I'm a hobby welder and don't want to mess with Harbor Freight anymore. Flux core, MIG, a little stick. I'd like to keep it under $200. I already have a couple good grinders so I'm halfway there.
Fight fire, save lives, laugh in the face of danger.
The desert is a true treasure for him who seeks refuge from men and the evil of men. In it is contentment In it is death and all you seek (Quoted from "The Bleeding of the Stone" Ibrahim Al-Koni)
Thanks Jim, seems like a really reasonable price, and while I didn't read them yet, the reviews appear mostly positive.
The desert is a true treasure for him who seeks refuge from men and the evil of men. In it is contentment In it is death and all you seek (Quoted from "The Bleeding of the Stone" Ibrahim Al-Koni)
I have heard pretty good things about the Vulcan line of helmets at Harbor Freight. I do have one of their cheaper $40 helmets and won't use it. Still need to buy a better helmet myself.
Jackson pipeliner for 50 years. I ask the welder at work about the auto darkening hoods before he retired. He said those are for pussies. I’d like to try one.
A couple projects ago I discovered I couldn't see the weld line worth a schit so I went looking for a new helmet and cheaters. This clearlight lens thing makes all the difference in the world.
Miller Classic ClearLight Lens 287803 Welding Helmet.
I have a Hobart and a Lincoln Viking and really like them both but if I had to choose, the Lincoln gets the pick for the win. I did catch the Viking on sale or it would have been more than the $200 you set. I burned my eyes so bad one time that I had to be bandaged shut for 3 days. After that, no more cheap helmets for me
Last edited by pullit; 08/11/22.
I may not be smart but I can lift heavy objects
I have a shotgun so I have no need for a 30-06.....
I'd recommend a Jackson Insight. Auto on, adjustable from 9-13 and uses a standard cover lens. not some expensive and hard to find replacement. 4 sensors to darken the lens so you don't get zapped when welding in a weird spot Solar panel to keep the batteries charged so they last a long time It does require an interior cover lens too so order a few extras or cut them from a cover lens. Get one with a sexy color and they're easier to find in the clutter.
As usual, when you take it off, don't put it face down on the table where it gets full of grinder grit. Set it down face up or hang it on a bottle and the interior lens stays clean and unscratched!
I'm using one for shop fab, beams, columns, stairs, handrail, horse stall doors, tank fab, stainless tig , anything else the shop needs done. When I'm climbing, I clip a standard "disposable" hood onto the hardhat and the auto-dark stays in the shop. I don't cry when a cheapie gets knocked off and crashes. The second Insight is at the shop at home along with all the "spares" from the past, sliders, flip-ups, leather bag hood, pancake
I've worn out three Nex-Gen auto-dark hoods from the previous generation and while they were good, I like the auto-on feature, not having to turn it on after a 15min time off makes it easy. A standard cover lens is a must for me.
"Camping places fix themselves in your mind as if you had spent long periods of your life in them. You will remember a curve of your wagon track in the grass of the plain like the features of a friend." Isak Dinesen
Jackson pipeliner for 50 years. I ask the welder at work about the auto darkening hoods before he retired. He said those are for pussies. I’d like to try one.
A friend of mine builds custom motorcycles and he came over about a month ago to weld a part on my mower. He has one and loves it, I don't know what brand it was or anything but he really likes it.
A couple projects ago I discovered I couldn't see the weld line worth a schit so I went looking for a new helmet and cheaters. This clearlight lens thing makes all the difference in the world.
Miller Classic ClearLight Lens 287803 Welding Helmet.