These things seem to be available for a wide range of prices, from £21 on eBay up to £nnn, with a bulge around £50. On the basis that spending too little usually results in wasted money I'm tempted by the £50 ones - has anyone any experience of them? Or are the super-cheapies actually OK?
Dave
i've had a 30 quid cheapie for about 4 years now (back then 30 quid was the very cheapest you could get one for)
it's always worked as i wanted it to, only hobby welding but i've built a few things like a dog carrying trailer for a motorcycle, 2 hitches on my motorbikes, a substantial rear bumper and slot in tow bar jobbie for my motorhome, a push bike rack and a motorcycle towing rig for the motorhome, plus the little welding jobs that all add up.
to be honnest with me at least, i'm more likely to need to replace the helmet because i've run it over or lost it than need to replace it due to malfunction,
I've also had the cheapest possible, but for around 8 years. Having=20 moved this summer I have had to weld all new lathe/mill stands, benches, =
racking and a 4' wide custom gun cabinet and it still works fine.
The only thing that was an issue (and this may be the same on more=20 expensive ones) was the material coming off the headband, but that took=20 two minutes to fix.
The most puzzling thing is that mine isn't solar recharging and I have=20 no idea how the original battery is still alive.
Do they have a battery? I'd always assumed the welding arc provided the power. You may not be able to see the photo cells
Most new ones seem to be solar powered (and I guess the arc counts as a small sun) but when I bought mine they weren't available cheaply so I have one with a battery.
That's the most important point to pay attention to. Check wether the battery can actually be replaced. There was a more expensive model on the market (Speedglass?) that was solar and had a battery inside. But that cell was cast in with some resin. After 3 years, it was empty and you almost had no chance to replace it. Well almost, model engineers will always find a way. :-)
I'd also check wether it has some welders association approval (DIN or whatever). Though Chinese copyists won't stop from faking that too.
Nick
Scrap my earlier comments on cheap helmets. I just checked and the one I =
have is a Jackson Translight 390 which I can now only see for =A3140. I a= m=20 pretty sure it cost less than 50 quid on offer when I bought it, but=20 that could have been wishful thinking or just overshadowed by the price=20 of the TIG.
The problem now is I feel more guilty about throwing it around :(
Dave, I bought one for =A339 at a car show some 6 years ago. I bought the "adjustable darkness" solar powered version and it is still working adequately for my limited needs. In hindsight they had cut costs by making the screen a little smaller than ideal and the other part of the helmet is cheaply made and very tightly fitting, however it has lasted OK once I stuck the adjustment knob on properly. I feel that if I was to purchase another I would make sure the screen is at least the standard size and the helmet it'self was big enough to feel comfortable when worn for extended periods.
Regards
Keith
Thanks, and to everyone else who replied.
D
My =A3200 is currently running with the (far better) lens set for a =A340 in it. OTOH, the =A3200 hat doesn't fall onto your nose.
Me too - £25 off eBay - good enough for occasional DIY
Some have a battery, mine does! It equates to the 50 pound ones at 100 dollars Canadian.
Steve R.
Yes they do work, but make sure that you can get replacement covers for the front of the lens. They are not all the same size. BTDTGTTS
Rick... (The other Rick)
Science and sound engineering will always prevail in the end "for nature cannot be fooled" [Feynman]
My local paper has a guy selling them every night ... £50 versions. Thought about getting one, every time I catch an arc flash :-)
Rick (not sure if I am Rick, or yet another Rick)
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