Slick 60's

I'm looking for recommendations for a good auto-darkening welding helmet that will give me a better chance of actually "seeing" what I am attempting to weld. Under $100 if possible.

Background: I purchased a MIG 175 welder from Eastwood's a few years back. It came with a "free" helmet and cart. Due to a variety of reasons, I have only used the welder once. The welds looked like crap, but they held fine. Problem was, I couldn't see crap with the helmet on. I couldn't see where I was welding. I thought it was just me and my old bad eyes, but I had a guy working with me this weekend who has a lot of welding experience. I didn't trust my welding skills (?) to weld the hinges on my gate. He couldn't see anything either, so I am convinced it's the helmet that's causing part of the problem. I want and need to practice welding so I can improve my skills.

I am looking at this one: https://www.amazon.com/Antra-AH7-860-00 ... 7-860-0000 I can get a very similar one https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01EL ... WVJYOAGKHO for about 1/2 the price, but the viewing area is not as large as the 860.

Thoughts?

I like your first choice best. I would say you have to dark of shade in the helmet you have now. You can get lighter lenses for it. That would let you see better.

cheater lens might help too mine is 2.00

Mike

jkimbrel65 wrote:cheater lens might help too mine is 2.00
Mike

Is a cheater lens a magnifier?

I know some may disagree, or throw a fit, but we had high dollar Miller helmets at work (around $400) and I fell in love with the adjustable auto dark helmets. I bought a cheapo from Northern Tools for home. I've built 2 race cars from scratch, done all the welding on my slick (a lot!) and done a lot of fab work and body work on other projects and I like the cheapo NT helmet as much as the Miller. Some say they don't darken as fast but I've never felt a problem in my eyes, even after more than a 12 hour day of fabrication on roll cages. Got it to get my by while we were running 2 welders one day. Never regretted it. Here's what I have and it is adjustable just like the Millers we had at work. They make nicer ones for close to $100. Only drawback to this one is once the battery dies, you throw it away. I've had it for 8 years now, still works fine.

http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/ ... _200657844

I will probably step up a little for the next one when this one dies but I've been really happy with it. Another thing to look for is a weld/grind setting.

My next one I will probably step up to a bigger glass, too. Makes it a bit easier to see with my bi-focals.

SPark

I like my miller pro hobby. I would say it's an entry level auto darkening helmet. It's as fast as all but the very expensive elite helmets. It uses easy to find AAA cells. I only wish it had a grind mode.

I never wish for a larger viewing area...I always think it's funny that they advertise helmets a lot by viewing area when you are only looking at a puddle that is 1/4 in around.

Nic

SPark: I looked at that one also. Sure had a lot of good reviews (591).

Nic and SPark: With my old eyes (I'm almost 74) I need all the help I can get in not only seeing the pool but also where I'm going with it, so I'll probably go with a larger screen. I won't know for sure until I try it.

SPark: I just looked the Miller Pro up and the new ones have a grind option.

Thanks guys.

All auto-darkening helmets have one flaw, get a spark on the lens and it's ruined. However, I have two cheap variable Harbour freight helmets and these do well enough, although I somehow ruined one not to long ago by getting a spark on the darkening lens. I keep two around one for my home garage and one at my shop. Cannot use standard single color lenses anymore. The reason I keep two is that if you ruin one, then you have a spare.

64 f100 wrote:All auto-darkening helmets have one flaw, get a spark on the lens and it's ruined. However, I have two cheap variable Harbour freight helmets and these do well enough, although I somehow ruined one not to long ago by getting a spark on the darkening lens. I keep two around one for my home garage and one at my shop. Cannot use standard single color lenses anymore. The reason I keep two is that if you ruin one, then you have a spare.

I have been happy with my HF auto darkening hood as well. I do very small jobs from time to time and have done well for the price.

When you're wearing bifocals and laying under a vehicle trying to weld to the side you need all the lens area you can get, at least I do because my helmet goes sideways no matter how tight I have it. My helmet has a replaceable plastic cover to protect the lens. I wouldn't consider a helmet that didn't have the replaceable lens cover. My next helmet will definitly have the larger lens. The job I learned to weld on I went through one of the large rolls of wire a month. I didn't wear bifocals back then but I still would have liked a bigger viewing area.

Gritsngumbo wrote:

jkimbrel65 wrote:cheater lens might help too mine is 2.00
Mike

Is a cheater lens a magnifier?

Yes

Mike

Do yourself a favor and spend some money on a helmet. The higher end ones are adjustable and are better on your eyes for bigger projects.

I have a Miller, don't know which model. I'm pretty sure it was in the high $100s. I also have a Harbor Freight. The harbor Freight helmet is for projects where I have to crawl around on the floor, and under a vehicle, where it has a higher probability of being damaged.

I used the cheap one for a big project one time and my eyes were sore by the time I was done. It must be the delay between the flash and the time it takes to darken. You are not aware of the flash, but your eyes do see it for a small fraction of a second and over time, it takes its toll.

I used to have to stick my head in small places to weld on flatbed trailers. My welding helmet was a piece of filter glass held in my left hand between the arc and my face. Good thing I don't have to do that crap anymore.

I have been using a Harbor Freight helmet for the stuff I do around here, and it has worked well.

Dan

I bought a Antra from Amazon not the ones you listed but similar for around 50 $ it has adjustment on the outside for what shade you want and had grind mode and I am satisfied with it. I had another cheapo from somewhere else and it craped out after a couple years. Tom

As usual, I'm driving myself nuts comparing items before I actually pull the trigger and purchase. This time it's a welding helmet. I appreciate all of your earlier comments and recommendations.

I just ran across this one, the Striker Supreme and it looks darned good for the price: http://www.usaweld.com/Striker-Supreme- ... upreme.htm

Would appreciate opinions if anyone has time to take a look.

Gritsngumbo - this is the helmet I use for welding on a daily basis.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00CXWYN ... NCS80AY7QH

8-12 hours of TIG M-F, and before I did got my TIG gig I used it for 8hrs of stick welding per day. My eyes have never been sore from it (although being 26 might help) and it's been quite durable over the last 2 years. My uncle is an iron worker (hes 60) and he uses it for structural steel welding - lots of flux core and heavy duty stick welding. He doesn't have any complaints about it either, and recommended it to me.

It's a similar price point to what you're looking at and a Google search of Weldcote Klear View Plus should pull up more specific specs on it.

Hope this helps

ThinLizzy13 wrote:Gritsngumbo - this is the helmet I use for welding on a daily basis.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00CXWYN ... NCS80AY7QH

8-12 hours of TIG M-F, and before I did got my TIG gig I used it for 8hrs of stick welding per day. My eyes have never been sore from it (although being 26 might help) and it's been quite durable over the last 2 years. My uncle is an iron worker (hes 60) and he uses it for structural steel welding - lots of flux core and heavy duty stick welding. He doesn't have any complaints about it either, and recommended it to me.

It's a similar price point to what you're looking at and a Google search of Weldcote Klear View Plus should pull up more specific specs on it.

Hope this helps

Thanks for the info. I haven't heard of this one. It hasn't popped up on any of the reviews I've seen. I certainly take a look at it.

grits, this is what I bought and it seems good to me and good reviews also and half the price. Tom

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00BW ... UTF8&psc=1

I appreciate all of the welding helmet recommendations. I considered each one and the more I read and looked the more confused I got. So on Christmas Day I decided to pull the trigger and purchase the Antra 660. Almost the same unit as the 880, but the window is not quite as large. Since I'm probably going to need a cheater lens (and most are a standard 2X4" or so), the larger window didn't seem as important. Price was $79 vs $95 on Amazon. I can try it for a few days and upgrade or return if I want. I may pick up one of the Harbor Freight ($39.00 on sale + 25% coupon) to use for a guest welder or for a backup. Thanks again, Slicksters.

https://www.amazon.com/Antra-AH6-660-00 ... ords=Antra