Welding Tips and Tricks

I am a home hobbyist in need of a recommendation for a good helmet. I have a cheaper helmet today, but I have a hard time seeing past the puddle well enough to see the path of the weld.
I am looking for a reasonably priced helmet $100-$200 range that will provide appropriate safety and clarity. I saw a post recommending a helmet from Harbor Freight, but I didn’t want to buy another helmet just to find that it would not provide the clarity I was looking for.

I don't remember the name of the website - google "Antra" welding helmet. I recently bought one from them. Top numbers on clarity, etc. Priced pretty reasonable, approx $100-120.00, model AH7-X90 . Large viewing area, Auto darkening. Not the high quality build, etc, but works very good. Maybe not 8hrs/5 days, but for home use - it works well. I prefer it over my Lincoln helmet.

Check out the helmets from HTP. I have an older Striker CSV that cost me about $150, and even though I have an Optrel e684, I will never get rid of the Striker.

I have been happy with the Harbor Freight Vulcan Arcsafe helmet. $119 on sale, more typically $129 on sale and about $149 regular price. I'd read generally good reviews and HF is local so I can take it back if dissatisfied. It's light, has good headgar, big viewing area, and good optical quality. 4 arc sensors to help you avoid getting flashed, and good shade adjustments. Also fast reaction time and it handled a Miller cheater lens just fine with adjustable position. For small amps I had to turn the sensitivity all the way up, though.
I think it's a practical choice for a hobbyist (what I am) but it's by no means the best helmet out there. I haven't tried many others, so the value of my opinion is limited. In any case, the quality of my helmet is not the limiting factor in my welds!

Oscar wrote:Check out the helmets from HTP. I have an older Striker CSV that cost me about $150, and even though I have an Optrel e684, I will never get rid of the Striker.

This seems to be the same hood HTP sells, but at a better price

ESAB Savage A40. True color lens is pretty good for the money.

https://store.cyberweld.com/esab-savage ... 00480.html

Get a used quality hood like this viking 3350. I would not trust harbor freight with my eye sight

https://www.ebay.com/itm/223930010430

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I just purchased a Tacklife helmet and it seems to be pretty good optics for a low price.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07FX ... UTF8&psc=1

There is NO WAY I would trust Harbor Freight with my eyesight. I bought the higher end USA logo large viewing area helmet from Miller. Don't regret paying that higher price one bit, a great helmet.

Harbor freight here sells a helmet that looks identical to my old Viking 2450. But ironically you can buy the Lincoln branded one for less than 150$

Thanks for all the feedback. I will research the recommendations and post my findings after my first pass with the new lid.

joroberts wrote:Thanks for all the feedback. I will research the recommendations and post my findings after my first pass with the new lid.

Hey, did you manage to get a helmet?

I was recently in the same rut. Two months ago my Lincoln Electric Viking was broken.. It was an accident in my garage when a large tool box filled with tools fell on it and shattered it. It was a very good and durable helmet but the toolbox had some 50lb in it and the floor is from concrete and once the mask founditself between the two.. well no mask would survive that..

Anyway I spent hours searching for a cheaper replacement because I was not really good with the cash at the moment. A friend from the /r/Welding sent me this link https://weldingpros.net/best-welding-helmet/ a pretty good article so I thought to share it with you. Scroll down to the bottom of the article because the first helmets there are out of our reach moneywise.. I wish I could buy myself an optrel or esab but that will have to wait for now..

Anyway, I wound up buying the Antra AH6-260-0000. It is not as good as my Lincoln Viking.. Viking had way more durable build and the headgear was more comfortable at least for me (this can be somewhat subjective). Other than that I am satisfied.. the arc sensors work great and I get decent visibility. It was quite cheap and at a discount at a time. Maybe you can look into that one.

Also others have suggested the Tacklife helmet. That one is quite good too and I have some friends that have it which say that they have not regretted buying it.

This was just my 2c from someone who went through the buying process.. Its never easy getting a new helmet.

Good luck!

Just a little fyi for anyone who might also be looking to buy their first helmet, an external grind button is a life saver on a job. It's literally easier to pull my helmet off, find somewhere to put it, put on a face shield and then grind than it is to fiddle with that button inside the helmet sometimes.

sbaker56 wrote:Just a little fyi for anyone who might also be looking to buy their first helmet, an external grind button is a life saver on a job. It's literally easier to pull my helmet off, find somewhere to put it, put on a face shield and then grind than it is to fiddle with that button inside the helmet sometimes.

Optrel's have an external Grind Button. Might as well skip everything else and just get the best. e684, e680, Crystal 2.0, Vegaview, Panoramaxx.

Viking 3350-4 has external grind button

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sbaker56 wrote:Just a little fyi for anyone who might also be looking to buy their first helmet, an external grind button is a life saver on a job. It's literally easier to pull my helmet off, find somewhere to put it, put on a face shield and then grind than it is to fiddle with that button inside the helmet sometimes.

Oh yes this is quite important and especially if you will be welding a lot

Update on my Viking 3350 - 4 I bought it in October the headgear pinches my hair and it fell apart the other day guess what it's not under warranty. Not too happy about it right now

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Simclardy wrote:Update on my Viking 3350 - 4 I bought it in October the headgear pinches my hair and it fell apart the other day guess what it's not under warranty. Not too happy about it right now

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Go HERE, it seems the hood has a 3 year warranty when purchased from an authorized dealer

LtBadd wrote:

Simclardy wrote:Update on my Viking 3350 - 4 I bought it in October the headgear pinches my hair and it fell apart the other day guess what it's not under warranty. Not too happy about it right now

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Go HERE, it seems the hood has a 3 year warranty when purchased from an authorized dealer

I bought it from Airgas which is an authorized dealer they told me the lens has the warranty but the headgear has no warranty go figure

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It's a blessing in disguise. Get Miller headgear and retrofit it. I guarantee it's awesome.

Click the pic

Is this the same
https://store.cyberweld.com/miller-weld ... QYQAvD_BwE

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It's similar, but if you look at the one I posted, you see underneath the right knob is a fin-looking part that has slits? That provides extra adjustment for how low/high the hood drops down when brought downward. The cyberweld unit doesn't seem to have that at first glance.

I would buy the Lincoln helmet with 4c lens technology. I am old and I see the best with it.

I would buy the Lincoln helmet with 4c lens technology. I am old and I can see the best with one.

Oscar wrote:It's similar, but if you look at the one I posted, you see underneath the right knob is a fin-looking part that has slits? That provides extra adjustment for how low/high the hood drops down when brought downward. The cyberweld unit doesn't seem to have that at first glance.

Thanks. I gave the lws some blowback, and they are going to see what they can do. They already have the lincoln part at the store. I don't mind tossing the $40 but it really bothers me how lincoln promotes the warranty and then slides in all these loop holes.

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