Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Question for Welders?

I have been welding for well over 40 years and fought hard not to get an auto lens
I got a job welding over 1000 1 inch welds
got my self a Nexgen auto lens and hood
I broke the first one and felt lost going back to my old hood.
As long as I can afford an auto lens hood I will not go back to the old type for very long
The Nexgen has Batteries and a Solar panel for charging the Batteries
If I let the hood sit in the tool box for a long time. I take it out an hour or so before I am going to weld and put it in the sun to charge the batteries
Sucks big time when the batteries go bad and I do not have then on hand to replace.

I won’t be without one anymore, very handy. And I just buy the $75 ones at tractor supply. If I welded for a living everyday I’d buy a nicer miller or similar, but the cheaper ones work well for what I do

I am a certified pipe welder and have been welding gi 48 years and I use an auto darkening lens. I use the Singles Arc One. .2X4 no need for anything larger.

They are great.I think once you've used one you will never want to use the old style again.

They are hard to get use to for someone that has grown up using goggles and flip back helmets, but once you do they are nice and time saving. One problem with them that I have found is that when welding outdoors you need something draped over the back of your head to keep sunlight from entering from the back. I drape a hand towel over back of my head before putting helmet on an that solves that problem. Always use a glass plate in front of the auto darkening unit to keep spatter from ruining it. Auto darkening helmets have been around for so long now that there probably isn't too many working welders out there that haven't already used them and become accustomed to them. And for those like me that are no longer working and always in a rush for time, it doesn't really matter. Main thing is to just use something and of the right shade.

Phil

I enjoy having auto dark hoods for shop use and general fab work but I still like a large size flip down hood for the field. Clipped onto my hardhat I want simple, light and cheap to replace if it tumbles and crashes from height.
When a kid wanders into work and wants to take a welding test i'll give them one of my old 2"x4" flip down hoods, Ha!

I imagine Jake is so tough he just squinted?

I tried them and they didn't work well when welding large diameter pipe with another welder opposite you (known as brother-in-lawing).
Your partner's flash and sparks and also his grinding sparks would make the auto lens darken and lighten uncontrollably. Most where somewhat adjustable but I could never get them to work.
I liked the old school conventional 2x4" flip up style the best. 40 years as a certified pipe and boiler tube welder.