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.

Watching this one.

Hobart Inventor or Creator.

Thanks Jim, seems like a really reasonable price, and while I didn't read them yet, the reviews appear mostly positive.

I have one of each.

One is always in my service truck and one is in the shop.


Good value in my opinion.

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.

I have a Jackson Boss floating around in the garage that I have never used, I would sell. Shoot me a PM if interested.

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.

Great Price, Click Here.

Miller digital elite.

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

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.

been using a harbor freight helmet for 15 years or so,no problems at all

All in, I was around $200.00 when finished with a good headgear and auto darkening lens. I put a flip front on a pipeliner, just like this.

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.

Jackson huntsman is a cheap no frills hood that’ll work well. Heavier than i like though.


I use fiber metal pipeliner.

Whatever brand auto dark i find after the last one went out.

Don’t. Don’t. Don’t. Don’t get hoods like the Harbor Freight models.

They use an odd ball size cover lens.

You’ll be trying to weld like looking through a snow storm once it gets spattered up.

Find one that uses a standard lens.

Tacklife makes many trade related items.

I have found most to exceed my needs for the cost expended.

I've heard that. May try one. Thanks.

Kinda the hobby guy vs. Pro situation like most everything.

I wear progressive lens glasses. I find that the helmets with taller lenses are easier to use.

Got my son a Miller Digital Elite Roadster when he was taking welding in school. Very much liked it.



Roadster

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.

What a lot of guys don't know is how long guys have been using them. My grandpa used them in the 80's. The ones made now days are much better, but they have definitely been around for a while and are quite handy. For quick fitting, you can leave your hood down and it saves a lot of time, if you are into efficiency in your job. They do have their advantages, for sure.. And, yes I have used other non darkening hoods for more than 20 years, so I know all about those too.. The autodarkening blows them out of the water. The only place I'd opt for a flip down non darkening hood is if I were welding overhead for weeks on end. That is only because I don't want to burn up my $300 hood..

I've been in the trade for 30+ years and I know that doesn't mean much here but I'll toss in my $0.02.

I've used all of them. I have some cheap Antra helmets from Amazon that were $50 and they are decent but the color and clarity isn't the best. If you go that route, or any route, get something without buttons on the outside of the helmet. Worst idea ever unless you're just sitting in a booth and too lazy to flip your hood and adjust it. That goes for any and all brands. Them things snag on everything.

I recently purchased four Lincoln FGS hoods and am very impressed. They are supplied air hoods because we weld some nasty stuff but the lense is the same. The good and bad on them is the side shield. They are a shade 5 which is awesome for a little peripheral but I get flashed when welding inside stainless or aluminum tanks which is a bright weld and shiny material.

I'm going to purchase a couple more of the Lincolns without the PAPR for regular use. Yes they are a little out of your budget but you are only as good as your tools. Check ebay as there are some smoking deals there.

If anyone is still reading, I need a cheater to see decent. I hate them because they are never in the right spot and hard to remove when I'm welding at arm's length. I bought some cheap oversized reading glasses from amazon and they work much better. I have them laying all over the shop and put them on or off as needed.

Good luck with your hobby.

I don't know what the situation is with your vision but the main reason I went with a flip front is to get the cheater lens out of the way when I don't need it. At arms length, I really don't need much correction.

Just putting that out there.

I felt the same way
After I had a job were I had to weld over 1000 1 inch welds my neck was finished before the 1st day.
I went to my weld supply shop and told them I wanted the best auto lens they had in stock
I picked up a NexGen with a Polycarbon shell and fell in love with it the very first day.
I had it for a couple years and dropped it killing the lens.
I went 2 days with my old helmet and went back and picked up another NexGen
I do not know if they even make them anymore but I will only go back to a standard hood for a back up.
I only have around 10 hoods that I have acquired over the years so a back up is a bit hard to find

HA HA

I do a lot of spot welding on wire mesh security screens at the present time and I can buzz the the welding real fast by not having to lift my hood between welds to line up the frame and mesh before the welding.

Good luck with what you choose sometime you get what you pay for and a Harbor Freight or Northern Tool grade helmet is not for me. It is your eyes so choose what is best for you.

By the way my NexGen accepts the Cheaters. I use them because of my old eyes.

I thought getting wedded meant you didnt have to wear a helmet any more?

I swear I can see the instant before an auto changes. I get way more eye strain at the end of a day with an auto than a passive lens.

The cheap autos from HF and the like are junk, once your eyes are shot they’re shot so spend the money on quality glass.

I have a Lincoln Viking that’s the best auto I’ve used, I like it better than my dad’s Miller Elite. Problem I have with both of them is they’re heavy. I switched back to the Fibremetal Pipeliner and my neck and head are much happier now. My work hood has an ArcOne auto lense and the hoods I have around the shop here at the house have old Lincoln Supervisibility glass lenses.

Nothing moves faster than light. Do the auto helmets darken during the interval between when the light hits the front of the glass and when it leaves the rear of the glass? I see some say they will darken in 1/20,000 sec but a lot of light can get through during that time.

My cheap auto helmet crapped out on me a couple months ago so I'm using my old manual. I've been watching this thread before I get a new one.