building things, making a mess etc.

 

But sometimes even after all that you still tend to 'fall' into a job. I'm now a truck driver in a mine and soon ill be operating every piece of equipment in the mine...I look at my welding as something I can always fall back on after a couple days of tuning back in...