Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Recommend A Welding Helmet

Fibre-Metal Pipeliner helmet with a Singles Arc-One, shade 10-11, auto darkening lens. You'll take out the lens that comes with the helmet and replace it with the Arc-One lens. Should be in the $150 range. Lots of guys using this set up and it works well and uses the standard 2" X 4" cover lens. Too many helmets have a bastard size cover lens that leaves you married to the company that made it.

Like said already, stay away from the Harbor Freight and other cheap helmets. So many people trying to learn/do welding struggle because they can't see what they are doing and poor visibility never makes it better.

I have a friend whom I consider to be the weldors weldor. 35 years experience, capping his career now as a weldor as 'the man' in the research and development department at a large manufacturer building robotic surgical equipment. Short of welding nuke submarines, this is about the top of the field. Guess what he uses...the plain old skool Jackson 411 riveted fiber helmet (USA) and the low tech, no tech, non darkening 2 x 4.2 filter, and the new Wens Lens cool blue for tig and aluminum, also non darkening. He will not use an auto darkening lens, there is a lesson in that guys. Gimmicks, cool colors, and more money does not equate to more eye safety.

I found an auto darkening helmet on sale at Northern Tool several year back. It has worked well for me.

I did a *bunch* of TIG welding with a basic Jackson. Lightweight, large viewing screen, low cost. It becomes second nature to snap your head forward before starting a weld after a short bit.

I got this one a few months ago, I like it.Hobart

The lesson might be don’t have a job where you have get into position and hold yourself with one arm between a drive line and truck frame while reaching over a cross member with the other and trying to figure out how to get your hood down to just start the arc....

This.. Been using one for a while now. I use the cut setting on that hood alot more than I ever would have thought I would. Dont think I would own a hood with out that

I still catch myself doing the head snap thing even with the auto darkening helmets. Did it for so long before I got one of the newer ones, old habits are hard to break

The cheaters really help too.

Miller Digital Elite. I've had one for 15 years and I really like it and have spent many hours with it on my head. Mine doesn't have the grind mode and I wouldn't use it even if it did.

Baker Gas or IOC will probably have the best price.

About 20 years ago, took my Speed-Glas over to a good friend to let him try it. After about 20 minutes of using it, he said he wished had one when he was tig welding in nuclear power house projects.

If you buy an auto darkening helmet from Northern Tool make sure it has replaceable batteries. The last time I checked they didn't have any with replaceable batteries. The one I bought from them a few years ago didn't and I threw it away when the batteries died. I have a Lincoln Electric Viking helmet now with replaceable batteries.

Good info. Thank you

Great topic and discussion

Well we all have our preferences, but just call me a pussy. There are some really good helmets out there. My current one is a Miller and by a good margin is the best I have used. Called a Digital Elite. The thing to watch for is to make sure the one you choose will use available lenses in case you need lenses like reading glasses.

Couple years back i bought one the black and yellow Jackson Balder hoods. Great clarity.

Heavy though.

Hard to beat a Pipeliner or tiger hood.

I’ll trim them down so it doesn’t hit me in the throat when flipped down.

Thanks for all the leads on models and vendors. You guys have narrowed it down for me. I'd been looking but ended up all looking the same.
Thanks again.

Look at the tiger futura.
I don't know the price but it's worth it.
Mine was a gimme on a TVA job years ago, but I'd pony the cash if I wanted a hood today

Mine is a standard 2X4.2 flip lens

I have used a couple of auto dark inserts that worked pretty well, but mostly just use a shade 10 or 2X shade 5s

A standard pipeliner or tiger hood is a heavy thing. Lotta old time welders used them forever but had arthritic necks from them

Tiger futura is the lightest hood I've ever worn, with the possible exception of the Speedglass which I don't like as it's too small for my melon head.

The use of an auto darkening hood can be debated all day long, and someone will always come up with some bullshit reason to use a standard lens
And yeah, I use a standard lens for my home welding, but only because my favorite hood is set up that way. If I were choosing today, i'd choose auto-dark

The flash hoods are here to stay, and they are a better choice for most purposes

Yes, multiple settings that are easy to change are good for grinding, torch work, welding (of course). Batteries last a long time, has a solar panel to also help with battery longevity, easy to find battery for when you need to replace them. Clear lenses are easy to find, head gear lasts a long time. Hood is fairly comfortable and damn near indestructible. I've used these in the rain, snow, howling wind and over 100 degree temps. They are rock solid and made for the professional.. I have no complaints.