[TR] Welding Helmet Question

[Michael Lang]

Bob,

I bought on a couple of years ago at the local welding supply shop they
recommended a mid range one that ran me about $90. It's go solar cells
that charge the battery and so far it's always worked without any
messing around. Even after hanging on the wall for months.

I was also told that the critical thing is the UV protection, and that
the auto darkening has nothing to do with UV. Even if it doesn't trigger
and darken, your eyes are still protected by the UV filter.

One of the best welding tools that I have purchased so far. By the way,
I also have a Miller-Matic 135 and am quite happy with it. My welds were
a little rough at first, but by the time I got done patching up the body
on my TR3, I am getting pretty good. I wish I could go back and re-do so
of the first welds that I did!

Mike

Bob Danielson wrote:
> One of my many problems with welding is I can't see anything until the
> sparks start flying at which point I figure I'll set the house on fire
> so......I'm considering one of the auto-darkening type helmets figuring I'll
> be able to see where everything is before I light things up. A search of
> Sears & Home Depot shows the auto-darkening models to be in the $100 - $200
> range. Harbor Freight had one at $80 and eBay has a bunch of new ones listed
> at $30 - $50. And I've also seen some for $400. From a spec standpoint, they
> are all similar with regard to reaction time, darkness scale and meeting
> various industry standards. So I'm guessing the difference lies in various
> construction aspects of the helmet itself. This is something I'll use maybe
> once or twice a year and my primary concern is eye protection. Will the less
> expensive ones do the job given that they all say 1/25,000 sec switch time,
> adjustable shade control & ANSI certified.