Looking for Recommendations for an Inexpensive Welding Helmet

Bought a MIG welder this spring for a good price and I don't have any of the gear. Planning to work on Rally Car over the winter and want to get practicing. Any recommendations for a hobby-quality welding helmet?

I bought one from a welding shop, and had a backup from HF (very similar style).

The welding shop one broke, the HF one is still working.

(I am pretty sure they source them from the same place anyway)

P.S. the Brightness Adjustment that the HF one has does not really seem to do anything (that I can notice anyway)

I've got the auto-darkening one from Harbor Freight that I use for occasional welding tasks. While I look forward to using it as a hammer, that day hasn't yet come.

The flip side to that is that eastsidemav has one as well and he was having some troubles with his last night when I was welding and he was standing back watching. I'm theorizing that since he was back from the light of the torch and it was dark outside, there wasn't enough power for the solar cell.

The HF helmets really aren't bad, considering the price. I think mine is their cheapest auto dimming model and it's worked well for the very sporadic use it sees. My one complaint is that there is just barely enough of a delay to the auto dimming that at the end of a long day of welding you're seeing stars just a little bit. But for a hobbyist level welder, I'd recommend it.

Look for one that has a replaceable shield in front of the lens. Thats one thing I really like about mine, gets chewed up from spatter, throw a new one in and its clear as day again. Its a Central Welding branded one.

I had a HF helmet someone gave me that I ultimately got rid of because of the long/laggy reaction time Furious_E mentioned. 30 mins of butt welding sheet metal and you would end up with arc eye, damaging your eyes. (30 mins being a short period of time for sheet metal welding too)

I gave it away and I'm now using this helmet and it does not have that issue. As a bonus it's also a dual mode and can be used for grinding.

I think I got it on sale for not much more than the Harbor Freight model.

In any case, I highly recommend a battery operated model as they're faster and more reliable. (Battery replacement aside)

The HF one gave me headaches from lag time. Then it died and i threw it out. I got a hobart in the $105 range and love it

If you want a non auto darkening hood, HOBART (or darn near anything you can find. Not a lot of difference one to another)

If you want an auto darkening hood, HOBART

I have one of each, and am pleased with both. Hobart is to Miller as Blue-Point is to Snap-On.

Define inexpensive. I consider the large view port Lincoln Viking 3350 that I bought in the ~$200 (a few years ago) range from my LWS to be a very good bang for the buck option. I recall the similarly priced/featured Arc-One Vision they had sitting next to it was a close second, losing out mostly due to personal preference of the headgear after trying it on. My only minor complaint is that the battery can go out after sitting for long periods of time, such that it needs replaced rather than just set out in the sun to charge, so I have to keep a spare around.

If you want auto darkening don't buy the cheapest. Remember it's your eyes were talking about. As people have said the cheaper ones have some lag and that's not a good thing. Hobart/Miller and Lincoln have some really nice ones at about the 100 dollar range. I have a Miller Digital Performance series and I think it was about 150 on sale at one of the big online welding stores. Sometimes you can find really good deals online with a model closeout etc. A welding helmet is going to last years so spending a little extra is going to even out over time.

Welding is one of those things that is sufficiently difficult to master that you don't want to introduce crappy equipment as a variable. I like the Miller or Lincoln helmets. The shade selection is a good feature and they are sold by people who expect you to be making a living at this, not just playing.

That said, I have friends who buy the $75 princess auto (canadian HF) helmets and they are happy.

wae wrote: I've got the auto-darkening one from Harbor Freight that I use for occasional welding tasks. While I look forward to using it as a hammer, that day hasn't yet come. The flip side to that is that eastsidemav has one as well and he was having some troubles with his last night when I was welding and he was standing back watching. I'm theorizing that since he was back from the light of the torch and it was dark outside, there wasn't enough power for the solar cell.

To add to this, I think wae is correct. I was too far away to fully power the solar cells, it still worked fine when I was actually welding. It did not used to have this problem, but it is 11 years old, so it is probably time for a new helmet before this one fails while I'm welding.

I currently have a non auto darkening wide view helmet I'll use for a while. Will see about getting another autodarkening helmet in the future, though.

Sorry cheap and welding helmets don;t go together due to the damage a cheap on can let happen to your eyes. HOBART all the way.

Take care of your eyes people. Some things are worth the money. Oh, and by the way.....Miller Electric is a sponsor of the $2016 Challenge, and it looks like they will support us next year too. So, if you want a helmet that will last, protect your eyes, and help a company that values your business. At least give them a look:

Miller helmets

Go to your local welding supply house, they should have a selection from cheap to expensive. You're going to need to establish a relationship with them anyway, to buy gas, wire and other supplies.

In reply to wearymicrobe:

Agree and would say that Cheap and safety gear shouldn't go together.

Joe Gearin wrote: Take care of your eyes people. Some things are worth the money. Oh, and by the way.....Miller Electric is a sponsor of the $2016 Challenge, and it looks like they will support us next year too. So, if you want a helmet that will last, protect your eyes, and help a company that values your business. At least give them a look: Miller helmets

I ran a shop that welds tons of titanium and other metals. Miller was the brand of helmet that the production guys used. It lasted years in a 8 hours a day 6 days a week environment. I bought many of them, and they are worth every penny.

Fueled by Caffeine wrote:

Joe Gearin wrote: Take care of your eyes people. Some things are worth the money. Oh, and by the way.....Miller Electric is a sponsor of the $2016 Challenge, and it looks like they will support us next year too. So, if you want a helmet that will last, protect your eyes, and help a company that values your business. At least give them a look: Miller helmets

I ran a shop that welds tons of titanium and other metals. Miller was the brand of helmet that the production guys used. It lasted years in a 8 hours a day 6 days a week environment. I bought many of them, and they are worth every penny.

Thanks for the input. Glad to hear that Miller helmets work as well as advertised. I'm all about saving $$, but when it comes to my eyes, I'll spend a little more to know that I have quality protection. Sometimes buying quality actually saves money in the long run.

I'll echo others, you hopefully still got 2 working eyes. If you want to keep them working, don't cheap out on a welding helmet.

I've got a Miller Digital Elite, I really like it a lot. Cyberweld.com has the plain black on "sale" for $221.75, but I bet there'll be a Black Friday or Cyber Monday deal to be had.

I gave the Viking 3500 series a good long look when I was buying, that big window is nice, but Miller's X-mode swayed my purchase.

I had the HF and never realized how bad it was until I used a better one. I recently got this one, and while it's not "inexpensive," it's worth it.

I weld custom exhausts, make custom brackets, patch rusted floor pans, etc.

This one has been just great for two years of that. Set the sensitivity/delay to minimum and there's no lag problem. Adjustable darkness with good range. Window's not huge but it's big enough to work at weird angles. Replaceable screen and comes with a spare. Absolutely no issues with physical/head discomfort or eye discomfort.

For $50, the thing I have to live with is false triggers of the darkening if I point the helmet sensors in the direction of a ceiling lamp. I can adjust it to deal with ambient indoor shop lighting or daylight work, but it flips the screen to dark if it gets a direct look at an ordinary light bulb against a white background (ceiling).

I keep telling myself I'll go to AirGas some day and pay up for a slick helmet, but I never make it over there.

Antra

I appreciate the input that everyone is providing, however just to clarify, since the comments been made several times already, I didn't ask for cheap. I indicated that I was looking for an inexpensive hobby-quality welding helmet. I could have just run down to the local Princess Auto and bought a cheap one! I was looking for exactly what a number of people have provided - which is there are good reasons to stick with a name brand entry-level helmet. Thank you.

I already wear glasses (bi-focals actually), rapidly closing on 50 and don't wish my eyesight to get worse. I also don't have the budget to go out and buy a $500 welding helmet.

I didn't read the whole thread but has anyone posted that their eyes are too valuable for anything from Harbor Freight that is reasonably priced and seems to have good specs, and work just fine and instead suggest that you spend extra money for one made in china, with the same specs, but sold by Miller for 7000% mark-up yet?

If not, I'm here to post that.

I too am in the camp of "I didn't know how bad the HF was until I upgraded"

I recommend the Weldcote 4 sensor hoods.

I find myself wondering these days if the 10 years of 25 hours a week with various HF auto-darkening hoods are why I am so damn sensitive to excess lighting on the road at nights.

3M's speedglas products don't get enough love. They regularly have sales and MIR promotions. I picked an auto darkening lid up a few years ago for $120, love it aside from the fact that the strap adjustments are a little chintzy