We gave Jake a helmet with the auto darkening lens, he used a few times, but it just sits.

Do like that type lens?

I like them, used to use the old flip down, I like being able to see

i do.

I bought my dad a nice one for Christmas but he won't touch it.

It's a Miller branded one.


I actually used it myself the other day and it is pretty slick.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B077PLRBC4/ref=ppx_od_dt_b_asin_title_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I like a real glass gold lens, shade 12. I even have an ancient silver lens and it’s incredible but I don’t think anyone has made them in ages. I have a Lincoln Supervisability lens from the 60’s that is good as well and it’s my back up. Just make sure to get real glass instead of the cheap plastic stuff made now for better optics.

I used an auto hood for a while but noticed less eye fatigue and better clarity with good quality glass passive lenses. Plus a little Fibremetal Pipeliner hood weighs about 1/3 of what an auto hood from Miller or Lincoln does and when it’s on your head 8 hours a day the weight adds up.

They are the bomb for mig'in and tig'in bench work... Outside stick work I am happy to nod my head....

Bite the bullet and buy a good quality auto-darkening hood with a sensitivity and a brightness adjustment. Stick welding, MIG, and TIG require different levels of filtering, and the cheap auto darkening ones don't allow you to tailor the response to the job. My first one was an el cheapo from Harbor Freight and I got eyestrain and headaches while using it. I love the better quality hood I use now.
Jerry

I use both and both have their place.

A good quality auto hood is a very useful for certain types of welding. It's also much easier to use for those that don't weld much versus the flip-down type.

All that said, the flip down hood with a high quality glass lens is tough to beat for durability and clarity.

The cheap auto-darkening helmets don't last long for those that use them daily and the view is marginal if you really need to see the puddle and weld zone. If you only weld an hour a month it probably won't matter, if you run the cheap helmet.

If you want a good setup to cover both, buy a Fibre Metal Pipeliner and put a auto-darkening Singles Arc One HD, shade 10 lens in it. Also buy a quality glass lens in several shades like 9-12 and they will fit the same hood. That way you can put a glass lens in when needed or use the auto-setup.

You should be totally setup up with both hood auto and glass lenses for under $180. This Fibre Metal helmet also uses the 2"X 4" cover lenses which are cheap compared to some of the special-sized cover lenses that cost $5 per for certain auto hoods.

It's really nice to see the rod touch the work sometimes.
And it's nice to not futzt around with a hood.

+1.

It uses the common 2x4 cover lens.
Those helmets from Harbor Freight other places use an odd ball size.

Arc One Singles HD are good.

Auto hoods are about all I find myself using anymore. They are great in tight places, stitch welding or tacking expanded metal.
They are not all created equal tho, and you get what you pay for.

I use a lincoln viking 3350 hood for most work and a miller auto darkeni g mask for work where I cant fit a hood in without nocking it off my head.

I use a big Lincoln that puts out 400 amps, 100% duty cycle so I use both, auto for tack-up...shade 12 for pouring it on. If I was welding muffler pipe at 80 amps, I think the auto is fine.

I use the old fashioned hood. I doubt if I’ll ever change.

It's a trade-off.

The auto darkening hoods are heavier, but more versatile. They can be used with a grinder or a torch, and can easily be set from shade 8 or 9, up to shade 13 on some...

Some of the old style hoods were heavy and clunky too. Most probably remember and hate the old MSA Tiger hood. But like everyone else, MSA innovated and some years back introduced the Tiger Ultra. And it's the lightest and handiest hood I've ever used. My Tiger Ultra is a 2x4 flip lens which adds some versatility. And I have head gear for either a hard hat mount or a simple headband...

In the auto darkening realm the Speedglas is the best performing and the lightest, but is small enough that I need extra covering for my long neck and big ears. I've used the Miller with good results too, but for everyday versatility the Jackson NextGen is tops in my book.

I just had an auto go bad - what seems to be their lifespan ?

Jackson Fiber Shell with a 2" X 4" lens. Light weight, compact and indestructible.

My first auto lens was a speed glass...one of the first to hit the market...it lasted 12 years of every day outdoors use...from wet Washington and Oregon, gulf coast in humid summer to 50 below in the Artic...when it finally quit I bought a new on it only lasted 2 years..no doubt from outsourcing to China....
Have no idea which one to recommend but they are wonderful

Life span can be all over the place for auto-hoods. The cheap ones can die pretty quickly. The higher quality helmets seem to last longer and are usually backed by a short-term warranty of 1-3 years.

How old is Jake? What brand helmet is it? Is he MIG welding or stick welding? Indoors or outdoors?

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.